When you installing a server using PXE boot, you’ve to use a legacy NIC interface. This is because a normal NIC interface doesn’t support PXE boot. After succesfully installing this server, you would change the legacy NIC interface with a normal NIC interface. The performance is much better because this will use the VMbus to commuicate with the parent partition!
You can follow the steps below to change the legacy NIC interface with a normal NIC interface.
1.) Shutdown the Virtual Machine
2.) Open the Properties of the Virtual Machine
3.) Select the Hardware tab
4.) Select the Network Adapters and click Remove
5.) Click Network Adapter and choose Synthetic network adapter
6.) Apply the changes
7.) Start the Virtual Machine
8.) Open the Network Connections
9.) When you want to rename the NIC interface, you’ll receive the following error:
“Cannot rename this connection. A connection with the name you specified already exists. Specify a different name.”
10.) Open the system properties of your server
11.) Select the Advanced tab and click Environment Variables
12.) Creat a new System Variable
Variable name: Devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices
Variable value: 1
13.) Open the Device Manager of your server
14.) Show the hidden devices
15.) As you can see there still is the legacy NIC interface we’ve deleted earlier.
16.) Select that NIC interface and choose Uninstall
17.) Again open the Network Connections and rename it
18.) Don’t forget to give the server a static IP, Subnet, Gateway and DNS 😉
Now your server is using a Synthetic Network Interface (VMbus communication).
