Disconnecting Virtual NICs

Before you customize the guest network, you should disconnect the virtual NICs to quiesce network traffic during the operation. Disconnecting virtual NICs is a key step in the instant clone process.

You can disconnect a virtual NIC in one of these ways:
  • In the spec parameter to the InstantClone_Task method you can specify that the virtual NIC should be disconnected during the instant clone operation. This way leaves the NIC in the source virtual machine active immediately after the clone operation, while the NIC in the clone is idle and ready for customization.
  • In the spec parameter to the ReconfigVM_Task method you can change the connection state of a virtual NIC. This way is available either with or without an instant clone operation.

Disconnecting a Virtual NIC with InstantClone_Task

To disconnect a virtual NIC during an instant clone operation, prepare a VirtualMachineInstantCloneSpec data object that specifies the device should be in the disconnected state after the clone operation completes. You pass the clone specification in the spec parameter of InstantClone_Task. Assign a value of disconnect to the property spec.location.deviceChange[].device.connectable.migrateConnect.

Disconnecting a Virtual NIC with ReconfigVM_Task

To disconnect a virtual NIC by reconfiguring the virtual machine, prepare a VirtualMachineConfigSpec data object that specifies a disconnected virtual NIC. You pass the config specification in the spec parameter of the ReconfigVM_Task method. Assign a value of False to the property spec.deviceChange[].device.connectable.connected.