220-1101 Virtualization and Cloud Computing Practice Question
A company hosts a legacy application on a virtual machine. The application's license is tied to the MAC address of the virtual machine's network interface. The administrator needs to migrate the VM to a different host server without breaking the license. Which of the following virtualization features should the administrator use?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse MAC address cloning with network bonding or VLAN tagging, thinking that network-level features like VLANs or teaming can preserve a MAC address, when in fact only explicit static MAC assignment at the virtual NIC level guarantees persistence across hosts.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
MAC address cloning/static assignment
The application's license is tied to the MAC address of the VM's network interface. When a VM is migrated to a different host, the hypervisor typically assigns a new MAC address, which would break the license. By using MAC address cloning or static assignment, the administrator can preserve the original MAC address on the new host, ensuring the license remains valid.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
MAC address cloning/static assignment
Why this is correct
Setting a static MAC address in the virtual NIC configuration decouples the guest OS from the dynamically generated address that vSphere assigns at VM creation. This ensures the MAC remains constant across vMotion/DRS migrations or cloning, so legacy applications with license checks tied to the network interface keep validating. The static value is set in the VM properties (vSphere Web Client) or VMX file, overriding the default random address and guaranteeing identity persistence.
- ✗
VLAN tagging
Why it's wrong here
VLAN tagging (IEEE 802.1Q) inserts a 4-byte tag into the Ethernet frame to identify the virtual LAN, but it does not modify the source MAC address field within that frame. The frame's source MAC is still the adapter's physical or virtual address, which will change on migration if no static assignment is configured. VLAN tagging provides network segmentation and isolation only, so it has no mechanism to preserve the hardware address required for licensing.
- ✗
Jumbo frames
Why it's wrong here
Jumbo frames increase the Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) from 1500 to 9000 bytes, allowing larger Ethernet payloads and reducing per-packet overhead in high-throughput workloads. They are configured on the VM and the underlying vSwitch or physical NIC, but this setting only changes the packet size limit; it never alters the Layer 2 MAC address. Thus jumbo frames improve network performance but leave the licensing-critical MAC identity unchanged and subject to migration changes.
- ✗
Network bonding/teaming
Why it's wrong here
Network bonding/teaming groups multiple physical NICs into a single logical interface for redundancy or load balancing, and the team typically presents one MAC address derived from a member NIC. However, that team MAC is independent of the VM's virtual adapter, and when the VM migrates to another host the underlying physical NIC set changes, forcing a new team configuration. Teaming does not preserve a specific MAC address across migrations, so it cannot anchor a MAC-based software license.
Quick reference
Access Control Model Comparison
| Model | Acronym | Who Controls Access? | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discretionary Access Control | DAC | Resource owner | Small teams, file shares |
| Mandatory Access Control | MAC | System / security labels | Classified govt / military |
| Role-Based Access Control | RBAC | Administrator (via roles) | Enterprise environments |
| Attribute-Based Access Control | ABAC | Policy engine (user + resource attributes) | Fine-grained, dynamic policies |
| Rule-Based Access Control | RuBAC | System rules / ACLs | Firewall rules, network ACLs |
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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