Retaining MAC address in Azure VM

Question

Does Azure support retaining MAC address of a VM with static IP deployed in an availability zone. The purpose of retaining the mac address is because the license of the application is issued based on MAC address

Answer 1

Dear Pasupathi M,

Thank you for posting your question on the Q&A portal! The Azure community is always happy to help, and I so appreciate your engagement.

To answer your question: Azure does not guarantee retaining the same MAC address for a VM, even if it has a static IP address or is deployed in an availability zone. The MAC address is typically tied to the virtual network interface, and while it usually persists during normal operations, it can change in certain scenarios, such as:

• Deallocating the VM (stopping it from the Azure portal).

Resizing the VM.

Recreating the vNIC or moving the VM to a different host.

You can try to do next

1. Use Azure Dedicated Host. This provides more control over the underlying infrastructure and may help maintain the MAC address longer, but it’s still not guaranteed.
2. Application Licensing Alternatives. Check if your software vendor supports Azure-specific licensing (e.g., using the VM’s unique ID or Azure resource ID). Host-based licensing (tied to the subscription or tenant ID).

Azure VM Networking Overview

Static IP Addresses in Azure

If MAC persistence is critical, I’d recommend reaching out to your software vendor to explore Azure-compatible licensing options.

Best regards,
Alex
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