ESA FAQ: Does the Ethernet MAC address in the configuration XML file cause problems in disaster recovery on the ESA?

Introduction

This document describes if the Ethernet MAC address in the configuration XML file can cause problems in disaster recovery on the Email Security Appliance (ESA) when the configuration backup file is loaded to a new ESA.

Does the Ethernet MAC address in the configuration XML file cause problems in disaster recovery?

There are not any problems with the MAC addresses in the configuration if you upload the configuration to a different appliance.  If you look in the configuration file, you see a section that looks similar to this:

<ethernet_settings>
    <ethernet>
      <ethernet_interface>Data 2</ethernet_interface>
      <media>autoselect</media>
      <media_opt></media_opt>
      <macaddr>00:c0:9f:41:cb:97</macaddr>
    </ethernet>
    <ethernet>
      <ethernet_interface>Data 1</ethernet_interface>
      <media>autoselect</media>
      <media_opt></media_opt>
      <macaddr>00:c0:9f:41:cb:96</macaddr>
    </ethernet>
  </ethernet_settings>

In a disaster recovery situation, the MAC addresses of the new ESA are likely to be different from the one this configuration file was saved from. These MAC addresses are only in the configuration file for documentation reasons. They do not cause conflicts or problems when this file is restored to a new ESA. You do not have to update these MAC addresses.