Sometimes, when the drivers for XenServer VM Tools for Windows are updated through Windows Update, the static IP settings are lost and the network settings change to use DHCP.

Important:

This issue persists when updating from versions earlier than 9.3.3. This issue is fixed for updates from 9.3.3 or later, to future versions.

If you encounter this issue, ensure that you have carried out all required reboots of your VMs. Multiple VM reboots are required to perform an update to XenServer VM Tools.

To work around this issue, complete the following steps:

1. Generate a script with the current network settings.
   
   To ensure you have the necessary permissions to modify system network settings, open a Command Prompt as Administrator. In readiness for this issue occurring during a Windows Update, run the following command on each guest VM to generate a script that contains the current network settings (including the existing static IP settings):
   
   netsh int dump > <filename>

   where <filename> is the desired path and name of your script file. We recommend to save the file to an easily accessible location such as your desktop.
   
   This command creates a file named network_settings.txt at the specified location, containing all current network configurations.
   
   
2. (Optional) Edit the generated script.
   
   Before you proceed, you might want to open the generated file in a text editor and review the settings. The file includes all network configurations, including those for hidden or unused connections. You can remove any sections that are irrelevant to your primary network connection to simplify the restoration process later.
   
   
3. Reapply the network settings after an update.
   
   After applying a Windows Update, if you find that your network settings are altered or your static IP configuration is lost, you can use the network settings script that you generated to restore your settings.
   
   However, if the name of the network connection has changed, you first need to rename the new connection back to the old name. To do so, first identify the new connection name and what you want to rename it to. You can list all network interfaces by running:
   
   netsh int show interface

   Then, rename the new connection to the old name using the following command:
   
   netsh int set interface name="<new-connection-name>" newname="<old-connection-name>"
   
   where <new-connection-name> is the current name of the connection (obtained by running netsh int show interface), and <old-connection-name> is the name you used in your saved network settings script.
   
   Finally, apply the saved network settings from your script:
   
   netsh exec <filename>

   where <filename> is the path to your saved network settings script. This reverts the network settings to their pre-update configuration.
   
   
4. Set up automatic reboots:
   
   Multiple VM reboots are required to perform an update to XenServer VM Tools. Configuring automatic reboots minimises the necessity for manual approval of each reboot. Set a registry key to specify the maximum number of automatic reboots that are performed when you install the drivers through Device Manager or Windows Update. For more information on how to set up automatic reboots, see Setting automatic reboots when updating the Citrix VM Tools for Windows.