Handling of multiple MAC unicast addresses with virtual machines

A system for managing a guest operating system (OS) comprising:

• a physical network interface card (NIC) configured to receive a plurality of packets from a network, wherein packets associated with a first media access control (MAC) address are forwarded to a guest OS hardware receive ring (HRR) located on the physical NIC and associated with an intermediate virtual network interface card (VNIC);
• a host, operatively connected to the physical NIC, comprising:
• a processor;
• a device driver associated with the physical NIC;
• the guest OS comprising a first guest VNIC associated with the first MAC address, and configured to:
• create a second guest VNIC associated with a second MAC address, and
• after creating the second guest VNIC, send the second MAC address to a host OS;
• and
• the host OS, executing on the processor, comprising the intermediate VNIC configured to forward packets associated with the first MAC address to the guest OS, wherein the host OS is configured to:
• receive, from the guest OS, the second MAC address;
• determine the intermediate VNIC to forward packets associated with the second MAC address to the guest OS;
• and
• forward the second MAC address from the intermediate VNIC to the device driver,
• wherein the device driver is configured to receive the second MAC address from the intermediate VNIC and configure the physical NIC to forward packets associated with the second MAC address to the guest OS HRR;
• and
• wherein packets associated with the first MAC address and received by the physical NIC are classified by the classifier and forwarded to the quest OS HRR.

A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising software instructions for managing a guest operating system (OS), wherein the software instructions comprise functionality to:

• receive, by a host OS from the guest OS associated with a first media access control (MAC) address, a second MAC address,
• wherein the first MAC address is associated with a first guest virtual network interface card (VNIC) residing on the guest OS,
• wherein the second MAC address is associated with a second guest VNIC residing on the guest OS,
• wherein the second MAC address is sent from the guest OS in response to a creation of the second guest VNIC, and
• wherein the guest OS and the host OS are executing on the host;
• determine, by the host OS after receiving the second MAC address, an intermediate VNIC to forward packets associated with the second MAC address to the guest OS,
• wherein packets associated with the first MAC address and received by the intermediate VNIC are forwarded to the guest OS, and
• wherein the intermediate VNIC is executing on the host OS;
• and
• forward, by the host OS, the second MAC address from the intermediate VNIC to a device driver associated with a physical network interface card (NIC) operatively connected to the host,
• wherein the device driver configures a classifier on the physical NIC to forward packets associated with the second MAC address to a guest OS hardware receive ring (HRR) located on the physical NIC, wherein the guest OS HRR is associated with the intermediate VNIC;
• and
• wherein packets associated with the first MAC address and received by the physical NIC are classified by the classifier and forwarded to the guest OS HRR.