Virtual machines are not connected to the network after a restore

After restoring a Hyper-V virtual machine to a different Hyper-V host (an out-of-place restore), the restored virtual machine is not connected to the network.

Symptoms

When a Hyper-V virtual machine is restored to a different Hyper-V host (an out-of-place restore), the restored virtual machine has no network device. NICs are not automatically restored with the corresponding virtual machine.

Causes

When a virtual machine is restored to a destination host that does not have the same names for virtual switches as the source host, the network adapter is not restored. The network connection is restored only if the same connection is available on the destination host at the time of the restore.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, use either of the following approaches:

• Before running an out-of-place restore, create a virtual switch on the destination host with a name that matches the virtual switch on the source Hyper-V host. Only use this approach if it is appropriate to use the same network connection for the virtual machine on the new host.
• After the virtual machine is restored, manually connect the network adapter to a different virtual switch on the destination host.