XenServer

Dom0 network interface naming on XenServer 9

February 19, 2026

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Overview

New in XenServer® 9: The control domain (dom0) adopts systemd predictable network interface names and consolidates interface handling in Toolstack networkd. In previous releases, multiple components renamed dom0 interfaces to the legacy ethN pattern. In XenServer 9, dom0 interface names are no longer forcibly changed to ethN.

This change improves stability and maintainability and aligns dom0 with industry-standard naming.

What’s new in XenServer 9

Predictable interface names in dom0 based on stable hardware attributes (for example, eno12429np0).
Consolidated interface management in Toolstack networkd.
Removal of forced renaming to ethN (for example, eth0, eth1).

Differences from XenServer 8.4

XenServer 8.4: Several components cooperated to sort and rename dom0 interfaces to ethN.
XenServer 9: Dom0 uses systemd predictable names and a single component manages interface naming and state.

Note:

Predictable names are derived from hardware and topology. Exact names vary by platform.

What you see in the product

Interface names in dom0 follow systemd conventions. For example, eth0 might appear as eno12429np0. The device field of the XAPI PIF reflects the new name.
The default network name-label for the pool-wide network that was associated with eth0 is now Pool-wide network 0.

Benefits

Consolidated interface management improves product stability and maintainability.
Predictable names reduce ambiguity across reboots and hardware changes.

Migrate your automation and scripts

When you upgrade to XenServer 9, scripts or tools that assume ethN device names might fail. Update automation to discover interfaces dynamically instead of hard-coding ethN.

Examples:

List dom0 interfaces by using Linux tools:

  ip -o link show
  <!--NeedCopy-->

Discover PIFs and devices by using xe:

  xe pif-list host-uuid=<host-uuid> params=uuid,device,MAC,management
  xe network-list params=uuid,name-label
  <!--NeedCopy-->

Important:

Do not rely on ethN names in documentation or scripts. Dom0 interface names are not guaranteed to use the ethN pattern.

Troubleshoot

A script fails after upgrade because it references eth0 or eth1.
- Update the script to discover the PIF by MAC address, management flag, or network name-label.
You cannot find the management interface.
- In dom0, run ip -o link show to list devices. In XenCenter, check Host Properties > NICs. In xe, run xe pif-list management=true params=uuid,device,MAC.

Collect logs and contact Support if issues persist.

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Dom0 network interface naming on XenServer 9

February 19, 2026

Contributed by:

February 19, 2026

Contributed by:

Dom0 network interface naming on XenServer 9

Overview

What’s new in XenServer 9

Differences from XenServer 8.4

What you see in the product

Benefits

Migrate your automation and scripts

Troubleshoot

In this article