microsoft / microsoft/WSL

Mirrored Network mode fails with two network cards with the same MAC-Address

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network
Dominant language
C++
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Description

### Windows Version

Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.26200.7623]

### WSL Version

2.6.3.0

### Are you using WSL 1 or WSL 2?

- [x] WSL 2
- [ ] WSL 1

### Kernel Version

6.6.87.2-1

### Distro Version

Debian GNU/Linux 13 (trixie)

### Other Software

_No response_

### Repro Steps

- Connect your laptop to a dock
- Enable Mac-Address-Passthrough in the Bios
- Have mirrored mode networking anabled in .wslconfig:
`[wsl2]

networkingMode=Mirrored`

### Expected Behavior

Mirrored networking should work as described

### Actual Behavior

No network setup at all. Interfaces are down with no IP configured.

### Diagnostic Logs

_No response_

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start with the reported .wslconfig setting, networkingMode=Mirrored, and reproduce on WSL 2 with a dock and BIOS MAC-address passthrough enabled. Investigate the setup behavior when two network cards share a MAC address. Done means mirrored networking configures active interfaces with IP addresses and connectivity works in this scenario.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
linux
Domain
networking, operating-systems
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Active
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
45/100

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