Hyper-V. Cannot delete "Default Switch" after Fall Creators Update.

Previously you had to mess around using virtual switch manager to create a connection to network. Now you just select default switch if you like.

This option is essential for quick creating a new hyper-v session.

It is only used in existing sessions if you explicitly add it to a particular VM session.

Deleting it will not provide any additional security, or prevent other users creating a virtual switch.

Deleting things without understanding their functionality is surefire way to break things!

Default switch cannot be deleted. If its existence disturbs you, you might want to remove Hyper-V from your system and use another virtualisation program instead.

Quote from Hyper-V virtual machine gallery and networking improvements | Virtualization Blog:

The switch named “Default Switch” or “Layered_ICS”, allows virtual machines to share the host’s network connection. Without getting too deep into networking (saving that for a different post), this switch has a few unique attributes compared to other Hyper-V switches:

1. Virtual machines connected to it will have access to the host’s network whether you’re connected to WIFI, a dock, or Ethernet.
2. It’s available as soon as you enable Hyper-V – you won’t lose internet setting it up.
3. You can’t delete it.
4. It has the same name and device ID (GUID c08cb7b8-9b3c-408e-8e30-5e16a3aeb444) on all Windows 10 hosts so virtual machines on recent builds can assume the same switch is present on all Windows 10 Hyper-V host.

Kari

Kari said:

Default switch cannot be deleted. If its existence disturbs you, you might want to remove Hyper-V from your system and use another virtualisation program instead.

Quote from Hyper-V virtual machine gallery and networking improvements | Virtualization Blog:


Kari

Out of interest, I changed my network switch to "default switch" in one of my VMs and connected using vmconnect from hyper-v, and it worked fine. Only odd thing was if you hovered mouse pointer over the network symbol in taskbar, the popup was blank.

Then I closed down vmconnect session leaving vm running, and tried to connect using an RDP session. I reverted VM to the switch I had originally setup, and rdp connected as usual.

This may be a consequence of it not being setup with default switch originally - I will have to test that.

cereberus said:

Then I closed down vmconnect session leaving vm running, and tried to connect using an RDP session. I reverted VM to the switch I had originally setup, and rdp connected as usual.

Default switch is using NAT, making networking and remoting if not impossible but at least quite difficult. If you want to allow network access to other physical or virtual computers on your network, you should use a normal external switch created by yourself. Using default switch (NAT) is only recommended if the VM only needs Internet access but don't have to be accessible for computers on your local network or to access them.

Kari

Kari said:

Default switch is using NAT, making networking and remoting if not impossible but at least quite difficult. If you want to allow network access to other physical or virtual computers on your network, you should use a normal external switch created by yourself. Using default switch (NAT) is only recommended if the VM only needs Internet access but don't have to be accessible for computers on your local network or to access them.

Kari

Thanks - was just curious really.

nj101 said:

The only way I could make my VMs accessible to other devices on my local network was to create a new additional external switch bound to a second network card. I unticked the option "Allow management operating system to share this network adapter" so my desktop wouldn't try to use it itself. I was then able to connect to my VMs via http/https/ssh (or whatever) from any of the other PCs on my physical LAN.

Hope this helps.

This is not necessary, and is just over complicated.

You just set up C drive in VM as a private shared drive, with full permissions for "everyone", setting up password as required from network and sharing centre (I turn off password personally). You use an external switch, not "default switch". I use this to share drives with Host when using Home as a VM which does not support RDP as a server so cannot be used in enhanced mode.

This works fine for windows to windows share, but more effort is needed for android to windows shares.