VMware Tools 12.5.1, released in March 2025 to address the critical authentication bypass vulnerability CVE-2025-22230, has caused significant disruptions for some users—particularly impacting network readiness and Active Directory (AD) service accounts on Windows Server VMs with static IPs.
Table of Contents
Problem Description
After updating to VMware Tools 12.5.1, certain Windows Server VMs (notably with static IP addresses) experience delayed network initialization at startup. This delay prevents the server from connecting to the domain controller in time, causing domain-based services and group managed service accounts (GMSA) to fail at startup.
The issue is reproducible: after restoring from backup and reapplying the update, the problem returns. Debug logs (netlogon) and Windows event logs show DNS errors, domain search failures, and service start failures due to domain unavailability. The problem appears isolated to specific servers (e.g., Windows Server 2022 on ESXi 7.x), while others with similar configurations are unaffected.
Community reports (Reddit, deskmodder.de, Sage forums) confirm similar issues, especially with static IPs, where the network is not ready at boot, leading to failed secure connections to the domain controller and failed service startups.
Root Cause Analysis
The update appears to alter the network initialization sequence, causing Windows to falsely assume network readiness when a static IP is set, even though the network is not fully available.
Services dependent on domain authentication attempt to start before the network stack is operational, resulting in failures.
This is evidenced by Event ID 5719 (NETLOGON) and Event ID 7000 in the Windows Event Viewer, indicating domain controller unavailability and service start failures.
Troubleshooting and Workarounds Attempted
- Aligning network settings with working servers.
- Resetting the network adapter and toggling Windows networking features (proxy, VPN).
- Enabling the GPO “Always wait for the network at computer startup and logon.”
- Disabling all Windows Firewall profiles.
- Implementing a startup task with a 30-second delay to manually start affected services via PowerShell (temporary workaround).
- Downgrading VMware Tools to 12.5.0 resolves the issue, confirming a direct link to the 12.5.1 update.
Potential Solutions
Workarounds
- Continue using the delayed startup script for services until a permanent fix is available.
- If feasible, revert to VMware Tools 12.5.0, but be aware this reintroduces the CVE-2025-22230 vulnerability.
- Test enabling DHCP as a temporary measure (not always possible in production environments).
Permanent Fixes (To Be Tested)
- Recreate the VM shell/configuration and boot the server in a new VM container.
- Fully reinstall and reconfigure the affected server, though this is time-consuming and disruptive.
Monitor for Official Fixes
Broadcom/VMware may release a hotfix or updated version to address this regression. Monitor official advisories and forums for updates.
Community-Suggested Tweaks
Some users suggest adjusting GPOs, such as disabling “machine identity isolation configuration,” though this has not yielded consistent results.
References and Community Insights
- Multiple independent reports confirm the issue is not isolated, affecting various Windows Server versions (2019, 2022) on ESXi with static IPs.
- The problem is new to 12.5.1 and did not exist in previous versions.
- Similar issues have occurred in the past (e.g., with Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1), indicating a recurring challenge with network readiness in virtualized environments.
VMware Tools 12.5.1 introduces a disruptive bug for some Windows Server VMs, delaying network readiness and breaking domain-based service startups—especially with static IPs. While temporary workarounds exist, a permanent fix from VMware/Broadcom is urgently needed.