on 12.04 this annoyance still exists - debian package has updated /lib/udev/rules.d/75-persistent-net-generator.rules with virtualbox-friendly rules - please copy and paste from e.g. http://packages.qa.debian.org/u/udev.html
# These rules generate rules to keep network interface names unchanged
# across reboots and write them to /etc/udev/rules.d/70-persistent-net.rules.
# variables used to communicate:
# MATCHADDR MAC address used for the match
# MATCHID bus_id used for the match
# MATCHDRV driver name used for the match
# MATCHIFTYPE interface type match
# COMMENT comment to add to the generated rule
# INTERFACE_NAME requested name supplied by external tool
# INTERFACE_NEW new interface name returned by rule writer
# by default match on the MAC address and interface type
ENV{MATCHADDR}="$attr{address}"
ENV{MATCHIFTYPE}="$attr{type}"
# match interface dev_id
ATTR{dev_id}=="?*", ENV{MATCHDEVID}="$attr{dev_id}"
# These vendors are known to violate the local MAC address assignment scheme
# Interlan, DEC (UNIBUS or QBUS), Apollo, Cisco, Racal-Datacom
ENV{MATCHADDR}=="02:07:01:*", GOTO="globally_administered_whitelist"
# 3Com
ENV{MATCHADDR}=="02:60:60:*", GOTO="globally_administered_whitelist"
# 3Com IBM PC; Imagen; Valid; Cisco; Apple
ENV{MATCHADDR}=="02:60:8c:*", GOTO="globally_administered_whitelist"
# Intel
ENV{MATCHADDR}=="02:a0:c9:*", GOTO="globally_administered_whitelist"
# Olivetti
ENV{MATCHADDR}=="02:aa:3c:*", GOTO="globally_administered_whitelist"
# CMC Masscomp; Silicon Graphics; Prime EXL
ENV{MATCHADDR}=="02:cf:1f:*", GOTO="globally_administered_whitelist"
# Prominet Corporation Gigabit Ethernet Switch
ENV{MATCHADDR}=="02:e0:3b:*", GOTO="globally_administered_whitelist"
# BTI (Bus-Tech, Inc.) IBM Mainframes
ENV{MATCHADDR}=="02:e6:d3:*", GOTO="globally_administered_whitelist"
# Novell 2000
ENV{MATCHADDR}=="52:54:4c:*", GOTO="globally_administered_whitelist"
# Realtec
ENV{MATCHADDR}=="52:54:ab:*", GOTO="globally_administered_whitelist"
# Kingston Technologies
ENV{MATCHADDR}=="e2:0c:0f:*", GOTO="globally_administered_whitelist"
# ignore interfaces with locally administered or null MAC addresses
# and VMWare, Hyper-V, KVM, Virtualbox and Xen virtual interfaces
ENV{MATCHADDR}=="?[2367abef]:*", ENV{MATCHADDR}=""
ENV{MATCHADDR}=="00:00:00:00:00:00", ENV{MATCHADDR}=""
ENV{MATCHADDR}=="00:0c:29:*|00:50:56:*|00:05:69:*|00:1C:14:*", \
ENV{MATCHADDR}=""
ENV{MATCHADDR}=="00:15:5d:*", ENV{MATCHADDR}=""
ENV{MATCHADDR}=="52:54:00:*|54:52:00:*", ENV{MATCHADDR}=""
ENV{MATCHADDR}=="08:00:27:*", ENV{MATCHADDR}=""
ENV{MATCHADDR}=="00:16:3e:*", ENV{MATCHADDR}=""
LABEL="globally_administered_whitelist"
# ibmveth interfaces have stable locally administered MAC addresses
SUBSYSTEMS=="ibmveth", ENV{MATCHADDR}="$attr{address}"
# S/390 interfaces are matched only by id
SUBSYSTEMS=="ccwgroup", \
ENV{MATCHDRV}="$driver", ENV{MATCHID}="$id", \
ENV{MATCHADDR}="", ENV{MATCHDEVID}=""
# terminate processing if there are not enough conditions to create a rule
ENV{MATCHADDR}=="", ENV{MATCHID}=="", ENV{INTERFACE_NAME}=="", \
GOTO="persistent_net_generator_end"
# ignore interfaces without a driver link like bridges and VLANs, otherwise
# generate and write the rule
DRIVERS=="?*", IMPORT{program}="write_net_rules"
# rename the interface if requested
ENV{INTERFACE_NEW}=="?*", NAME="$env{INTERFACE_NEW}"
on 12.04 this annoyance still exists - debian package has updated /lib/udev/ rules.d/ 75-persistent- net-generator. rules with virtualbox-friendly rules - please copy and paste from e.g. http:// packages. qa.debian. org/u/udev. html
# These rules generate rules to keep network interface names unchanged rules.d/ 70-persistent- net.rules.
# across reboots and write them to /etc/udev/
# variables used to communicate:
# MATCHADDR MAC address used for the match
# MATCHID bus_id used for the match
# MATCHDRV driver name used for the match
# MATCHIFTYPE interface type match
# COMMENT comment to add to the generated rule
# INTERFACE_NAME requested name supplied by external tool
# INTERFACE_NEW new interface name returned by rule writer
ACTION!="add", GOTO="persisten t_net_generator _end" t_net_generator _end"
SUBSYSTEM!="net", GOTO="persisten
# ignore the interface if a name has already been set t_net_generator _end"
NAME=="?*", GOTO="persisten
# device name whitelist ="eth*| ath*|wlan* [0-9]|msh* |ra*|sta* |ctc*|lcs* |hsi*", \ "persistent_ net_generator_ end"
KERNEL!
GOTO=
# ignore Xen virtual interfaces t_net_generator _end"
SUBSYSTEMS=="xen", GOTO="persisten
# ignore UML virtual interfaces ="uml-netdev" , GOTO="persisten t_net_generator _end"
DRIVERS=
# ignore "secondary" raw interfaces of the madwifi driver t_net_generator _end"
KERNEL=="ath*", ATTRS{type}=="802", GOTO="persisten
# ignore "secondary" monitor interfaces of mac80211 drivers t_net_generator _end"
KERNEL=="wlan*", ATTRS{type}=="803", GOTO="persisten
# by default match on the MAC address and interface type ="$attr{ address} " }="$attr{ type}"
ENV{MATCHADDR}
ENV{MATCHIFTYPE
# match interface dev_id ="$attr{ dev_id} "
ATTR{dev_id}=="?*", ENV{MATCHDEVID}
# These vendors are known to violate the local MAC address assignment scheme =="02:07: 01:*", GOTO="globally_ administered_ whitelist" =="02:60: 60:*", GOTO="globally_ administered_ whitelist" =="02:60: 8c:*", GOTO="globally_ administered_ whitelist" =="02:a0: c9:*", GOTO="globally_ administered_ whitelist" =="02:aa: 3c:*", GOTO="globally_ administered_ whitelist" =="02:cf: 1f:*", GOTO="globally_ administered_ whitelist" =="02:e0: 3b:*", GOTO="globally_ administered_ whitelist" =="02:e6: d3:*", GOTO="globally_ administered_ whitelist" =="52:54: 4c:*", GOTO="globally_ administered_ whitelist" =="52:54: ab:*", GOTO="globally_ administered_ whitelist" =="e2:0c: 0f:*", GOTO="globally_ administered_ whitelist"
# Interlan, DEC (UNIBUS or QBUS), Apollo, Cisco, Racal-Datacom
ENV{MATCHADDR}
# 3Com
ENV{MATCHADDR}
# 3Com IBM PC; Imagen; Valid; Cisco; Apple
ENV{MATCHADDR}
# Intel
ENV{MATCHADDR}
# Olivetti
ENV{MATCHADDR}
# CMC Masscomp; Silicon Graphics; Prime EXL
ENV{MATCHADDR}
# Prominet Corporation Gigabit Ethernet Switch
ENV{MATCHADDR}
# BTI (Bus-Tech, Inc.) IBM Mainframes
ENV{MATCHADDR}
# Novell 2000
ENV{MATCHADDR}
# Realtec
ENV{MATCHADDR}
# Kingston Technologies
ENV{MATCHADDR}
# ignore interfaces with locally administered or null MAC addresses =="?[2367abef] :*", ENV{MATCHADDR}="" =="00:00: 00:00:00: 00", ENV{MATCHADDR}="" =="00:0c: 29:*|00: 50:56:* |00:05: 69:*|00: 1C:14:* ", \ MATCHADDR} ="" =="00:15: 5d:*", ENV{MATCHADDR}="" =="52:54: 00:*|54: 52:00:* ", ENV{MATCHADDR}="" =="08:00: 27:*", ENV{MATCHADDR}="" =="00:16: 3e:*", ENV{MATCHADDR}=""
# and VMWare, Hyper-V, KVM, Virtualbox and Xen virtual interfaces
ENV{MATCHADDR}
ENV{MATCHADDR}
ENV{MATCHADDR}
ENV{
ENV{MATCHADDR}
ENV{MATCHADDR}
ENV{MATCHADDR}
ENV{MATCHADDR}
LABEL=" globally_ administered_ whitelist"
# ibmveth interfaces have stable locally administered MAC addresses ="ibmveth" , ENV{MATCHADDR} ="$attr{ address} "
SUBSYSTEMS=
# S/390 interfaces are matched only by id ="ccwgroup" , \ ="$driver" , ENV{MATCHID}="$id", \
SUBSYSTEMS=
ENV{MATCHDRV}
ENV{MATCHADDR}="", ENV{MATCHDEVID}=""
# terminate processing if there are not enough conditions to create a rule NAME}== "", \ "persistent_ net_generator_ end"
ENV{MATCHADDR}=="", ENV{MATCHID}=="", ENV{INTERFACE_
GOTO=
# provide nice comments for the generated rules :$attr{ device} " ="pcmcia" , \ ="PCMCIA device $attr{card_ id}:$attr{ manf_id} " idVendor} :0x$attr{ idProduct} " ="ccwgroup" , \ ="S/390 device at $id" ="ibmveth" , \ ="ieee1394" , \ ="Firewire device $attr{host_id}" ="Unknown $env{SUBSYSTEM} device ($env{DEVPATH})" =="?*", \ ="$env{ COMMENT} ($attr{driver})"
SUBSYSTEMS=="pci", \
ENV{COMMENT}="PCI device $attr{vendor}
SUBSYSTEMS=
ENV{COMMENT}
SUBSYSTEMS=="usb", \
ENV{COMMENT}="USB device 0x$attr{
SUBSYSTEMS=
ENV{COMMENT}
SUBSYSTEMS=
ENV{COMMENT}="LPAR virtual device at $id"
SUBSYSTEMS=
ENV{COMMENT}
ENV{COMMENT}=="", \
ENV{COMMENT}
ATTRS{driver}
ENV{COMMENT}
# ignore interfaces without a driver link like bridges and VLANs, otherwise program} ="write_ net_rules"
# generate and write the rule
DRIVERS=="?*", IMPORT{
# rename the interface if requested NEW}==" ?*", NAME="$ env{INTERFACE_ NEW}"
ENV{INTERFACE_
LABEL=" persistent_ net_generator_ end"