Q: How can I use Windows PowerShell to find a specific network adapter object in Windows Server 2012?

A: Most Windows PowerShell cmdlets use objects for commands, so if you know the MAC address of a network adapter the easiest way to find the right network adapter object is use the following command:

PS C:> Get-NetAdapter | where {$_.MacAddress -eq "90-E2-BA-06-F9-D6"} Name InterfaceDescription ifIndex Status MacAddress Link Speed ---- -------------------- ------- ------ ---------- -- VM Team - Default Microsoft Network Adapter Multiplexo... 26 Up 90-E2-BA-06-F9-D6 ps Wired Ethernet Connec...3 Intel(R) Gigabit ET Dual Port Server... 23 Up 90-E2-BA-06-F9-D6 ps

This could be assigned to a variable such as the following:

$NIC1 = Get-NetAdapter | where {$_.MacAddress -eq "90-E2-BA-06-F9-D6"}

One thing to remember, though, is that Windows Server 2012 supports Consistent Device Name (CDN), which means the CDN of the NIC can be used as specified in the server configuration, which is by far the easiest option.

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