---
name: "vic"
section: "4"
platform: "openbsd"
package: "man"
version: "8.0-current-20261101"
release: "OpenBSD 8.0-current (2026-11-01)"
platforms: ["openbsd"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/vic/4"
---

# vic(4)

VMware VMXnet Virtual Interface Controller device

## NAME

**vic** – VMware VMXnet Virtual Interface Controller device

## SYNOPSIS

**vic\*** **at** **pci?**

## DESCRIPTION

The **vic** driver provides support for the VMXnet virtual NIC available in virtual machines by VMware. It appears as a simple Ethernet device but is actually a virtual network interface to the underlying host operating system.

This driver supports the **vmxnet** driver protocol, as an alternative to the emulated [pcn(4)](/pcn/4.md) and [em(4)](/em/4.md) interfaces also available in the VMware environment. The **vic** driver is optimized for the virtual machine, it can provide advanced capabilities depending on the underlying host operating system and the physical network interface controller of the host.

The **vic** driver supports VMware virtual NICs provided by the following products:

- VMware ESX 2.0 and newer

- VMware GSX 2.5 and newer

- VMware Server 1.0 and newer

- VMware Workstation 4.5 and newer

- VMware Fusion 1.0 and newer

The **vic** driver supports the following media types:

- autoselect

  Enable autoselection of the media type and options. The driver always uses the fastest available speed and the media options provided by the underlying host of the virtual machine.

For more information on configuring this device, see [ifconfig(8)](/ifconfig/8.md).

## EXAMPLES

The following entry must be added to the VMware configuration file to provide the **vic** device:

```
ethernet0.virtualDev = "vmxnet"
```

## SEE ALSO

[arp(4)](/arp/4.md), [em(4)](/em/4.md), [ifmedia(4)](/ifmedia/4.md), [intro(4)](/intro/4.md), [netintro(4)](/netintro/4.md), [pci(4)](/pci/4.md), [pcn(4)](/pcn/4.md), [vmx(4)](/vmx/4.md), [hostname.if(5)](/hostname.if/5.md), [ifconfig(8)](/ifconfig/8.md)

## HISTORY

The **vic** driver first appeared in OpenBSD 3.9.

## AUTHORS

The **vic** driver was written by Reyk Floeter ⟨*reyk@openbsd.org*⟩ and David Gwynne ⟨*dlg@openbsd.org*⟩.