When you configure a VM, you can add NICs and specify the adapter type. The types of network adapters that are available depend on the following factors:

• The version of the VM, which depends on which host created it or most recently updated it
• Whether or not the VM has been updated to the latest version for the current host
• The guest operating system

The following virtual NIC types are supported:

• Vlance
• VMXNET
• Flexible
• E1000
• E1000e
• Enhanced VMXNET (VMXNET 2)
• VMXNET 3

If you want to know more about these network adapter types, refer to the KB article at http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1001805.