diff --git a/sys/dev/virtual/vkernel/net/if_vke.c b/sys/dev/virtual/vkernel/net/if_vke.c
index 66ae46e..b2036cf 100644
--- a/sys/dev/virtual/vkernel/net/if_vke.c
+++ b/sys/dev/virtual/vkernel/net/if_vke.c
@@ -700,16 +700,22 @@ vke_attach(const struct vknetif_info *info, int unit)
 			return ENXIO;
 		}
 	} else {
-		int fd = open("/dev/urandom", O_RDONLY);
-		if (fd >= 0) {
-			read(fd, enaddr + 2, 4);
-			close(fd);
+		/*
+		 * Convert our MAC string to its hw address representation
+		 * and fall back to pseudo-random MAC generation in the case
+		 * the conversion goes wrong.
+		 */
+		if (kether_aton(info->ethstr, enaddr) == NULL) {
+			int fd = open("/dev/urandom", O_RDONLY);
+			if (fd >= 0) {
+				read(fd, enaddr + 2, 4);
+				close(fd);
+			}
+			enaddr[4] = (int)getpid() >> 8;
+			enaddr[5] = (int)getpid() & 255;
+			enaddr[1] += 1;
 		}
-		enaddr[4] = (int)getpid() >> 8;
-		enaddr[5] = (int)getpid() & 255;
-
 	}
-	enaddr[1] += 1;
 
 	sc = kmalloc(sizeof(*sc), M_DEVBUF, M_WAITOK | M_ZERO);
 
diff --git a/sys/platform/vkernel64/include/md_var.h b/sys/platform/vkernel64/include/md_var.h
index 286b2fb..62c4e1c 100644
--- a/sys/platform/vkernel64/include/md_var.h
+++ b/sys/platform/vkernel64/include/md_var.h
@@ -40,6 +40,11 @@
 #ifndef _SYS_TYPES_H_
 #include <sys/types.h>
 #endif
+
+#ifndef _NET_ETHERNET_H_
+#include <net/ethernet.h>
+#endif
+
 #ifndef _SYS_VKERNEL_H_
 #include <sys/vkernel.h>
 #endif
@@ -52,6 +57,7 @@ struct vknetif_info {
 	int		tap_unit;
 	in_addr_t	netif_addr;
 	in_addr_t	netif_mask;
+	char		ethstr[ETHER_ADDRSTRLEN + 1];
 };
 
 struct vkdisk_info {
diff --git a/sys/platform/vkernel64/platform/init.c b/sys/platform/vkernel64/platform/init.c
index 2b0ca2d..2f30145 100644
--- a/sys/platform/vkernel64/platform/init.c
+++ b/sys/platform/vkernel64/platform/init.c
@@ -1178,6 +1178,7 @@ void
 init_netif(char *netifExp[], int netifExpNum)
 {
 	int i, s;
+	char *tmp;
 
 	if (netifExpNum == 0)
 		return;
@@ -1192,6 +1193,10 @@ init_netif(char *netifExp[], int netifExpNum)
 		int tap_fd, tap_unit;
 		char *netif;
 
+		/* Extract MAC address if there is one */
+		tmp = netifExp[i];
+		strsep(&tmp, "=");
+
 		netif = strtok(netifExp[i], ":");
 		if (netif == NULL) {
 			warnx("Invalid argument to '-I'");
@@ -1227,6 +1232,11 @@ init_netif(char *netifExp[], int netifExpNum)
 		info->tap_unit = tap_unit;
 		info->netif_addr = netif_addr;
 		info->netif_mask = netif_mask;
+		/*
+		 * Set our MAC in the case it was correctly passed.
+		 */
+		if (tmp != NULL)
+			strlcpy(info->ethstr, tmp, ETHER_ADDRSTRLEN + 1);
 
 		NetifNum++;
 		if (NetifNum >= VKNETIF_MAX)	/* XXX will this happen? */