The VMI object is being updated in a loop, many times a second. This adds load to etcd and slows down the components, its even noticeable in the console.

4.20.3

Always

1. Configure a VM as follows

  template:
    spec:
      domain:
          interfaces:
            - bridge: {}
              macAddress: '52:54:00:00:09:04'
              model: virtio
              name: nic
            - macAddress: '02:62:90:00:0b:39'
              masquerade: {}
              model: virtio
              name: default
            - bridge: {}
              macAddress: '02:a6:db:34:da:f8'
              model: virtio
              name: nic2
              state: up
      networks:
        - multus:
            networkName: virt
          name: nic
        - name: default
          pod: {}
        - multus:
            networkName: shift
          name: nic2

2. Start it up

3. Watch the logs

Look at the timestamps in virt-launcher:

{"component":"virt-launcher","kind":"","level":"info","msg":"Synced vmi","name":"rhel-94","namespace":"homelab","pos":"server.go:208","timestamp":"2026-02-06T00:19:47.357832Z","uid":"06f2f764-25a0-42e1-a897-cb0437ccf039"}

{"component":"virt-launcher","kind":"","level":"info","msg":"Synced vmi","name":"rhel-94","namespace":"homelab","pos":"server.go:208","timestamp":"2026-02-06T00:19:47.541776Z","uid":"06f2f764-25a0-42e1-a897-cb0437ccf039"}

{"component":"virt-launcher","kind":"","level":"info","msg":"Synced vmi","name":"rhel-94","namespace":"homelab","pos":"server.go:208","timestamp":"2026-02-06T00:19:47.556483Z","uid":"06f2f764-25a0-42e1-a897-cb0437ccf039"}

{"component":"virt-launcher","kind":"","level":"info","msg":"Synced vmi","name":"rhel-94","namespace":"homelab","pos":"server.go:208","timestamp":"2026-02-06T00:19:47.743063Z","uid":"06f2f764-25a0-42e1-a897-cb0437ccf039"}

{"component":"virt-launcher","kind":"","level":"info","msg":"Synced vmi","name":"rhel-94","namespace":"homelab","pos":"server.go:208","timestamp":"2026-02-06T00:19:47.756646Z","uid":"06f2f764-25a0-42e1-a897-cb0437ccf039"}

Not that many updates and syncs.

Note the VM has 3 interfaces configured. 
And what is being updated is below. 

Notice the Pod network interface dissapearing and a duplicate eth2 showing up.

      "interfaces": [
        {
          "name": "default",
          "podInterfaceName": "eth0"                  <--- will be gone in next update
        },
        {
          "infoSource": "domain, guest-agent, multus-status",
          "interfaceName": "eth0",
          "ipAddress": "192.168.3.14",
          "ipAddresses": [
            "192.168.3.14",
            "fe80::5054:ff:fe00:904"
          ],
          "linkState": "up",
          "mac": "52:54:00:00:09:04",
          "name": "nic",
          "podInterfaceName": "pod0e1733efb66",
          "queueCount": 1
        },
        {
          "infoSource": "domain, guest-agent, multus-status",
          "interfaceName": "eth2",
          "ipAddress": "192.168.2.129",
          "ipAddresses": [
            "192.168.2.129",
            "fe80::d944:637:28c6:17c0"
          ],
          "linkState": "up",
          "mac": "02:a6:db:34:da:f8",
          "name": "nic2",
          "podInterfaceName": "podf3c3bc44bbb",
          "queueCount": 1
        }
      ],

To this:

      "interfaces": [
        {
          "infoSource": "domain, guest-agent, multus-status",
          "interfaceName": "eth2",
          "ipAddress": "192.168.2.129",
          "ipAddresses": [
            "192.168.2.129",
            "fe80::d944:637:28c6:17c0"
          ],
          "linkState": "up",
          "mac": "02:a6:db:34:da:f8",
          "name": "nic2",
          "podInterfaceName": "podf3c3bc44bbb",
          "queueCount": 1
        },
        {
          "infoSource": "domain, guest-agent, multus-status",
          "interfaceName": "eth0",
          "ipAddress": "192.168.3.14",
          "ipAddresses": [
            "192.168.3.14",
            "fe80::5054:ff:fe00:904"
          ],
          "linkState": "up",
          "mac": "52:54:00:00:09:04",
          "name": "nic",
          "podInterfaceName": "pod0e1733efb66",
          "queueCount": 1
        },
        {
          "infoSource": "domain, guest-agent",
          "interfaceName": "eth2",                   <---- duplicate added, note infoSource differs from previous and the one at the top.
          "ipAddress": "192.168.2.129",
          "ipAddresses": [
            "192.168.2.129",
            "fe80::d944:637:28c6:17c0"
          ],
          "linkState": "up",
          "mac": "02:a6:db:34:da:f8",
          "name": "nic2",
          "podInterfaceName": "podf3c3bc44bbb",
          "queueCount": 1
        }
      ],

It goes back and forth, dozens of times per second.