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BertrandW
Contributor
Contributor

BMC 5719/20 : no broadcom iscsi adapter found

hello

version : Esxi 5.1.0 U1

my dell R710 servers are running with BMC 5709 (drivers bnx2).

i can use the ISCSI broadcom adapter (vmhabxx) to bind ISCSI network

now i have a new Dell R720 with quad port BMC 5719 and BMC 5720 (drivers tg3)

i can't use the ISCSI broadcom adapter because they are not displayed.

i must use for the moment the ISCSI software adapter

how can i fix this to be able tu use ISCSI broadcom adapter in R720 ?

is this a driver problem ?  can i change it ?

All ESXi installation are done with Esxi Dell custom ISO

thanks

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ScreamingSilenc

You need to install async driver check this KB VMware KB: Installing async drivers on ESXi 5.x

Download your driver from here https://my.vmware.com/group/vmware/details?downloadGroup=DT-ESXI50-BROADCOM-TG3-3129DV501&productId=...

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Immortal
Immortal

Adding to Mustafa .. Yes it is a driver problem and you have to install the updated drivers, you can download the drivers from the below link

VMware vSphere 5: Private Cloud Computing, Server and Data Center Virtualization.,

And you can follow the above KB listed by mustafa to install the drivers.

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BertrandW
Contributor
Contributor


Thanks for the answers, but that's don't work.

~ # esxcli software vib install -d /vmfs/volumes/VM4-Local-R1/tg3-3.129d.v50.1-offline_bundle-1013484.zip

Installation Result

   Message: Host is not changed.

   Reboot Required: false

   VIBs Installed:

   VIBs Removed:

   VIBs Skipped: Broadcom_bootbank_net-tg3_3.129d.v50.1-1OEM.500.0.0.472560

~ # esxcli network nic list

Name    PCI Device     Driver  Link  Speed  Duplex  MAC Address         MTU  Description

------  -------------  ------  ----  -----  ------  -----------------  ----  -------------------------------------------------------

vmnic0  0000:001:00.0  tg3     Up     1000  Full    90:b1:1c:54:07:5e  1500  Broadcom Corporation NetXtreme BCM5720 Gigabit Ethernet

vmnic1  0000:001:00.1  tg3     Up     1000  Full    90:b1:1c:54:07:5f  1500  Broadcom Corporation NetXtreme BCM5720 Gigabit Ethernet

vmnic2  0000:002:00.0  tg3     Up     1000  Full    90:b1:1c:54:07:60  1500  Broadcom Corporation NetXtreme BCM5720 Gigabit Ethernet

vmnic3  0000:002:00.1  tg3     Up     1000  Full    90:b1:1c:54:07:61  1500  Broadcom Corporation NetXtreme BCM5720 Gigabit Ethernet

vmnic4  0000:004:00.0  tg3     Up     1000  Full    00:0a:f7:11:d6:e4  1500  Broadcom Corporation NetXtreme BCM5719 Gigabit Ethernet

vmnic5  0000:004:00.1  tg3     Up     1000  Full    00:0a:f7:11:d6:e5  1500  Broadcom Corporation NetXtreme BCM5719 Gigabit Ethernet

vmnic6  0000:004:00.2  tg3     Up     1000  Full    00:0a:f7:11:d6:e6  1500  Broadcom Corporation NetXtreme BCM5719 Gigabit Ethernet

vmnic7  0000:004:00.3  tg3     Up     1000  Full    00:0a:f7:11:d6:e7  1500  Broadcom Corporation NetXtreme BCM5719 Gigabit Ethernet

~ # ethtool -i vmnic4
driver: tg3
version: 3.129d.v50.1
firmware-version: FFV7.4.8 bc 5719-v1.31
bus-info: 0000:04:00.0


~ # ethtool -i vmnic0
driver: tg3
version: 3.129d.v50.1
firmware-version: FFV7.4.8 bc 5720-v1.30
bus-info: 0000:01:00.0

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BertrandW
Contributor
Contributor

i installed the latest version 3.131, but the Broadcom ISCSI Adapter are still not displayed in the Storage Adapter

~ # esxcli software vib install -d /vmfs/volumes/VM4-Local-R1/tg3-3.131d.v50.1-offline_bundle-1131484.zip

Installation Result

   Message: The update completed successfully, but the system needs to be rebooted for the changes to be effective.

   Reboot Required: true

   VIBs Installed: Broadcom_bootbank_net-tg3_3.131d.v50.1-1OEM.500.0.0.472560

   VIBs Removed: Broadcom_bootbank_net-tg3_3.129d.v50.1-1OEM.500.0.0.472560

   VIBs Skipped:

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f10
Expert
Expert

I got the following note from vSphere Storage Guide for 5.1

"If the dependent hardware adapter does not appear on the list of storage adapters, check whether it needs to be licensed. See your vendor documentation."

I am not sure if this matters in your case but worth checking, let us know if this helps.

Regards, Arun Pandey VCP 3,4,5 | VCAP-DCA | NCDA | HPUX-CSA | http://highoncloud.blogspot.in/ If you found this or other information useful, please consider awarding points for "Correct" or "Helpful".
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BertrandW
Contributor
Contributor


Dell Technician said that all Broadcom NIC are always TOE Licensed. there is no need to activate it.

But if i want to check this, i must run these NICs under Windows with the BACS utility. (not easy to do yet)

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f10
Expert
Expert

I haven't worked on this particular card hence trying some shots in the dark, have you checked the BIOS settings for this card anything suspicious?

Regards, Arun Pandey VCP 3,4,5 | VCAP-DCA | NCDA | HPUX-CSA | http://highoncloud.blogspot.in/ If you found this or other information useful, please consider awarding points for "Correct" or "Helpful".
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BertrandW
Contributor
Contributor

I've checked server BIOS and NIC BIOS, and i didn't saw anything about this.

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ScreamingSilenc

Can you try using Dell Recovery ISO for vSphere which can be found here Driver Details | Dell US

Thanks

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BertrandW
Contributor
Contributor

Can i use a bnx2 drivers instead the tg3 drivers on BCM5718/19 ??

From broadcom :

The NetXtreme (tg3) doesn't support iSCSI-Offload or Toe, so it is expected that you don't see iSCSI devices with these NICs.

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joeyl
Contributor
Contributor

I have the same problem, new Proliant with BCM 5719. Did you ever find a fix for this? It is very annoying since BCM 5709 worked perfectly and HP changed them on the new generation of Proliants.

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BertrandW
Contributor
Contributor

sory..no fix.

i am still using the ISCSI software adapter.

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joeyl
Contributor
Contributor

thanks. reading the Broadcom and HP specs, looks like I will have to get a different card. How is the software ISCSI working for you? I have 2 existing hosts that are using the old Broadcom hardware ISCSI and the new additional host will be using software ISCSI unless I find a replacement card Smiley Sad

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ldesfontaines
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Hi,

As stated in the HCL, the BCM5719 is supported with driver tg3.

VMware Compatibility Guide: I/O Device Search

And, as per Bertrand, considering driver TG3 is not iSCSI Offload or TOE aware, it's almost expected that iSCSI device are not available for ESXi.

I suggest that you contact your vendor to change them with ESXi compliant net cards.

Anyway, remember that, with the processing power embedded in current CPU, it's not usually that worth to have a HW dependant iSCSI device. TOE or iSCSI offload are really useful under some condition, obviously mostly when High I/O usage rates are proven (which is definetly rare). A good network design is often better than an iSCSI Offload aware network card.

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BertrandW
Contributor
Contributor

the ISCSI software adapter is running properly (9 Windows VM and 1 RHLE/Oracle 11 on this host ).

I will not change for a replacement card because I/O rate are pretty low on this host.

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ldesfontaines
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

In most case (98% I guess Smiley Happy), your approach is the good one.

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