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besson3c
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Confused about what NIC to purchase for ESXi 4

Hello,

I'm thoroughly confused.

I bought this NIC for use with ESXi 4 u1 thinking that it would work out-of-the-box:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833106121

There is even comment there from a user saying that this works in ESXi 4. Every HCL I've come across lists the Intel Pro/1000 GT as being compatible with ESXi, but I've come to find out that this isn't true. I've been having the same problem as the guy who started this thread:

http://communities.vmware.com/message/1297009

However, I'm unable to install the driver posted to this thread without network access. I've tried all sorts of things. Rather than continue messing around to get this to work, perhaps using another NIC temporarily and having to go through all of this again the next time I need to reinstall ESXi, I'd rather just get a NIC that will work out-of-the-box. I'm still able to return/replace my card through NewEgg.

Can somebody kindly point me at a similar card on NewEgg that for sure, without question works in ESXi? I'm still baffled as to why reports about this card vary so much, so I'm sort of paranoid about returning this and randomly trying something else.

Thanks in advance for entertaining my frustration and paranoia, and helping offer me some assurances Smiley Happy

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DSTAVERT
Immortal
Immortal

The HCL lists the Pro/1000 GT Server Adapter not what you purchased, the Desktop adapter. There are multiple versions of the server adapter as well. You may be able to make the card work. I would use some references on the http://vm-help.com website about modifying the simple.map file.

-- David -- VMware Communities Moderator
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besson3c
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The HCL lists the Pro/1000 GT Server Adapter not what you purchased, the Desktop adapter. There are multiple versions of the server adapter as well. You may be able to make the card work. I would use some references on the http://vm-help.com website about modifying the simple.map file.

Ahhh.. That explains it!

My understanding of simple.map is that it helps detect certain hardware? My Desktop adapter is being detected just fine, it just doesn't work. Since I don't see any server adapters on NewEgg anywhere close to the price I paid for the Desktop adapter (which is not surprising, I just figured that an Intel Pro/1000 GT was an Intel Pro/1000 GT), I guess my best hope is to try to install that driver that is reported to make my NIC work.

Any suggestions how I can go about that without being able to get a network going? I was toying around with VMWare Server, but unfortunately Server 2 doesn't support booting off of physical USB devices, so I'd have to somehow clone my vmdk file back to my USB drive I'm booting from for evaulation purposes.

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DSTAVERT
Immortal
Immortal

simple.map can also tell ESXi to use a particular driver for a given device. Have a look at the ESXi 4 (not U1) download page for some Intel driver downloads. Instructions are included for installing. You will need to look on one of the tabs for the downloads.

-- David -- VMware Communities Moderator
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besson3c
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simple.map can also tell ESXi to use a particular driver for a given device. Have a look at the ESXi 4 (not U1) download page for some Intel driver downloads. Instructions are included for installing. You will need to look on one of the tabs for the downloads.

Tabs on the VMWare site? If so, like I said, I found the driver. The link to it is in the thread in my first post. The problem with it is that ESXi requires the vSphere CLI tools to install patches offered by VMWare, and in order to use the CLI tools I need to be able to connect to my ESXi host over the network. I have no way to connect to my ESXi host to install the driver.

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DSTAVERT
Immortal
Immortal

Some of the CD driver disks install directly. I thought I remembered that the intel one did as well and was pointing to it for reference only. Update 1 has all the drivers from the driver CD download tab. You can try putting the card in a different slot?? Use a utility or your system tools to change the interupt the card uses.?? Modify simple.map to use one of the other drivers???

-- David -- VMware Communities Moderator
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besson3c
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Some of the CD driver disks install directly. I thought I remembered that the intel one did as well and was pointing to it for reference only. Update 1 has all the drivers from the driver CD download tab. You can try putting the card in a different slot?? Use a utility or your system tools to change the interupt the card uses.?? Modify simple.map to use one of the other drivers???

The driver is indeed listed there, this was the driver referred to in the thread in my first post. Unfortunately, the only way to install it is with vlhostupdate in the CLI tools:

http://www.vmware.com/support/vsphere4/doc/drivercd/esx40-net-igb_400.1.3.19.12-1.0.4.html

I need network access to do this.

I'm not sure what fiddling with the simple.map file will do for me? I know what driver I need, I need this driver, I just can't install it. The card is detected fine, I just need this driver.

As far as changing the interrupts for the card, it works fine in other OSes. I'd like to first install this driver before doing that, if I can only find a way to do so.

Any ideas as to how I can install this driver?

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besson3c
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Hey guys,

I created a new thread about installing this driver: http://communities.vmware.com/thread/250732 . I'm sorry about this dead-end thread, but since I only have a free PCI slot and not a PCI-E slot, there is very little that can be purchased that will be compatible with ESXi out-of-the-box that is PCI based, with exception to the MT server adapter which is significantly more expensive. If I have to get this NIC I guess I will, but getting my GT Desktop adapter to work seems so tantalizingly close if I can only find a way to install this driver!

At any rate, perhaps it's best to reply to my other thread (http://communities.vmware.com/thread/250732) since I'm pretty clear as to why the GT Desktop adapter is a no-go, thanks to the help of somebody in this thread clueing me in to the fact that there is a server and desktop adapter. I'm slow sometimes!

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DSTAVERT
Immortal
Immortal

You really aren't helping your cause by making multiple posts about the same issue. I believe there are three possible drivers for the supported Intel NICs. I may be wrong but . . . Update 1 already contains all the additional drivers. No need to try installing anything else. Waste of time. Do some investigation about the chipset in the card you have. See if you can figure out which driver might support the card.

Check to see which driver is loaded for your card.

>lspci -p

Have a look at http://www.vm-help.com/esx/esx3i/ESXi_35_common_issues.php#IP_is_0000

If you still don't have a workable solution have a use the forums at http://vm-help.com to see if someone has created a custom oem.tgz with a workable solution. Otherwise find a real server adapter on the HCL.

-- David -- VMware Communities Moderator
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besson3c
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You really aren't helping your cause by making multiple posts about the same issue. I believe there are three possible drivers for the supported Intel NICs. I may be wrong but . . . Update 1 already contains all the additional drivers. No need to try installing anything else. Waste of time. Do some investigation about the chipset in the card you have. See if you can figure out which driver might support the card.

Check to see which driver is loaded for your card.

>lspci -p

Have a look at http://www.vm-help.com/esx/esx3i/ESXi_35_common_issues.php#IP_is_0000

If you still don't have a workable solution have a use the forums at http://vm-help.com to see if someone has created a custom oem.tgz with a workable solution. Otherwise find a real server adapter on the HCL.

Okay, I will post on the vm help forums as well as this one, but just to follow up with your useful suggestions...

Doing an lspci -p I see that the e1000 driver is loaded for my card with ID 8086:107c. According to this: http://www.vm-help.com/esx/esx3i/Hardware_support.php#Intel this is exactly the right driver for this card. When I do an esxcfg-nics -l I see the card using the e1000, but when I attempt to use it does not work and cannot get a DHCP lease.

Any idea what the driver I've been babbling about is for? If my NIC does indeed use the e1000 kernel module, this is obviously not at all uncommon. You're right, everybody should have that.

Thanks for your help and patience!

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DSTAVERT
Immortal
Immortal

The confusion is more likely that there is a Server Adapter and Desktop adapter and they are not the same. Try manipulating the drivers as per the vm-help site to see if one of the other two work.

-- David -- VMware Communities Moderator
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besson3c
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What do you mean by "driver" exactly? It looks like the e1000 and e1000e kernel module covers a wide swath of Intel Pro cards, is this what you mean?

What was the aforementioned driver offered on VMWare's driver CDs downloads page anyway? I think I'm conflating "driver" with "kernel module", or are they the same thing when used in this context?

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DSTAVERT
Immortal
Immortal

kernel modules are the drivers. The three Intel modules are e1000 e1000e and igb If ESXi has loaded the e1000 module then try the e1000e and then the igb module. You only have the three choices.

-- David -- VMware Communities Moderator
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besson3c
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kernel modules are the drivers. The three Intel modules are e1000 e1000e and igb If ESXi has loaded the e1000 module then try the e1000e and then the igb module. You only have the three choices.

Thanks for your patience, I'm learning as I go!

I updated my simple.map following the instructions on the vmhelp site mapping my PCI ID from e1000 to both e1000e and igb. Neither allowed me to boot any longer, so for right now it appears that the info the vmhelp site is correct - the correct driver for the card is indeed the e1000 driver.

Do you have any other suggestions of things I can try here?

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DSTAVERT
Immortal
Immortal

I don't know whether there is firmware available either up or down in version.

Use a PCI utility or possibly bios in your MB to change the interrupt the card uses. Disable any extra onboard devices that aren't being used.

All the while here I am assuming you have tried the obvious like try a different cable, different switch, verified the card works in another system, etc.

The last thing I did was check the Intel website for the Intel Pro/1000 GT Desktop Adapter. Intel shows the chipset as 82541PI

The HCL shows the 82541PI based card as being supported for 3.5 and not under 4.

I would try the vm-help.com website to see whether anyone has created an oem.tgz with other Intel drivers.

-- David -- VMware Communities Moderator
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besson3c
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I don't know whether there is firmware available either up or down in version.

Use a PCI utility or possibly bios in your MB to change the interrupt the card uses. Disable any extra onboard devices that aren't being used.

All the while here I am assuming you have tried the obvious like try a different cable, different switch, verified the card works in another system, etc.

The last thing I did was check the Intel website for the Intel Pro/1000 GT Desktop Adapter. Intel shows the chipset as 82541PI

The HCL shows the 82541PI based card as being supported for 3.5 and not under 4.

I would try the vm-help.com website to see whether anyone has created an oem.tgz with other Intel drivers.

Question: would any of the interrupt issues be apparent in other OSes? This is not a leading question, I don't know the answer to this... Cause if so, my card in the exact same PCI slot works perfectly in Ubuntu on the same machine, same cable, same router.

My chipset is indeed the 82541PI, and I'm aware of the card being supported and using the e1000 which is what makes this so weird...

I was unable to find any Intel drivers for my card provided on the vm-help website, unfortunately...

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besson3c
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Okay, I disabled everything in my BIOS except what I need. This included my parallel and serial ports, onboard LAN, etc.

Same result, unfortunately. Looking at the ESXi logs I see the same old kernel message that has been confounding me:

vmnic0: e1000_clean_tx_irq: Detected Tx Unit Hang

I've tried disabling tso as well, since some threads involving this error message suggest this. When I do this it says "function not implemented", but doing an ethtool -k vmnic0 I see that TSO is switched off anyway.

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DSTAVERT
Immortal
Immortal

What version of ESXi are you installing? 3.5 or 4.

-- David -- VMware Communities Moderator
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besson3c
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Contributor

4.0 U1

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DSTAVERT
Immortal
Immortal

Then

The HCL shows the 82541PI based card as being supported for 3.5 and NOT supported under 4.

-- David -- VMware Communities Moderator
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