New ESX host install. Can't Ping.

[CiscoKid1981]

Hello all,

I am building a test lab that so far consists of:

esx1: 20.1.1.10 255.255.255.0

vcenter: 20.1.1.100 255.255.255.0

openfiler iscsi: 20.1.1.40 255.255.255.0

I have gotten all of these devices configured and can ping across all (with a little help from you friendly people of course). I just tried installing my second esx host and am having some trouble getting it to communicate with the rest. During install I assigned it an IP of 20.1.1.80 255.255.255.0 so its on the same network. Pinging from the trouble machine returns "destination host unreachable". Ping to it from any other device returns the same. esxcfg-nics -l shows the nic up. route -n shows the exact same output as my other working esx host.

This lab is completely on its own network. All devices are networked through a simple Dell 2216 16-port switch with no vlans or anything.

I have tried all sorts of layer one troubleshooting, including changing cables, ports on my switch, and finally yanking the entire hard drive and putting it in an identical laptop to rule out a bad nic. I have also gone into the bios and matched the settings to my working host to rule out any possible resource allocation issue.

One strange thing I have noticed. When I run the esxcfg-nics command on my working esx host the nic shows up. When I yank the cable and run the command it shows down. Plug it back in, almost immediately goes back to up. However, when I try the same process on this trouble machine, the nic shows up whether the cable is connected or not :smileyalert: Some sort of funny business going on here. What am I missing?

EDIT: I may have jumped the gun on this one. I see now that the speed is 0MBPS and the duplex is at half. I have given the esxcfg-nics -s 100 -d full vmnic0 command but esxcfg-nics -l does not reflect them. I will try a reboot, but i think this is likely my problem.

[satish_lx · Accepted solution]

Faulty nic cause a problem of driver problem mostly run miit-tool to check duplex-speed and also check its ping localy ? stop firewall at testing time and run tcpdump on interface to check icmp traffic.

ifconfig -a check vswif0 is up and proper ip address?

Thanks

Satish Patel

- Journey toward Virtual-World.

[CiscoKid1981]

I don't believe it is a faulty NIC. I have an identical laptop i can swap out the hard drive to with the same symptoms.

#mii-tool vmnic0

SIOCGMIIREG on vmnic0 failed: Input/output error

vmnic0: negotioated 100baseTx-FD flow-control, link ok

ifconfig shows vmwif0 up and has an ip address i have confirmed and reconfirmed.

The command to change speed and duplex is still not being reflected, even after reboot. I also tried changing it to auto, but bupkis. In searching the forums I found this....but the problem can't be my nic as I have an identical laptop with an identical nic running just fine. Not to mention a third identical laptop that i checked. For some reason it won't accept the config change, just as the guy says in the post.

Is a re-install my best option? I don't recall specifying speed and duplex during install...

[CiscoKid1981]

I ran through the installation again and didn't see anywhere to specify speed and duplex.

I have found another clue. When I give the command esxcfg-nics -s 100 -d full vmnic0 and look at that port on the switch, the SPD/LINK/ACT light remains green but the FDX/HDX light goes out. When I give the esxcfg-nics -a vmnic0 both lights goes green. Which to me means that speed and duplex may be set right after all....

However a esxcfg-nics -l still shows the vmnic0 interface as down, 0Mbps, and Half duplex. I have also tried rebooting the switch after every command to no avail. Sigh.

[satish_lx]

Check you Nic driver properly install and intract with system. and why are you not trying to use hub insted of switch. hub working in hulf duplex if your card configure for auto then it should work with hub in half duplex.

also check kernal module for nic some time mismatch driver give you everything ok but not functionally..

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Thanks

Satish Patel

• Journey Toward "Virtual world"

[CiscoKid1981]

Hmm. I don't know why but reinstalling on the third spare machine fixed the issue. I don't understand why pulling the hard drive and putting it into another machine wouldn't rectify the problem if it was a faulty nic, but it appears as though you were correct all along. The only thing I can figure is that during installation esx will save the mac of whatever nic is in the machine, so moving the hard drive to a different machine with a different mac won't work? I have no idea. I can troubleshoot the nic on that machine with an OS i am more familiar with. Thanks for your help.

[CiscoKid1981]

Nevermind I lied. The problem is not fixed at all.

How do i check if my NIC driver is installed properly?

I can't interact with anything via the NIC's on either machines I have tried it on.

I'm using a switch because that's all i have. To reiterate, I have the same exact laptop already running an esx host on this network working perfectly fine. It is able to communicate over the switch with no problems. I am trying to install one more.

I don't have a vmkernel port on my virtual switch because i have never gotten to the VI client because my NIC has never worked.

[satish_lx]

Which version of ESX are you using ? if you have cross cable connect both laptop over-cross cable and try to ping.

lsmod or vmkload_mod i guess but pls coross check with google also.

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Thanks

Satish Patel

• Journey toward "Virtual world"

[CiscoKid1981]

No, I can not ping between the two esx hosts connected via a x-over cable. I can between the working host and the vCenter server.

Also, I had an idea. I removed the hard drive from the working esx host and placed it in the non working esx host and it runs on that machine. So that effectively rules out any hardware issue i think. I am now re-installing on the first machine to see what happens.

EDIT: I'm installing esx 3.5

[satish_lx]

It would be gr8 if you swap HDD with working ESX host.

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Thanks

Satish Patel

• Journey toward "Virtual world"

[CiscoKid1981]

Just wanted to come back and give my resolution. I was never able to discover the underlying problem. It has to be a setting i enabled or did not enable on my first install or a bios setting but i can't for the life of me figure out what i did. I ended up just ghosting the working machine and pushing it out to the other. I just had to go in and change IP and hostname and it works fine now. Sorry I couldn't provide a proper resolution but I have to move on.

Thanks for all your help!