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Posted by4 years ago
USB 3.0 Ethernet Adapter (NIC) driver for ESXi 6.5. By William Lam 183 Comments. I had several folks ask me about an updated USB 3.0 Ethernet Driver for ESXi 6.5. If you are interested in Realtek driver for ESXi 6.5, be sure to check out Jose's blog here for more info.
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ESXi6 and Realtek NICs
I have a box running ESXi 6 with dual NICs. When I installed ESXi I had to manually roll the Net-51 drivers into the installation media. This allowed ESXi to recognize my Realtek RTL8111/8168 NIC that's built-in to the mobo. I was able to install and the system is running fine off the 8168 assigned as vmnic0
The system also has a Realtek RTL8169/8110 PCI NIC. According to the Net-51 driver package that I rolled into the install, this card should be working. (Both the 8168 and 8110 are listed as supported devices on that page).
The only NIC displaying in vSphere is vmnic0 which is the 8168. On the ESXi host I ran lspci -v | grep Realtek which shows the following:
0000:02:07.0 Ethernet controller Network controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8169/8110 Family PCI Gigabit Ethernet NIC 0000:04:00.0 Ethernet controller Network controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8111/8168 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet controller [vmnic0]
So the system is seeing the 8110 as it should. Now I check the vendor and device ID of the 8110 with lspci -n | grep 02:07 (the PCI slot and bus number)
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0000:02:07.0 Class 0200: 10ec:8169
ESXi is detecting the second card properly. Let's try to roll in the drivers again and see if that changes anything. Download the Net-51 drivers offline bundle and push it to the host. esxcli software vib install -d /vmfs/volumes/Data/net51-drivers-1.[..].zip
[DependencyError] File path of '/etc/vmware/driver.map.d/r8168.map' is claimed by multiple non-overlay VIBs: set(['VFrontDe_bootbank_net51-drivers_1.1.0-1vft.510.0.0.799733', 'Realtek_bootbank_net55-r8168_8.039.01-napi']) VIBs (Realtek_bootbank_net55-r8168_8.039.01-napi, VFrontDe_bootbank_net51-drivers_1.1.0-1vft.510.0.0.799733) are conflicting with each other File path of '/usr/lib/vmware/vmkmod/r8168' is claimed by multiple non-overlay VIBs: set(['VFrontDe_bootbank_net51-drivers_1.1.0-1vft.510.0.0.799733', 'Realtek_bootbank_net55-r8168_8.039.01-napi']) Please refer to the log file for more details.
Hmmm, to me this makes it seem like the driver is already installed, so it won't try to overwrite it. Let's refer to the log file referenced. Under the esxupdate.log:
2015-05-06T20:48:14Z esxupdate: root: ERROR: VIBs (Realtek_bootbank_net55-r8168_8.039.01-napi, VFrontDe_bootbank_net51-drivers_1.1.0-1vft.510.0.0.799733) are conflicting with each other 2015-05-06T20:48:14Z esxupdate: root: ERROR: File path of '/usr/lib/vmware/vmkmod/r8168' is claimed by multiple non-overlay VIBs: set(['VFrontDe_bootbank_net51-drivers_1.1.0-1vft.510.0.0.799733', 'Realtek_bootbank_net55-r8168_8.039.01-napi'])
Basically the same thing, looks to me like it already sees the drivers, and won't overwrite them.
I'm not even sure if installing the driver is what needs to happen, since the system detects the card properly at the hardware level. vSphere just won't 'see' it and assign it as a NIC. I'm at a loss here now.
These are some of the pages I have referenced: http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1034782
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ESXi 5.0 and 5.1 all worked fine with the common Realtek 8111/8168 series of network adapters, typically found in a variety of consumer-class motherboards. What to do for ESXi 5.5 in the home lab? Suddenly you can't even install ESXi, even though you have a perfectly workable system that happens to already have Realtek on board. Such as my very own vZilla. Yes, with 5.5, you'll get the dreaded “No compatible network adapter found please consult Hardware Compatibility Guide for supported adapters” message. Even though you likely won't find this chipset on the HCL, and you have no official support from VMware on Realtek, this article may help get you clear of the installer hurtle, offering two distinct approaches.
For the Realtek 8111 (8111E, 8111G, etc.), there may be some gotchas.
The Realtek is similar enough to the 8168 series that for many folks, the below software procedure works out fine. That doesn't mean it'll work for you though. Your results may vary. My 8111E based NIC dropped from the network after a solid month, so I simply rebooted, and have had no further issues in many months since. Other folks report issues with getting various Realtek NICs going at all, seen in the conversation below this post, including this comment, and similar comments elsewhere, including Realtek 8111G, nic identified but no flow and ESXi host keeps disconnecting.
![Esxi 6.5 realtek 8168 1 Esxi 6.5 realtek 8168 1](/uploads/1/2/5/8/125834890/478379837.jpg)
Software 'fix' #1: Inject the 5.1 driver into the 5.5 installation media
How's simply adding the driver from 5.1 back into your installer ISO image sound. You know, the driver that VMware has apparently taken away from 5.5. While this fix could be seen as a slight hack, it's hardly dangerous, and can be convenient if you just want something that works. You're likely unsupported in the home lab anyway. You're basically just front-loading a VIB (driver bundle) that VMware's own procedure talks you through the same approach, Installing async drivers on ESXi 5.x (2005205), Jul 24, 2013. It's just that the VIB is about a year old, and hasn't been tested by VMware on ESXi 5.
The demand for info on this is clearly there, with 2 excellent conversations going on right here at TinkerTry, and numerous discussions around the web on this common issue. The fix is pretty straight forward. I found a timely article just yesterday which has nicely explains how the ESXi Customer tool does its gentle massage of the ISO, even from Windows 8.1. It's titled Adding Realtek R8168 Driver to ESXi 5.5.0 ISO by Erik on Sep 23 2013, where he points us to the correct file.
Here's a copy of the exact file you'll need (right-click, Save As):
VMware_bootbank_net-r8168_8.013.00-3vmw.510.0.0.799733.vib
(Sorry folks, I don't have the VMware_bootbank_net-r8169_6.011.00-2vmw.510.0.0.799733.vib file)
VMware_bootbank_net-r8168_8.013.00-3vmw.510.0.0.799733.vib
(Sorry folks, I don't have the VMware_bootbank_net-r8169_6.011.00-2vmw.510.0.0.799733.vib file)
That file above is the exact file I used for my RTL8111E, thanks to erick at bussink.ch/?p=1228!
While Erik is talking about the 8168, it's the same driver family as the 8111, as seen on Realtek's site. I've tested that this injection method works fine with 5.5 and my ASRock Z68 Professional Gen3 motherboard and it's 2 RTL8111E ports in my 2011 vZilla virtualization whitebox. See screenshot I just took above. Injection took mere seconds, and I then used Rufus to take the ISO and a make bootable USB flash drive out of it, in about 2 minutes, demonstrated here. That same flash drive is used to boot from USB, then chosen as the installation target. Elegant, quick, no CD/DVD burning needed.
See also:
Use ESXi-Customer GUI to inject multiple driver VIBs into your ESXi installer ISO by Paul Braren Dec 16 2013.
How to add the missing ESXi 5.0 drivers to the ESXi 5.5 installation ISO by Andreas Peetz Sep 24 2013.
Finally, and alternative injection technique that uses just PowerCLI 5.5:
Installing VMware ESXi 5.5 on the Gigabyte Brix by Phil Wiffen, Sep 23 2013.
Use ESXi-Customer GUI to inject multiple driver VIBs into your ESXi installer ISO by Paul Braren Dec 16 2013.
How to add the missing ESXi 5.0 drivers to the ESXi 5.5 installation ISO by Andreas Peetz Sep 24 2013.
Finally, and alternative injection technique that uses just PowerCLI 5.5:
Installing VMware ESXi 5.5 on the Gigabyte Brix by Phil Wiffen, Sep 23 2013.
Software fix #2: Add the VIB to an existing ESXi 5.5 installation
Assuming you somehow got ESXi 5.5 going already, say with another brand of NIC, then the below article should get you through simply adding the VIB
Realtek 8169 NIC in ESXi 5.5 not detected by default – install a VIB by Vladan Seget on Sep 30 2013.
Realtek 8169 NIC in ESXi 5.5 not detected by default – install a VIB by Vladan Seget on Sep 30 2013.
Hardware fix #1: Get another brand NIC with native ESXi 5.5 support
If using injection leaves you uneasy, then investing in a NIC that's likely to stay support for many years to come might be another way to go. Such as the much newer Intel I350T2 Dual Port Ethernet Server Adapter on Amazon or Newegg for around $135 USD, with specs nicely laid out on Intel's comparison grid. It's moderately pricey, but has a small form factor, 2 ports, low watt burn, and all the latest virtualization features. Intel lists the specs here, and the VMware Compatibility Guide is over here. I've tested the I350T2 with 5.5, (also pictured at right) and it works well. While it's unlikely I'll be fully leveraging the advanced virtualization features like SR-IOV, at least driver support probably be one less thing to worry about for years to come, since this chip was relatively recently released in 1Q2012. Can't know for sure, though. Honestly, this is all just a stop-gap until 10 gigabit is affordable, on affordable motherboards, and on VMware's Hardware Compatibility list..Hmm, then again, that could be quite a while. Just some food for thought.
Oct 01 2013 Update
Very relevant, spot-on post by Vladan yesterday (with new software fix section added above). You'll want to read the whole article
Realtek 8169 NIC in ESXi 5.5 not detected by default – install a VIB by Vladan Seget on Sep 30 2013, where he states: Kingdom hearts torn pages how to use.
VMware did strip down many drivers from the ESXi 5.5 ISO, and additionally, they do not provide the Offline bundle for ESXi 5.5 free version.
VMware provides full list of hardware which is “deprecated” in the ESXi 5.5. Here is VMware KB listing all unsupported NICs – Devices deprecated and unsupported in ESXi 5.5.
Hopefully this post help someone who was in the same situation. Good option is to go for Intel based NICs which in most cases are supported. The best option is to check the VMware HCL before buying a NIC, still.
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