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Introduction

How to make your unsupported NIC work with ESXi 5.x or 6.0. Because in 6.0 VMware 'blacklisted' the drivers of ESXi 5.1. Its form VMware Download Center. Intel® Ethernet Adapters that work with VMware* and links to VMware* Hardware Compatibility. Network Adapters and drivers in the VMware. Driver download.

This document describes how to install device drivers on the Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) for common operating systems.

Prerequisites

Vmware Nic Card Driver Download

Requirements

Cisco recommends that you have knowledge of these topics:

• Cisco UCS Manager
• Cisco Integrated Management Controller (CIMC)
• Virtual Machine-ware (VMware), Windows Server, or Linux Operating Systems (OS)

Components Used

The information in this document is based on these hardware platforms:

• UCS B Series
• UCS C Series
  

The information in this document was created from the devices in a specific lab environment. All of the devices used in this document started with a cleared (default) configuration. If your network is live, make sure that you understand the potential impact of any command.

Background Information

Driver Definition

A device driver is software that is the interface between the OS and the hardware. The device driver translates general OS commands into specialized commands for a particular device, which allows the OS to communicate with hardware devices.

Devices that Require a Driver

Here is a list of hardware devices that require device drivers:

• Ethernet Network Interface Card (ENIC)
• Fibre Channel Network Interface Card (FNIC)
• Redundant Array of Indepent Disks (RAID) Controller
• Motherboard Chipset
• Video Card
• Trusted Platform Module (TPM)

Drivers Versus Firmware

Device drivers are different from firmware. Device driver software is installed on the OS, whereas firmware is lower-level code that is installed on hardware devices. Firmware is stored in non-volatile memory, such as ROM, Erasable Programmable ROM (EPROM), or flash memory.

Nic Card

Driver Dependence on Firmware

Device drivers have a strong dependence on the device firmware. Device drivers must be compatible with the firmware level of a hardware device, so that they properly communicate with each other; driver and firmware functionality must match for correct operation to take place.

When Drivers Must be Installed and Updated

Device drivers come pre-installed with operating systems (such as Cisco OEM VMware ESXi images), or they can be manually installed post-OS setup.

Device drivers generally need to be updated after these procedures:

• UCS firmware upgrades
• Major OS upgrades/patches

Driver Versions Required

The UCS Hardware and Software Interoperability matrix outlines the driver versions that are required for a particular OS, device, and firmware combination.

Warning: The driver versions listed on the matrix have been tested and verified by the Cisco Engineering Quality Assurance team, and it is crucial to install the correct driver; otherwise, you might run into unexpected behavior which could lead to network outages.

This example shows that an FNIC driver version of 1.6.0.36 is required for a B200 M4 with a Virtual Interface Card (VIC) 1240 that runs ESXi 6.0 U3, on UCS Release 3.2.2.

Download the Driver Bundle

Complete these steps in order to download the driver bundle:

1. In a web browser, navigate to http://www.cisco.com.
2. Under Support, click Download Software.
3. Click Unified Computing and Servers.
4. Choose your server. Cisco UCS drivers are available for both Cisco UCS B-Series Blade servers and Cisco UCS C-Series Rack-Mount.
5. Click Unified Computing System (UCS) Drivers.
6. Select the bundle you want to download, and click Download Now.
   

Tip: When you choose which driver bundle to download, it is important to select the driver bundle version that is most similar to the server firmware release. For example, if you run a UCS-B Release 3.2(2b), then VMware driver bundle ucs-bxxx-drivers-vmware.3.2.2.iso is required.

Tip: Most VMware ESXi drivers are downloaded directly from www.vmware.com/download, with a search for the driver version. This is often quicker than if you were to download the entire driver bundle.

Identify Server Hardware

Before you select the correct driver, you must identify what hardware devices are installed on the server. This section describes how to find the devices located on the UCS Manager and in the CIMC.

UCS B Series

This example shows how to find the server inventory in UCS Manager. Server 1/1 has two adapter models installed: the VIC 1240 and 1280.

UCS C Series

This example shows how to find the server hardware devices in the CIMC. The server has a LSI 9266-8i RAID controller installed.

Identify the UCS Firmware Release

Before the correct driver version is selected, the UCS release must be identifed. This section describes how to identify the current UCS release installed on the servers.

UCS B Series

In this example, the UCS B Series runs UCS Release 2.1(1a).

UCS C Series

In this example, the UCS C Series runs UCS Release 1.4(6d).

OS Specifics

This section describes how to check driver versions and how to install drivers on common OSs.

VMware ESXi

Use these commands in order to check the current driver versions and VMware build:

Tip: These commands are executed from the ESXi CLI. Secure Shell (SSH) must be enabled before an SSH session is initated.

These examples show that vmnic2 uses a Cisco VIC and a driver version of 1.4.2.15a.

These examples show that the Qlogic Host Bus Adapter (HBA) uses driver qla2xxx Version 901.1k.1-14vmw.

Install the Driver

Complete these steps in order to install the driver:

1. Extract the contents of the driver zip file, and identify the *.vib file.
2. Use the Datastore Browser in order to upload the *.vib file to an ESXi host datastore.
   
3. Enter the host into Maintenance mode.
4. Install the driver.

ESXi 5.x/6.x

Use this command in order to install the driver on ESXi Release 5.x/6.x:

Note: If the drivers require a signature verification, run this command with the --no-sig-check switch. Ensure that you use the full path to the file.

ESXi 4.x

Use this command in order to install the driver on ESXi Release 4.x:

Finish the Installation

After you install the driver with one of the previously mentioned commands, exit Maintenance mode and reboot the host. For more information on how to install drivers, reference the Related Information section at the end of this document.

Useful VMware CLI Commands

Here are some other useful VMware commands that you can use when you install a driver:

Check Maintenance Mode Status

Check for Powered-On VMs

Power-Off VMs

Enter Maintenance Mode

Exit Maintenance Mode

Microsoft Windows Server

This section describes how to install a driver on a Microsoft Windows server.

Check Current Driver Version

In order to check the device drivers in Microsoft Windows, use the Device Manager located in the Control Panel.

Check Current Driver Version CLI

For Windows Server Core the Plug-and-Play (PnP) Utility (PNPUtil.exe) is used to check driver versions.

Missing Drivers

Hardware devices with missing drivers are displayed in the Device Manager with a yellow question mark. These devices should be updated with the correct driver in order to prevent unexpected behavior.

Install the Driver

In order to install or update a driver in Microsoft Windows, right-click on the device, and choose Install/Update Driver in order to start the Installation Wizard.

Install the Driver from CLI

The PNPUtil tool can also be used to install drivers from the CLI. The driver ISO bundle can be mounted via the UCS KVM Console Virtual Media.

Useful Windows CLI Commands

Redhat and SuSE Linux

This section describes how to install a driver on Redhat and SuSE Linux systems.

Check Current Driver Versions and OS Release

Here is a list of commands used in order to check the current driver version and OS release:

Tip: Refer to the Driver Name Reference Table located in the Appendix for examples of other common driver names.

This example shows that an ENIC driver version of 2.1.2.41 is installed on Redhat Enterprise Linux Release 6.2.

Install the Driver

Drivers in Redhat and SuSE Linux are installed with the Redhat Package Manager (RPM). Use this command in order to install the driver:

Tip: When you install drivers in Linux, ensure that you review the README files associated with the driver. These are located in the same directory as the driver file. Some RPM driver packages have dependencies on other modules, and require installation of additional RPM packages. The README files contain full instructions on how to install the driver file.

Appendix

Driver Name Reference Table

This table shows the driver names or prefixes for common drivers.

Related Information