How to Install Intel 82576 / 82580 NIC Drivers on VMware ESX / ESXi 4.x

Applies to: VMware ESX / ESXi 4.x | IBM System x3850 X5 | Intel 82576 / 82580 Gigabit Ethernet Controllers

Historical: This article covers a legacy ESX/ESXi 4.x driver installation scenario for Intel 82576 and 82580 Gigabit Ethernet controllers, including the IBM I340-T4 adapter used in IBM System x servers such as the x3850 X5.

In this configuration, the network adapter could be supported by VMware but the required igb driver was not included in the ESX/ESXi installation media. The driver therefore had to be installed separately from an offline bundle.

In This Article

• 1. Driver Package
• 2. Prepare the ESX Host
• 3. Install the Driver
• 4. Reboot and Verify
• 5. Important Version Note
• 6. Key Takeaways

1. Driver Package

The original installation used the Intel igb 2.1.10.2 offline bundle:

INT-intel-lad-ddk-igb-2.1.10.2-offline_bundle-268793.zip

This package was intended for ESX/ESXi 4.x. Do not try to install this bundle on later ESXi releases.

2. Prepare the ESX Host

1. Upload the offline bundle to a datastore or local path on the ESX/ESXi host.
2. Shut down or migrate virtual machines from the host.
3. Place the host into Maintenance Mode.
4. Enable SSH if you plan to install the bundle from the ESX/ESXi command line.

3. Install the Driver

On ESX/ESXi 4.x, the legacy esxupdate command can install the offline bundle:

esxupdate --bundle=INT-intel-lad-ddk-igb-2.1.10.2-offline_bundle-268793.zip update

Run the command from the directory that contains the bundle, or provide the full path to the ZIP file.

4. Reboot and Verify

1. Reboot the ESX/ESXi host after the driver installation completes.
2. Reconnect with the vSphere Client.
3. Confirm that the Intel network adapters are now detected.
4. Verify the physical NICs under the host networking configuration.
5. Exit Maintenance Mode after validation.

5. Important Version Note

This driver bundle is specific to the ESX/ESXi 4.x driver model. A VIB from this package is not valid for newer ESXi releases such as ESXi 5.x.

Later ESX/ESXi 4.x updates also shipped newer Intel igb driver versions, so always check the installed driver level before applying an additional offline bundle.

6. Key Takeaways

• This procedure applies to a legacy ESX/ESXi 4.x Intel igb driver scenario.
• The original IBM I340-T4 adapter used Intel 82576-class Gigabit Ethernet hardware.
• Place the host in Maintenance Mode before installing the offline bundle.
• Reboot and verify that the physical NICs are detected after the driver update.
• Do not reuse the ESX 4.x driver bundle on newer ESXi versions.

References

• IBM – Networking and Communication Accessories for System x3850 X5
• Fujitsu – VMware ESX 4.1 Setup Guide and Intel igb Driver Notes