VMware ESX Server 3.5, Patch ESX350-200805514-BG: Update to VMware-esx-drivers-net-e1000

Summary

This patch fixes an issue where concurrent read or write operations to e1000 EEPROM might cause network adapter cards to stop working. The EEPROM is used to store MAC addresses and other data needed for NIC operation. (PR 239902)

Symptom

Intel PRO/1000 GT or MT dual-port network adapter cards stop working after rebooting the host with the following error logged to /var/log/vmkernel:

e1000_probe: The EEPROM Checksum Is Not Valid

Deployment Considerations

None beyond the required patch bundles and reboot information listed in the table, above.

Patch Download and Installation

See the VMware Update Manager Administration Guide for instructions on using Update Manager to download and install patches to automatically update ESX Server 3.5 hosts.

To update ESX Server 3.5 hosts when not using Update Manager, download the most recent patch bundle from http://www.vmware.com/download/vi/vi3_patches_35.html and install the bundle using esxupdate from the command line of the host. For more information, see the ESX Server 3 Patch Management Guide.