Troubleshooting native drivers in ESXi 5.5 or later

Products

VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

A new native driver model feature is introduced in VMware ESXi 5.5 that replaces an older model that employs a Linux compatibility layer.

In this article:

Drivers using the new model are referred to as native drivers
Drivers using the old model are referred to as legacy VMKLinux drivers

This article provides troubleshooting information for the native driver model.

The following inbox Native Drivers are included in default installation of ESXi 5.5: - See more at: http://www.virtuallyghetto.com/2013/11/esxi-55-introduces-new-native-device.html#sthash.xESWyKgV.dpuf

Environment

VMware vSphere ESXi 5.5
VMware vSphere ESXi 6.0

Resolution

Disable an individual native driver from the command line

At the command line, you have the option to enable or disable an individual Native driver. This is a good method of implementing a temporary workaround or eliminating drivers as possible causes for failure. In order to disable a specific driver, use a command similar to:

On the ESXi host, log in to the console or use SSH. For more information, see Using Tech Support Mode for VMware ESXi 4.1, ESXi 5.x and ESXi 6.x (1017910).
From the console, use this command to disable a specific native driver on next reboot.

esxcli system module set --enabled=false --module=<Module name>

Example:

esxcli system module set --enabled=false --module=elxnet
Reboot the ESXi host by using this console command.

reboot

Native driver details

Native driver details, such as driver version and firmware are not in the usual /proc node location.

Run this command to view native drivers details:

/usr/lib/vmware/vmkmgmt_keyval/vmkmgmt_keyval -a

You can still find the details of legacy VMKLinux drivers in the /proc nodes.

For more information, see Identifying the firmware of a Qlogic or Emulex FC HBA (1002413).

Additional Information

For more information on the command line options, see:

The Managing VMkernel Modules section in the vSphere 5.5 Command-Line Interface documentation
The Managing VMkernel Modules section in the vSphere 6.0 Command-Line Interface Documentation

For more information on the enabling and disabling verbose logging of native drivers in ESXi 5.5 and later, see Enabling or disabling verbose logging on QLogic and Emulex Host Bus Adapters (1005576).

Identifying the firmware of a Qlogic or Emulex FC HBA
Enabling or disabling verbose logging on QLogic and Emulex Host Bus Adapters
Using Tech Support Mode in ESXi 4.1, ESXi 5.x, and ESXi 6.x
ESXi 5.5 以降でのネイティブドライバのトラブルシューティング
Solucionando problemas de drivers nativos no ESXi 5.5 ou versão posterior
Solucionar problemas de controladores nativos en ESXi 5.5 o versiones posteriores
在 ESXi 5.5 或更高版本中对本机驱动程序进行故障排除