VMkernel logs show multiple entries: vmnicxx:qlcnic_free_rx_irq:2008:Freed vmnicxx_rx[1] irq

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

• ESXi host exhibits poor network and storage performance
• The ESXi host fails with a purple diagnostic screen
• In the vmkernel.log file, you see entries similar to:
  
  <YYYY-MM-DD> <time> cpu28:32868)<6>qlcnic 0000:03:00.0: vmnic2:qlcnic_free_rx_irq:2008:Freed vmnic2_rx[1] irq.
  <YYYY-MM-DD> <time> cpu28:32868)<6>qlcnic 0000:03:00.0: vmnic2:qlcnic_netq_alloc_queue_with_attr:1507:Feature 0x1 needed.
  <YYYY-MM-DD> <time> cpu17:32868)IRQ: 540: 0x4c <vmnic2_rx[1]> exclusive, flags 0x10
  <YYYY-MM-DD> <time> cpu17:32868)VMK_VECTOR: 218: Registered handler for interrupt 0xff4c, flags 0x10
  <YYYY-MM-DD> <time> cpu17:32868)<6>qlcnic 0000:03:00.0: vmnic2:qlcnic_free_rx_irq:2008:Freed vmnic2_rx[1] irq.
  <YYYY-MM-DD> <time> cpu20:32868)<6>qlcnic 0000:03:00.0: vmnic2:qlcnic_netq_alloc_queue_with_attr:1507:Feature 0x1 needed.
  <YYYY-MM-DD> <time> cpu29:32868)IRQ: 540: 0x4c <vmnic2_rx[1]> exclusive, flags 0x10
  
  </time></time></time></time></time></time></time>Note: The vmkernel.log file is located at /var/log/.

Environment

VMware vSphere ESXi 5.5
VMware vSphere ESXi 5.1
VMware vSphere ESXi 5.0
VMware vSphere ESXi 6.5
VMware vSphere ESXi 6.0

Cause

This event occurs due to out of date firmware on QLogic NIC cards.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, update the NIC driver and firmware.

To update the NIC driver and firmware:

1. Connect to the ESXi host using SSH.For more information, see Using ESXi Shell in ESXi 5.x (2004746) .
2. Using the less /var/log/vmkernel command in SSH, locate vmnic entries within the vmkernel.log file similar to:
   
   <YYYY-MM-DD> <time>cpu28:32868)<6>qlcnic 0000:03:00.0: vmnic02:qlcnic_free_rx_irq:2008:Freed vmnicxx_rx[1] irq
   <YYYY-MM-DD> <time>cpu28:32868)<6>qlcnic 0000:03:00.0: vmnic02:qlcnic_netq_alloc_queue_with_attr:1507:Feature 0x1 needed
   
   </time></time>
3. Using the information from the preceeding step, determine the installed drivers and firmware using the ethtool command. For more information, see Determining Network/Storage firmware and driver version in ESXi/ESX 4.x and ESXi 5.x.
4. Determine the latest certified driver and firmware on the VMware Hardware Compatibility List (HCL).
5. Install the driver and firmware on the host.

Additional Information

Using ESXi Shell in ESXi 5.x and 6.x
VMkernel ログに次のようなログが複数出力される：vmnicxx:qlcnic_free_rx_irq:2008:Freed vmnicxx_rx[1] irq