ESX/ESXi driver module fails to load and reports the error: Bad parameter

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

• After upgrading from a previous version of ESX/ESXi or after applying the advanced driver module options, one or more driver modules fail to load
• The hardware devices, such as a network card or HBA, do not function
• The /var/log/vmkernel or /var/log/messages log files contain entries similar to:
  
  'VmkCtl' warning] Loading module ModuleName failed. Unable to load module /usr/lib/vmware/vmkmod/ModuleName.o: Bad parameter
  
  
• The configuration file, /etc/vmware/esx.conf, contains driver module options for the cited driver. For example:
  
  /vmkernel/module/ModuleName.o/options = "InvalidParameter=value"
/vmkernel/module/ModuleName2.o/options = " "
  

Note: If the network drivers do not load successfully, the ESX/ESXi host may not boot properly.

Environment

VMware ESXi 4.1.x Installable
VMware ESXi 4.1.x Embedded
VMware ESXi 3.5.x Installable
VMware vSphere ESXi 5.5
VMware ESXi 4.0.x Installable
VMware ESX 4.1.x
VMware ESX 4.0.x
VMware ESX Server 3.0.x
VMware ESX Server 3.5.x
VMware ESXi 4.0.x Embedded
VMware ESXi 3.5.x Embedded
VMware vSphere ESXi 5.1
VMware vSphere ESXi 5.0

Resolution

This issue occurs when invalid options are specified for a driver module. During ESX/ESXi startup, the driver module options are validated. If an invalid module option is configured, it may not be noticed until a subsequent reboot.

Caution: Do not edit the /etc/vmware/esx.conf configuration file directly.

To validate the currently configured driver module options:

1. Open a console to the ESX/ESXi host. For more information, see 

   Unable to connect to an ESX host using Secure Shell (SSH)

2. Run this command to view a list of the options available for the driver module:
   
   vmkload_mod -s ModuleName
   
   
3. Run this command to view the currently configured options for the driver module:
   
   esxcfg-module -g ModuleName
   
   For example:
   
   ModuleName enabled = X options = 'option1=value1 option2=value2'
   
   
4. Review the list of options from Steps 2 and 3 to determine the invalid option name. The format of module configuration options is a space delimited list of key=value pairs.
   
   Note: An options list consisting only of whitespace is invalid. For example, ModuleName enabled = X options = ' '

5. Using the esxcfg-module command, specify correct options for the driver module or remove all module options. To remove all module options, you simply enter a null value for the option, which appears as "". For example:
   
   esxcfg-module --set-options "" ModuleName
   
   Note: For the changes to take effect, you must reboot the host.

For more information, see Configuring advanced driver module parameters in ESX/ESXi

 

Additional Information