Random nic flapping for vmnics connected to Arista 7050sx3 switches

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

 Random nic flapping after upgrading to Arista 7050sx3 switches, specifically affecting copper 4-port channel configurations.

Environment

VMware vSphere ESXi
VMware vCenter Server

Cause

After upgrading hardware, it's important to ensure that the associated firmware and drivers are also updated.
This issue can occur when the driver/firmware of the network adapters are not compatible with the upgraded hardware requirements.

Resolution

Update the driver and firmware of the adapters with latest version compatible with the ESXi hosts and physical switch.

Also, set Esxi & Arista 7050 switch to 10gb. 

ESXi Host Configuration:

1. Access vSphere Web Client: Log in to the vSphere Web Client and select the ESXi host. 
2. Navigate to Networking: Go to "Manage" -> "Networking". 
3. Edit vSwitch: Select the vSwitch you want to modify and click "Edit Settings". 
4. Set MTU: On the "Properties" tab, set the Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) to 9000 if you plan to use Jumbo Frames. 
5. Configure Physical Adapters: Go to the "Configure" tab and click "Physical Adapters". 
6. Edit Adapter: Select the desired network adapter and click "Edit". 
7. Set Speed and Duplex: Choose "10G" or the appropriate speed for your 10GbE network and select "Full Duplex". 
8. Add Host to Distributed Switch: If using a Distributed Switch, add the ESXi host to the distributed switch. 
9. Configure Physical NICs: In the "Manage physical adapters" tab, configure the physical NICs on the distributed switch. 

To check that the vmnics are on the latest driver version, please refer: Determining Network/Storage firmware and driver version in ESXi

Additional Information

To configure the physical switch to 10Gb, please engage the hardware vendor.