Identifying and Listing Network Interface Cards (NICs) on VMware ESXi

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

To identify and view the NICs (Network Interface Cards) on an ESXi host, you can use different methods. These approaches allow you to map physical NICs to their corresponding virtual NICs (vmnic) and gather details like MAC addresses, link status, and more.

Environment

VMware vSphere ESXi

Resolution

Method 1: Using the vSphere Client (GUI)

This is the most common and user-friendly method for quickly viewing NIC details.

1. Log in to your vSphere Client.
2. Select the desired ESXi host from the Inventory.
3. Go to the Configure tab.
4. Under the "Networking" section, click on Physical Adapters.
5. You will see a list of all physical NICs (e.g., vmnic0, vmnic1), along with details such as:
   • Name: The ESXi identifier (e.g., vmnic0).
   • Link Status: Whether the NIC is connected or disconnected.
   • Speed/Duplex: The negotiated speed and duplex mode.
   • MAC Address: The unique hardware address of the NIC.
   • Driver: The network driver in use.
   • PCI Device: The PCI address of the NIC.

Method 2: Using SSH Commands

If SSH is enabled on your ESXi host, you can use command-line tools to gather detailed NIC information.

1. Enable SSH on your ESXi host if it's not already. You can do this via:
   • DCUI: Go to "Troubleshooting Options" > "Enable SSH".
   • vSphere Client: Navigate to Host > Configure > Services > SSH and click "Start".
2. Connect to the ESXi host using an SSH client (e.g., PuTTY on Windows, ssh command on Linux/macOS).
3. To list all physical NICs and their summary information: esxcli network nic list
   • Example Output:
     Name PCI Device Driver Admin Status Link Status Speed Duplex MAC Address MTU Description  vmnic0 YYYY:YY:YY.Y bnx2 Up Up 1000 Full XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:X1 1500 Vendor Name Adapter Model vmnic1 YYYY:YY:YY.Z bnx2 Up Up 1000 Full XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:X2 1500 Vendor Name Adapter Model
4. To get detailed information about a specific NIC (e.g., vmnic0): esxcli network nic get -n vmnic0
   • Replace vmnic0 with the actual vmnic name you want to inspect.
   • This command provides extensive details including driver information, firmware version, advertised link modes, power management settings, etc.