ESXi host logical network link remains DOWN with icen driver error "ICE_ERR_NO_MEMORY"

Products

• VMware vSphere ESX 8.x

Issue/Introduction

• Physical interfaces may have had a link state change due to upgrade or other reason. 
• Upon restoration, the logical network link state on the ESXi host remains DOWN
• The physical port status showing as UP on both the switch and the host interfaces.
• Disconnecting and reconnecting the physical cable does not restore logical connectivity.
• Issue seen on ICEN driver 1.15.2.0 on firmware 4.71 but may not be isolated to these versions.
• On the ESXi host, in the vmkernel.log file, you may see an entry similar to the following: 

 

2026-03-05T23:27:53.828Z Wa(180) vmkwarning: cpu0:2098493)WARNING: icen: icen_GetLinkStatus:1268: ####:##:##.#: Failed to get link state - status: ICE_ERR_NO_MEMORY
2026-03-05T23:27:53.828Z Wa(180) vmkwarning: cpu0:2098493)WARNING: icen: icen_GetLLDPInfo:9218: ####:##:##.#: Failed to allocate heap
2026-03-05T23:27:53.828Z Wa(180) vmkwarning: cpu0:2098493)WARNING: icen: icen_LinkEvent:2626: ####:##:##.#: Failed to get LLDP status from firmware, Status: Out of memory

Environment

VMware ESXi

Cause

The Intel 'icen' network driver encounters a memory exhaustion state or internal allocation failure (`ICE_ERR_NO_MEMORY`). This software-layer fault prevents the logical link from successfully initializing and processing the link state change, even when the physical layer establishes connectivity.

Resolution

This is a condition that may occur as a result of a driver/firmware issue. 

 

To permanently resolve this issue, please engage the hardware vendor:

1. Verify the current `icen` driver version installed on the affected ESXi host.
2. Consult the hardware vendor to verify the issue and its long term fix in driver versions.
3. Upgrade the Intel network adapter driver to a version confirmed by the hardware vendor where the issue is resolved.

Workaround:

Reboot the affected ESXi host. A host reboot clears the driver memory state, reinitializes the driver space, and temporarily restores the logical link status.