Excessive packet drops reported on ESXi 8.0.3 with Broadcom 10GB/25GB NICs
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Excessive packet drops reported on ESXi 8.0.3 with Broadcom 10GB/25GB NICs

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Article ID: 440556

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Updated On:

Products

VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Broadcom 10 GB and 25GB network adapters (bnxtnet) on ESXi 8.0.3 hosts may report high numbers of dropped packets in vCenter performance charts and Aria Operations. While some reports are due to a telemetry regression, actual performance impact can occur due to driver and firmware misalignment.

Symptoms:

  • Aria Operations and vCenter may show significant received packet drops (RX) on ESXi hosts.
    • (DEP) Host is experiencing high number of packets dropped

  • The esxcli network nic stats get -n vmnicX  command may show inflated or unrealistic Rx counters.

  • High vCPU utilization may be observed during peak network loads.

  • Virtual machines may experience intermittent network latency or throughput degradation.

Environment

VMware vSphere ESXi 8.x

Cause

  • A regression in the bnxtnet driver (v236.1.128.0) causes hardware queue stats to update incorrectly after quiesce or activation operations, leading to erroneous telemetry.

  • Additionally, running this driver with older firmware (e.g., 22.x or 23.x) leads to buffer management inefficiencies and physical layer packet drops.

Resolution

The issue is also seen on the Driver/Firmware  236.1.173.0 /pkg 36.11.73.00  Version: 236.1.128.0

The fix is in 238.1.122.0-1OEM/Firmware 38.11.38.06 branch of the driver/Firmware version. 

  1. Identify current driver and firmware versions using esxcli network nic get -n vmnicX.

  2. Verify the supported firmware version for your driver on the Broadcom Compatibility Guide.

  3. Upgrade the bnxtnet driver and firmware to the certified versions with the fix (238.1.122.0-1OEM/Firmware 38.11.38.06).

Note:
Broadcom has various OEM network interface cards (NICs) from vendors like Lenovo, Dell, and HPE. When Broadcom identifies and fixes an issue in their driver or firmware, they notify these OEMs, who then release their own tailored drivers and firmware accordingly.
Customers are strongly advised to wait for the OEM vendor to release the corresponding 238.x firmware and driver. You should not use a mismatched driver and firmware combination, even if the fix is officially in the driver and not the firmware. Always verify the supported firmware version for your driver on the Broadcom Compatibility Guide before upgrading. 

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