QLogic HBA detection failure on PCIe bus: VMware ESXi

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Resizing logical processors or ESXi host reboots on Dell PowerEdge servers may result in QLogic QLE2700/QLE2800 Host Bus Adapter (HBA) becoming invisible to the kernel. This occurs because the HBA fails to initialize at the BIOS or PCIe bus level.

Symptoms

• Datastores are missing from the vSphere Client.
• The HBA adapter is not listed under Host > Configure > Hardware > PCI Devices.
• The command # esxcfg-info -a returns no information for the affected HBA.
• Physical link or status lights on the HBA card are off.
• The adapter is missing from the server out-of-band management console (e.g., iDRAC, ILO).

Environment

• VMware ESXi 7.x / 8.x
• QLogic QLE2700 / QLE2800 series HBAs
• Dell PowerEdge servers

Cause

The HBA fails to initialize at the hardware or firmware level during the system boot process. This is often caused by a firmware-level handshake timeout during the PCIe discovery phase or physical hardware fault.

Resolution

1. Check the HBA status in your server's out-of-band management console (e.g., iDRAC, ILO).
2. Perform a physical reseat of the HBA and verify if status lights activate.
3. Verify that the PCIe slot is not deactivated in the system BIOS.
4. Consult your hardware vendor (e.g., Dell Support ) to investigate motherboard or PCIe slot failures.
5. Perform a firmware recovery or update to Dell/QLogic version 17.05.10 or the latest OEM-recommended version. To find current firmware refer Determining firmware.

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