E1000 and E1000e virtual network adapter support on vSphere 9.1

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

The customer may have questions or confusion regarding whether a specific older guest operating system version or type is officially supported when using legacy network adapters like the e1000 or e1000e.

 

Environment

• VMware vSphere ESXi  9.1
• VMware vCenter Server  9.1

Cause

 The use of legacy network interface cards (e1000 or e1000e) with older guest operating systems can cause ambiguity regarding ongoing product support cycles and hardware compatibility configuration minimums.

Resolution

E1000 and E1000e adapters are supported for compatibility in vSphere 9.1.
For performance or migration issues on Distributed Switches, recommend migrating to VMXNET3 where the Guest OS supports it.