Network adapters using bnxtnet driver goes down

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Network adapters using bnxtnet driver goes down which causes network unreachability for the connectee's using the adapter.

Environment

vSphere ESXi

Cause

The Network adapter goes down with Failed Criteria 128.

In(14) vobd[2098147]:  [netCorrelator] 3431039850398us: [vob.net.dvport.uplink.transition.down] Uplink: vmnic4 is down. Affected dvPort: 549/50 35 8a e0 a9 cb 4f 15-ff c3 f5 cc 6f 09 ab 50. 1 uplinks up. Failed criteria: 128

 

From vmkernel.log, a Firmware reset can be observed:

In(182) vmkernel: cpu81:2098683)bnxtnet: bnxtnet_handle_hot_reset:3730: [vmnic4 : 0x4521c1484000] Hot reset async evt: evt_data1 = 0x301, evt_data2 = 0xda21, min wait time = 1300 ms, max wait time = 6200 ms

In(182) vmkernel: cpu19:2098680)bnxtnet: bnxtnet_hot_reset_task:3582: [vmnic4 : 0x4521c1484000] Waiting for 1300 msecs for firmware reset completion

In(182) vmkernel: cpu47:2098680)bnxtnet: bnxtnet_hot_reset_task:3689: [vmnic4 : 0x4521c1484000] Hot Reset Task Exit

 

The driver received an asynchronous message from the Network Interface Card (NIC) firmware, triggering a NIC reset event.

Resolution

To restore normal operation, reboot the ESXi host. To investigate the root cause of the firmware reset event and a potential fix, engagement with the hardware vendor is required.