Network cards not detected on an ESXi host

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

ESXi host may not detect the Network cards (vmnics)

• In vCenter UI > Cluster > Host > Configure > Networking > Physical adaptors may not show all the NICs which are physically attached to the server.

 

• NICs will not be visible from the Host Client UI > Networking > Physical NICs as well.

 

 

• The network cards are not listed from ESX CLI when running the below commands:

esxcfg-nics -l

esxcli network nic list

• The Network cards might be seen as healthy on the hardware side, like iDRAC or iLO.
• Running the command lspci -v | grep -A1 -i ethernet OR vmkchdev -l | grep -i vmnic shows no NICs detected by the ESXi
  
  

Note: This issue can occur on previously used network cards after an ESXi upgrade because of Driver/Firmware compatibility.

 

Environment

VMware vSphere ESXi 6.x
VMware vSphere ESXi 7.x
VMware vSphere ESXi 8.x

Cause

Rare Instance during the ESXi upgrade or after replacing a new PCIe NIC adapter the NICs are not recognized by the ESXi host.
Most likely this is caused due to the incompatibility of the drivers/firmware or needing an update. Make sure all hardware is supported with correct cables and connectors.

Resolution

Contact the hardware vendor to investigate the issue with the NICs not visible on ESXi host.

Note: Please make sure the system has the recommended driver and firmware as per Broadcom Compatibility Guide.

Additional Information

FAQ: Recommendation for Driver/Firmware
How to download and install async drivers in ESXi 
Check passthrough for a network device on host