This chapter describes how to install and test the Mellanox ConnectX-4/ConnectX-5 NATIVE ESXi package on a single host machine with Mellanox Ethernet adapter hardware installed.
Hardware and Software Requirements
| Requirements | Description |
|---|---|
Platforms | A server platform with an adapter card based on one of the following Mellanox Technologies’ HCA devices:
|
Device ID | For the latest list of device IDs, please visit Mellanox website. |
Operating System | ESXi 6.7: 4.17.13.8 |
Installer Privileges | The installation requires administrator privileges on the target machine. |
Installing Mellanox NATIVE ESXi Driver for VMware vSphere
Uninstall any previous Mellanox driver packages prior to installing the new version. See “Removing the Previous Mellanox Driver” for further information.
To install the driver, do the following:
- Log into the ESXi server with root permissions.
Install the driver.
#> esxcli software vib install –d <path>/<bundle_file>
Example:
#> esxcli software vib install -d /tmp/MLNX-NATIVE-ESX-ConnectX-4-5_-10EM-60.0.0.2768847.zip
- Reboot the machine
Verify the driver was installed successfully.
After the installation process, all kernel modules are loaded automatically upon boot.
Removing the Previous Mellanox Driver
Unload the driver before removing it.
To remove all the drivers, do the following:
- Log into the ESXi server with root permissions.
- List all the existing NATIVE ESXi driver modules. (see Step 4 in "Installing Mellanox NATIVE ESXi Driver for VMware vSphere" section above)
Remove each module.
#> esxcli software vib remove -n nmlx5-core
To remove the modules, the command must be run in the same order as shown in the example above
- Reboot the server.
Downgrading to an Older Mellanox Driver Version
Unload the driver before removing it.
To downgrade to the previous ESXi version, do the following:
Automatic downgrade flow in currently unavailable for current driver version due to a change in the number of driver modules. Using "esxcli software update" command to downgrade may cause unexpected result.
In order to safely downgrade to any previous version (e.g. 4.16.8.8), you must manually remove the current version and install the previous one as described in the process below.
- Log into the ESXi server with root permissions.
- List all the existing NATIVE ESXi driver modules. (see Step 4 in "Installing Mellanox NATIVE ESXi Driver for VMware vSphere" section above)
Remove each module
#> esxcli software vib remove -n nmlx5-core
To remove the modules, the command must be run in the same order as shown in the example above.
- Install the desired driver version.
Reboot the machine.
Firmware Programming
Download the VMware bootable binary images v4.11.0 from the Mellanox Firmware Tools (MFT) site.
ESXi 6.7 File: mft-4.11.0.103-10EM-650.0.0.4598673.x86_64.vib
MD5SUM: a912418986b91c012b38fa50f0311d6bInstall the image according to the steps described in the MFT User Manual.
The following procedure requires custom boot image downloading, mounting and booting from a USB device.
