Category: ESXi

  • 🌐 How to Update → Intel X710 10G SFP+ Firmware (v9.54) on the Minisforum MS-A2

    The Minisforum MS-A2 ships with the Intel X710 10G SFP network card (retail version), but getting the most out of it requires a proper firmware update. In this guide, I’ll walk you through the steps to update to firmware version 9.54 on ESXi 9.0. While there’s a few ways you can install the Firmware I wanted to purely do it from ESXi. Here’s what to expect:

    • Latest Intel Firmware for 700 Series NICs
    • Install the Intel nvmupdaten64e VIB
    • PuTTy / WinSCP
    • Do it all on ESXi 9.0
    • Have time for 2 reboots

    Running the following command gives you information about your NIC, we’re looking for the VID/DID/SVID/SSID values so we can verify grabbing the correct Firmware:

    esxcli hardware pci list

    Before you dive into a firmware update, make sure you check the Broadcom Compatibility Guide. It’s an easy step to skip, but downloading the wrong firmware can quickly turn into a very expensive mistake, sometimes even bricking your card. I always use it for cross referencing in these scenarios.

    Intel tends to safeguard against that by building in protections by changing the SSID uniquely for OEMs, but things can still go sideways if you get creative in ways you shouldn’t. For example, some folks try to tweak configuration files to force a device mapping that isn’t supported, swapping an OEM firmware for a retail firmware when it should absolutely stay OEM. That’s a recipe for trouble. (Boom Bricked NIC)

    The takeaway? Stick with the compatibility guide, follow the proper firmware path for your hardware, and save yourself from a potential headache (and a dead card).

    Here’s what we were able to gather:

    • Vendor ID (VID) = 8086
    • Device ID (DID) = 1572
    • SubVendor ID (SVID) = 8086
    • SubDevice ID (SSID) = 0000

    Head on over to the IO Devices section of the Broadcom Compatibility Guide:

    The results show Intel Corporation in the Brand Name which indicates that this is an Intel Retail NIC. If it showed any other name it would belong to that respective OEM.

    You can now head over to the Intel Website to grab the Firmware Package (search by VMware or ID # 18638) and grab the Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) Update Utility for Intel Ethernet Adapters 700 Series – VMware ESX (ID # 18638):

    You can change the version that you want in the drop down, I went with 9.54.

    The tar ball contains a VIB that allows you to run nvmupdaten64e from inside of an ESXi host. Upload it to a repository (with WinSCP/SCP/Datastore Upload) on your host and run the following command to extract the tar:

    tar -xzvf 700Series_NVMUpdatePackage_v9_54_ESX.tar.gz

    You’ll find the following file among the archive – Intel-esx-nvmupdaten64e_1.43.8.0-800.20613240_24669197.zip. Run the following command to install the vib.

    esxcli software vib install -d Intel-esx-nvmupdaten64e_1.43.8.0-800.20613240_24669197.zip

    This is a VMwareAccepted VIB, which indicates that it is tested and verified by us to work as expected. More on Acceptance Levels for VIBs here.

    Put your host in maintenance mode and reboot the host, once you’re back up and running with the VIB installed you’ll need to find where nvmupdaten64e is located.

    nvmupdaten64e will be located here:

    /opt/nvmupdaten64e/bin/

    You won’t be able to add any files to this directory so you have to use the command line option (-a) to provide a working directory that has your Firmware Binaries and Config Files. You can issue the following command to get it going:

    ./nvmupdaten64e -a /the/directory/where/you/extracted/your/tar/ESXi_x64

    You’ll be able to indicate here if you want to update (A) All Firmware or select a number, in my case the Intel X710 was (01). So I went with(01) and installed the Firmware successfully. Once it completes you’ll have to reboot again. Roll the dice on whether you want to backup your NVM images or not.

    You’ll notice that my Intel Ethernet XXV710-DA2 25G NIC shows “Update not available” which means that it’s not supported by this Intel Retail Firmware. I found out that it’s actually a Dell OEM version of the Intel Ethernet XXV710 25G by using the BCG to cross reference its DID/VID/SVID/SSID, I’ll write up how I got through that Firmware update soon without an iDRAC or Lifecycle Manager.

    Edit: This process can be used for any retail Intel 700 Series NIC inside of an ESXi 8.0 or 9.0 host, here’s a list of adapters that are compatible:

    • Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter XL710-QDA1
    • Intel® Ethernet Network Adapter XXV710-DA2
    • Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X710-DA4
    • Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X710-T4
    • Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X710-DA2
    • Intel® Ethernet Network Adapter XXV710-DA1
    • Intel® Ethernet Network Adapter XXV710-DA1 for OCP
    • Intel® Ethernet Network Adapter XXV710-DA2 for OCP
    • Intel® Ethernet Controller X710-AT2
    • Intel® Ethernet Network Adapter X710-DA2 for OCP 3.0
    • Intel® Ethernet Network Adapter X710-T2L
    • Intel® Ethernet Network Adapter X710-T2L for OCP 3.0
    • Intel® Ethernet Network Adapter X710-T4L
    • Intel® Ethernet Controller X710-TM4
    • Intel® Ethernet Server Adapter XL710-QDA1 for Open Compute Project
    • Intel® Ethernet Server Adapter XL710-QDA2 for Open Compute Project
    • Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter XL710-QDA2
    • Intel® Ethernet Controller XL710-BM1
    • Intel® Ethernet Controller XL710-BM2
    • Intel® Ethernet Controller X710-BM2
    • Intel® Ethernet Network Adapter X710-DA4 for OCP 3.0
    • Intel® Ethernet Network Adapter X710-T4L for OCP 3.0
    • Intel® Ethernet Server Adapter X710-DA2 for OCP
    • Intel® Ethernet Controller XXV710-AM1
    • Intel® Ethernet Controller XL710-AM2
    • Intel® Ethernet Controller X710-AM2
    • Intel® Ethernet Controller XXV710-AM2
    • Intel® Ethernet Controller XL710-AM1