Comment thread started by Darell Craighead on USB Network Native Driver for ESXi

I have successfully installed this Fling with ESXi7.0U1a-17119627 - but I cannot get ESXi-7.0U3d-19482537 to work. I have tried both fresh install as well as upgrade from the former - chokes on install at 81% - no NIC for management network. On upgrade the NIC just doesn't come online.

For no 'NIC for management network' try these steps as soon as the message appears. It works for 8.0 as well.

For the fling, use "vmkusb_nic_fling"
For 8.0, use "vmkusb"

## Press ALT-F1 and login (root / no password )

# esxcfg-nics -l should display a vusb0 adapter. Write down the mac address value. Here a scripted solution. Change here if you need another nic adapters' mac address.
MACADDRESS=`esxcfg-nics -l ¦ awk ´{ if (NR==2) print $7 }´`

# display information about vmkusb_nic_fling
localcli system module get -m vmkusb_nic_fling
localcli system module parameters list -m vmkusb_nic_fling

# set mac address value
localcli system module parameters set -p "vusb_mac=$MACADDRESS" -m vmkusb_nic_fling

# set usbBusFullScanOnBootEnabled=1
localcli system module parameters set -p "usbBusFullScanOnBootEnabled=1" -m vmkusb_nic_fling

# add vSwitch0
localcli network vswitch standard add --vswitch-name="vSwitch0"

# add vusb0 to vSwitch0
localcli network vswitch standard uplink add -u vusb0 -v "vSwitch0"

# add the Management Network portgroup
localcli network vswitch standard portgroup add --portgroup-name="Management Network" --vswitch-name="vSwitch0"

# list the vSwitch0 configuration
esxcfg-vswitch -l

# configure vmkernel network interface
esxcfg-vmknic --add --ip DHCP --portgroup="Management Network"

# A message appears "GetManagementInterface: No interface was tagged for mgmt, selecting new one VmkNic: ProcessTagChanges: Refreshing DCUI after adding management vmknic"

With ENTER the setup dialog restarts. Do the (same) config and this time the setup should finish successfully.

J same typo.... do not miss the 0 in vusb0_mac

Is it your one and only NIC? I’ve done multiple iterative upgrades with no issue, but the process has always been uninstall fling, reboot, upgrade esxi, reboot, install appropriate version fling, reboot. With recent versions of each, lately after every reboot I’ve had to remove the NIC from the vswitch from within the UI where it’s being used as an uplink and then re-add it again. It seems to forget that it’s mapped there after each reboot. If you don’t have a separate out-of-the-box supported management NIC then you might just have to include the fling in a custom installer for a fresh install every time.