WilliamLam.com

Realtek Network Driver for ESXi

by // 19 Comments

I never thought this day would ever come as I am sure this will come as a complete shock to many, but I am pleased to announce that we have just released a new VMware Fling: Realtek Network Driver for ESXi 😎

Yes, you read that right! 🤯


In fact, I have it running on my Minisforum MS-A2 which has an RTL8125 (2.5GbE), which I can now use! The RTL Driver can be installed on either ESX 8.0 Update 3+ or 9.x+

This Realtek (RTL) PCIe-based driver is NOT an official driver from Realtek, it was developed by one of our VCF Engineers, Wenchao 👏

The driver currently supports the following RTL PCIe Devices:

  • RTL8111 - 1GbE
  • RTL8125 - 2.5GbE
  • RTL8126 - 5GbE
  • RTL8127 - 10GbE

To download the Realtek Network Driver for ESXi offline bundle, head over to the Free Downloads section for Flings on the Broadcom Support Portal (BSP).

[Read more...]

Quick Tip - Configure Nested ESX Cores per CPU for Optimal Licensing

by // Leave a Comment

If you deploy Nested ESX and wish to use it beyond the default 90 day evaluation, you will need to license the ESX host, just like you would with a physical host.

Whether you create your own Nested ESX VM or simply deploy the the Nested ESX Virtual Appliance, make sure the cores per CPU configuration on the VM is correct or you may need a much larger CPU entitlement than what you had expected.

The default behavior of vSphere when you create a VM is to automatically manage the CPU topology (cores per CPU) when the VM is powered on for optimal GuestOS and Application consumption.


However, this automatic assignment or even a manual assignment could have some unexpected consequences when it comes to ESX licensing ...

[Read more...]

Quick Tip - VCF 9.0.1 upgrade files now available on Broadcom Support Portal (BSP)

by // Leave a Comment

When VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.0.1 was initially released, some of the upgrade binary files were not published on the Broadcom Support Portal (BSP), but they were available when using the VCF Download Tool (VCFDT). For users that wish to manually download the VCF 9.0.1 installation and/or upgrade files from the BSP, they can now be accessed on the VCF 9.0.1 download section.


Note: VCFDT is the recommended method for downloading VCF software binaries and metadata, which will automatically build the required VCF software depot structure. If you manually download the binaries, ensure you also download the vcf-9.0.1.0-offline-depot-metadata.zip and place all binaries in the respective folders as outlined in my recent VCF Software Depot Structure Deep Dive for Installation & Upgrades. This method can also be used for VMUG Advantage users who have obtained their VCF Certification until 11/24, which is when we expect the new VCF licensing and download token generation to be available for VMUG Advantage users, which mirror the exact same experience as users with VCF entitlements.


In addition, to help users quickly identify the required VCF upgrade files, I have listed them below along with the direct download link from BSP for your convenience.

[Read more...]