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Tips for using USB Network Adapters with VMware ESXi

Running Intel NUCs and other SFF systems with ESXi is a proven standard for virtualization home labs. One major drawback is that most of the available SFF systems only have a single Gigabit network adapter. This might be sufficient for a standalone ESXi with a few VMs, but when you want to use shared Storage or VMware NSX, you totally want to have additional NICs.

This article explains some basics to consider when running USB-based network adapters with ESXi.

VMKUSB NIC Fling Installation and Update

The USB Native Driver Fling is a popular ESXi driver by Songtao Zheng and William Lam that adds support for USB-based Network Adapters. Currently, it is the only driver that uses the Native Driver model, which is required to be compatible with vSphere 7.0.

Download: USB Network Native Driver for ESXi (VMware Flings)

The installation or update is very simple. Just download the driver for your ESXi version (available for ESXi 7.0, 6.7, and 6.5), run the following command, and reboot your ESXi Host. Make sure to always use the full path to the bundle when installing with esxcli.

# esxcli software vib install -d /path/ESXi700-VMKUSB-NIC-FLING-39035884-component-16770668.zip

If you are running ESXi 7.0, you can also use the new component feature:

# esxcli software component apply -d /path/ESXi700-VMKUSB-NIC-FLING-39035884-component-16770668.zip

Create a Customized ESXi Installer including the Driver

You can also create a customized ESXi Installer that contains the driver. This option can help when you want to run ESXi on a server that has no compatible network adapter.

Creating a customized ESXi Installer is very easy with PowerShell. Use the following snippet to create an Image containing the driver. You can change the Base Profile to any available Version (ESXi Image Profiles). Make sure to use uncomment the Fling version that fits your ESXi version.

# ESXi 7.0 Image with USB NIC Fling 1.6:

$baseProfile = "ESXi-7.0.0-15843807-standard"   # See https://www.virten.net/vmware/vmware-esxi-image-profiles/ for available Image Profiles
$usbFling = "ESXi700-VMKUSB-NIC-FLING-39035884-component-16770668.zip"        # Uncomment for ESXi 7.0
#$usbFling = "ESXi670-VMKUSB-NIC-FLING-39203948-offline_bundle-16780994.zip"  # Uncomment for ESXi 6.7
#$usbFling = "ESXi650-VMKUSB-NIC-FLING-39176435-offline_bundle-16775917.zip"  # Uncomment for ESXi 6.5

Add-EsxSoftwareDepot https://hostupdate.vmware.com/software/VUM/PRODUCTION/main/vmw-depot-index.xml
Export-ESXImageProfile -ImageProfile $baseProfile -ExportToBundle -filepath "$($baseProfile).zip"
Remove-EsxSoftwareDepot https://hostupdate.vmware.com/software/VUM/PRODUCTION/main/vmw-depot-index.xml
Invoke-WebRequest -Method "GET" https://download3.vmware.com/software/vmw-tools/USBNND/$($usbFling) -OutFile $($usbFling)
Add-EsxSoftwareDepot "$($baseProfile).zip"
Add-EsxSoftwareDepot $usbFling
$newProfile = New-EsxImageProfile -CloneProfile $baseProfile -name $($baseProfile.Replace("standard", "usbnic")) -Vendor "virten.net"
Add-EsxSoftwarePackage -ImageProfile $newProfile -SoftwarePackage "vmkusb-nic-fling"
Export-ESXImageProfile -ImageProfile $newProfile -ExportToIso -filepath "$($baseProfile.Replace("standard", "usbnic")).iso"
Export-ESXImageProfile -ImageProfile $newProfile -ExportToBundle -filepath "$($baseProfile.Replace("standard", "usbnic")).zip"

Note: The ESXi Installer might get stuck at 81% when a system has only USB-based network adapters during installation. See this article for instructions to install ESXi with USB NICs only.

Label your Network Adapters

When using multiple USB network adapters, it is a good practice to label them. That helps to identify the correct adapter when doing the cabling, switch configuration, and adapter mapping. I personally mark all adapters with:

  • MAC Address
  • ESXi Hostname
  • vusbX Adapter Number

Create Adapter to vusbX mappings

The adapter to vusb number mapping is not persistent during reboots. That might create an issue when adapters are connected to switch ports with different VLANs, or when cross-connecting adapters. Starting with Version 1.6, you can now persist the mapping based on the adapters MAC Address.

Identify adapter MAC addresses:

# esxcli network nic list |grep vusb |awk '{print $1, $8}'
vusb0 00:23:54:8c:43:45
vusb1 a0:ce:c8:cd:3d:5d

Make the current mapping persistent by adding the following option to the vmkusb_nic_fling module:
vusb0_mac=00:23:54:8c:43:45 vusb1_mac=a0:ce:c8:cd:3d:5d

# esxcli system module parameters set -p "vusb0_mac=00:23:54:8c:43:45 vusb1_mac=a0:ce:c8:cd:3d:5d" -m vmkusb_nic_fling

Please note that you always have to define all adapters, using a space as separator. If you want to add additional mappings, you have to include all previous options, or it will overwrite the previous.

Use esxcli system module parameters list -m vmkusb_nic_fling to verify the mapping:

# esxcli system module parameters list -m vmkusb_nic_fling
Name                        Type    Value              Description
--------------------------  ------  -----------------  -----------
usbCdromPassthroughEnabled  int                        Enable USB CDROM device for USB passtrough: 0 No, 1 Yes
vusb0_mac                   string  00:23:54:8c:43:45  persist vusb0 MAC Address: xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx
vusb1_mac                   string  a0:ce:c8:cd:3d:5d  persist vusb1 MAC Address: xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx
vusb2_mac                   string                     persist vusb2 MAC Address: xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx
vusb3_mac                   string                     persist vusb3 MAC Address: xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx
vusb4_mac                   string                     persist vusb4 MAC Address: xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx
vusb5_mac                   string                     persist vusb5 MAC Address: xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx
vusb6_mac                   string                     persist vusb6 MAC Address: xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx
vusb7_mac                   string                     persist vusb7 MAC Address: xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx

If you want to make the current mapping persistent, just use the following one-liner:

# esxcli system module parameters set -p "$(esxcli network nic list |grep vusb |awk '{print $1 "_mac=" $8}' | awk 1 ORS=' ')" -m vmkusb_nic_fling

You can also change Module Parameters with PowerShell:

Identify Adapters:

PS> Get-VMHostNetworkAdapter -VMHost esx2.virten.lab -Physical -Name vusb* |select Name,Mac 
Name  Mac
----  ---
vusb0 00:23:54:8c:43:45
vusb1 a0:ce:c8:cd:3d:5d

Configure Mapping:

PS> get-vmhost esx2.virten.lab | Get-VMHostModule vmkusb_nic_fling | Set-VMHostModule -Options "vusb0_mac=00:23:54:8c:43:45 vusb1_mac=a0:ce:c8:cd:3d:5d"

Verify Mapping:

PS> get-vmhost esx2.virten.lab | Get-VMHostModule vmkusb_nic_fling |ft -AutoSize
Name             Options
----             -------
vmkusb_nic_fling vusb0_mac=00:23:54:8c:43:45 vusb1_mac=a0:ce:c8:cd:3d:5d

Test Adapter Performance

To avoid problems, check the adapter's performance. My testbed is two Intel NUCs with 3 Network Adapters. Each adapter is connected to a dedicated vSwitch and each switch has a VMkernel adapter.

  • Intel NUC's embedded NIC (Connected to a Switch)
  • 1 Gbit StarTech USB NIC (Connected to a Switch)
  • 2.5 Gbit CableCreation (cross-connected)

The first test measures the latency using ping. I'm doing 50 pings and check the min/avg/max values.

# ping [Address] -c 50
minavgmax
Embedded NIC (Connected to a Switch)0,1580,1890,234
1 Gbit/s USB (Connected to a Switch)0,3990,4910,575
2.5 Gbit/s USB (Cross-connected)0,1340,2060,549

The second test is a bandwidth test using iperf3, which is available on ESXi. To use iperf3, you have to make a copy of the binary:

# cp /usr/lib/vmware/vsan/bin/iperf3 /usr/lib/vmware/vsan/bin/iperf3.copy

Start the server on the first ESXi:

# /usr/lib/vmware/vsan/bin/iperf3.copy -s

Start the client on the other ESXi Host. I'm running the test for 5 minutes (-t 300) with samples every 10 seconds (-i 10), to get a reliable result:

# /usr/lib/vmware/vsan/bin/iperf3.copy -i 10 -t 300 -c [SERVER-IP]
Bandwidth
Embedded NIC (Connected to a Switch)931 Mbits/sec
1 Gbit/s USB (Connected to a Switch)814 Mbits/sec
2.5 Gbit/s USB (Cross-connected)1.97 Gbits/sec

For the last test, I'm using vMotion to migrate a virtual machine. The virtual machine to migrate was the vCenter Server with 12 GB Memory.

BandwidthTime
Embedded NIC (Connected to a Switch)112 MB/s124 seconds
1 Gbit/s USB (Connected to a Switch)99 MB/s138 seconds
2.5 Gbit/s USB (Cross-connected)230 MB/s57 seconds

Conclusion: As you can see from the results, USB Network adapters are slightly slower in bandwidth and latency, but you can get good results with cross-connected 2.5 Gbit adapters, which might be interesting for a small 2-node vSAN deployment.

Check Adapter Compatibility

Not all USB adapters are compatible with the Fling. Make sure to check the Requirements page for a full list of compatible chipsets. The following adapters are proven to work:

SpeedPrice
Anker AK-A76100111GbE$18 USD
StarTech USB31000S1GbE$20 USD
CableCreation CD06732.5GbE$25 USD
CLUB 3D CAC-14202.5GbE$45 USD
Cable Matters 201090-N2.5GbE$50 USD
QNAP QNA-UC5G1T5GbE$80 USD
StarTech US5GA305GbE$110 USD

Additional Tip: Adapters are available with USB-A or USB-C plugs. If you need the other type, just get a USB-A to USB-C or USB-C to USB-A adapter.

Switch options with Multi-Gigabit support

When you want to connect more than 2 systems you need a Multi-Gigabit capable network switch. As this technology is not very common, there are only a few options available at the moment.

MikroTik CRS305-1G-4S+IN ($130 USD)
4 Port switch with 2.5GBASE-T, 5GBASE-T, and 10GBASE-T support. Ports are in SFP+ format, so you additionally need an SFP (MikroTik S+RJ10) which costs $60 USD per port.

MikroTik CRS309-1G-8S+IN ($260 USD)
8 Port switch with 2.5GBASE-T, 5GBASE-T, and 10GBASE-T support. Ports are in SFP+ format, so you additionally need an SFP (MikroTik S+RJ10) which costs $60 USD per port.

Netgear MS510TX ($260 USD)
10 Port Switch with 1x up to 10G, 2x up to 5G, 2x up to 2.5G, 4x 1G, and 1x SFP+

TRENDnet TEG-30102WS ($450 USD)
10 Port 2.5GBASE-T Switch.

Consider Cross-Connect for 2-Node setups

When you only want to connect 2 systems, you can cross-connect adapters. This is very helpful when you want to accelerate vSAN or vMotion with Multi-Gigabit adapters in a 2-node environment. You don't need special cables to cross-connect.

Double-Check MTU Size when enabling Jumbo Frames

When you change the MTU size on a Virtual Switch, the configuration is automatically pushed to all connected physical network interfaces. Make sure to verify that the NIC has been configured to the correct MTU as when the adapters don't support the configured MTU, it will silently fail.

In that example, the vusb0 adapter has been configured to 1600 which is fine and sufficient for an NSX-T overlay network:

[root@esx4:~] esxcfg-nics -l
Name    PCI          Driver      Link Speed      Duplex MAC Address       MTU    Description
vmnic0  0000:00:1f.6 ne1000      Up   1000Mbps   Full   00:1f:c6:9c:47:13 1500   Intel Corporation Ethernet Connection (2) I219-LM
vusb0   Pseudo       uether      Up   1000Mbps   Full   00:24:9b:1a:bd:18 1600   ASIX Elec. Corp. AX88179
vusb1   Pseudo       uether      Up   1000Mbps   Full   00:24:9b:1a:bd:19 1500   ASIX Elec. Corp. AX88179

If you try to change the MTU size to 9000, you do not see any error messages on the dvSwitch, but the vmkernel.log reveals that the MTU could not be set:

2020-07-19T16:10:42.344Z cpu6:524356)WARNING: vmkusb: Set MTU 9000 is not supported: Failure
2020-07-19T16:10:42.344Z cpu6:524356)WARNING: Uplink: 16632: Failed to set MTU to 9000 on vusb0

You also want to verify that your configuration works as expected. You can check the MTU with ping, using a size of MTU minus 28 (8 Bytes for the ICMP-Header and 20 Bytes for the IP-Header). With a configured MTU of 1600, the size to verify is 1572.

[root@esx2:~] vmkping ++netstack=vxlan 192.168.225.10 -d -s 1572 -I vmk10
PING 192.168.225.10 (192.168.225.10): 1572 data bytes
1580 bytes from 192.168.225.10: icmp_seq=0 ttl=64 time=0.680 ms

[root@esx2:~] vmkping ++netstack=vxlan 192.168.225.10 -d -s 1573 -I vmk10
PING 192.168.225.10 (192.168.225.10): 1573 data bytes
sendto() failed (Message too long)

15 thoughts on “Tips for using USB Network Adapters with VMware ESXi”

  1. I have the RTL8153 USB NIC running with fling driver on NUC7i7DNHE host, works fine with 1GB.
    However, I am not able to passthrough that to a VM. Is it passthrough capable?
    At the same time I can passthrough the onboard Intel l219-LM NIC.

    1. Passthrough is for PCI VMNICs only. That does not work with USB devices.

      If you want to passthrough USB devices, you don't need the Fling. You just let the usbarbitrator claim the Usb device (It does that by default automatically) and add it as USB device to the VM. If you have the Fling installed, you cant pass the USB NIC to a virtual machine.

  2. Thanks, currently I am not able to pass it as USB device to my Win10 VM.
    Probably because Fling has reserved it to the host?
    Should I uninstall Fling and try again?

    Background: I wanted to sniff an external switch traffic together with distributed switch traffic on Wireshark on Win10 VM. Initially I wanted to feed external switch traffic via Fling NIC to Distributed switch, but somehow I was not able to get that external fling port connected to my virtual DSwitch. Then the passthrough was the workaround plan.

  3. Hi Florian,
    thanks a lot for the great post! I'm using 4 USB Adapters (all Realtek based 8152) All looks good when adding USBs online when ESXi 7.0u1c is running.After the first reboot it always goes in PSOD. I have tried with 6i5SYH (4 of them) and 7i7DNHE (another 4 of them). Tried also a clean install from ISO and adding drivers. The issue is as soon as I do Host reboots. Also I have looked at the mappings and seem ok. I'm thinking of vusb not picked quick enough during boot. Is it something you could help improving script available from fling vmware site please? Or is there anything else you would recommend? Other than that I need to revert the entire homelab back to 6.7 and Jose Gomez drivers. Thanks a lot for your assistance and Happy New Year :)
    Thanks,
    Michele

    1. Hello,
      I've collected more info and sent to Songtao and William on fling.vmware.com site. They are on bug#26 in case you are interested :)
      Thanks,
      Michele

  4. Hello I tried on esxi7.0 with usb boot key. No way.

    ERROR] install failed: [InstallationError]
    Failed to copy files from /tmp/stagebootbank to /altbootbank: [Errno 5] Input/output error
    cause = [Errno 5] Input/output error

    I tried with an other copy of the USB key. idem.
    Help...

  5. Hi,
    Is there any chance you can provide a finished ISO im stuck in a loop trying to create a new ISO with the fling already baked in.

    If I use the current Fling my ESXI download is not compatible as I only have the free one and cannot access any up to date ones. I also cannot find a fling old enough to be compatible with the version of esxi I am able to download 🤦‍♂️

    Please help

    1. Can you explain the error you are getting when you try to create the ISO? Which version of ESXi are you using? The Fling is available for 6.5, 6.7, 7.0, and 7.0.1. All versions are available with the free license.

      I can't provide ESXi images.

  6. I am working on this for some days now.
    2 x GB-BRR7-4800
    2 x CLUB 3D CAC-1420
    ESXi 6.7

    I am using one of the NIC's for accessing the LUNS on truenas. the other does the normal trafic, onboard does management. And for the USB stuff i did all the modifications from https://flings.vmware.com/usb-network-native-driver-for-esxi/bugs/1066

    But I keep getting PSODS on cold reboots (and funny enough, not all the time)
    World 2097686 tried to re-acquire lock
    usbus0 >> if that refers to my vusb0, it should be my normal network traffic.

    This is strange, because i added usbBusFullScanOnBootEnabled = 0 in /bootbank/boot.cfg
    Anyone any ideas?

  7. What am i missing? I tested so many things, but lost the trees in the forest. I would like some help.

    Ok, this is a follow-up of my last post. I can not get my Lab stable.

    I have 3 ESXi 6.7 Hosts on GB-BRR7-4800 (AMD Ryzen 7 4800U) (https://www.redable.nl/product/213948/gigabyte-gb-brr7-4800-gb-brr7-4800)
    16GB SSD's
    64GB DDR4 Kingston or Samsung RAM
    VMware ESXi 6.7.0 build-20491463

    All machines are connected to CLUB 3D CAC-1420 USB 2.5Gb Nics.
    These are connected to a QNAP QSW-M2108-2S Switch (8x 2,5Gb & 2x 10Gb)

    Name PCI Device Driver Admin Status Link Status Speed Duplex MAC Address MTU Description
    ----- ---------- ------ ------------ ----------- ----- ------ ----------------- ---- ---------------------------
    vusb0 Pseudo uether Up Up 2500 Full a0:ce:c8:cd:3c:33 1500 Realtek USB 101001G2.5G LAN
    vusb1 Pseudo uether Up Up 2500 Full a0:ce:c8:e1:e4:78 1500 Realtek USB 101001G2.5G LAN

    The Hosts are also tested with
    * The Onboard 2.5 GB NIC (Realtek RTL8125) (not in this example, driver not present in this install, disabled in BIOS)
    * 2 different USB NICS: Gembird 1Gb & TP-Link TP-LINK UE306(AX88179)

    Name PCI Device Driver Admin Status Link Status Speed Duplex MAC Address MTU Description
    ----- ---------- ------ ------------ ----------- ----- ------ ----------------- ---- -------------------------
    vusb0 Pseudo uether Up Up 1000 Full 00:e0:4c:68:0a:29 1500 Realtek USB 101001000 LAN
    vusb1 Pseudo uether Up Up 1000 Full 7c:c2:c6:41:e2:ef 1500 ASIX Elec. Corp. AX88179

    A Truenas Box is connected via 1x10Gbe NIC (for now) to the Qnap Swithc via fibre:
    A1SA7-2750F
    64GB DDR3
    2 x 10Gbe Nics

    The truenas has NAS storage (spinning rust)
    However the Truenas has 2 dedicated pools with their own 4TB SSD's for VMWare Datastores.
    ___________________________________________________________________________________________

    The Issue is as follows:

    The hosts can run for days, however I have 1 VM with P2P software running on it. When This system pushes Bandwith (Internet and SMB)
    The host of that machine wil then have a PSOD within a day, sometimes within an Hour. Especially when it Pushes bigger files 10GB+.
    Of course the Hosts can give PSOD when this P2P VM is not running, but it takes longer (days, weeks?).

    All hosts have the issue. One of the hosts stands out and crashes even faster, usually within an Hour when the P2P VM is pushing bandwith.
    This machine is turned in for RMA.

    The PSOD is: PF Exception X in World Y.
    X and Y can be different.

    Extra Info.

    Installed multiple times with new slipstreamed ISO.
    Reconfigured all network settings. multiple times.
    Disabled VSAN health task on Vcenter server. Not using vsan but had many vsan errors in Logs.

    I see al lot of these messages in the vmkernel.log:

    2023-02-05T02:54:39.291Z cpu5:2103323)WARNING: Heartbeat: 608: TSCs are out of sync: cpu13 96645255158013 > cpu5 96645255156792
    2023-02-05T02:54:41.291Z cpu0:2103499)WARNING: Heartbeat: 608: TSCs are out of sync: cpu14 96648848441795 > cpu0 96648848441298
    2023-02-05T02:54:55.292Z cpu0:2103522)WARNING: Heartbeat: 608: TSCs are out of sync: cpu12 96674001181000 > cpu0 96674001180732

    I read that disabling both C6 and C1E fixes this. However i could not find this in de Brix' Bios.
    I did change some power settings in Bios, will followup what it was. It looked like it worked.

    timerEnableTSC is still enabled

    ___________________________________________________________________________________________
    Will Update the post wehn it new things come to mind.
    ___________________________________________________________________________________________

    Local.sh

    #!/bin/sh

    # local configuration options

    # Note: modify at your own risk! If you do/use anything in this
    # script that is not part of a stable API (relying on files to be in
    # specific places, specific tools, specific output, etc) there is a
    # possibility you will end up with a broken system after patching or
    # upgrading. Changes are not supported unless under direction of
    # VMware support.

    # Note: This script will not be run when UEFI secure boot is enabled.

    ### Delete existing vSwitch and portgroups ###
    esxcli network vswitch standard portgroup remove --portgroup-name="Management Network" --vswitch-name=vSwitch0
    esxcli network vswitch standard portgroup remove --portgroup-name="VM Network" --vswitch-name=vSwitch0
    esxcli network vswitch standard portgroup remove --portgroup-name="VMkernel-Storage" --vswitch-name=vSwitch1

    ### Persisting USB NIC Bindings waiting scrtipt for vusb0-vusb1 ###
    vusb0_status=$(esxcli network nic get -n vusb0 | grep 'Link Status' | awk '{print $NF}')
    count=0
    while [[ $count -lt 5 && "${vusb0_status}" != "Up" ]]
    do
    sleep 1
    count=$(( $count + 1 ))
    vusb0_status=$(esxcli network nic get -n vusb0 | grep 'Link Status' | awk '{print $NF}')
    done

    vusb1_status=$(esxcli network nic get -n vusb1 | grep 'Link Status' | awk '{print $NF}')
    count=0
    while [[ $count -lt 5 && "${vusb1_status}" != "Up" ]]
    do
    sleep 1
    count=$(( $count + 1 ))
    vusb1_status=$(esxcli network nic get -n vusb1 | grep 'Link Status' | awk '{print $NF}')
    done

    ### Adding Intranet vSwitch ###
    esxcli network vswitch standard add --vswitch-name=vSwitch0
    esxcli network vswitch standard add --vswitch-name=vSwitch1

    ## Set switch settings ##
    esxcli network vswitch standard set -c listen -m 1500 -v vSwitch0
    esxcli network vswitch standard set -c listen -m 1500 -v vSwitch1

    esxcli network vswitch standard policy failover set -b false -l portid -n false -v vSwitch0
    esxcli network vswitch standard policy failover set -b false -l portid -n false -v vSwitch1

    esxcli network vswitch standard policy failover set --notify-switches=true --failback=true -v vSwitch0
    esxcli network vswitch standard policy failover set --notify-switches=true --failback=true -v vSwitch1

    ## Set security for docker
    #esxcli network vswitch standard policy security set --allow-forged-transmits=true --allow-mac-change=true --allow-promiscuous=true --vswitch-name=Intranet

    ## Add Portgroup
    esxcli network vswitch standard portgroup add --portgroup-name="Management Network" --vswitch-name=vSwitch0
    esxcli network vswitch standard portgroup add --portgroup-name="VM Network" --vswitch-name=vSwitch0
    esxcli network vswitch standard portgroup add --portgroup-name="VMkernel-storage" --vswitch-name=vSwitch1

    ## Set VLAN ID
    esxcli network vswitch standard portgroup set -p vSwitch0 --vlan-id 0
    esxcli network vswitch standard portgroup set -p vSwitch1 --vlan-id 0

    ## Add Uplinks
    esxcli network vswitch standard uplink add --uplink-name=vusb0 --vswitch-name=vSwitch0
    esxcli network vswitch standard uplink add --uplink-name=vusb1 --vswitch-name=vSwitch1

    exit 0
    ___________________________________________________________________________________________

    Interface Port Group/DVPort/Opaque Network IP Family IP Address Netmask Broadcast MAC Address MTU TSO MSS Enabled Type NetStack
    vmk0 Management Network IPv4 192.168.2.25 255.255.255.0 192.168.2.255 00:e0:4c:68:0a:29 1500 65535 true STATIC defaultTcpipStack
    vmk1 VMkernel-storage IPv4 192.168.4.25 255.255.255.0 192.168.4.255 00:50:56:6c:91:1b 1500 65535 true STATIC defaultTcpipStack
    ___________________________________________________________________________________________

    Configured:
    MAC binding

    esxcli system module parameters list -m vmkusb_nic_fling
    Name Type Value Description
    --------- ------ ----------------- --------------------------------------------
    vusb0_mac string 00:e0:4c:68:0a:29 persist vusb0 MAC Address: xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx
    vusb1_mac string 7c:c2:c6:41:e2:ef persist vusb1 MAC Address: xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx
    vusb2_mac string persist vusb2 MAC Address: xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx
    vusb3_mac string persist vusb3 MAC Address: xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx
    vusb4_mac string persist vusb4 MAC Address: xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx
    vusb5_mac string persist vusb5 MAC Address: xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx
    vusb6_mac string persist vusb6 MAC Address: xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx
    vusb7_mac string persist vusb7 MAC Address: xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx

    _____________________________________________________________________________________________

    esxcli software vib list
    Name Version Vendor Acceptance Level Install Date
    ----------------------------- ------------------------------------- ------ ---------------- ------------
    ata-libata-92 3.00.9.2-16vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    ata-pata-amd 0.3.10-3vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    ata-pata-atiixp 0.4.6-4vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    ata-pata-cmd64x 0.2.5-3vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    ata-pata-hpt3x2n 0.3.4-3vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    ata-pata-pdc2027x 1.0-3vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    ata-pata-serverworks 0.4.3-3vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    ata-pata-sil680 0.4.8-3vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    ata-pata-via 0.3.3-2vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    block-cciss 3.6.14-10vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    bnxtnet 20.6.101.7-24vmw.670.3.73.14320388 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    bnxtroce 20.6.101.0-20vmw.670.1.28.10302608 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    brcmfcoe 11.4.1078.26-14vmw.670.3.159.18828794 VMW VMwareCertified 2023-02-04
    char-random 1.0-3vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    ehci-ehci-hcd 1.0-4vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    elxiscsi 11.4.1174.0-2vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    elxnet 11.4.1097.0-5vmw.670.3.73.14320388 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    hid-hid 1.0-3vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    i40en 1.8.1.9-2vmw.670.3.73.14320388 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    iavmd 1.2.0.1011-2vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    igbn 0.1.1.0-5vmw.670.3.73.14320388 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    ima-qla4xxx 2.02.18-1vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    ipmi-ipmi-devintf 39.1-5vmw.670.1.28.10302608 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    ipmi-ipmi-msghandler 39.1-5vmw.670.1.28.10302608 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    ipmi-ipmi-si-drv 39.1-5vmw.670.1.28.10302608 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    iser 1.0.0.0-1vmw.670.1.28.10302608 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    ixgben 1.7.1.16-2vmw.670.3.104.16075168 VMW VMwareCertified 2023-02-04
    lpfc 11.4.33.26-14vmw.670.3.104.16075168 VMW VMwareCertified 2023-02-04
    lpnic 11.4.59.0-1vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    lsi-mr3 7.708.07.00-3vmw.670.3.73.14320388 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    lsi-msgpt2 20.00.06.00-2vmw.670.3.73.14320388 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    lsi-msgpt35 09.00.00.00-5vmw.670.3.73.14320388 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    lsi-msgpt3 17.00.02.00-1vmw.670.3.73.14320388 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    misc-cnic-register 1.78.75.v60.7-1vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    misc-drivers 6.7.0-2.48.13006603 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    mtip32xx-native 3.9.8-1vmw.670.1.28.10302608 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    ne1000 0.8.4-2vmw.670.2.48.13006603 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    nenic 1.0.29.0-1vmw.670.3.73.14320388 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    net-bnx2 2.2.4f.v60.10-2vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    net-bnx2x 1.78.80.v60.12-2vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    net-cdc-ether 1.0-3vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    net-cnic 1.78.76.v60.13-2vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    net-e1000 8.0.3.1-5vmw.670.3.112.16701467 VMW VMwareCertified 2023-02-04
    net-e1000e 3.2.2.1-2vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    net-enic 2.1.2.38-2vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    net-fcoe 1.0.29.9.3-7vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    net-forcedeth 0.61-2vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    net-igb 5.0.5.1.1-5vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    net-ixgbe 3.7.13.7.14iov-20vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    net-libfcoe-92 1.0.24.9.4-8vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    net-mlx4-core 1.9.7.0-1vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    net-mlx4-en 1.9.7.0-1vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    net-nx-nic 5.0.621-5vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    net-tg3 3.131d.v60.4-2vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    net-usbnet 1.0-3vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    net-vmxnet3 1.1.3.0-3vmw.670.3.104.16075168 VMW VMwareCertified 2023-02-04
    nfnic 4.0.0.44-0vmw.670.3.104.16075168 VMW VMwareCertified 2023-02-04
    nhpsa 2.0.22-3vmw.670.1.28.10302608 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    nmlx4-core 3.17.13.1-1vmw.670.2.48.13006603 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    nmlx4-en 3.17.13.1-1vmw.670.2.48.13006603 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    nmlx4-rdma 3.17.13.1-1vmw.670.2.48.13006603 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    nmlx5-core 4.17.13.1-1vmw.670.3.73.14320388 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    nmlx5-rdma 4.17.13.1-1vmw.670.2.48.13006603 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    ntg3 4.1.5.0-0vmw.670.3.116.16713306 VMW VMwareCertified 2023-02-04
    nvme 1.2.2.28-5vmw.670.3.159.18828794 VMW VMwareCertified 2023-02-04
    nvmxnet3-ens 2.0.0.21-1vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    nvmxnet3 2.0.0.29-1vmw.670.1.28.10302608 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    ohci-usb-ohci 1.0-3vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    pvscsi 0.1-2vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    qcnic 1.0.2.0.4-1vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    qedentv 2.0.6.4-10vmw.670.1.28.10302608 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    qfle3 1.0.50.11-9vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    qfle3f 1.0.25.0.2-15vmw.670.3.104.16075168 VMW VMwareCertified 2023-02-04
    qfle3i 1.0.2.3.9-3vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    qflge 1.1.0.11-1vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    sata-ahci 3.0-26vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    sata-ata-piix 2.12-10vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    sata-sata-nv 3.5-4vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    sata-sata-promise 2.12-3vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    sata-sata-sil24 1.1-1vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    sata-sata-sil 2.3-4vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    sata-sata-svw 2.3-3vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    scsi-aacraid 1.1.5.1-9vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    scsi-adp94xx 1.0.8.12-6vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    scsi-aic79xx 3.1-6vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    scsi-bnx2fc 1.78.78.v60.8-1vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    scsi-bnx2i 2.78.76.v60.8-1vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    scsi-fnic 1.5.0.45-3vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    scsi-hpsa 6.0.0.84-3vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    scsi-ips 7.12.05-4vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    scsi-iscsi-linux-92 1.0.0.2-3vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    scsi-libfc-92 1.0.40.9.3-5vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    scsi-megaraid-mbox 2.20.5.1-6vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    scsi-megaraid-sas 6.603.55.00-2vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    scsi-megaraid2 2.00.4-9vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    scsi-mpt2sas 19.00.00.00-2vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    scsi-mptsas 4.23.01.00-10vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    scsi-mptspi 4.23.01.00-10vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    scsi-qla4xxx 5.01.03.2-7vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    sfvmk 1.0.0.1003-7vmw.670.3.104.16075168 VMW VMwareCertified 2023-02-04
    shim-iscsi-linux-9-2-1-0 6.7.0-0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    shim-iscsi-linux-9-2-2-0 6.7.0-0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    shim-libata-9-2-1-0 6.7.0-0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    shim-libata-9-2-2-0 6.7.0-0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    shim-libfc-9-2-1-0 6.7.0-0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    shim-libfc-9-2-2-0 6.7.0-0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    shim-libfcoe-9-2-1-0 6.7.0-0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    shim-libfcoe-9-2-2-0 6.7.0-0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    shim-vmklinux-9-2-1-0 6.7.0-0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    shim-vmklinux-9-2-2-0 6.7.0-0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    shim-vmklinux-9-2-3-0 6.7.0-0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    smartpqi 1.0.1.553-28vmw.670.3.73.14320388 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    uhci-usb-uhci 1.0-3vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    usb-storage-usb-storage 1.0-3vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    usbcore-usb 1.0-3vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    vmkata 0.1-1vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    vmkfcoe 1.0.0.1-1vmw.670.1.28.10302608 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    vmkplexer-vmkplexer 6.7.0-0.0.8169922 VMW VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    vmkusb-nic-fling 2.1-6vmw.670.2.48.39203948 VMW VMwareAccepted 2022-08-14
    vmkusb 0.1-4vmw.670.3.159.18828794 VMW VMwareCertified 2023-02-04
    vmw-ahci 2.0.7-2vmw.670.3.143.17700523 VMW VMwareCertified 2023-02-04
    xhci-xhci 1.0-3vmw.670.3.185.20491463 VMW VMwareCertified 2023-02-04
    cpu-microcode 6.7.0-3.170.19898894 VMware VMwareCertified 2023-02-04
    elx-esx-libelxima.so 11.4.1184.2-3.89.15160138 VMware VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    esx-base 6.7.0-3.185.20491463 VMware VMwareCertified 2023-02-04
    esx-dvfilter-generic-fastpath 6.7.0-0.0.8169922 VMware VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    esx-ui 1.43.10-20199807 VMware VMwareCertified 2023-02-04
    esx-update 6.7.0-3.185.20491463 VMware VMwareCertified 2023-02-04
    esx-xserver 6.7.0-3.174.19898906 VMware VMwareCertified 2023-02-04
    lsu-hp-hpsa-plugin 2.0.0-16vmw.670.1.28.10302608 VMware VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    lsu-intel-vmd-plugin 1.0.0-2vmw.670.1.28.10302608 VMware VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    lsu-lsi-drivers-plugin 1.0.0-1vmw.670.2.48.13006603 VMware VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    lsu-lsi-lsi-mr3-plugin 1.0.0-13vmw.670.1.28.10302608 VMware VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    lsu-lsi-lsi-msgpt3-plugin 1.0.0-9vmw.670.2.48.13006603 VMware VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    lsu-lsi-megaraid-sas-plugin 1.0.0-9vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMware VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    lsu-lsi-mpt2sas-plugin 2.0.0-7vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMware VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    lsu-smartpqi-plugin 1.0.0-4vmw.670.3.159.18828794 VMware VMwareCertified 2023-02-04
    native-misc-drivers 6.7.0-3.89.15160138 VMware VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    qlnativefc 3.1.8.0-5vmw.670.3.73.14320388 VMware VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    rste 2.0.2.0088-7vmw.670.0.0.8169922 VMware VMwareCertified 2022-08-14
    vmware-esx-esxcli-nvme-plugin 1.2.0.36-2vmw.670.3.116.16713306 VMware VMwareCertified 2023-02-04
    vmware-fdm 6.7.0-20540798 VMware VMwareCertified 2022-10-28
    vsan 6.7.0-3.185.20179805 VMware VMwareCertified 2023-02-04
    vsanhealth 6.7.0-3.185.20179806 VMware VMwareCertified 2023-02-04
    tools-light 12.0.6.20104755-20491463 VMware VMwareCertified 2023-02-04

  8. I bought the StarTech USB31000S and want to use it for storage traffic with MTU 9000. ESXi 7U3 says that this NIC does not support an MTU of 9000? Any ideas? Am I doing something wrong?

  9. trying this I a number of disappointing findings:

    (1) Asix AX88179 chipset (as in StarTech USB31000S) doesn't support MTU 9000

    (2) the fling driver does not work correctly as uplink for distributed virtual switches, the DVS will fall out of sync quickly - in contrast, without the fling usb driver, using cdce the DVS stays in sync (albeit with 100Mbps only)

    (3) using a Realtek chipset the NIC can be set to MTU 9000, and NFS mount on a vmk on the physical NIC does work - however, the NFS file transfer does NOT work, the datastore browser cannot list directory contents

    Overall, without working NFS and DVS the USB NICS are effectively useless to me.

    If someone got NFS and/or distributed virtual switches to work over fling usb I would be very interested what USB adapter has been used.

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