Intel 82599EB SFP+ NIC shows link down in ESXi 6 with Cisco SFP-10G-LRM module
2
The poster spent a day and a half chasing an Intel 82599EB-based 10G SFP+ NIC that VMware ESXi 6 reported as down although the link LEDs were green on both ends of the fibre and the Cisco 8500 switch showed the port up/up. The cause turned out to be the Cisco SFP-10G-LRM module used throughout their network: the Intel adapter does not accept it and expects an Intel E10GSFPLR SFP+ instead. They asked whether a mixed link with SFP-10G-LRM on the Cisco side and E10GSFPLR in the NIC would actually work.
- Hardware: Intel 82599EB 10GbE SFP+ NIC, Cisco 8500 switch
- Transceivers: Cisco SFP-10G-LRM, Intel E10GSFPLR, Intel E10GSFPSR, Cisco SFP-10G-LR, Cisco SFP-10G-SR
- Form factor: SFP+
Symptoms / messages:
NIC reported down in ESXi 6 despite green link LEDs at both ends
switch shows port up/up while the host sees no link
Cisco SFP-10G-LRM not accepted by Intel 82599 adapter
Comments 3
Accepted answer: the Intel adapter works with Intel's own SFP+ modules; E10GSFPLR is a standard 10GBASE-LR part, so it interoperates with a Cisco switch as long as the switch side also uses a 10GBASE-LR module (Cisco SFP-10G-LR), meaning LRM on one end and LR on the other is not a valid pairing.
The poster concluded there are two options: replace the Cisco SFP-10G-LRM modules with SFP-10G-LR and put an Intel E10GSFPLR in the NIC, which means swapping the OM3 multimode fibre for single-mode; or move to Cisco SFP-10G-SR plus Intel E10GSFPSR and keep the existing OM3 multimode fibre.
A much later post advertised a third-party Intel-compatible E10GSFPLR-coded 10G LR SFP+ from an online reseller as an alternative.