Hello,i get a problem at install esxi4.1.
And it cann't identify intel 82557 adapter and Realtek RTL8139d
02:08.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation 82557/8/9/0/1 Ethernet Pro 100 (rev 05)
000:004:02.0 Network controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RT8139

How can i do?

ESXi 4.x dropped support for 100 MBps adapters, but there is a Pro/100S driver here - http://www.vm-help.com/esx40i/customize_oem_tgz.php. ESx(i) hasn't ever come with a Realtek driver but there a few community provided realtek drivers. See the same page.

Thanks for your help.
But i cann't found realtek 8139d driver.i will try to download intel pro/100s and test it.
BTW,How can i add this device to an already deploy complete server?

Try to connect a USB drive and use update ! 1
./mkesxiaio_3.9.9.sh: line 1176: udevadm: command not found
./mkesxiaio_3.9.9.sh: line 1176: udevadm: command not found
./mkesxiaio_3.9.9.sh: line 1176: udevadm: command not found
There is no USB drive installed

1) Update
2) Exit
Try to connect a USB drive and use update !


I alreadyconnect a usb drive.

[root@localhost disk]# pwd
/media/disk
[root@localhost disk]#

If you already have the host running I would first do this to verify that the driver will work
1) enable SSH to the host
2) copy the driver to /usr/lib/vmware/vmkmod/
3) load the driver with the vmkload_mod command

if the driver loads and recognizes your NIC you'll see it when you run esxcfg-nics -l at the console.

If that works you can then add it to an oem.tgz file.

Ok,Thanks you very much.
I succeed install this adapter to a usb driver.

Sorry if I have missed something but I have been reading/looking here and there and I'm still confused whether someone has managed to get the Realtek RTL8139D working on ESXi 4.1?

I have successfully managed to setup the Intel 82578DM working following this blog, and I was wondering if something similar was available for the 8139D NIC?

Thank you.

Since I had the option to do it: I threw away the old 8139D to instead make an attempt with a newer RTL8169SD that I luckily had in hands as well.
The latter one seems indeed to have drawn more attention and even contributors designing an oem.tgz for it.

The problem is, as I briefly mentioned in my previous message, that I am already booting up on a modified oem.tgz file in order to be able to use yet another unsupported NIC by my ESXi 4.1 (Intel 82578DM).

I tried to combine both oem files by copying the r8169.o driver into the earlier oem.tgz file, as well as amending simple.map with the following lines where they should be based on the oem.file for RTL8169SD found on this forum:


However it didn't work and resulted in the pink screen of death.
Thankfully I could revert it back with a Live CD but any suggestions as to how to make those two NICs work at the same time would be very appreciated.

I haven't tried to just use RTL8169SD on its own without interfering with the Intel NIC but anyway that is not what I want to achieve, I need both of them working together.

Oh I forgo to say, loading r8169.0 with vmkload_mod worked, so I could install the driver and get this card assigned a vmnic at the same time as Intel 82578DM... but only in a non-permanent way.

It's definitely the way I tried to combined both oem.tgz that is wrong and any light on this would be very welcome.

Thank you.