Intel Ethernet Controller E610 – Firmware Recovery Mode Under Load

[CraigOZ]

I am currently working on a Linux system using the Intel E610, when i place the system under load I am seeing a lock up on the NIC. It appears to go into a firmware recovery mode. Below is a summary of the issue.

System Summary

• Controller: Intel® Ethernet Controller E610 10GBASE-T

• PCI IDs: 8086:57b0

• Subsystem: Intel® Ethernet Network Adapter E610-XT2

• Platform: Beelink GTR Pro mini-PC (AZW), BIOS GTRP108 (09/16/2025, AMI)

• OS: Linux Mint 22.2 (Ubuntu 24.04 base, kernel 6.14.0-1012-oem)

• Kernel Driver in Use: ixgbe 6.2.5 (out-of-tree, taints kernel)

• NVM / Firmware:

  • Reported version: 1.30 0x8000e899 1.3863.0

  • Update tool: nvmupdate64e v1.43.20.0 (SDK 2.43.20.0)

---

Problem Description

Under system load (e.g., launching a Steam game), both E610 ports drop and the kernel reports the NIC has entered firmware recovery mode.

Symptoms:

• Adapter removed/re-enumerated in PCIe

• NIC firmware flagged as in recovery mode

• Transmit queue timeouts / “Fake Tx hang” messages in dmesg

• Only reproducible under GPU/PCIe load — not under CPU stress tests (e.g., Ollama, LM Studio)

---

Logs

Excerpt from dmesg at failure:

ixgbe 0000:c5:00.0: Adapter removed
ixgbe 0000:c5:00.0: Firmware recovery mode detected. Limiting functionality.
ixgbe 0000:c5:00.1: Adapter removed
ixgbe 0000:c5:00.1 enp197s0f1np1: NETDEV WATCHDOG: transmit queue timed out
ixgbe 0000:c5:00.1 enp197s0f1np1: Fake Tx hang detected

Module load messages:

ixgbe: loading out-of-tree module taints kernel
ixgbe: module verification failed: signature and/or required key missing
ixgbe: unknown parameter 'EEE' ignored
ixgbe: unknown parameter 'DMAC' ignored

---

Reproduction

1. Boot system normally with ixgbe 6.2.5 loaded.

2. Launch a Steam game (GPU/PCIe intensive workload).

3. Within minutes, both NIC ports reset → firmware recovery mode messages appear.

Steps to clear fault

1. Power Off system from wall.

2. Wait a few minutes and reconnect the power.

---

Diagnostic Data

• PCIe Info: stable link width x4 @ 16.0 GT/s (reported 63.012 Gb/s bandwidth).

• ethtool -i confirms driver = ixgbe, firmware = 1.30.

• nvmupdate64e -i runs but reports no adapters when in recovery.

• sensors shows temps/voltages stable (no thermal issue).

• ACPI / PCIeHP: no AER/uncorrectable errors in dmesg at failure.

---

Request for Intel

1. Provide any diagnostic steps you need run.
2. Provide the correct NVM image package for this controller.

3. Clarify whether repeated firmware recovery indicates corrupted NVM, or a driver/firmware mismatch.

4. Guidance on re-flashing NVM safely on OEM platforms (Beelink GTR Pro).

5. Known issues with E610 + PCIe Gen4 mini-PCs under heavy load?

[DrDre]

I'm experiencing the same issue with the same computer and bios. It is gtr 9 pro by beelink.

[CraigOZ]

The reply I get from Bee-Link is that its a Intel issue and they need to wait for intel to fix it. 

Intel, please let us know if this is a known issue with your cards or if its something new and when the drivers will be updated.

[Dineshbabu]

Hi CraigOZ,

Greetings!

Thank you for posting in Intel Community. We acknowledge receipt of your concern and want to assure you that assisting you is our top priority. To effectively troubleshoot the issue you're facing, we require some additional information from your end.

1. Please confirm whether the NIC card was purchased separately or pre-installed in the system.
2. Kindly provide front and back pictures of the adapter.
3. Please share the SSU log so we can analyze the issue further. Please follow below article to generate SSU log

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000008563/ethernet-products.html

Regards,

Dinesh

Intel Customer Support Technician

[decryp7]

Hi, I am also using the same system with Proxmox.

1. The NIC card is preinstalled.

2. It is difficult for me to open up the system. The PC is https://www.bee-link.com/products/beelink-gtr9-pro-amd-ryzen-ai-max-395 

3. Let me share the SSU log from my system.

[IntelSupport]

Hi decryp7,

Greetings for day!

You can use the latest driver https://github.com/intel/ethernet-linux-ixgbe which includes support for E610 recovery mode and firmware logging.

And also, you need to reflash the NVM using a compatible image from the OEM (Beelink)

We request to contact OEM(Beelink) for the latest NVM image and BIOS update.

Regards

Jerome

Intel Customer Support Technician

[CraigOZ]

Hi Jerome,

I have already updated the E610 firmware and driver to the latest. I found the happened on both linux and windows. On linux I was using the driver you recommended as well.

I dont have the linux install anymore, but here is the SSU from the windows install.

Regards

Craig

[Akshaya1]

Hi CraigOZ,

Thank you for sharing the logs.

Since the E610 preinstalled on the system (Beelink), we recommend you to reach out to OEM (Beelink) for further assistance.

Regards,

Akshaya

Intel Customer support Technician

[Dineshbabu]

Hi CraigOZ,

Since we have referred you to contact the OEM (Beelink) for further assistance, we will be closing this request. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any further questions or concerns. Feel free to start a new conversation, as this thread will no longer be monitored.

Best regards,

Dinesh

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Azhari_Intel]

Hello CraigOZ,

I hope you’re having a good day.

We apologize for any confusion earlier and for the discussion being closed prematurely.

At the moment, we are looking further into the issue you are facing.

Please allow us some time to check and will get back to you soonest.

Your understanding is deeply appreciated.

Thank you & best regards,

Azhari_Intel

[Sreelakshmi1]

Hi CraigOZ,

Greetings!

Apologies for the inconvenience caused in this matter.

We attempted to assist by checking with our available resources; however, we were unable to find any resolution steps or guides that could help isolate the issue.

As mentioned earlier, we kindly request you to reach out to the Beelink OEM for further support. Since this is a Mini PC with an inbuilt Ethernet controller, any relevant drivers or software will be available only through the OEM.

Unfortunately we are unable to extend support for this product, as it falls outside of our support boundaries and we will proceed to close this request.

Please don't hesitate to ask any further questions in the future. Feel free to start a new conversation, as this thread will no longer be monitored.

Best Regards,

Sreelakshmi

Intel Customer Support Technician