flapping issues on an X550-T2 network card

[fredlubrano]

Hello,
Lately, I’ve been experiencing flapping issues on an X550-T2 network card. I can reliably reproduce the problem, for example when watching a 4K YouTube video (traffic path: PC LAN → vmnic2 → FW → vmnic1 → router).
You’ll find the logs below.
Everything is up to date: ESXi, firmware, and driver.
I also tried increasing the driver log verbosity, but without success.
If anyone has any ideas, thanks in advance.
Fred

root@es:~] esxcli system module parameters list -m ixgben 
Name          Type          Value  Description
------------  ------------  -----  -----------
BmcSharedLan  array of int         BMC shared LAN support: 0 = disable, 1 = enable (default = 0)
DRSS          array of int         DefQueue RSS state: 0 = disable, 1 = enable (default = 0; 4 queues if DRSS is enabled)
DevRSS        array of int         Device RSS state: 0 = disable, 1 = enable (default = 0; 16 queues but all virtualization features disabled if DevRSS is enabled)
FWLogEnable   array of int         Enable firmware logging functionality: 0 = Disable, 1 = Enable (default = 0)
FWLogEvents   long                 Firmware events to log. Binary math required to set. (Turn on Events 1 and 5 with input FWLogEvents = 17) (default = 0)
FWLogLevel    long                 FW event log level. Values: 0 = none, 1 = error, 2 = warning, 3 = normal, 4 = verbose. Invalid values: >= 5 (default = 0)
MddEnabled    array of int         Malicious driver detection: 0 = disable, 1 = enable (default = 1)
QPair         array of int         Pair Rx & Tx Queue Interrupt: 0 = disable, 1 = enable (default)
RSS           array of int  1,1    NetQueue RSS state: 0 = disable, 1 = enable (default = 1; 4 queues if RSS is enabled)
RxDesc        array of int         Maximum number of RX descriptors (128..8192)
RxITR         array of int         Default RX interrupt interval: 0 = disable, 1 = dynamic throttling, 2-1000 in microseconds (default = 50)
TxDesc        array of int         Maximum number of TX descriptors (128..8192)
TxITR         array of int         Default TX interrupt interval: 0 = disable, 1 = dynamic throttling, 2-1000 in microseconds (default = 100)
VMDQ          array of int         Number of Virtual Machine Device Queues: 0/1 = disable, 2-16 enable (default = 8)
max_vfs       array of int         Maximum number of VFs to be enabled (0..63)
[root@es:~] vsish -e cat /net/pNics/vmnic1/properties
properties {
   Driver Name:ixgben
   Driver Version:1.20.2.0
   Driver Firmware Version:3.70 0x80001860, 1.3105.0
   System Device Name:vmnic1
   Mapped Device Name:
   Mapped Device MAC address:00:00:00:00:00:00
   Module Interface Used By The Driver:native
   Device Hardware Cap Supported: 0x743c032b -> VMNET_CAP_SG VMNET_CAP_IP4_CSUM VMNET_CAP_HIGH_DMA VMNET_CAP_TSO VMNET_CAP_HW_TX_VLAN VMNET_CAP_HW_RX_VLAN VMNET_CAP_SG_SPAN_PAGES VMNET_CAP_IP6_CSUM VMNET_CAP_TSO6 VMNET_CAP_TSO256k VMNET_CAP_OFFSET_BASED_OFFLOAD VMNET_CAP_IP6_CSUM_EXT_HDRS VMNET_CAP_TSO6_EXT_HDRS VMNET_CAP_SCHED
   Device Hardware Cap Supported (High): 0x20e5235e -> VMNET_CAP_SG_RX VMNET_CAP_PRIV_STATS VMNET_CAP_LINK_STATUS_SET VMNET_CAP_MAC_ADDR_SET VMNET_CAP_VLAN_FILTER VMNET_CAP_NETWORK_DUMP VMNET_CAP_MULTI_QUEUE VMNET_CAP_PAUSE_PARAMS VMNET_CAP_OFFLOAD_ALIGN_ANY VMNET_CAP_CABLE_TYPE VMNET_CAP_MESSAGE_LEVEL VMNET_CAP_RING_PARAMS VMNET_CAP_ADVERTISE_MODES VMNET_CAP_UENS_SHIM
   Device Hardware Cap Activated: 0x743c032b -> VMNET_CAP_SG VMNET_CAP_IP4_CSUM VMNET_CAP_HIGH_DMA VMNET_CAP_TSO VMNET_CAP_HW_TX_VLAN VMNET_CAP_HW_RX_VLAN VMNET_CAP_SG_SPAN_PAGES VMNET_CAP_IP6_CSUM VMNET_CAP_TSO6 VMNET_CAP_TSO256k VMNET_CAP_OFFSET_BASED_OFFLOAD VMNET_CAP_IP6_CSUM_EXT_HDRS VMNET_CAP_TSO6_EXT_HDRS VMNET_CAP_SCHED
   Device Software Cap Activated: 0x8bc00000 -> VMNET_CAP_UPT VMNET_CAP_RDONLY_INETHDRS VMNET_CAP_ENCAP VMNET_CAP_DCB VMNET_CAP_GENEVE_OFFLOAD VMNET_CAP_SRIOV
   Device Software Assistance Activated: 0 -> No matching defined enum value found.
   PCI Segment:0
   PCI Bus:3
   PCI Slot:0
   PCI Fn:0
   Device NUMA Node:4294967295
   PCI Vendor:0x8086
   PCI Device ID:0x1563
   PCI Device Bus Addr:p0000:03:00.0
   Link Up:1
   Operational Status:1
   Administrative Status:1
   Full Duplex:1
   Auto Negotiation:1
   Speed (Mb/s):10000
   Uplink Port ID:0x8a000009
   Fastpath Switch ID:0xffffffff
   Fastpath Port ID:0xffffffff
   Flags: 0x41a0e -> DEVICE_PRESENT DEVICE_OPENED DEVICE_EVENT_NOTIFIED DEVICE_SCHED_CONNECTED DEVICE_RESPOOLS_SCHED_ALLOWED DEVICE_RESPOOLS_SCHED_SUPPORTED DEIVCE_ASSOCIATED
   ExFlags: 0 -> No matching defined enum value found.
   Network Hint:
   MAC address:b4:96:91:68:17:c0
   VLanHwTxAccel:1
   VLanHwRxAccel:1
   States: 0x1f -> DEVICE_PRESENT DEVICE_READY DEVICE_RUNNING DEVICE_QUEUE_OK DEVICE_LINK_OK
   Pseudo Device:0
   Legacy vmklinux device:0
   Respools sched allowed:1
   Respools sched supported:1
   Device Hardware ENS Cap Supported: 0 -> No matching defined enum value found.
}
[root@es:~] vmware -v
VMware ESXi 8.0.3 build-24674464



[root@es:~] tail -f /var/log/vmkernel.log 
2025-05-01T11:59:00.968Z Wa(180) vmkwarning: cpu1:1049052)WARNING: ixgben: ixgben_CheckTxHang:2181: 0000:03:00.1: TX hang detected on TX queue: 1
2025-05-01T11:59:01.968Z Wa(180) vmkwarning: cpu5:1049052)WARNING: ixgben: ixgben_CheckTxHang:2181: 0000:03:00.1: TX hang detected on TX queue: 1
2025-05-01T11:59:01.968Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu5:1049052)ixgben: ixgben_ServiceTimer:3628: 0000:03:00.1: TX hang detected: reset device
2025-05-01T11:59:02.212Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu0:1049072)ixgben: ixgben_CheckLink:405: 0000:03:00.1: Link is down for device
2025-05-01T11:59:07.192Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu0:1049072)ixgben: ixgben_CheckLink:405: 0000:03:00.1: Link is up for device
2025-05-01T11:59:07.968Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu0:1048652)NetqueueBal: 5211: vmnic2: device Up notification, reset logical space needed
2025-05-01T11:59:07.968Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu0:1048652)NetPort: 1887: disabled port 0x9a000015
2025-05-01T11:59:07.968Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu1:1053953)NetSched: 724: vmnic2-1-tx: worldID = 1053953 exits
2025-05-01T11:59:07.968Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu7:1053952)NetSched: 724: vmnic2-0-tx: worldID = 1053952 exits
2025-05-01T11:59:07.968Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu0:1048652)Uplink: 12404: vmnic2: clear flags 0x4b80e DEVICE_SCHED_CONNECTED
2025-05-01T11:59:07.969Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu0:1048652)Uplink: 12493: vmnic2: set flags 0x4ba06 DEVICE_SCHED_CONNECTED
2025-05-01T11:59:07.969Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu0:1048652)Uplink: 13025: The default queue id for vmnic2 is 0x4000.
2025-05-01T11:59:07.969Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu0:1048652)cswitch: VSwitchUplinkPortSetNUMAID:3928: [nsx@6876 comp="nsx-esx" subcomp="vswitch"]Cannot get mem affinity from uplink vmnic2[2583691285]: Not supported
2025-05-01T11:59:07.969Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu0:1048652)Uplink: 13037: enabled port 0x9a000015 with mac b4:96:91:68:17:c1
2025-05-01T11:59:07.969Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu0:1048652)Uplink: 3392: vmnic2: clear flags 0x4ba06 DEVICE_ENS_FLAGS
2025-05-01T11:59:07.969Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu0:1053955)NetSched: 724: vmnic2-3-tx: worldID = 1053955 exits
2025-05-01T11:59:07.969Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu1:1053958)NetSched: 724: vmnic2-6-tx: worldID = 1053958 exits
2025-05-01T11:59:07.969Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu6:1053956)NetSched: 724: vmnic2-4-tx: worldID = 1053956 exits
2025-05-01T11:59:07.969Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu7:1053957)NetSched: 724: vmnic2-5-tx: worldID = 1053957 exits
2025-05-01T11:59:07.969Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu2:1053954)NetSched: 724: vmnic2-2-tx: worldID = 1053954 exits
2025-05-01T11:59:07.969Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu7:1053959)NetSched: 724: vmnic2-7-tx: worldID = 1053959 exits
2025-05-01T11:59:08.039Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu0:1048652)Uplink: 539: vmnic2: Driver claims supporting 4 RX queues, and 4 queues are accepted.
2025-05-01T11:59:08.039Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu0:1048652)Uplink: 535: vmnic2: Driver claims supporting 7 TX queues, and 7 queues are accepted.
2025-05-01T11:59:08.039Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu0:1048652)NetqueueBal: 3191: vmnic2: rxQueueCount=4, rxFiltersPerQueue=32, txQueueCount=7 rxQueuesFeatures=0x480
2025-05-01T11:59:08.039Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu0:1048652)NetPort: 1887: disabled port 0x9a000015
2025-05-01T11:59:08.039Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu2:1054766)NetSched: 724: vmnic2-0-tx: worldID = 1054766 exits
2025-05-01T11:59:08.039Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu0:1048652)Uplink: 12404: vmnic2: clear flags 0x4b80e DEVICE_SCHED_CONNECTED
2025-05-01T11:59:08.039Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu0:1048652)Uplink: 12493: vmnic2: set flags 0x4ba06 DEVICE_SCHED_CONNECTED
2025-05-01T11:59:08.039Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu0:1048652)Uplink: 13025: The default queue id for vmnic2 is 0x4000.
2025-05-01T11:59:08.039Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu0:1048652)cswitch: VSwitchUplinkPortSetNUMAID:3928: [nsx@6876 comp="nsx-esx" subcomp="vswitch"]Cannot get mem affinity from uplink vmnic2[2583691285]: Not supported
2025-05-01T11:59:08.039Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu0:1048652)Uplink: 13037: enabled port 0x9a000015 with mac b4:96:91:68:17:c1
2025-05-01T11:59:08.039Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu0:1048652)Uplink: 3392: vmnic2: clear flags 0x4ba06 DEVICE_ENS_FLAGS
2025-05-01T11:59:08.053Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu0:1048652)ixgben: ixgben_ChangeUplinkCap:2292: 0000:03:00.1: Toggled hardware VLAN RX offload off
2025-05-01T11:59:08.053Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu0:1048652)ixgben: ixgben_ChangeUplinkCap:2292: 0000:03:00.1: Toggled hardware VLAN RX offload on
2025-05-01T11:59:08.053Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu0:1048652)ixgben: ixgben_ChangeUplinkCap:2292: 0000:03:00.1: Toggled hardware VLAN RX offload off
2025-05-01T11:59:08.053Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu0:1048652)ixgben: ixgben_ChangeUplinkCap:2292: 0000:03:00.1: Toggled hardware VLAN RX offload on

[Subhashish]

Hello fredlubrano,

Greetings from Intel !!

Thank you for contacting Intel Server Support. We are reviewing the shared information and we will get back to you again with an update.

Regards,

Subhashish_Intel.

[Azeem_Intel]

Hello fredlubrano,

Greetings from Intel !!

Could you please try the steps listed below and share the requested information to help us investigate the issue further.

1. Check the network cables being used — are they CAT6A or CAT7? (We recommend using CAT6A.)
2. Is the switch/router you are using compatible with the network card?
3. Try disabling auto-negotiation and check if the issue persists at 5GbE, 2.5GbE, or 1GbE speeds.
4. Please disable any power-saving features or energy-efficient Ethernet settings on the VMNICs and observe the behavior.
5. Kindly share the switch logs for review.
6. Has this issue recently started, or has it been present since the beginning? If recent, was there any hardware or software change before it occurred?
7. Please capture and share SSU logs so we can better understand your platform (including processor, memory, etc.).

Your inputs will help us analyze and support you more efficiently. We look forward to your response.

Regards,

Azeem_Intel.

[fredlubrano]

Hi Subhashish,

However, I can confirm that installing the ixgben driver (version 1.18.2.0-1OEM.800.1.0.20613240) for VMware ESXi resolved the issue on my end.

Thanks,
Fred

[Amina_Sadiya]

Hello fredlubrano, 

Greetings of the day! 

Thank you for confirmation. Please let us know if you have any further questions or concerns. If No, Could you please confirm if we can go ahead and close this case. 

kindly reach out to us we are happy to help you. 

Regards,  

Amina  

Intel Customer Support Technician 

[Subhashish]

Hello fredlubrano,

Greetings for the Day !!

Thank you for confirming that the issue is now resolved by installing OEM drivers. Hence we will proceed with closure of this ticket. Should you require any assistance in future, please feel free to write back to us.

Regards,

Subhashish_Intel.