Ethernet I225-LM report NVM Failure and Ethernet is slow

[insecticide]

In Intel NUC NUC11PHBi7 with I225-LM updated to driver 1.0.2.6, ProSet diagnostics reports "NVM Integrity Status :Failed" and Ethernet is slow and noisy (reporting ~200Mbs vs WiFi 6 on same network/switch that reports 800Mbs). 

Also Ethernet downgrades to 100/100 link when connected to some Netgear switches and is essentially non-functional with noise degrading the entire network.

Is there any solution for this issue?

[Crisselle_Intel]

Hello insecticide,

Thank you for posting in Intel Ethernet Communities. 

Please be informed that this query will be best answered by our Intel NUC Support team. We will help you to move this post to the designated team for further assistance. 

Feel free to contact us if you need assistance from Ethernet support team. 

Best regards,

Crisselle C.

Intel® Customer Support

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello @insecticide

Thank you for posting on the Intel® communities.

In order to check this further, could you please provide the following details?

1- We understand that the behavior started after "updating to driver 1.0.2.6". Did you manually downloaded this driver from Download Center > Ethernet Products? If yes, could you please share the link as a reference? Or did you get the driver through Windows® Update Service or Intel® Driver & Support Assistant (Intel® DSA)? Please provide details?

2- Have you tested with the latest customized Intel® Ethernet (LAN) Network Connection Driver for the NUC11PHKi7C, version 1.0.1.8 (Latest)?

3- Have you tested with different network/LAN cables?

4- Could you please provide the exact model of the switches that have been tested?

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[insecticide]

---

@AndrewG_Intel wrote:

Hello @insecticide

Thank you for posting on the Intel® communities.

In order to check this further, could you please provide the following details?

1- We understand that the behavior started after "updating to driver 1.0.2.6". Did you manually downloaded this driver from Download Center > Ethernet Products? If yes, could you please share the link as a reference? Or did you get the driver through Windows® Update Service or Intel® Driver & Support Assistant (Intel® DSA)? Please provide details?

2- Have you tested with the latest customized Intel® Ethernet (LAN) Network Connection Driver for the NUC11PHKi7C, version 1.0.1.8 (Latest)?

3- Have you tested with different network/LAN cables?

4- Could you please provide the exact model of the switches that have been tested?

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

---

1 - No, the poor Ethernet performance is experienced with both drivers 1.0.2.6 and 1.0.1.8.  The drivers reports "NVM Integrity failure" in Proset.

2 - Yes, both drivers have been tested

3 - Various lan cables don't change the behavior or speed

4 - 

Topology is such that a Netgear Orbi RBK850 Wifi 6 router with 4 Ethernet ports is the leaf Access Point.  The NUC, when connected to the leaf Wifi, operates near the 1Gbs link.

The leaf Netgear RBK850 WiFi Access Point is connected to the Internet through one of either of these intermediate 1Gbs switches:

tp-Link SG-105

Netgear GS105NA

So the Wifi that works as expected is routed through one of these intermediate switches.

If the NUC is connected directly to the intermediate Netgear GS105NA switch, the link drops to 100/100 and the network is riddled with noise to the the point of taking all devices down on the network

In summary the NUC Ethernet links at full speed with Wifi  through these same switches but partially downgrades or becomes interoperable when connected to the leaf Ethernet on the access point or either of the intermediate tp-Link SG-105 or Netgear GS105NA 1Gig switches respectively.

[insecticide]

I should add, the slow Ethernet behavior is not just the ILM-225 port on the NUC NUC11PHBi7.  Any Ethernet link (internal, USB, or Thunderbolt USB-C) on the NUC is limited to speeds well below that of WiFi.  Only the internal ILM-225 has fatal link issues with the Netgear GS105NA switch.

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello insecticide

Thank you for your response and for all the information. Please allow us to look into this and we will be posting back as soon as more details are available.

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Ronny_G_Intel]

Hi @insecticide,

I reviewed all your previous notes and details and can't find anything wrong, please allow a couple of days to check with the Product Team and see if I am missing anything, If there is any sort of NVM firmware update or if product replacement is the only option.

Regards,

Ronny G

[Ronny_G_Intel]

Hi @insecticide 

You mentioned that the NUC11PHKi7C connected to the Netgear Orbi RBK850 works near at 1Gbps as expected, I am assuming this is via Ethernet, is this correct? If that is correct, did you try running the diagnostics again? Do you get the NVM Integrity Failure error message as well?

Can you please confirm the following network topology? Please check the image attached.

You mentioned that you are having this behavior with these 2 switches, any chance to try a different brand or model, or other ethernet device that runs at 1Gbps?

Regards,

Ronny G  

[insecticide]

Hi Ronny,

Your topology if mostly correct with regard to Netgear and the Orbi but the tp-link switch was put in place of the Netgear GS-105 switch and the tests repeated. I did try the Ethernet port on the Orbi and the switches. When connected to the Orbi Ethernet (via either switch) the throughput was between 200-300Mbs while Orbi WiFi6 in the same configurations was 800-900Mbs (routed through either switch). When connected directly to the Netgear switch the link failed at 100/100. In all cases the NVM test failed. All the cables were replaced with cat7 and the behavior was identical.

The supplier tested another NUC unit and it’s behavior was similar with the NVM failure. I then tested an i7 NUC Ethernet in the same setup from both switches (again in place of one another) and the i7 Ethernet achieved the same as WiFi6 at over 800Mbs.

I also tested through a third Netgear POE switch with similar results.

Given that any Ethernet on that NUC (internal or via Thunderbolt or USB) gives this reduced throughput I’d surmise the issue is something beyond any one Ethernet adapter. Again the i7 provided the correct results in the same topology including old and new cables.

In short I can confidently say the Ethernet in these i11 Extreme units has a few problems, serious issues with some switches and throughput in general.

Regards,
Bill

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello insecticide

Thank you for your response and for your efforts in this matter.

We are still working on this and we would like to gather some additional details. Please provide us with the following information:

1- Would the issue happen if the Intel® NUC NUC11PHKi7C connects to the Ethernet without switches direct with LAN cable?

2- How do you check Ethernet is slow and noisy (reporting ~200Mbs)? Please provide as many details as possible.

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[insecticide]

Hi Andrew,

1 - Connecting directly to the Ethernet is not practical in my case as the entire business runs downstream from the switch.  However if the errant behavior is consistent when changing switches and abates when using another NUC I don't see the point.

2 - The tests are performed using Xfinity speed tests in a browser through a 1.2Gbs Xfinity Gateway.  I worked as a software performance engineer for many years.  In a lab I would set up a throughput/load test with a test server and NUC client(s) on a segragated network proven to operate at 1Gbs.  In my limited scenario swapping in the alternate NUC with good results and again using the i11 with substandard results pretty much achieves the same result.  Also as the i11 WiFi 6 operates at the expected speed indicates to me that the i11 NUC Ethernet is clearly the culprit.

Again, I reloaded the OS and updated it without anything better.  Since a variety of Ethernet adapters also shows substandard performance there is either something amiss with Ethernet stack in general or the backplane/BIOS on the i11 Enthusiast.  It's worth nothing that occasionally the i11 Ethernet would start at 800Mbs for a brief second and then plunge below 300Mbs and stay there.

Best Regards,

Bill

[Ronny_G_Intel]

Hi @insecticide,

The "NVM Integrity Status: Failed" has been identified as an Intel PROSet Tool issue so this situation is something separate from the Ethernet performance issue that you are reporting and we are looking into at this point.

In regards to the Ethernet performance issue, I would say the following: If you tested the NUC connected directly to a known good working 1Gbps Ethernet Switch and experience this issue and other devices do work at the expected speed, I will recommend replacing the NUC. Especially if other NUCs are working as expected.

Please let me know your comments.

Regards,

Ronny G

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello insecticide

We are checking this thread and we would like to know if you were able to review our previous post. In regards to the "Ethernet performance issue", were you able to contact the place of purchase and try replacing the Intel® NUC?

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[insecticide]

Hi,

Given that any Ethernet network adapter shows the same characteristics on any network segment I believe the issue is related to the network stack on Windows 10 or the bios and thus replacing the unit wouldn’t help. I have yet to see anyone at Intel test the unit to its advertised throughput so I’ll chalk this up to a quality issue on these extreme units. We can close this discussion as such.

Thanks for your response.

[FranzJeger]

Intel has zero QA, this ethernet adapter has been faulty on several chipsets for years now, z490/z590 and now z690. Intel loves shipping this terrible and faulty product with prior knowledge that it is broken. 

[insecticide]

Yes the release team must have known of the issue as it is so obvious. But it’s deeper, seemingly at the motherboard level as any Ethernet adapter is slow. The WiFi on the other hand is awesome. As you say, management obviously made a decision to ship this unit knowing the LAN was subpar. It’s a shameful thing.

[4orm]

I read through what you have said and ended up disabling the network adapters on my motherboard and am using the wifi my speed is now higher than being direct wired into modem speeds have dropped to 150 Mbps wired and now at 650Mbps  on wifi still not hitting what i normally hit with my asus board not sure what network card that had but i always got atleast 110 MBs wired with old network adapter thanks for your help hopefully there is someone out there that can find a work around for this adapter to get it back to full speed

[4orm]

hello i have a z690 dark kp motherboard with the same issue i thought it was my isp. i went into intel  proset and ran the test and came back with register status: failed and nvm integrity status : Failed did you figure anything else out to fix this or is it something that is irrepairable ?? ty for any input