How do I use a Broadcom 5709C Gigabit NIC on IBM System x x3850 M2 / x3950 M2 in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5?

Solution Unverified - Updated -

Environment

  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
    • 5
    • 5.1
    • 5.2

Issue

  • How do I enable a Broadcom 5709C Gigabit NIC on an IBM System x x3850 M2 or x3950 M2 in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5?

Resolution

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5, 5.1 and 5.2 do not offer Broadcom 5709 driver support, but the IBM System x x3850 M2 and x3950 M2 use a Broadcom 5709C network card. If you want to install Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5, 5.1 or 5.2 on an IBM System x x3850 M2 or 3950 M2, please get the latest driver from IBM. The latest driver can be found here: http://www-304.ibm.com/jct01004c/systems/support/supportsite.wss/docdisplay?lndocid=MIGR-5070029&brandind=5000008

The necessary Broadcom driver is called bnx2. The Broadcom 5709C NIC driver was first supported in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.3. If you wish to use a driver supplied by Red Hat, please upgrade the kernel to kernel-2.6.18-128 or later (Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.3).

To confirm that your bnx2 driver supports the 5709 NIC, use the modinfo command and look at the description line:

# modinfo bnx2
filename:       /lib/modules/2.6.18-128.el5xen/kernel/drivers/net/bnx2.ko
version:        1.7.9-1
license:        GPL
description:    Broadcom NetXtreme II BCM5706/5708/5709 Driver
......

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