Customers running Citrix XenServer 5.5 Update 2 who wish to update the Broadcom bnx2x driver, from the version shipped with XenServer (bnx2x version 1.46.12), to the latest supported version (bnx2x version 1.52.12). The new driver includes various improvements, including support for the latest Broacom NIC firmware, and HP’s Virtual Connect firmware version 2.31.

Issues Resolved In This Driver Disk

• No link when Broadcom NIC firmware is upgraded to version 5.x.
• Inability to allocate sufficient memory to use all 16 Flex-NIC interfaces when two HP Flex-10 NIC cards were present (see this HP advisory).

New Functionality Added In This Driver Disk

Support for the latest Broadcom NIC firmware (version 5.0.11), and HP’s Virtual Connect firmware (version 2.31).

Installing the Driver Disk

Customers should use the XenServer CLI to install this driver disk. Once the driver has been installed, the server must be restarted, in order for the driver to be loaded. As with any software update, Citrix advises customers to back up their data before applying this driver disk.

Please note that the attachment to this article is a zip file. It contains both the drive disk ISO mentioned below, and the source code for the driver. The zip file should be unzipped (to produce the driver disk ISO image), before carrying out the steps below. The source code file is not necessary for driver disk installation: it is provided to fulfill licensing obligations.

Installing onto a Running XenServer System

1. Download the driver disk directly to the XenServer host to be updated (Citrix recommends storing it in the /tmp/ directory), or first download the file to an Internet-connected computer, and burn the ISO image to a CD.
2. Use XenCenter to access the XenServer host’s console, or use secure shell (ssh) to login directly.
3. Mount the driver disk image. Depending on whether the driver disk is still in ISO form, or has been burnt to CD, the directory to be mounted will vary. For a CD-ROM, use:
   mkdir -p /mnt/tmp
   mount /dev/<path to cd-rom> /mnt/tmp
   cd /mnt/tmp/
   ./install.sh

   If instead the ISO file is used, the steps are:

   mkdir -p /mnt/tmp
   mount /tmp/<path to ISO> /mnt/tmp -o loop,ro
   cd /mnt/tmp/
   ./install.sh
4. In order to complete the installation, restart the host. This ensures that the driver will be loaded correctly.

Installing as Part of a Clean XenServer Installation

When XenServer is installed, users are given the option to install any drivers needed to enable hardware required for the installation (such as disk controllers). Whilst the installer already includes all the drivers that ship with XenServer, customers may need this driver disk to enable the latest hardware.

1. On the installation welcome screen select the Load driver button and insert the CD with the driver disk in it, or use one of the other methods such as installation over the network. Users should note that if installation over HTTP or FTP is to be used, the ISO image must be unpacked at that location (i.e. the installer expects to find the contents of the ISO at that network location, not the ISO itself).
2. The installer will proceed to attempt to load the driver. If this is successful, you can continue with the installation as normal. Near the end of the installation, you will be prompted to re-insert the driver disk so that the driver can be installed onto disk. After this, no further action is required.

If the installer fails to load the new driver from the driver disk, it is likely to be because an earlier version of the driver has already been loaded. In general, this is because a hardware component is present that is supported by the version of the driver that ships as part of XenServer (even if another component is present that requires a newer version of the driver). To avoid the existing driver being loaded, use the following procedure.

1. Reboot the host, leaving the XenServer installation CD-ROM in the drive.
2. At the boot: prompt, type:
   shell
3. You will now be presented with a command prompt. Type the following:
   rmmod bnx2x

   If this succeeds (i.e. there are no error messages printed), the installer’s version of the driver has been unloaded. If error messages are presented, it is likely that other drivers depend on the driver you are attempting to unload. If this is the case, please contact Citrix Technical Support.

4. Type
   exit

   or press Control+D on your keyboard, to return to the installer.

5. Use the procedure described above to provide the driver disk to the installer, which should now load correctly.

To view more info and download http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX124995