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Choosing the correct NIC driver for TSO

  • 1.  Choosing the correct NIC driver for TSO

    Posted Mar 25, 2011 08:34 AM

    Hi,

    I've read the following article which says the enhanced vmxnet network adapter should be used for TSO:

    http://pubs.vmware.com/vsphere-esxi-4-1-installable/wwhelp/wwhimpl/js/html/wwhelp.htm#href=server_config/c_enabling_tso.html#1_10_9_11_6_1

    Once that's done I believe you need to enable TSO in the operating system (for example Windows) by enabling it in the NIC advanced settings and then enabling TCP Chimney Offload:

    http://support.microsoft.com/kb/951037

    My question is, should I use the enhanced vmxnet adapter or the E1000 adapter (which also supports TSO)? My physical NICs are Intel Gigabit 82576 (igb) adapters and Broadcom Gigabit BCM5709 (bnx2).

    Cheers