Esxi Realtek Driver

Important Note: Realtek NICs are not on VMware’s HCL (Hardware Compatibility List). This is a community workaround for homelabs and testing— not for production servers. ESXi updates may break this driver.

Guide: Installing a Realtek Driver on ESXi What You Need

ESXi host (version 6.7, 7.0, or 8.0) Community Network Driver (fling) from VMware’s “Fling” site or the net55-r8168 driver. SSH access enabled on ESXi. The .vib driver file.

Recommended source: VMware Flings – Community Network Driver for ESXi (supports Realtek 8168/8111/8125/8152/8156). esxi realtek driver

Step 1: Download the Correct Driver

Go to the VMware Flings website → search for “Community Network Driver for ESXi”. Download the version matching your ESXi build number (check via vmware -vl in SSH). Transfer the .vib or .zip file to your ESXi datastore (e.g., /vmfs/volumes/datastore1/ ).

Step 2: Enable SSH & ESXi Shell

In vSphere Client → Host → Actions → Services → Enable Secure Shell (SSH) . Also enable ESXi Shell (for local console access if networking fails).

Step 3: Install the Driver via SSH SSH into your ESXi host: ssh root@<your-esxi-ip>

Option A – Install from a VIB file: esxcli software vib install -v /vmfs/volumes/datastore1/<driver-filename>.vib Important Note: Realtek NICs are not on VMware’s

Option B – Install from offline bundle (ZIP): esxcli software vib install -d /vmfs/volumes/datastore1/<offline-bundle>.zip

Option C – Force installation (if compatibility warning appears): esxcli software vib install -v /path/to.vib --no-sig-check --force