SLES12: Missing dependencies installing "intel-ixgbe" driver - IBM Systems

Resolving The Problem

Source

RETAIN tip: H006966

Symptom

When installing the i40e driver intel-i40e-kmp-default-1.2.37_k3.12.28_4-1.x86_64.rpm under SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 (SLES12), the following error will be seen:

Affected configurations

The system is configured with one or more of the following IBM Option part numbers:

• Intel X710 2x10 GbE SFP+ Adapter for IBM System x, Option part number 81Y3520, any model
• Intel X710 ML2 4x10 GbE SFP+ Adapter for IBM System x, Option part number 94Y5200, any model

This tip is not system specific.

This tip is not software specific.

The i40e device driver for the Intel X710 adapter is affected.

Solution

This behavior will be corrected in a future release of the i40e driver.

The target date for this release is scheduled for first quarter 2016.

The file is or will be available by selecting the appropriate Product Group, type of System, Product name, Product machine type, and Operating system on IBM Support's Fix Central web page, at the following URL:

http://www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/

Workaround

The installation can be made to succeed by using the --nodeps RPM argument:

Additional information

The error occurs because the i40e driver RPM has a spurious dependency on another Intel Ethernet driver, intel-ixgbe, built into it.

The current version i40e driver does not in fact need the intel-ixgbe driver to be installed. Using the --nodeps option as illustrated allows the i40e driver to be installed and to function normally.