When deploying ESXi on Dell PowerEdge R720/R520 servers, many admins hit a frustrating roadblock: the installer claims "No network adapters found." This occurs because the default ESXi ISO lacks drivers for Broadcom NetXtreme I NICs (common in 12th-gen Dells). Here's how to bake those drivers directly into your installation media.

• ESXi base ISO (e.g., VMware-VMvisor-Installer-8.0.x-x86_64.iso)
• Broadcom driver bundle (net-bnx2 version 1.78.92.v60.10 or later)
• PowerCLI 12.7+ installed
• 7-Zip or similar archive tool
• Windows machine with 4GB+ free space

First, extract the driver VIB from the offline bundle:

# PowerShell snippet to extract VIB
$OfflineBundle = "ESXi600-VMware_bootbank_net-bnx2_1.78.92.v60.10-1vmw.600.0.0.2494585.zip"
Expand-Archive -Path $OfflineBundle -DestinationPath .\temp
$VibPath = Get-ChildItem -Path .\temp -Filter "*.vib" -Recurse | Select-Object -First 1

Now create a custom ISO with PowerCLI:

# PowerCLI ESXi ImageBuilder
Add-EsxSoftwareDepot .\VMware-ESXi-8.0.0-20513097-depot.zip
Add-EsxSoftwareDepot $VibPath.FullName

$NewImageProfile = New-EsxImageProfile -CloneProfile "ESXi-8.0.0-20513097-standard" 
    -Name "ESXi-8.0.0-Custom" -Vendor "YourCompany"

Add-EsxSoftwarePackage -ImageProfile $NewImageProfile -SoftwarePackage "net-bnx2"

Export-EsxImageProfile -ImageProfile $NewImageProfile 
    -ExportToIso -FilePath "ESXi-8.0.0-Custom.iso"

If PowerCLI isn't available, you can manually inject drivers:

1. Mount the ESXi ISO and copy all files to a working directory
2. Place the net-bnx2.vib in the /offline-bundle directory
3. Edit the boot.cfg file to add the driver reference:

kernelopt=runweasel cdromBoot modules=net-bnx2

Repackage using mkisofs:

mkisofs -relaxed-filenames -J -R -o ESXi-Custom.iso \
    -b isolinux.bin -c boot.cat -no-emul-boot \
    -boot-load-size 4 -boot-info-table ./esxi-iso-files

After installation, verify driver loading:

esxcli software vib list | grep bnx2
esxcli network nic list

For persistent issues, check firmware compatibility. The BCM5719 NICs in R720s often require firmware version 7.12.25:

vmkload_mod -s bnx2 | grep Firmware

If NICs remain undetected:

• Verify the NIC model exactly matches driver support (some R520 models use QLogic instead)
• Check BIOS settings - ensure all SR-IOV/NIC options are enabled
• Test with ESXi 7.0 U3 as it has broader legacy NIC support

For Dell-specific issues, their customized ESXi ISOs often include all required drivers out of the box.

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When deploying ESXi on Dell PowerEdge servers (particularly R720/R520 models), the installation wizard often fails to detect Broadcom NetXtreme NICs. This occurs because:

• ESXi base images don't include all OEM drivers
• Broadcom's bnx2/bnx2x drivers require manual injection
• Dell's custom firmware needs proper driver matching

Gather these components first:

1. Official ESXi ISO (e.g., VMware-VMvisor-Installer-7.0.0-xxxxxx.x86_64.iso)
2. Broadcom offline bundle (net-bnx2-version-number.vib)
3. PowerCLI module installed
4. Windows machine with admin rights (for ISO modification)

Here's the step-by-step process using VMware's PowerCLI:

# Load VMware ImageBuilder module
Import-Module VMware.ImageBuilder

# Connect to depot (no internet required)
Add-EsxSoftwareDepot .\VMware-ESXi-7.0.0-xxxxxx-depot.zip
Add-EsxSoftwareDepot .\net-bnx2-1.78.89.vib

# Create new image profile
New-EsxImageProfile -CloneProfile "ESXi-7.0.0-xxxxxx-standard" 
  -Name "ESXi-7.0.0-Custom" -Vendor "YourCompany"

# Add the Broadcom driver
Add-EsxSoftwarePackage -ImageProfile "ESXi-7.0.0-Custom" 
  -SoftwarePackage "net-bnx2"

# Export to bootable ISO
Export-EsxImageProfile -ImageProfile "ESXi-7.0.0-Custom" 
  -ExportToIso -FilePath "ESXi-7.0.0-Custom.iso"

For environments without PowerCLI access:

1. Extract the ESXi ISO using 7-Zip
2. Create a /opt/broadcom directory in the extracted files
3. Copy the .vib driver file into this location
4. Edit boot.cfg to include the new module:

modules = b.b00 random.x64.v00 ... net-bnx2.v00

Use mkisofs to repackage:

mkisofs -relaxed-filenames -J -R -o ESXi-Custom.iso -b isolinux.bin -c boot.cat -no-emul-boot -boot-load-size 4 -boot-info-table -eltorito-alt-boot -e efiboot.img -no-emul-boot .

After installation, verify driver loading with:

esxcli software vib list | grep bnx2
esxcli network nic list

Expected output for successful installation:

bnx2x               1.78.80-1vmw.700.0.0.xxxxxx   VMwareCertified   2020-09-01  
bnx2                1.78.80-1vmw.700.0.0.xxxxxx   VMwareCertified   2020-09-01

Error	Solution
VIB signature verification failed	Use esxcli software vib install --no-sig-check
Driver not loading post-install	Check firmware version with lspci -v
PSOD during boot	Try older driver version from VMware compatibility guide