Hi
Answers are inline:
[Q] - Which ESXi version exactly allows SR-IOV with these adapters (5.5 / 6.0 / 6.0u2 etc…) ?
[A] - In Esxi5.5Ux & Esxi6.0Ux - Mellanox supports SR-IOV over Connectx-3 VPI (not over ConnectX-IB) with the following restrictions:
1. ESXi Hypervisor (Vsphere) - SR-IOV Ethernet (binded to Linux)
2. ESXi Hypervisor (Vsphere) - SR-IOV Infiniband (binded to Windows)
[Q] - Which matching drivers exactly should be used (Native / OFED) for each version of ESXi ?
[A] - Matching drivers:
1. Inbox driver v3.0.0.0 is for Esxi6.0.(ethernet interface only )
2.Native driver v3.2.0 is for Esxi6.0.(ethernet interface only )
3. mlnx_ofed_esxi v2.3.3 is for Esxi5.5 and supports both IB & ETH
4. mlnx_ofed_esxi v2.40 is for Esxi5.5 & esxi6.0 and supports both IB & ETH
[Q] - Is there a specific recommendation on which firmware to use ?
[A] - yes. It is recommended to install fw ver. 2.36.5000 for Connectx-3 VPI (can be grabbed from Mellanox web site)
[Q] - Where can we find precise documentation and procedure on how to configure SR-IOV on the ESXi hosts ?
[A] - In chapter 3.3 ofMellanox_OFED_ESXi_User_Manual_v2.4.0 you'll find a detailed description on how to set SR-IOV on the esxi[
[Q] - In a physical host running ESXi 6.0u2 (or eventually lower), is it possible to mix ConnectIB, ConnectX-3 and ConnectX-2 adapters where some adapters are passed-through entirely to one VM ?
[A] - Basically it is feasible but it is not recommended at all to do do. the reason is because it involves burning new & old fw on the different old & new adapters, and the other drawback is that you'll have one precisely mach the proper/common mlnx_ofed driver that can handle all the "mixed" firmwares.
[Q] - Is there by any chance a script to clean up an ESXi host of all previous Mellanox and OFED drivers completely… ? Indeed, each installation requires a manual removal of each module, which is very time consuming. This is especially true when updating the ESXi hosts and the drivers having to be uninstalled before the update and reinstalled after the update due to the strict acceptance level of the ESXi update process.
[A] I certainly understand what you mean, but I'm not aware of any script that we use to clean up the older modules in one shut...we selectively remove them prior installing the new driver...this is the securest way to ensure all "leftovers" are removed