Identify Mellanox Interface Models from Linux and PCI Data

💡 Quick Answer: Map each interface with readlink -f /sys/class/net/<iface>/device, then run lspci -nn -s <pci> and ethtool -i <iface> to identify model and firmware before writing SR-IOV selectors.

Correct NIC model mapping prevents wrong SR-IOV policy selectors.

Collect Interface-to-PCI Mapping

for iface in eno16995np0 eno17095np0 eno17195np0; do
  echo "=== $iface ==="
  pci=$(basename "$(readlink -f /sys/class/net/$iface/device)")
  echo "PCI: $pci"
  lspci -nn -s "$pci"
  ethtool -i "$iface" | grep -E 'driver|firmware-version|bus-info'
done

Build a Mapping Table

Capture at least:

• Interface name
• PCI address
• Vendor/device ID (15b3:xxxx)
• Driver (mlx5_core)
• Firmware version

Use Mapping in Policies

Prefer rootDevices + deviceID selectors:

nicSelector:
  rootDevices:
    - "0000:b5:00.0"
  vendor: "15b3"
  deviceID: "1021"

Why This Matters

• Prevents selecting bonded or unrelated interfaces.
• Reduces webhook admission errors.
• Makes policy behavior deterministic across reboots and renames.