Intel i217-LM network adapter dropping connections
Issue: You notice intermittant drops in connections on the network, slow network connection or complete loss of connection.
Affected: Intel i217-LM NIC (Used by HP, Lenovo, Dell in their recent Desktops)
If you have a lenovo. HP or Dell business class desktop, it’s very likely that you have an Intel i217-LM network adapter. With more expensive switches you will be able to detect what is happening. If you are using a less expensive switch then you’re wondering what is going on.
Cause: The i217-LM is causing an ICMPv6 multicast storm.
Fixes:
If you are using a Cisco switch. They recommended adding the command: “ipv6 mld snooping” (without the quotes). When MLD snooping is enabled, a per-VLAN IPv6 multicast address table is constructed in software and hardware. The switch then performs IPv6 multicast-address based bridging in hardware, avoiding to be processed by software.
I recommend enabling a broadcast storm control on your switches. The interface-level command is “storm-control broadcast level xx”. (xx is the percentage you want). This will never completely block ou the port for obvious reasons.
Download and install the latest drivers from Intel.