Network Installation Manager (NIM) install fails when using SR-IOV vNIC Mellanox devices

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Environment

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 Service Pack 3 (SLES 12 SP3)
IBM POWER9

Situation

Attempting a NIM installation of SLES 12 SP3 using an SR-IOV (Single Root I/O Virtualization) vNIC (virtual Network Interface Controller) interface configured with a Mellanox adapter results in unexpected behavior or failure to complete installation on POWER9.

Resolution

The installation can be done using an alternative device, such as a virtual ethernet adapter. After the installation is complete, a vNIC interface using a Mellanox device can be configured as normal.

Cause

This installation setup is not supported for POWER9 at this time.

Disclaimer

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