Ethernet EEE link flapping and stability fix

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wtcross

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Jun 24, 2026
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The MSI EdgeXpert has an onboard Realtek 10G NIC, which is driven by the in-tree r8169 kernel module. I was experiencing a very odd issue where the NIC would (seemingly) randomly cycle its link up and down. This would happen at the most inconvenient times on both DGX OS (Ubuntu) and RHEL.

It turns out that this was because of Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE) and an issue in the r8169 module. Disabling EEE persistently, across reboots, has resolved the issue. Pinning link speed to the maximum speed supported by both ends of the ethernet connection has removed any stability issues.

I have seen several posts in the community suggesting swapping to a different kernel module. I do not recommend that and wanted to share this tip in case anyone else is experiencing the issue. More detailed write-up on this fix here:
gist.github.com

MSI EdgeXpert ethernet EEE link flapping fix

MSI EdgeXpert ethernet EEE link flapping fix. GitHub Gist: instantly share code, notes, and snippets.
gist.github.com gist.github.com
 
Thank you for sharing this — very helpful for the community.

We have noted the EEE link flapping behavior and will report it internally. Any official updates will be communicated through official channels.

Appreciate the contribution!
 
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