[Bug] TS-h973AX – AQC107 10GbE missing after firmware update – No PCIe enumeration, no support escalation

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1

Device: QNAP TS-h973AX
Issue: 10GbE (AQC107) no longer visible after firmware upgrade
Firmware tested:

  • h5.2.7.3256

  • h5.2.0.2860 (downgrade)

  • h5.3.1.3250 (upgrade)
    → The issue persists identically across all versions.

Symptoms:

  • lspci: No AQC107 device visible

  • dmesg: No NIC-related output

  • modprobe atlantic: Loads cleanly, but no effect

  • ip link: Only 2.5GbE interfaces available

  • No AER/PCIe errors in logs

A full technical diagnosis (PDF + text) is attached, including kernel version, module status, and hardware state.

:red_exclamation_mark: Critical Situation

This system is used professionally in a production environment and the 10GbE port is essential.

I have been in contact with QNAP Germany Support for over four weeks. Despite multiple escalations and full diagnostics, the only response has been:

  • To insist the issue is a hardware failure

  • No technical reasoning or logs were provided

  • Remote access (via Helpdesk) was enabled twice but never used

  • No log files or test results were shared from their side

  • I was told to send in the device for paid repair – despite no evidence of physical fault

I explicitly asked QNAP Germany to forward the case to Taiwan’s development team. This was either ignored or answered only with vague responses like “development says it’s hardware” – again, with no technical basis.

:brain: My Conclusion (and request)

This is clearly not a hardware defect:

  • No PCIe enumeration = firmware or initialization failure

  • Fully reproducible with multiple firmware versions

  • The atlantic driver exists and loads successfully

I kindly ask:

  • Other users with the same model or symptoms: Please share your experience.

  • QNAP staff: Please confirm whether this is a known regression and if a fix is planned in upcoming firmware (h5.3.2 / h5.3.3).

I have submitted the case again to QNAP Taiwan with the full diagnostics.
If anyone else encountered similar behavior, I’d appreciate your feedback.

Best regards,
Oliver Wiegmann
Reference ticket: Q-202509-43791

2

h5.3 is not a fully stable and finished release. Not all drivers or applications are supported. I have been told be at least one QNAP technician that the only reason to use h5.3 is if you want to take advantage of High Availability where you have a second identical NAS as a backup. I have been told that if you are not using High Availability that you should really stay with h5.2. h5.3 is a work in process.

3

Hi,

thank you very much for your valuable input regarding QuTS hero h5.3 – this is very helpful.

I’m currently dealing with a support case involving my QNAP TS-h973AX, where the onboard 10GbE interface (AQC107) has completely disappeared since upgrading to QuTS hero h5.2.7.3256. The interface no longer shows up at all – not in lspci, not in dmesg, and of course not in the web UI either – although the atlantic.ko driver module is present and correctly loaded.

:counterclockwise_arrows_button: What I’ve tried so far:

  • Downgraded to h5.2.0.2860

  • Upgraded to h5.3.1.3250

  • Multiple cold boots and full driver reinitialization (modprobe, insmod)

  • Enabled QNAP Helpdesk remote access twice

  • Result: The 10GbE port remains completely undetected on all versions.

QNAP Germany specifically recommended that I test h5.3.1, hoping this would resolve the issue. However, based on your feedback, it now seems that h5.3 is not considered stable or production-ready unless you’re using High Availability (HA) – which I am not.

That context helps make sense of what I’m seeing.

:red_question_mark: My question for you (or anyone with insight):

Have you (or anyone else) seen this issue with the AQC107 disappearing after firmware updates on this or related models (like TVS-h1288X)?
Do you happen to know of any workaround – like a manual reinstallation of the atlantic driver (e.g. .qpkg), a firmware sequence that avoids this, or low-level PCIe recovery steps?

Any advice or shared experience would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again,
Oliver

4

OK. If they are asking you to run h5.3.1 then I would try that. I was not aware based on your post that h5.2.7 had the issue as well. I misunderstood what you had written.

5

Good morning,

thank you for the clarification – and no worries at all!

Yes, unfortunately the issue already started with h5.2.7.3256. That was the first version where the AQC107 10GbE interface completely disappeared after the upgrade. I then tested both a downgrade to h5.2.0.2860 and an upgrade to h5.3.1.3250, but the result was exactly the same across all versions – the 10GbE port never reappears.

Your comment about h5.3 being primarily intended for HA setups was still incredibly helpful – especially since I’m not using High Availability. It confirmed for me that staying with h5.2 is actually the more stable choice for my environment, and that upgrading to h5.3 wouldn’t likely solve the issue.

:hammer_and_wrench: A note about the downgrade:

After trying h5.3.1.3250, I actually attempted to go back to h5.2.0, but this turned out to be problematic.
Although the downgrade itself completed, three essential system apps no longer functioned properly afterwards.
These apps were critical for the operating system’s stability and functionality, and even reinstalling them didn’t restore proper behavior.

As a result, I couldn’t maintain a working setup on h5.2 after downgrading from h5.3.

:chart_decreasing: Regarding QNAP Support (Germany):

Unfortunately, the German QNAP support keeps insisting that this is a hardware issue, and they are urging me to send in the device for repair – even though:

  • I’ve provided detailed diagnostics (e.g., lspci, dmesg, ip link, driver info)

  • The issue occurs across multiple firmware versions

  • The NIC fails on PCIe level, not just at the OS or driver layer

  • There are no hardware errors or AER events

  • They have not addressed or responded to any of these findings in technical detail

They also had remote access to the NAS twice, but never used it to investigate or gather logs.

I’ve now escalated the case to QNAP Taiwan, including all diagnostic data, and I’ll post updates here if I receive any helpful feedback.

Thanks again for your support and helpful insight – it’s greatly appreciated!

Best regards,
Oliver

6

Hi, we’ve noted your case, and our Support Team will continue to assist you through that ticket.

If you have any further questions or issues, please feel free to let us know anytime. Thanks!

7

Thank you very much for your reply, Steve!

Unfortunately, I’m currently not receiving any real assistance from the QNAP Germany Support Team.
I’ve been in contact with them for about four weeks regarding my case (TS-h973AX – missing 10GbE AQC107 interface). Despite providing full diagnostic logs, multiple firmware tests, and even activating remote access twice, I’ve received no technical follow-up or detailed analysis.

Each response simply repeats that this is a hardware defect and that I should send in the NAS for repair — without any supporting data or log review.
When I ask for the test results or logs from their “internal verification,” they cannot provide any, and the remote access sessions were never actually used.

Additionally, when I try to open a new ticket in the Helpdesk system, I’m always redirected to the same closed thread, so there’s no effective way to escalate the issue.

At this point, I’m still looking for a technical contact — ideally in QNAP Taiwan or Engineering — who can review the diagnostic data and confirm whether this is indeed a hardware issue or a firmware/driver regression.

Thank you for your understanding and for taking note of this situation.

Best regards,
Oliver