When you use the http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E86824_01/html/E54764/ifconfig-1m.html#scrolltocifconfig(1M) or ipadm(1M) man pages and you see an error message similar to the sample below, perform these steps:
... cannot open i40e0; link doesn't exist ...
Use the ipadm(1M) command to plumb the driver. Refer to the Oracle Solaris ipadm(1M) man page for instructions.
Removing a device and reseating it in another slot does not always clean up the device tree. If this is the case, you must remove the device tree and reboot the server. For more information, refer to the Managing Network Virtualization and Network Resources in Oracle Solaris 11.3.