Changing fan speeds for X9/X10 series boards
To adjust your fan speed profile, you can use either Supermicro's IPMICFG, or set it from the IPMI web interface. You will typically be given three to five fan speed modes to choose from.
The Standard Speed profile is temperature controlled, with a base fan speed at 50% PWM duty cycle. This means that fan speeds will be between 50-100%, depending on system temperature.
The Optimal Speed profile is also temperature controlled, but with a base fan speed at 30% PWM duty cycle, broadening the span to 30-100% to allow the system to save energy while idle.
The Heavy IO profile sets 75% PWM duty cycle for fans attached to fan headers FAN A and FAN B, which typically blow on the PCI slots. This mode also uses the Standard mode to manage fans that cool the CPU/RAM.
The PUE Optimal profile is a power saving mode for select motherboards that lowers the fan speeds and power consumption as often as possible, similar to the Optimal profile, but prioritizes low power consumption over performance.
The Full Speed profile sets the fans to run constantly at full speed.
To set with IPMICFG, get the current status of the fan mode:
ipmicfg -fan
This should display the current fan mode, and will also list the available modes to choose from. Once you've decided on the desired fan speed mode, set it with the following command:
ipmicfg -fan <n>
Where n is the integer that corresponds to your desired fan speed mode.
Note: If you have set up IPMI to disable anonymous logins, or changed the default administrator password, then you will need to use a tool that supports advanced security settings, such as ipmitool.
When using ipmitool to set fan speeds, you can send it in the form of a raw command instead. IPMICFG will still be able to display available fan modes, if you are not sure which modes your board supports. Example raw command:
# ipmitool raw 0x30 0x45 1 <n>
To send this command remotely to a system, add the necessary options for a remote login:
# ipmitool -I lanplus -H <hostname or IP> -U <user name> -P <password> raw 0x30 0x45 1 <n>
To set from the IPMI web interface, connect to the system by entering its IP address into the web browser on a client system.
Navigate to Configuration > Fan Mode Setting. Choose the desired setting, then click on Save to apply the new fan speed mode.
An example screenshot for a X9DRW-3F board is shown below.
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