X11 systems with dual CPU sockets do not support 10/100Mb link speed

X11 systems with dual CPU sockets do not support 10/100Mb link speed

If you try to connect the onboard Ethernet ports of various dual CPU socket X11 based systems to a 10/100Mb port, or via a 10/100Mb cable, it will NOT negotiate and no link lights will turn on.

According to Supermicro, the chipset specification changed for dual socket X11 boards  and they no longer support negotiating to 10/100Mb link speeds.

All X11 dual socket motherboard LAN port only support 1Gb (or 10Gb) network switch.
It is the specification of LAN chipset which did not support 100MB/10MB.

IPMI is out-of-band and uses a different chipset, so it still supports 10/100Mb link speeds.

X11 systems with a single CPU socket use the older chipset specification and still support 10/100Mb link speeds.

You can confirm it from the manual. The way they list it is unusual, for example, on X11DDW-L, the manual shows that the LED will be OFF if no connection or 10/100Mb. According to Supermicro, this means it is not supported.




Our engineering team recommends to either install a PCIe network card or, if  Gigabit speed is not required throughout the network, add a 1Gb switch to a 10/00Mb network and let the link between the 1Gb switch and the 10/100Mb network facilitate the link speed downgrade.

    • Related Articles

    • Update BIOS firmware on multiple systems at once using Supermicro Update Manager (SUM)

      One method to update BIOS and IPMI firmware remotely is via the Supermicro Update Manager command-line tool, a.k.a. "SUM". Before using SUM for BIOS updates, it is critical to ensure that all target systems are of the same motherboard model. If you ...

    • Storcli for FreeBSD and Other Operating Systems

      UPDATE (4/28/17): Broadcom acquired Avago since the time of the original publication of this article. To access Storcli and other "LSI" utilities, use the following link and select your product: https://www.broadcom.com/support/download-search ...

    • Requesting an RMA via Support@siliconmechanics.com

      Once you have determined that you need to request an RMA for a failed component, please open a case by emailing support@siliconmechanics.com and providing the relevant information according to the template below: Subject: RMA Request for SM<#> ...

    • Memory testing with Memtest86 MultiCore Mode.

      Create a bootable USB as directed below. Boot the system and run the default tests. Most memory issues will surface fairly quickly but let tests complete if CPU's are under suspicion. Download the attached ISO. Create Bootable USB from the ISO ...

    • Management Utilities Overview (LSI)

      If you are new to LSI MegaRAID and LSI SAS HBA controllers, this guide will provide a general overview of applicable management utilities and firmware flash utilities, and recommended usage scenarios for these tools. LSI MegaRAID Management ...