CWWK/Topton/... Nxxx quad NIC router

[jgreyz]

Hi,

I purchased a barebones CWWK with Model C case, which has arrived. I also purchased a Crucial 16GB RAM stick (model CT16G48C40S5, which has worked well for others in this thread) & a Team Group 256GB NVMe SSD (model TM8FP6256G0C101).

I'm having issues installing pfSense CE 2.7.2 on bare metal. It continues to give me some strange "checksum error" after going thru the ZFS partition menu...

As I was troubleshooting, I stumbled on this thread where someone was not able to install pfSense with the same NVMe drive I am having issues with. I plan to return this funky NVMe drive & will need to purchase one that does work. What NVMe drives are people using successfully with their CWWK boxes? Please include the part number.

Thanks for any help.

 

[zeroflow]

Motivated by the other posts about power usage, I'm trying to find what can be set up to reduce power draw with a bare metal pfSense installation.

• N100
• 8 GB Crucial 4800
• 128GB Patriot P300 M.2 SSD

Warning: This power meter is not calibrated, so the absolute amount can be off. But I trust the comparison between measurements.

Starting point: 17.4W

• Chipset > PCH-IO Config > PCI Express Configuration
  • DMI Link ASPM Control: Auto
  • Per Root Port: ASPM: Disabled -> Auto

Power: 13.9W (-3.5W / -20%, ASPM Settings did stick)

• Chipset > SATA > Sata Controllers: Enabled -> Disabled
• Chipset > HD Audio > Enabled -> Disabled
• Chipset > SCS > eMMC Controller: Enabled -> Disabled

Power: 13.9W

• Chipset > System Agent > PCI Express
  • Per Root Port > ASPM: Disabled -> L0sL1

Power: 13.7W (-0.2W / -1.4%)

• Advanced > Power & Performance > GT
  • RC6 (Render Standby): Disabled -> Enabled
  • Maximum GT Frequency: 200 MHz
• Advanced > Power & Performance > CPU
  • Boot Performance Mode: Turbo -> Max. Battery

Power: 13.2W (-0.5W / -3.6%)

Chipset > PCH-IO Config > PCI Express Configuration

• Chipset > PCH-IO Config > PCI Express Configuration
  • DMI Link ASPM Control: Auto -> L0sL1
  • Per Root Port: L1 Substates: L1.1 & L1.2

System fails to boot, CMOS reset needed
Restart Settings: PCIe ASPM Auto, GT Render Standby

Power: 13.4W with a reduction of 4W or -23% power draw.
The only thing I can add is, that the PCIe ASPM settings seem to keep applied for me.

 

[Foxandxss]

Motivated by the other posts about power usage, I'm trying to find what can be set up to reduce power draw with a bare metal pfSense installation.

• N100
• 8 GB Crucial 4800
• 128GB Patriot P300 M.2 SSD

Warning: This power meter is not calibrated, so the absolute amount can be off. But I trust the comparison between measurements.

Starting point: 17.4W

• Chipset > PCH-IO Config > PCI Express Configuration
  • DMI Link ASPM Control: Auto
  • Per Root Port: ASPM: Disabled -> Auto

Power: 13.9W (-3.5W / -20%, ASPM Settings did stick)

• Chipset > SATA > Sata Controllers: Enabled -> Disabled
• Chipset > HD Audio > Enabled -> Disabled
• Chipset > SCS > eMMC Controller: Enabled -> Disabled

Power: 13.9W

• Chipset > System Agent > PCI Express
  • Per Root Port > ASPM: Disabled -> L0sL1

Power: 13.7W (-0.2W / -1.4%)

• Advanced > Power & Performance > GT
  • RC6 (Render Standby): Disabled -> Enabled
  • Maximum GT Frequency: 200 MHz
• Advanced > Power & Performance > CPU
  • Boot Performance Mode: Turbo -> Max. Battery

Power: 13.2W (-0.5W / -3.6%)

Chipset > PCH-IO Config > PCI Express Configuration

• Chipset > PCH-IO Config > PCI Express Configuration
  • DMI Link ASPM Control: Auto -> L0sL1
  • Per Root Port: L1 Substates: L1.1 & L1.2

System fails to boot, CMOS reset needed
Restart Settings: PCIe ASPM Auto, GT Render Standby

Power: 13.4W with a reduction of 4W or -23% power draw.
The only thing I can add is, that the PCIe ASPM settings seem to keep applied for me.

Try adding a powersave governor, that should shave a bit more.

 

[SanFable]

Hello, two things to share:

If anyone was thinking to power their N100 off the PoE switch using PoE splitter (spoiler, I refused this idea after tests)
I have made video about that, comparing few PoE splitters, PSUs, calculating some things etc...

if tl;dw go to these chapters
23:03 Summary Table PoE Splitters and Conclusions
28:30 Summary Table PSU's





If anyone is thinking about PPPoE and CWWK with n100:

1. Create bridge to WAN
2. Add bridge to VM (use default VirtIO, not intel E1000)
3. unlocked multicore performance

Speedtest.net with result 2089Mbps download and 612Mbps upload utilizes around 60% of two cores.
I think there is no need to add more cores etc. I'm happy

 

[oeiknearf]

Motivated by the other posts about power usage, I'm trying to find what can be set up to reduce power draw with a bare metal pfSense installation.

• N100
• 8 GB Crucial 4800
• 128GB Patriot P300 M.2 SSD

Warning: This power meter is not calibrated, so the absolute amount can be off. But I trust the comparison between measurements.

Starting point: 17.4W

• Chipset > PCH-IO Config > PCI Express Configuration
  • DMI Link ASPM Control: Auto
  • Per Root Port: ASPM: Disabled -> Auto

Power: 13.9W (-3.5W / -20%, ASPM Settings did stick)

• Chipset > SATA > Sata Controllers: Enabled -> Disabled
• Chipset > HD Audio > Enabled -> Disabled
• Chipset > SCS > eMMC Controller: Enabled -> Disabled

Power: 13.9W

• Chipset > System Agent > PCI Express
  • Per Root Port > ASPM: Disabled -> L0sL1

Power: 13.7W (-0.2W / -1.4%)

• Advanced > Power & Performance > GT
  • RC6 (Render Standby): Disabled -> Enabled
  • Maximum GT Frequency: 200 MHz
• Advanced > Power & Performance > CPU
  • Boot Performance Mode: Turbo -> Max. Battery

Power: 13.2W (-0.5W / -3.6%)

Chipset > PCH-IO Config > PCI Express Configuration

• Chipset > PCH-IO Config > PCI Express Configuration
  • DMI Link ASPM Control: Auto -> L0sL1
  • Per Root Port: L1 Substates: L1.1 & L1.2

System fails to boot, CMOS reset needed
Restart Settings: PCIe ASPM Auto, GT Render Standby

Power: 13.4W with a reduction of 4W or -23% power draw.
The only thing I can add is, that the PCIe ASPM settings seem to keep applied for me.

setting all substates will not work, but it works on some ports.
i have actually tried all manner of combinations until i found a working combo. depends on the nvme and nics you actually use and the version of your machine so its not universal. you should check becks recommendations early in this thread.
also make sure to set the c-states. as noted by someone else, all of this really works its magic once powersave governor is set at os level.

 

[zeroflow]

Try adding a powersave governor, that should shave a bit more.

Thanks. I've not tried this, since pfSense has SpeedShift active by default which they claim overrules PowerD. So let's see:

• 13.5W - SpeedShift (Core Level, Preference 50 Default)
• 13.3W - SpeedShift (Core Level, Preference 100 Energy Efficiency)
• 13.4W - Speedshift + PowerD adaptive
• 13.5W - PowerD adaptive

 

[zeroflow]

setting all substates will not work, but it works on some ports.
i have actually tried all manner of combinations until i found a working combo. depends on the nvme and nics you actually use and the version of your machine so its not universal. you should check becks recommendations early in this thread.
also make sure to set the c-states. as noted by someone else, all of this really works its magic once powersave governor is set at os level.

Have you got any more info about which C-state settings you refer to?
What I can find is under Advanced > Power & Performance > CPU and it looks good by default

C-States: Enabled
Enhanced C-States: Enabled
C-State Auto Demotion: C1
C-State Un-demotion: C1
Package C-State Demotion: Enabled
Package C-State Un-demontion: Enabled
CState Pre-Wake Enabled
Package C State Limit: Auto

I tried changing Package C State Limit to C10 (max. value in list) did not change the power usage.

 

[Becks0815]

I'm having issues installing pfSense CE 2.7.2 on bare metal. It continues to give me some strange "checksum error" after going thru the ZFS partition menu...

Had the same issue with Opnsense, caused by BSD not recognizing the hardware. I ended in installing Proxmox and running Opnsense as VM.

 

[oeiknearf]

Have you got any more info about which C-state settings you refer to?
What I can find is under Advanced > Power & Performance > CPU and it looks good by default

C-States: Enabled
Enhanced C-States: Enabled
C-State Auto Demotion: C1
C-State Un-demotion: C1
Package C-State Demotion: Enabled
Package C-State Un-demontion: Enabled
CState Pre-Wake Enabled
Package C State Limit: Auto

I tried changing Package C State Limit to C10 (max. value in list) did not change the power usage.

I would need to check my settings again but i do have max c10 set and it works in conjunction with linux os powersave. Powertop shows higher c-states used. Freebsd might work differently though, since i virtualise proxmox i have no control over how its handled, pfsense doesnt even show speed shift options.

 

[jgreyz]

Is anyone in this thread running bare-metal pfSense on their N100 router? What NVMe drive are you using?

 

[jimmy_1969]

SSD Drive Installation Issue

TL;DR
SATA 3 port on motherboard cannot be used together with NWME M.2/Wifi/Bluetooth M.2 adaptor.

Background
Sharing this for anyone interested in using the SATA 3 port on the motherboard.

I have a mini PC from CMMK, model CW-AD4L-N v2, using latest BIOS ALN4L101 09/27/2023
It came with an adapter board with one NWME M.2 and one Wifi/Bluetooth M.2 slot.

I picked up a 256 GB SATA III SSD with M.2 interface on sale and a cheap SATA 3 to M.2 SSD adapter a while ago, and planned to use this as as a Proxmox VE boot drive. And use the NWME M.2 as data drive for Proxmox VE VMs/Containers.

SSD Drive Issue
After connecting the SSD drive and adapter using the SATA 3 cable that came with the Mini PC, the drive is not detected by the BIOS.
Checked in BIOS (menu Chipset PCH-IO/SATA Configuration), but SATA Port 0, 1 and 2 are all in state "empty". In order to rule out the SSD or adapter as being the root cause, I swapped the M.2 SSD for a working SSD SATA 3 drive from another host. But the issue persisted.


Resolution
Contacted CWWK support using their chat function who informed me that the motherboard supports either wifi or SATA SSD. Removing the original NWME & Wifi/Bluetooth adapter board resolved the issue. The SSD is properly detected by BIOS connected to SATA Port 1.


Below is a picture of the new hardware configuration with the removed adapter board on the side.

 

[Stovar]

Is anyone in this thread running bare-metal pfSense on their N100 router? What NVMe drive are you using?

See becks reply to your other post above since it maybe easier that way, I have recently tested my cwwk v5 N5105 units and also N100 topton units and boy are they are fussy with certain branded nvmes, I found patriot and gigabyte nvme drives were giving issue with no power or display with them installed. Soon as I tried an very old Intel 600p nvme 256gig stick it worked on both units fine.

I posted the info just on the last page here

I don't want to give an 100% yes that Intel 600p or other Intel nvmes will work, since it may not so its sort of a trial and error thing, you may need to try 2-3 or even 4-5 nvmes to find a good one that just works. It does feel to me though Intel and perhaps Samsung nvme branded products may work, might be worth borrowing or trying any you currently have or use a company with decent returns policy, I ended up buying used/clearance amazon nvmes so that way could easily return any that did not work.

 

[MinixMark]

Ask and you shall receive.......... the user manual for x86-P5 aka CW-X86-P5 aka CW-ADLNT-1C2L, useful especially for pin-outs and jumpers


CW-X86-P5-Chinese.pdf - original pdf file


CW-X86-P5-English.pdf - translated from Chinese to English with Google Translate


uploaded to gofile because the forum doesn't accept large files

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Hi!
Could you share this PDF translated to english again? I just received my x86-P5 but it lacks information. Your link expired. Thanks in advance!
grtz
Mark

 

[metlrise]

Here you go, but remember the user manual is for CW-X86-P5 v1, other users received a newer version v2.

If you ordered from aliexpress you can send a message to the store, they will ask for a email address where to send the pdf file

Gofile - Free Unlimited File Sharing and Storage

Gofile is a free, secure file sharing and storage platform. With unlimited bandwidth and storage, you can easily store and share files of any type without any limits. Our advanced features, such as CDN support and password protection, make Gofile the ideal choice for individuals and businesses...

gofile.io

 

[metlrise]

Hi,

I purchased a barebones CWWK with Model C case, which has arrived. I also purchased a Crucial 16GB RAM stick (model CT16G48C40S5, which has worked well for others in this thread) & a Team Group 256GB NVMe SSD (model TM8FP6256G0C101).

I'm having issues installing pfSense CE 2.7.2 on bare metal. It continues to give me some strange "checksum error" after going thru the ZFS partition menu...

As I was troubleshooting, I stumbled on this thread where someone was not able to install pfSense with the same NVMe drive I am having issues with. I plan to return this funky NVMe drive & will need to purchase one that does work. What NVMe drives are people using successfully with their CWWK boxes? Please include the part number.

Thanks for any help.

For X86-P5

Win11 (usb installation drive created with rufus without the TPM requirement) Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1TB (MZ-V7S1T0BW)

Proxmox with SK hynix Gold P31 1TB (SHGP31-1000GM)

 

[Becks0815]

Motivated by the other posts about power usage, I'm trying to find what can be set up to reduce power draw

Turn off SATA and any other unneeded hardware. If you have time, then you can try which PCIe slot is attached to which hardware. You can e.g. shut down one or two NICs if you run bare metal pfsense, and you might want to cut off one NVME device if you only use a single drive.

Then unplug any unneeded stuff from USB and also disconnect the monitor.

 

[mavrrick]

Something else to consider if you are tryig to get absolute lowest power is to replace the power supply. The power supply unit i got with my unit draws 3 watts even if the Mini PC is unplugged. If that is just phantom power draw a new unit that is more efficient may reduce that usage considerably.

Keep in mind as well that power draw is largly dependent on what you have attached. My unit runs around 13-15 watts, but also has 4 nvme drives attached. So when taking that number disconnect as much as possible to check it and see what the draw is. Then add them back in to see what your components add to the unit. As previously stated as well if you can turn stuff off in bios that will help as well.

 

[MinixMark]

Here you go, but remember the user manual is for CW-X86-P5 v1, other users received a newer version v2.

If you ordered from aliexpress you can send a message to the store, they will ask for a email address where to send the pdf file

Gofile - Free Unlimited File Sharing and Storage

Gofile is a free, secure file sharing and storage platform. With unlimited bandwidth and storage, you can easily store and share files of any type without any limits. Our advanced features, such as CDN support and password protection, make Gofile the ideal choice for individuals and businesses...

gofile.io

Awesome!
yes i have V2 but this is already very helpfull! Thanks man!

Still not able to turn it on, i think it is because i have a unsupported memory module, it is a Vengeance 32Gb DDR5 4800Mhz So-Dimm module. do i need to swap to another memory module and change some bios settings to be able to accept this? It wont even boot, or show Bios setup...

 

[metlrise]

I had the same experience when I first turned it on, my first reaction was its DOA or bad RAM, but after leaving the unit powered on with only the HDMI cable and keyboard connected (at that time I've didn't connect any NVME drive)........ after a few minutes....BEEP and image on the monitor.

 

[Stovar]

Yes this is something not always mentioned, these mini routers sometimes you can switch it on and get no display sometimes, had to wait a good 1-2 minutes once, but oddly afterwards it boots up fine after like 5-10 secs. This happen on both a cwwk replacement mobo and an topton N100 brand new unit.

We are also seeing quite a fair mention of actual blank screens or no hdmi display, its always a good idea to try different hdmi cables or display port cables and then try it on different monitors or tvs or use a hdmi to vga/dvi adaptor on a very old vga monitor.

These mini routers are really hit and miss with hardware compatibility and not sure their bio's are all that compatible either.