Intel 82599ES Transceiver Compatability (SFP to RJ45 1G)

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Markess

Well-Known Member
May 19, 2018
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I've got a Foxconn T2491602 (similar to Inventec B800) with dual onboard Intel 82599, but no RJ45 jacks other than the management port. I'm going to use it in my home office and wanted to add a Gigabit connection (for the home network) as well as the 10G which is direct connected to another machine.

I've read that, at least for 10G transceivers, these Intel are pretty picky. Has anyone got any knowledge on how/if these work with SFP transceivers for Gigabit Copper RJ45, and if so are there brands to look for/avoid. Are there any issues with one port running at 10G and the other at 1G?

Or am I better off just getting a network card and giving up a PCIe slot? I'd prefer not to do that though, as there's only two PCIe to start with.

Thanks!
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RTM

Well-Known Member
Jan 26, 2014
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What OS do you intend to run?

My understanding is that the SFP lock is not applicable to Linux, as there is a flag or something you can set to allow "unsupported SFPs".

If not, and you are having issues, the following might work:
https://forums.servethehome.com/ind...-eeprom-to-unlock-all-sfp-transceivers.24634/

Of course no guarantees, but the 82599 controller is the one used on the X520, so perhaps it'll work.

Another option, is just to buy a cheap switch that has a couple of 10G ports, like the Mikrotik CRS326/CSS326.
 

Markess

Well-Known Member
May 19, 2018
1,146
761
113
Northern California
What OS do you intend to run?

My understanding is that the SFP lock is not applicable to Linux, as there is a flag or something you can set to allow "unsupported SFPs".

If not, and you are having issues, the following might work:
https://forums.servethehome.com/ind...-eeprom-to-unlock-all-sfp-transceivers.24634/

Of course no guarantees, but the 82599 controller is the one used on the X520, so perhaps it'll work.

Another option, is just to buy a cheap switch that has a couple of 10G ports, like the Mikrotik CRS326/CSS326.
Well, I was planning to use ESXi (free) but suppose I could go with Proxmox if necessary, as its Linux underneath.

I actually have a switch already (Aruba S3500), but pulled it recently. After doing a bit of consolidating with VMs, I anticipate having only two machines using a 10G connection between each other so I'm hoping a DAC cable will do for that. I could put the switch back, but too many boxes in this small room was making for a lot of heat and noise!

Poking around further, forum member @fake-name did some posts about a completely different board, but also Inventec, with an onboard 82599EN (the single port version of this chip) and seems to have had some luck with a 10GTek transceiver. I think I'll go hunting for one of those. https://forums.servethehome.com/ind...boards-10gbe-and-4x-sas-ports-20.21541/page-3
 

Markess

Well-Known Member
May 19, 2018
1,146
761
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Northern California
The one I have came from amazon, FWIW. It was a https://www.amazon.com/10Gtek-Ubiquiti-UF-RJ45-1G-Transceiver-1000Base-T/dp/B01FRQJ3O0/

> "SFP to RJ45 Copper Module - 1000BASE-T Mini-GBIC Gigabit Transceiver for Intel E1GSFPT-A, up to 100m"

ASIN B01FRQJ3O0
Thanks. Ordered one.

I didn't have an issue connecting on the second 10G port @10G with a $4 used AOI optical transceiver. This is supposedly impossible with actual Intel cards, like the X520. So maybe there's less restrictions in place with an Intel chip on somebody else's motherboard?
 

Markess

Well-Known Member
May 19, 2018
1,146
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Northern California
Posting an update to close the loop in case anyone finds this thread on a search. I ordered the 10Gtek transceiver in the link above. The one I got is an ASF-GE-T as marked on the transceiver shell. It worked right out of the box with Linux. No configuration or drivers required.