Fujitsu TX1320 M3 - Cheap low power server (barebone)

[luckylinux]

My 1240 v6 is hovering around 80 under high usage so no worries. There is setting in the BIOS for faster CPU fan speed.
Keep in mind that this will just set minimum fan speed to 50% (iirc).
You have to acquire a valid iRMC license to enable remote console.

Oh yeah, extremely annoying on Full which is probably more like 70-80% or so .

Sad that there is no /sys Interface like on e.g. ASUS Consumer Motherboards where you could just do it like

# Set Fans to Fixed Speed
speedreference="225"
mapfile -t fans < <( find /sys -iwholename *hwmon/*pwm* | grep -E "[0-9]$" )
for fan in "${fans[@]}"
do
    # Set to Manual Control Mode
    echo "1" > ${fan}_enable

    # Set Duty Cycle / Speed Reference (0 = Stopped, 255 = Max Speed)
    echo "${speedreference}" > ${fan}
done

I guess it's similar to Supermicro but I would need to Reverse Engineer the Registers to enable Variable Speed Mode.

On the Supermicro I wrote a Python Tool based on B3N Script. I later discovered there was at least a few others around .

At first glance it looks like there aren't many References for ipmitool raw Registers for Fujitsu, so that we could set the Duty Cycle for Variable Fan Speed. And I don't really know how to reverse engineer that ...

 

[celemine1gig]

Ah, OK, I guess you moved to something more Powerful. I'm also starting setting up some AMD Ryzen (mostly 2nd Hand Parts) Systems that have like 2-4 x more CPU Power .

NOT all PCIe Slots are populated though

-[0000:00]-+-00.0  Intel Corporation Xeon E3-1200 v6/7th Gen Core Processor Host Bridge/DRAM Registers
           +-01.0-[01]--+-00.0  Mellanox Technologies MT27710 Family [ConnectX-4 Lx]
           |            \-00.1  Mellanox Technologies MT27710 Family [ConnectX-4 Lx]
           +-14.0  Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family USB 3.0 xHCI Controller
           +-14.2  Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family Thermal Subsystem
           +-16.0  Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family MEI Controller #1
           +-16.1  Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family MEI Controller #2
           +-17.0  Intel Corporation Q170/Q150/B150/H170/H110/Z170/CM236 Chipset SATA Controller [AHCI Mode]
           +-1c.0-[02]--+-00.0  Matrox Electronics Systems Ltd. MGA G200e [Pilot] ServerEngines (SEP1)
           |            \-00.1  Emulex Corporation ServerView iRMC HTI
           +-1c.5-[03]----00.0  Intel Corporation I210 Gigabit Network Connection
           +-1c.6-[04]----00.0  Intel Corporation I210 Gigabit Network Connection
           +-1d.0-[05]--+-00.0  Intel Corporation I350 Gigabit Network Connection
           |            +-00.1  Intel Corporation I350 Gigabit Network Connection
           |            +-00.2  Intel Corporation I350 Gigabit Network Connection
           |            \-00.3  Intel Corporation I350 Gigabit Network Connection
           +-1f.0  Intel Corporation C236 Chipset LPC/eSPI Controller
           +-1f.2  Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family Power Management Controller
           \-1f.4  Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family SMBus

Not exactly what I was expecting.

I guess everything 1X (like onboard NIC, Matrox VGA, etc) are on the Chipset and everything 0X is directly CPU connected. I would have expected an extra Tree Level / Branch for the Chipset though.

But 1c.# corresponds to the PCIe Root Port #, so that is at least an Exception to what I said above.

It does look a bit weird. Maybe depending on the actual "lspci" version.
I would have expected this for the PEG ports (so both x8 ports):

00:01.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 6th-9th Gen Core Processor PCIe Controller
00:01.1 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Xeon E3-1200 v5/E3-1500 v5/6th Gen Core Processor PCIe Controller

With the focus on two things:
1.) The PEG ports are listed with lower functions, than the PCH ports! So, "00:01.x"=PEG vs. "00:1x.x"=PCH.
2.) It actually says "Core Processor PCIe Controller" in the description text (if available), which is the PEG.
It is not THAT clear in your example, but you can still see that your Mellanox card is connected to "00:01.0", or in other words, PEG0.
As the PEG can be bifurcated into 3 parts (1x8 and 2x4) at max, you can also have PEG1 (00:01.1) and PEG2 (00:01.2).
The unused ports just don't get displayed.

And like you already realized, the PCH ports have 2 points to identify:
1.) The PCH ports are listed with higher functions, than the PEG ports (00:1x.x)!
2.) It actually says " C230 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port" in the description text, which is a PCH port.
See here for details:

https://cdrdv2-public.intel.com/332691/100-series-chipset-datasheet-vol-2.pdf

Starting page 830, here is a quote for a better understanding:

12.1 PCI Express* Port Configuration Registers
Summary
There are twenty sets of the following configuration registers used for PCH PCI
Express* Port Configurations. Each PCH PCI Express* Configuration Register set covers
a single PCI Express* Port and maps out as the following Device/Function:
D28/F0 = Port1
D28/F1 = Port2
D28/F2 = Port3
D28/F3 = Port4
D28/F4 = Port5
D28/F5 = Port6
D28/F6 = Port7
D28/F7 = Port8
D29/F0 = Port9
D29/F1 = Port10
D29/F2 = Port11
D29/F3 = Port12
D29/F4 = Port13
D29/F5 = Port14
D29/F6 = Port15
D29/F7 = Port16
D27/F0 = Port17
D27/F1 = Port18
D27/F2 = Port19
D27/F3 = Port20

In your example lspci output it shows "1c.0", "1c.5", "1c.6" and finally "1d.0".
That means (with reference to the intel document above) you see:
- "1c.0" = 16 + 12, Function 0 = 28, Function 0 = Port 1 : Internal Matrox BMC graphics chip
- "1c.5" = 16 + 12, Function 5 = 28, Function 5 = Port 6 : On-board Intel i210 #1
- "1c.6" = 16 + 12, Function 6 = 28, Function 6 = Port 7 : On-board Intel i210 #2
- "1d.0" = 16 + 13, Function 0 = 29, Function 0 = Port 9 : Intel i350, as connected by you.

Yeah from the US it's quite good at Times, if I can manage to pass the Order via eBay (I usually ALWAYS get denied, maybe it worked because I sent them an Offer instead of putting the Article in my Cart, when it ALWAYS get blocked at Checkout stating that it cannot be delivered to my Country) .

Otherwise I got 25-40 EUR / Piece Deal on the Mellanox ConnectX-4 LX from UK, which is why it would be good to use them, if I can get ASPM to work correctly .

I am not sure, as I never owned a ConnectX-4, however from what I read (before getting the X710 in the end), the cards simply don't seem to support it. Why, no idea! But so far I did not find a single story, where someone used ConnectX-4 with active and working (!) ASPM.
The following reads somewhat ambiguous. At first it mentions working ASPM, but then says it doesn't do anything, concerning lower power consumption:

Connectx-4 Lx 2x 25GbE with ASPM support + idle power consumption measurements

I’ve recently got myself 2 Connectx-4 Lx cards. I wanted to replace very sketchy connectx-3 cards. (OCP2.0 cards on pcie adapters which negotiate only pcie3x2 D:) I’ve found decent cards on aliexpress for 62 EUR without taxes. It’s a steal at that price. Out of the box card didn’t support...

forum.level1techs.com

Weird stuff!

 

[luckylinux]

To lower the CPU Temperature a bit, I looked into:

Lower the Minimum CPU Frequency (otherwise I'm stuck at 4.2GHz all the Time):

cpupower frequency-set -d 0.8GHz

Lower the Maximum CPU Frequency:

cpupower frequency-set -u 3.6GHz

Install undervolt Tool (Official Repository):

python3 -m venv /opt/undervolt
source /opt/undervolt/bin/activate
python3 -m pip install --upgrade pip
pip install undervolt

Then undervolt a bit (I tried 80mV on both Core and Cache, it seems to work OK so far):

undervolt --core -80 --cache -80

Like this I lowered the Maximum from 80-82°C to approx. 60°C .

 

[hmartin]

Slot 3 is a PCH port and can be further bifurcated. If you have full access to the BIOS flash descriptor (i.e. Programmer ready and direct flash access). This way I had an Intel Optane H20 drive in PCIe 2x2 config running in their.

Do you have a source for a PCIe x4->x2x2 bifurcation adapter? Or it's just a function of the H20 to split the NVMe lanes internally to x2x2?

Does somebody know if it support 32GB UDIMM ECC modules ?

It does not, see my blog post:

For those looking to install 32GB unbuffered DIMMs, unfortunately there is no support for that on the TX1320 M3. The capacity is recognized, and I was able to open UEFI Setup, as well as boot the Arch Linux installer, however if the CPU addresses beyond 16GB a non-maskable interrupt (NMI) is generated and the system halts.

Fujitsu TX1320 M3 does NOT like Xeon E3 CPUs with Integrated Graphics (E3-12x5 v6)

The iGPU is not supported and cannot be enabled, see https://www.reddit.com/r/homelab/comments/1138pdy

Theoretically, one of those ports (which one, depends on the question of enabling lane reversal or not) could be further split into 2x4, as the PEG supports 1x8 and 2x4.

The PEG can be split into x8x4x4. Slot 3 PCIe x8 becomes x4x4. No lane reversal is required.

# lspci
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Xeon E3-1200 v5/E3-1500 v5/6th Gen Core Processor Host Bridge/DRAM Registers (rev 07)
00:01.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 6th-10th Gen Core Processor PCIe Controller (x16) (rev 07)
00:01.1 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Xeon E3-1200 v5/E3-1500 v5/6th Gen Core Processor PCIe Controller (x8) (rev 07)
00:01.2 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Xeon E3-1200 v5/E3-1500 v5/6th Gen Core Processor PCIe Controller (x4) (rev 07)
00:14.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family USB 3.0 xHCI Controller (rev 31)
00:14.2 Signal processing controller: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family Thermal Subsystem (rev 31)
00:16.0 Communication controller: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family MEI Controller #1 (rev 31)
00:16.1 Communication controller: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family MEI Controller #2 (rev 31)
00:17.0 SATA controller: Intel Corporation Q170/Q150/B150/H170/H110/Z170/CM236 Chipset SATA Controller [AHCI Mode] (rev 31)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port #5 (rev f1)
00:1c.5 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port #6 (rev f1)
00:1c.6 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port #7 (rev f1)
00:1d.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port #9 (rev f1)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation C236 Chipset LPC/eSPI Controller (rev 31)
00:1f.2 Memory controller: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family Power Management Controller (rev 31)
00:1f.4 SMBus: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family SMBus (rev 31)
01:00.0 Ethernet controller: Mellanox Technologies MT27520 Family [ConnectX-3 Pro]  # <------------ PCIe Slot 4 (x8)
02:00.0 Non-Volatile memory controller: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd NVMe SSD Controller 980 (DRAM-less) # <------------ PCIe Slot 3 (x4)
03:00.0 Non-Volatile memory controller: KIOXIA Corporation NVMe SSD Controller BG4 (DRAM-less) # <------------ PCIe Slot 3 (x4)
04:00.0 VGA compatible controller: Matrox Electronics Systems Ltd. MGA G200e [Pilot] ServerEngines (SEP1) (rev 05)
04:00.1 Co-processor: Emulex Corporation ServerView iRMC HTI
05:00.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation I210 Gigabit Network Connection (rev 03)
06:00.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation I210 Gigabit Network Connection (rev 03)

 

[luckylinux]

I was playing a bit around Yesterday and Today.

So far I must say I'm quite DISAPPOINTED.

I just upgraded the BIOS and iRMC to the latest Version:
- BIOS: BIOS_V5.0.0.11_R1.39.0_2024-08-19
- iRMC: iRMC_D3373-B1_09.69F_sdr03.18

The BIOS Options are EXTREMELY limited.

ASPM is set to Auto (only L0s/Auto/Disabled are available as Option), yet the is extremely limited in Terms of what can be done.

- With no PCIe Devices -> CPU Package PC7s without Issues (Idle Power Consumption around 10W)
- With 1 x Mellanox ConnectX-4 LX + 1 x Intel i350-T4 -> CPU Package PC3 (Idle Power Consumption around 25-30W)

Of course this seems to be due to buggy BIOS:

[    0.000000] Command line: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-6.11.5+bpo-amd64 root=UUID=afadc67e-4b3e-40e8-bf24-9b1c9a25f39a ro pcie_aspm=force quiet pci=realloc=off mpt3sas.msix_disable=1 pcie_aspm=force
[    0.014910] Kernel command line: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-6.11.5+bpo-amd64 root=UUID=afadc67e-4b3e-40e8-bf24-9b1c9a25f39a ro pcie_aspm=force quiet pci=realloc=off mpt3sas.msix_disable=1 pcie_aspm=force
[    0.014944] PCIe ASPM is forcibly enabled
[    0.014985] PCIe ASPM is forcibly enabled
[    0.180233] ACPI FADT declares the system doesn't support PCIe ASPM, so disable it
[    0.241658] acpi PNP0A08:00: _OSC: OS supports [ExtendedConfig ASPM ClockPM Segments MSI HPX-Type3]
[    0.243589] acpi PNP0A08:00: FADT indicates ASPM is unsupported, using BIOS configuration

Which I can bypass, but even then, something seems off for the Intel i350-T4, which really does NOT want to work with ASPM.
On the Supermicro X11SSL-F I had no problems to do that (it required pcie_aspm=force as Boot Parameters).
On this Fujitsu Motherboard no luck.

I guess I'll try another PCIe Slot.

EDIT 1: No, no Luck with the Mellanox ConnectX-4 LX. And compared to the Supermicro X11SSL-F, this board doesn't have a PCH x4 in x8 Slot (it's NOT open-ended unlike the Blue ones). The Intel X710-DA2 works out of the Box as usual ...

EDIT 2: with Intel X710-DA2, Standby (OFF) Power Consumption 7W (with 1 x SFP+ SMF LR Fiber Transceiver)

EDIT 3: with Intel X710-DA2, Idle Power Consumption 20W-25W (with 1 x SFP+ SMF LR Fiber Transceiver) ... So even though ASPM works here (compared to the Mellanox ConnectX-4 LX), the Power Consumption is not *that* much Lower. Nowhere near the 10W or so Idle that some Users reported here .

EDIT 4: to be clear, with the Intel X710-DA2, I can get as low as PC6/PC7, so ASPM behaves better compared as with the Mellanox ConnectX-4 (Stuck in PC3). Problem is that this doesn't translate into significant Power Savings at all

 

[celemine1gig]

Do you have a source for a PCIe x4->x2x2 bifurcation adapter? Or it's just a function of the H20 to split the NVMe lanes internally to x2x2?

I also had that thought, but sadly could not find anything, that would be ready to use, right away.
The Intel H20 Optane is a special case: It is two NVMes on one M.2 PCB, basically. Both occupying a x2 link.

What might work somehow is getting two like this

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005008678151438.html

and then rewiring/resoldering them from one x4 slot connector into two physical x2 (electrical, but physical x4) ports.

It does not, see my blog post:

This here might be interesting:

[Guide] How to make Z370 chipset MBs compatible with 128GB RAM

@bios_guy May Mac OS need Intel ME not been disabled. But ME on 22nm PCH now won’t let us use 128G RAM.

winraid.level1techs.com

It might even work for the C236 on the TX1320. As far as I remember, the CoffeTime tool for modding a BIOS with CoffeeLake support (which by the way works on the TX1320), can add this patch for 32GB DIMM support. If it works though, I don't know, as I never tried.

The PEG can be split into x8x4x4. Slot 3 PCIe x8 becomes x4x4. No lane reversal is required.

# lspci
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Xeon E3-1200 v5/E3-1500 v5/6th Gen Core Processor Host Bridge/DRAM Registers (rev 07)
00:01.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 6th-10th Gen Core Processor PCIe Controller (x16) (rev 07)
00:01.1 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Xeon E3-1200 v5/E3-1500 v5/6th Gen Core Processor PCIe Controller (x8) (rev 07)
00:01.2 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Xeon E3-1200 v5/E3-1500 v5/6th Gen Core Processor PCIe Controller (x4) (rev 07)
00:14.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family USB 3.0 xHCI Controller (rev 31)
00:14.2 Signal processing controller: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family Thermal Subsystem (rev 31)
00:16.0 Communication controller: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family MEI Controller #1 (rev 31)
00:16.1 Communication controller: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family MEI Controller #2 (rev 31)
00:17.0 SATA controller: Intel Corporation Q170/Q150/B150/H170/H110/Z170/CM236 Chipset SATA Controller [AHCI Mode] (rev 31)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port #5 (rev f1)
00:1c.5 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port #6 (rev f1)
00:1c.6 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port #7 (rev f1)
00:1d.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port #9 (rev f1)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation C236 Chipset LPC/eSPI Controller (rev 31)
00:1f.2 Memory controller: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family Power Management Controller (rev 31)
00:1f.4 SMBus: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family SMBus (rev 31)
01:00.0 Ethernet controller: Mellanox Technologies MT27520 Family [ConnectX-3 Pro]  # <------------ PCIe Slot 4 (x8)
02:00.0 Non-Volatile memory controller: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd NVMe SSD Controller 980 (DRAM-less) # <------------ PCIe Slot 3 (x4)
03:00.0 Non-Volatile memory controller: KIOXIA Corporation NVMe SSD Controller BG4 (DRAM-less) # <------------ PCIe Slot 3 (x4)
04:00.0 VGA compatible controller: Matrox Electronics Systems Ltd. MGA G200e [Pilot] ServerEngines (SEP1) (rev 05)
04:00.1 Co-processor: Emulex Corporation ServerView iRMC HTI
05:00.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation I210 Gigabit Network Connection (rev 03)
06:00.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation I210 Gigabit Network Connection (rev 03)

Lane reversal is not required, that is right. However, what I meant is: Without lane reversal you get x8x4x4, repesenting x8 on the first slot and splitting the second into two times x4. While with lane reversal enabled, you could get x4x4x8. Which means that you could use the first slot as two times x4 and the second one as x8. Of course assuming, that both are actually routed with x8, which I am not absolutely sure about anymore. Anyway. Also theory, as I did not try it and just thought about the possible options.

 

[luckylinux]

@richard.dzavoronok : do you know how to reset the Error LED Light ?



It's not really an issue and I don't know what's causing it. I just changed the CMOS Battery because the Voltage was extremely low.

Other than that it seems the BIOS Component has an Error Message, not sure why though ...

 

[hmartin]

However, what I meant is: Without lane reversal you get x8x4x4, repesenting x8 on the first slot and splitting the second into two times x4. While with lane reversal enabled, you could get x4x4x8. Which means that you could use the first slot as two times x4 and the second one as x8.

According to the Intel Datasheet, lane reversal would mean that all the lanes are reversed:


Without lane reversal
Slot 4: PCIe x8 (01234567)
Slot 3: PCIe x4x4 (0123/0123)

With lane reversal
Slot 4: PCIe x4x4 (3210/3210)
Slot 3: PCIe x8 (76543210)

I suspect that normal PCIe devices will not work with reversed lanes, unless you have a custom adapter to reverse the lanes back into the expected ordering.

Of course assuming, that both are actually routed with x8, which I am not absolutely sure about anymore.

Slot 3 and Slot 4 are both routed for x8 from the CPU in the TX1320 M3.

 

[celemine1gig]

...
I suspect that normal PCIe devices will not work with reversed lanes, unless you have a custom adapter to reverse the lanes back into the expected ordering.
...

Actually - from my experience - most devices, that use the full lane width don't really care if the lanes go 0-3 or 3-0, as long as the count is full and the order is consecutive.

But obviously you have no chance with devices trying to use only a x2 or x1 link, if they try to link up on something, that isn't the lowest ordered lane.

 

[luckylinux]

I had a lot of errors/reboots when I changed the CPU, maybe also yours need a couple of reboots to reset LEDs ?
I'm just shooting in the dark here. I didn't have such an error sorry :/

Yeah or upgrade the BIOS I guess. I upgraded 1 out of 5 Systems so far, not sure if the old or new BIOS is better to be honest.

 

[celemine1gig]

Just by the way:
Read about the Intel CC150 (Sspec "SRFBT") the other day again and thought: "That might be a good match for a TX1320."

Yes, you would need to modify the BIOS and the CPU, but technically speaking, it should work and would make a nice addition to this system.
Maybe even combined with the 32GB Dimm support.

My former system won't be modded anymore, as it no longer is in my posession. So anyone else wanting to take a gamble?

 

[celemine1gig]

What are you talking about ? The Intel CC150 is for the Intel C246 (or C242) Chipset, NOT the C236 (or C232) Chipset.

Perform a search for the so called "Coffeetime" tool and the related modification for Intel 1151v2 CPUs in 1151v1 boards.
As written, in case of the hexa and octa core CPUs, you will need to physically mod the CPU itself, plus the board's BIOS.
For example, I have a i5-9400f running in a Fujitsu D3402. Also already had Coffeelake running in the tx1320. It was "only" a Quad-Core CPU, so that it needed no CPU modification.

I (unfortunately) have one running in a X11SCZ-F Motherboard, it has ECC Disabled. It boots with ECC Memory, but the ECC Function is disabled.

I had read a contrary statement, so I had hoped, that it would be fully working. :-(

 

[luckylinux]

I just finished the Assembly of the last Piece. I only had a Intel Xeon E3 1245 v6 left. This is giving me trouble. It's OK until GRUB menu, but after that, KVM Video Freezes, VGA Video blacks out, nothing gets on the Network (my LiveUSB running Debian automatically should connect to the DHCP Server and request an IP Address, but nothing shows up).

I just updated iRMC and BIOS to latest, but there is no difference. Something is seriously broken here ...

EDIT 1: worse still, after BIOS Upgrade, I'm now stuck at the "Fujitsu" Initial Screen (NOT the AMI BIOS + Fujitsu Screen which lists Memory etc, I mean the INITIAL Fujitsu Screen which basically only lists the Serial Number and iRMC IP Address if any). iRMC doesn't even list an IP Address

EDIT 2: I tried removing the CMOS Battery and AC Cord, so I'll let it like this for a while and see if clearing CMOS might help. Otherwise maybe BIOS Recovery ? Unsure. Or possibly flashing a slightly older BIOS than the latest one via iRMC ?

 

[hmartin]

Read about the Intel CC150 (Sspec "SRFBT") the other day again and thought: "That might be a good match for a TX1320."

If you get one for free, maybe. The cheapest I can find a CC150 is 90 Euros on AliExpress, for a CPU with higher power consumption and lower performance than an AM4 CPU for the same price.

The TX1320 chassis accepts a normal mATX motherboard if you are willing to cut the IO shield and with a few DC-DC converters (11VSB->5VSB, 12V->3.3/5V) you can get ATX-compatible power output from the Fujitsu PSU too. You could also 3D print/fabricate a PSU mounting adaptor and install a TFX or FlexATX PSU.

Perform a search for the so called "Coffeetime" tool and the related modification for Intel 1151v2 CPUs in 1151v1 boards.
As written, in case of the hexa and octa core CPUs, you will need to physically mod the CPU itself, plus the board's BIOS.
For example, I have a i5-9400f running in a Fujitsu D3402. Also already had Coffeelake running in the tx1320. It was "only" a Quad-Core CPU, so that it needed no CPU modification.

I have used Coffeetime on the TX1320 (CSME HAP bit), to test >64GB of RAM, and it was not a pleasant experience:

• You no longer have any power control via iRMC
• iRMC will frequently mark the CPU as failed (probably because CSME doesn't send an expected signal to UEFI in HAP mode)
• CPU temperature reporting does not work, and thus iRMC runs the fan at 100%
• USB mass storage doesn't appear to work in BIOS (or at least, I could never get it to detect)

I tested with multiple Xeon v5/v6 CPUs and the result was the same across all of them.


Here is the binary diff after running Coffeetime to enable 128GB support and disable CSME via HAP bit:

--- 1320-stock.txt    2025-07-12 11:27:18.781409934 +0200
+++ 1320-128gbmod-hap.txt    2025-07-12 11:33:48.953923531 +0200
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
00000090  00 20 01 12 00 00 00 00  ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff  |. ..............|
000000a0  ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff  ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff  |................|
*
-00000100  00 00 42 00 00 01 00 00  00 00 01 00 00 00 00 00  |..B.............|
+00000100  00 00 43 00 00 01 00 00  00 00 01 00 00 00 00 00  |..C.............|
00000110  00 00 00 00 00 00 01 00  00 01 00 16 00 00 01 00  |................|
00000120  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  00 00 02 00 00 01 90 00  |................|
00000130  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00 00 00 01 00  |................|
@@ -453043,7 +453043,7 @@
00e56260  83 e0 03 83 e8 00 b9 00  10 00 00 74 22 48 74 13  |...........t"Ht.|
00e56270  48 74 08 89 be 75 25 00  00 eb 1e 89 8e 75 25 00  |Ht...u%......u%.|
00e56280  00 eb 16 c7 86 75 25 00  00 00 20 00 00 eb 0a c7  |.....u%... .....|
-00e56290  86 75 25 00 00 00 80 00  00 8b c2 23 c1 f7 d8 1b  |.u%........#....|
+00e56290  86 75 25 00 00 00 00 01  00 8b c2 23 c1 f7 d8 1b  |.u%........#....|
00e562a0  c0 40 40 89 45 dc 8b c2  25 00 40 00 00 f7 d8 1b  |.@@.E...%.@.....|
00e562b0  c0 40 40 f7 86 cb 18 00  00 00 00 00 08 89 45 e8  |.@@...........E.|
00e562c0  75 06 80 7d fb 00 74 07  c7 45 e8 01 00 00 00 f7  |u..}..t..E......|

 

[celemine1gig]

Thanks for the hints.
I agree, that the price/performance ratio may not be great. But it might be better, than getting a whole new system. And to be honest for me the "can it be done" approach most of the time makes more of the fun, than just buying something, that is proven to work. It should be clear, that this should not be tried if you really and absolutely need the system.

Concerning your point about the BMC:
The question might be: Does the ME really need to be disabled? Your described malfunction nearly certainly is based on the non-functioning ME. However, not all ME versions need to be disabled in order to accept CoffeeLake CPUs on 1151v1. So, there might be a way around the problem, that you described.

 

[luckylinux]

Do you have dedicated GPU installed? If so, the VGA port on the mb will be stuck at the fujitsu logo. The gpu's one should be working properly.
Manual states this: " Remote Video direction via iRMC must be disabled. " in the section with Graphics card. Maybe try that?

Is that Setting really needed ???

I thought that the Intel iGPU wasn't powered at all (thus the TX1320 M3 cannot be used for e.g. Jellifin Server for 3D Acceleration) . So I didn't think there would be any Issues.

I do NOT have a DEDICATED GPU (PCIe Card).

I was about to do BIOS Recovery Procedure now. But then again, that doesn't explain why I'm not getting an IP Address which I can see on the DHCP Server. It's weird. Everything seems to freeze after GRUB Menu (and now stuck on the Initial Screen, after I finished the BIOS Upgrade).

To be clear: I'm just using the Intel Xeon E3-1245 v6 since I ran out of Intel Xeon E3-1270 v6 and I didn't want to buy another CPU just for this, since I already had a v6 around. I didn't specifically want to use this CPU on this System (originally) .

 

[hmartin]

The question might be: Does the ME really need to be disabled? Your described malfunction nearly certainly is based on the non-functioning ME. However, not all ME versions need to be disabled in order to accept CoffeeLake CPUs on 1151v1. So, there might be a way around the problem, that you described.

I don't know, I don't have any 8th/9th gen CPUs to test in the board. I was only testing RAM above 64GB where the CSME must be disabled to POST.

And setting the HAP bit is disabling the ME.

 

[luckylinux]

The Manual is very funny ...

10.1 Flash Memory Recovery Mode
- Prepare a bootable USB stick as described in section Flash BIOS Update with a USB stick.
- Switch off the system and disconnect the power plug.
- Open the chassis and switch on "Recovery" (BIOS-RCVR) using the jumper / DIP switch on the system board.
- Reconnect the power plug and boot the system with the inserted bootable
USB stick.
- Boot the system from the inserted bootable USB stick.
- Change the directory with cd DOS and start the Flash BIOS Update with the command DosFlash. Then follow the instructions on the screen.
- Observe the update process on the screen, until it is finished. The recovery
update may take several minutes.
- Switch-off the system and disconnect the power plug.
- Remove the USB stick.
- Return the "Recovery" (BIOS-RCVR) jumper / DIP switch which have been
changed to the initial position.
- Reconnect the power plug and switch on the system. The system will be booted with the new BIOS revision.
- Check the settings in the BIOS setup utility. If necessary, reconfigure the settings again

Like ... "Boot the system from the inserted bootable USB stick." if the BIOS is bricked

EDIT 1: I attempted now for a 2nd Time and I definitely can hear a lot of power on/power off cycles (you can hear the "clicks" of a Relay, I assume inside the PSU) like after a BIOS Upgrade (probably because it needs to "recalibrate" the Memory Speed JEDEC Timings etc).

But nothing really happens. Then it gets stuck again.

EDIT 2: iRMC Log Shows

POST - A recovery capsule couldn't be located during BIOS recovery flash

A ... "Recovery Capsule" ? Like what, is this NASA Software or what now ?

EDIT 3: I'll try with a known working extremely old FreeDOS USB Stick that at least previously worked. No clue why this one doesn't ....

EDIT 4: with the Old FreeDos USB Stick it also didn't work

EDIT 5: with the Old FreeDos Stick AND with the Files of the Fujitsu downloaded BIOS in the "ROOT" Folder of the USB Drive, it started flashing automatically and beeping. At least something seems to have happened

EDIT 6: I flashed the Recovery successfully (1.38.0 to try a different one than the failing 1.39.0). But nope, still Stuck on the Initial Screen. I took less than to setup the other 5 Systems and lost an entire Day trying to setup this one



EDIT 7: What gives ?

I tried to switch back to the Low Firmware Version that was working before and it's still stuck.

Furthermore I don't know ... it seems it won't detect any Memory or what ? I previously also tried with a single Stick of RAM, same Result.

Or is this simply because the Boot Process is not going forward for some Reason ?

The VERY first Time it kept freezing just after selecting "Debian (Default)" in GRUB Menu. Now it's not even going to the point that I can enter BIOS Setup.

It seems well and truly broken.





EDIT 8: Now apparently the Boot Watchdog kicks in as well ...

BIOS POST Watchdog - Action: Power Cycle (Post Code: 0x78)

EDIT 9: Damn ... it looks like you cannot downgrade the firmware even in recovery mode
Googling fujitsu tx1320 m3 downgrade bios states [I]Downgrading is disabled by default from the tool provided by fujitsu. You need to disable the BIOS build date time checking in order it to work.[/I]that on a Fujitsu Forum Thread, but unfortunately all of them have been taken down and Wayback Archive Machine doesn't contain those pages apparently

I can only read part (maybe the full ?) of the Command, but still that doesn't help, because Recovery Firmware is an automated Process, despite what the Manual Says (change Directory and Run Script)

dosflash /bbl

EDIT 10: Now after powering off for a bit and another Recovery Flash using 1.30.0, it seems to be on that Version.
Still stuck at boot though but at least the CPU and 1 x DIMM (I temporarily removed the other 3x) are getting detected ...



Not that it matters, at the end of the Day, it's still NOT working at all ...

 

[slowlaris]

Hi everyone,

So I've been pondering over getting this particular server, and now M4 seems to be available: Fujitsu PRIMERGY TX1320 M4 | Xeon-2136 | 16 GB RAM | 512 GB SSD | eBay.de
My use case is Proxmox with a few VMs and Plex, so nothing major.

Still there's no iGPU in the newer model, so I'd have to get a dedicated one for transcoding.

Currently I'm using a custom-build NAS with 6x 2.5 inch HDDs in RAIDz2, idling at 19W. It's a desktop board (mini PC with Ryzen Embedded), so no ECC or IPMI. It's also cramped in a tiny case with subpar ventilation and a relay to switch disks power, so I'm looking for any option to get rid of jank.

I've narrowed my search to Fujitsu or some of the newer mini PCs + external HDD enclosure.
Fujitsu advantages are obvious: there's ECC, IPMI, proper server machine + I can reuse my existing HDDs and add spares to get more capacity (I'm considering a 8 disk option). The downside is probably higher idle power consumption.

OTOH using something like Lenovo m75q would probably allow to idle at around 10-15W, but that's without external HDD cage, which's back to the jank situation.

The real question is: does it still make sense to get Fujitsu in 2025?

 

[luckylinux]

On another Note, has anybody had any success with SR-IOV ?

There is no Option in the BIOS, heck not even hidden inside the disassembled BIOS .

According to this SUSE Note (PRIMERGY® TX1320 M3), SR-IOV appears to NOT be supported .

Which is a Shame considering that on Supermicro Motherboards there is an Option to enable SR-IOV as well as MANY other Options ...

 

[Gruenschnabel]

Got a Fujitsu PRIMERGY TX1320 M3 | Xeon E3-1270 v6 | 32 GB RAM | 512 GB SSD today. Want to build a NAS with it and put it in my 19 inch rack.

Do you know if there is a 3D Printed rack mount for it or anything else like that? Only found information about a "Tower-to-Rack Conversion Kit", Partnumber: S26361-F4007-L400. But there is no offer anywhere.

Also what about the iRMC / BMC license?

 

[luckylinux]

For Information, I installed an Intel Xeon E3-1230 v6 and the System booted up just fine (as it should).

Whatever the Reason, it seems that the Fujitsu TX1320 M3 does NOT like Xeon E3 CPUs with Integrated Graphics (E3-12x5 v6). Or I got a faulty CPU, that could also be a Possibility.

 

[Albert67]

Got a Fujitsu PRIMERGY TX1320 M3 | Xeon E3-1270 v6 | 32 GB RAM | 512 GB SSD today. Want to build a NAS with it and put it in my 19 inch rack.

Do you know if there is a 3D Printed rack mount for it or anything else like that? Only found information about a "Tower-to-Rack Conversion Kit", Partnumber: S26361-F4007-L400. But there is no offer anywhere.

Also what about the iRMC / BMC license?

The easyest way is to buy a 19" rack shelf and put the server on top..

 

[Gruenschnabel]

The easyest way is to buy a 19" rack shelf and put the server on top..

I know but thats too easy Want to let it look more "factory"

 

[luckylinux]

I ran 1245 v6's on multiple boxes... Had issues with PCIe (bifurcation, nvme compatibility, see early posts here) but never attributed that to the 5...
All in all the 5 have been running fine for years, so wouldn't say they're problematic per se

Yeah I think I saw your post in Page 1 or 2. Don't know what to think. With the E3-1245 v6 it seemed to work once, boot into LiveUSB, then absolute Nightmare, sometimes being able to go into BIOS. But lately absolutely not working.

Put the E3-1230 v6 in and it worked out of the Box.

Could be a faulty CPU. Or something else entirely. I didn't want to lose too much sleep over 30 EUR though. Already lost a couple Days.

 

[hmartin]

Also what about the iRMC / BMC license?

Fujitsu iRMC S4 License | «WatchMySys» Blog

 

[Gruenschnabel]

Fujitsu iRMC S4 License | «WatchMySys» Blog

Seems like i can generate it myself

 

[luckylinux]

Hey there,
did anyone found out how to Control the FAN?
I would like to cool an Tesla P4 with an FAN. On Fan Header SYS3 its to low on SYS4 its to load?

Nope . As I said there is no HWMON Exposed to the End System. And there doesn't appear to be a Fan Control Mechanism (besides Auto/Other). That's the same that the official Documents report for iRMC. Without knowing how they coded their IPMI Registers & Protocol there is no Way to find out how/if we can set the Duty Cycle of the Fans. Otherwise you could send a RAW Command via IPMITool to set the Fan Duty Cycle, like we can for instance do on some Supermicro Motherboards.

The only viable "Solution" might be an ESP32-xx Controller and some small components (fan Headers etc) hoping that iRMC won't complain that the measured Fan Speed doesn't match the Reference Value. Or you need to "fake" the Tacho Signal if that happens of course.

 

[hmartin]

Also i will put a Noctua NH-L9i into it.

The stock heat sink is plenty quiet.

If you don't already have an 8 port backplane, you can either buy a second 4 port or just buy a single 8 port. This has been discussed previously: Fujitsu TX1320 M3 | «WatchMySys» Blog

Unless you have SAS drives, you can also use an ASM1166 controller with SFF-8087 ports, they're very low power but the last 3 drives share bandwidth since it's only a 6 port controller and has a port multiplier to reach 8: ZyDAS ASM1166 SATA controller | «WatchMySys» Blog

Or just use the 4 onboard ports plus ASM1166 with a backplane to SATA breakout cable.

As you can read on the blog post, I achieved 16W idle with 2 DIMMs. Your idle power consumption will depend mostly on the SSD idle power draw, and that can vary a lot depending on consumer/DC SSDs

 

[luckylinux]

Also might be interesting for some:
Slot 3 is a PCH port and can be further bifurcated. If you have full access to the BIOS flash descriptor (i.e. Programmer ready and direct flash access). This way I had an Intel Optane H20 drive in PCIe 2x2 config running in their.

Are you actually sure about that ? And where do you see it can Bifurcated ?

Usually the Color is an Indicator and the first 3 PCIe Slots (Slot 4, Slot 3 and Slot 2) are Blue, while the latter one (Slot 1) is Black.




I'm NOT sure if I ever tested to put the Mellanox ConnectX-4 LX in Slot3, but USUALLY ASPM works if it's a PCH/DMI/Chipset connected Slot, whereas USUALLY ASPM does NOT work if it's a direct CPU-connected Slot.

I'm afraid that PCIe Slot3 is also directly CPU Connected and NOT PCH/DMI/Chipset Connected .

 

[hmartin]

I will buy a second 4 port backplane as i already have one (came with Server).

Often the 8 port model is the same price, I would check before ordering. I see a few offers for A3C40173252 under 20€

Also, someone has experience with Xeon v5 CPUs? Or whats you best Performance / Power Ratio CPU for that System?

Xeon v5 works fine, but why are you interested in changing out the E3-1270 v6? Idle power consumption is basically the same between v5 and v6, and for heavy CPU stuff this platform is too old and inefficient. You'd be better off gutting the chassis and dropping in a TFX PSU and mATX Ryzen.

 

[Gruenschnabel]

You'd be better off gutting the chassis and dropping in a TFX PSU and mATX Ryzen.

Why?

 

[hmartin]

Why?

Why? You can get 2-3x the CPU performance and 128-192GB of RAM (vs 64GB) from a modern Ryzen for the same full power budget than you can with any Skylake CPU. But this is beyond the thread and just into "buy the chassis because it's well designed and cheap for what you get"

Just saying, if you ever look at this and think it's getting closer to the e-waste pile, consider a motherboard/PSU swap. The motherboard is standard mATX and as mentioned on the blog, a TFX PSU dimensions are almost the same as the Fujitsu PSU. Or if you're really feeling adventurous, you can make a custom Fujitsu to ATX power cable. You "just" need to drop down 11VSB to 5V and then drop 12V to 3.3V and 5V for the other rails ATX expects.