Supermicro AOC-SLG3-2E4 - $25

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Mithril

Active Member
Sep 13, 2019
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sko said:
They use standard SFF connectors (SFF 8643 for the Supermicro).
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Issue is the connector might be SFF 8643 but some products DO use "custom" pinouts on that connector (such as the DELL cards that have been discussed before).
 
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mattventura

Well-Known Member
Nov 9, 2022
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I believe Supermicro uses (used?) a custom pinout for Oculink, but their SFF-8643 ports appear to be standard. I've used this card with both a Supermicro backplane, and with plain SFF-8643 to U.2 direct cables and it works fine.
 
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Auggie

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Nov 26, 2022
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autoturk said:
the quad port version is also available for $39.99: Supermicro AOC-SLG3-4E4R Quad Port 12.8GB/s PCIe 3.0 NVMe Host Bus Adapter High | eBay
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That is the AOC-SLG3-4E4R which does NOT have the pcie switch chip and DOES require bifurcation on the motherboard. There is also an AOC-SLG3-4E4T which is a retimer version, but that also requires bifurcation and does not do switching.

There is not (that I have been able to find) an AOC-SLG3-4E4 with a switch chip, which is a shame, because the AOC-SLG3-2E4 works beautifully in consumer grade hardware.
 
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autoturk

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Sep 1, 2022
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Apologies, have edited my comment accordingly.

BeTeP said:
AOC-SLG3-4E4R is a redriver. Not a switch. So bifurcation support is still required for it to work.
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mattventura said:
Not quite the same. That one is a redriver, so it requires the motherboard to support bifurcation. It also requires the motherboard to have more support for hotplugging if you want HP to be supported.
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Auggie said:
That is the AOC-SLG3-4E4R which does NOT have the pcie switch chip and DOES require bifurcation on the motherboard. There is also an AOC-SLG3-4E4T which is a retimer version, but that also requires bifurcation and does not do switching.

There is not (that I have been able to find) an AOC-SLG3-4E4 with a switch chip, which is a shame, because the AOC-SLG3-2E4 works beautifully in consumer grade hardware.
Click to expand...
 
T_Minus

T_Minus

Build. Break. Fix. Repeat
Feb 15, 2015
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I've been using the switched and non-switched variant of these NVME PCIE Cards from SuperMIcro since they came out, and as another user reported... they JUST WORK and get the job done! As noted, they do get super hot and need a fan.. but so do high-performance enterprise NVME if you're using them :) you need a lot of airflow.

I ordered a few of those 4-port variants for some x10 systems to test, and a couple of the Oculink ones.
I believe the Oculink ones will work if you use the SM Cable, not generic. I haven't tested yet. The Intel NVME kits seem to be the same, work with Intel cable but not SM.
 
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Proliferation

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Jun 24, 2024
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This might sound like a silly question, but having recently picked up a motherboard that offers slightly-restricted bifurcation support (an Asrock E3C246D2I: x16 to x8/x8, or x8/x4/x4 specifically), just to confirm- could I pick up an x16 to x8/x8 riser from somewhere, and then combine one of these AOC-SLG3-2E4 cards with eg. AOC-SLG3-2M2 to more or less utilise the full 16 lanes of bandwidth?
 
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frankharv

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Mar 3, 2024
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Proliferation said:
just to confirm- could I pick up an x16 to x8/x8 riser from somewhere, and then combine one of these AOC-SLG3-2E4 cards with eg. AOC-SLG3-2M2 to more or less utilise the full 16 lanes of bandwidth?
Click to expand...
I really have no idea what you are asking here but yes a PCIe Riser with two NVMe and one SLG3-2E4 on top should work. Bifurcation required.


I am using this card with a Chelsio card in top with my Mini-NAS using bifurcation.
You might need to modify the case bracket. It worked for me on a LP card without issue.
 
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Sean Ho

Sean Ho

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Nov 19, 2019
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Sure, x16-x8x8 bifurcation riser, then 2x 2E4 riser (with PLX switch) plus any number of ways to adapt 8643 to m.2 -- e.g., 8643-U.2/8639 (plus power), then U.2-m.2 tray.

Proliferation said:
This might sound like a silly question, but having recently picked up a motherboard that offers slightly-restricted bifurcation support (an Asrock E3C246D2I: x16 to x8/x8, or x8/x4/x4 specifically), just to confirm- could I pick up an x16 to x8/x8 riser from somewhere, and then combine one of these AOC-SLG3-2E4 cards with eg. AOC-SLG3-2M2 to more or less utilise the full 16 lanes of bandwidth?
Click to expand...
 
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luckylinux

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Mar 18, 2012
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Auggie said:
That is the AOC-SLG3-4E4R which does NOT have the pcie switch chip and DOES require bifurcation on the motherboard. There is also an AOC-SLG3-4E4T which is a retimer version, but that also requires bifurcation and does not do switching.

There is not (that I have been able to find) an AOC-SLG3-4E4 with a switch chip, which is a shame, because the AOC-SLG3-2E4 works beautifully in consumer grade hardware.
Click to expand...
Supermicro AOC-SLG3-4E2P

The Supermicro NVMe AOC-SLG3-4E2P features four internal NVMe connectors (OCuLink) for high-performance storage connectivity. This HBA card is built around a PCI-E switch IC which is proven NVMe technology with optimum performance for increased bandwidth.
Click to expand...
You can buy it e.g. (Price is negotiable, they accept Offers, got 2 Pieces for 45 USD each):
www.ebay.com

Supermicro AOC-SLG3-4E2P QuadPort Internal NVMe HB Adapter Controller Card HP | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Supermicro AOC-SLG3-4E2P QuadPort Internal NVMe HB Adapter Controller Card HP at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
www.ebay.com
 
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celemine1gig

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May 25, 2020
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I never tried again. However it could be due to the usual SAS/SATA cables, being 100 Ohms of impedance, while the ones specifically for PCIe are 85 Ohms of impedance. Don't know, as I never bothered to buy the "right" cables for a retest.
 
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luckylinux

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Mar 18, 2012
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celemine1gig said:
Just concerning the Oracle card:
Sadly "mattventura" seems to be right. I so far only had connected the card itself, but didn't have time to check with connected devices. Tried that today, with an adapter card and two NVMes on a CoffeeLake Desktop system.
No devices visible at all, while the switch itself is listed correctly in "lspci".
The question now remains, if there is an easy way to make it work. I would guess, that it isn't much, that is missing. However, without schematics, it might be some real trial and error. Of course could involve considerable amounts of time.

So, I retract my opinion, that this card might be a good idea to get! Thanks matt!
Click to expand...
Did you ever manage to get this working or you "gave up" ? Was the Pinout of the SFF-8643 Connectors Proprietary and therefore it cannot be used with Standard Cables ?
 
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mattventura

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Nov 9, 2022
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I know that there are some different pinouts for PCIe over SFF-8644 (the external version), but I've never seen proprietary pinouts for 8643.
 
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luckylinux

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Mar 18, 2012
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mattventura said:
I know that there are some different pinouts for PCIe over SFF-8644 (the external version), but I've never seen proprietary pinouts for 8643.
Click to expand...
To be honest, for SAS at least, I grabbed some super-cheap refurbished ~70cm SFF-8643 to SFF-8643 Cables for a local Retailer (~ 2.5 EUR / each) that were intended for a Lenovo Server.

Connected them to my Supermicro AOC-S3008L-L8e and seems to work just Fine. Good because I bought 20 of them :D .
 
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