Supermicro H12SSL-NT setting fan threshold blocked after certain BMC update

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TomDceus

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Oct 1, 2015
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Hi,

I updated the H12SSL-NT motherboard to the BMC version 01.04.05, previously I had 01.04.03. After the BMC update my Nocuta fans start ramping up and down.

After hours searching on the internet and this site I stumbled on this post X13SAE-f ipmitool: Command illegal for specified sensor or record type posted by HerrTaschenbier. After reading his post, it gave me the 'uhu' and then "ooh sh@#¼t" feeling.

I encounter the same issue with the Supermicro H12SSL-NT motherboard explained there after the firmware update to 01.04.05 for my board.

You can't set anymore the Lower Non-Recoverable value. You get an illegal error for setting that value as well as for the upper values.

The real limits for what for me seems the blocked ones, are always reported as 'NA' in the ipmitool.
The strange thing is setting the Lower Critical value is still allowed. But setting it to the lowest value, in my case 140, the SEL is still flooded with errors about the FANs.

Now the "sh@#¼" feeling is you can't recover the firmware to a previous one without a license. So what I then did is buying the license at Supermicro. Now I'm running back on 1.04.03. Everything works back as expected, you have to do a full factory reset (with motherboard password restore option). An expensive lesson...

I post this as a warning for maybe other owners of a H12SLL-NT(CT/I) board...

Does anyone knows the minimal RPM of the fan before you get low critical warnings for this board?

Is the Noctua Industrial PPC-3000 a good alternative? Or can I use the 2000 RMP version as well?

Which are other relative quiet fans with a higher start RPM (>600)?

Regards,
Tom
 
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nexox

Well-Known Member
May 3, 2023
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I think if you want fan recommendations you'll need to specify the size, because that of course changes the operating RPM range. If you don't mind so much about monitoring the RPM of every fan then there are other options like disconnecting the tach pin or using a Y adapter with a smaller fan on the leg with the tach signal connected.

Edit: also for anyone who finds this in the future, a quick google search should turn up a blog post which contains instructions for generating a Supermicro BMC license for free.
 
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TomDceus

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Oct 1, 2015
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nexox said:
I think if you want fan recommendations you'll need to specify the size, because that of course changes the operating RPM range. If you don't mind so much about monitoring the RPM of every fan then there are other options like disconnecting the tach pin or using a Y adapter with a smaller fan on the leg with the tach signal connected.

Edit: also for anyone who finds this in the future, a quick google search should turn up a blog post which contains instructions for generating a Supermicro BMC license for free.
Click to expand...
Thanks.

The dimension of the used fans is 120mm (NF-S12A PWM). I will keep that in mind of the Y adapter connected with a smaller fan.
First I like to check out other fans.

I asked Supermicro about the minimum safe speed of this board. The speed may not be going lower than 700 RPM, when a lower critical error is logged. So NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 PWM is one of the lucky ones all be it a little louder...

Next time I will look for key generators too :). Sadly seeing where this is going to... paying for each feature which you just had for free in the past. As you are the full owner after purchase.
 
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vvkvvk

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Feb 1, 2023
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Yeah, this is the major reasons why I rolled back the 2.9 BIOS, but forgot to post about it, as I've been super busy with stuff.

The BMC started acting up, but luckily just running 2.8 BIOS with the later firmware resolved all the issues; ipmitool would fail normal tasks at random times and I couldn't run my custom fan control script and fans would oscillate to full and back.
 
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TomDceus

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Oct 1, 2015
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vvkvvk said:
Yeah, this is the major reasons why I rolled back the 2.9 BIOS, but forgot to post about it, as I've been super busy with stuff.

The BMC started acting up, but luckily just running 2.8 BIOS with the later firmware resolved all the issues; ipmitool would fail normal tasks at random times and I couldn't run my custom fan control script and fans would oscillate to full and back.
Click to expand...
Which BMC version do you use now?

I kept BIOS 2.9, but did a rollback of the BMC version to 1.04.03. But I don't have a script running. At least I could set back the two lower critical limits again, which keep my build silent and cool enough.
 
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vvkvvk

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Feb 1, 2023
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TomDceus said:
Which BMC version do you use now?

I kept BIOS 2.9, but did a rollback of the BMC version to 1.04.03. But I don't have a script running. At least I could set back the two lower critical limits again, which keep my build silent and cool enough.
Click to expand...
BMC says


Firmware Version01.04.05
Firmware Build Time06/26/2024
Redfish Version1.11.0
BIOS Firmware Version2.8
BIOS Build Time02/27/2024
CPLD VersionF0.A6.44

and my fan control script is here if anyone want to take look if it's somehow faulty
 
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TomDceus

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vvkvvk said:
BMC says


Firmware Version01.04.05
Firmware Build Time06/26/2024
Redfish Version1.11.0
BIOS Firmware Version2.8
BIOS Build Time02/27/2024
CPLD VersionF0.A6.44

and my fan control script is here if anyone want to take look if it's somehow faulty
Click to expand...
Hmm. Can you please show the output of the fan sensors and their limits get by the ipmitool when the fans are spinning? Thx
 
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vvkvvk

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Feb 1, 2023
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TomDceus said:
Hmm. Can you please show the output of the fan sensors and their limits get by the ipmitool when the fans are spinning? Thx
Click to expand...
Sure thing,


Code: 
$ sudo ipmitool sensor
FAN1             | 560,000    | RPM        | ok    | na        | 140,000   | na        | na        | na        | na
FAN2             | 560,000    | RPM        | ok    | na        | 140,000   | na        | na        | na        | na
FAN3             | 700,000    | RPM        | ok    | na        | 140,000   | na        | na        | na        | na
FAN4             | 560,000    | RPM        | ok    | na        | 140,000   | na        | na        | na        | na
FAN5             | na         |            | na    | na        | na        | na        | na        | na        | na
FANA             | 1260,000   | RPM        | ok    | na        | 140,000   | na        | na        | na        | na
FANB             | na         |            | na    | na        | na        | na        | na        | na        | na
 
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TomDceus

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vvkvvk said:
Sure thing,


Code: 
$ sudo ipmitool sensor
FAN1             | 560,000    | RPM        | ok    | na        | 140,000   | na        | na        | na        | na
FAN2             | 560,000    | RPM        | ok    | na        | 140,000   | na        | na        | na        | na
FAN3             | 700,000    | RPM        | ok    | na        | 140,000   | na        | na        | na        | na
FAN4             | 560,000    | RPM        | ok    | na        | 140,000   | na        | na        | na        | na
FAN5             | na         |            | na    | na        | na        | na        | na        | na        | na
FANA             | 1260,000   | RPM        | ok    | na        | 140,000   | na        | na        | na        | na
FANB             | na         |            | na    | na        | na        | na        | na        | na        | na
Click to expand...
Thanks for your feedback. This is my output (standard speed) with IPMI 1.04.03 and BIOS 2.9

Code: 
ipmitool sensor | grep FAN
FAN1             | 280,000    | RPM        | ok    | 140,000   | 140,000   | na        | na        | 35560,000 | 35700,000
FAN2             | 280,000    | RPM        | ok    | 140,000   | 140,000   | na        | na        | 35560,000 | 35700,000
FAN3             | 420,000    | RPM        | ok    | 140,000   | 140,000   | na        | na        | 35560,000 | 35700,000
FAN4             | na         |            | na    | na        | na        | na        | na        | na        | na       
FAN5             | 280,000    | RPM        | ok    | 140,000   | 140,000   | na        | na        | 35560,000 | 35700,000
FANA             | 280,000    | RPM        | ok    | 140,000   | 140,000   | na        | na        | 35560,000 | 35700,000
FANB             | na         |            | na    | na        | na        | na        | na        | na        | na
for now I leave it as it is now. Maybe with the next update I give it a new trial...
 
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gmsth

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Dec 26, 2024
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I went through the same exact oh sh#@*% moment as well with my H12SSL-NT mobo after upgrading BMC to 1.05.02. I also came across the same forum article after attempting to use ipmitool to set the fan threshold and it stating "Error setting threshold: Command illegal for specified sensor or record type".

I found a site that scrapes Supermicro's website for older BIOS/BMC files.I was then able to find and downgrade to 1.04.03 as well. Thanks @TomDceus for confirming which version still works.

I then ran the ipmitool command of all FANS that I have Noctua fans plugged into. Documentation on this is found on several websites, although Jeff Geerling's blog post is probably the simplest and most concise.
 
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bugacha

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Sep 21, 2024
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gmsth said:
I went through the same exact oh sh#@*% moment as well with my H12SSL-NT mobo after upgrading BMC to 1.05.02. I also came across the same forum article after attempting to use ipmitool to set the fan threshold and it stating "Error setting threshold: Command illegal for specified sensor or record type".

I found a site that scrapes Supermicro's website for older BIOS/BMC files.I was then able to find and downgrade to 1.04.03 as well. Thanks @TomDceus for confirming which version still works.

I then ran the ipmitool command of all FANS that I have Noctua fans plugged into. Documentation on this is found on several websites, although Jeff Geerling's blog post is probably the simplest and most concise.
Click to expand...
I confirm I have exactly same issue with Supermicro H12SSL-i

Code: 
# ipmitool sensor thresh FAN2 lower 150 250 300
Locating sensor record 'FAN2'...
Setting sensor "FAN2" Lower Non-Recoverable threshold to 150.000
Error setting threshold: Command illegal for specified sensor or record type
Setting sensor "FAN2" Lower Critical threshold to 250.000
Setting sensor "FAN2" Lower Non-Critical threshold to 300.000
Error setting threshold: Command illegal for specified sensor or record type

I'm trying to downgrade BMC to 1.04.03 now...



Did you upgrade it back to 1.05.02 once low thresholds are set ?
 
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bugacha

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Sep 21, 2024
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So I've spent few days on this and initially it didnt work for me on BMC 01.04.03 but turns out I forgot to do BMC factory reset to defaults.

After doing it, I can set all thresholds again.

Big thanks to @gmsth and @TomDceus !
 
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tolga9009

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Jan 6, 2024
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Just had the same "oh sh#@t" moment aswell. FYI, this happens on Noctua NF-A14 PWM Industrial 2000 RPM fans. I also have 1 normal NF-A14 PWM and 2x NF-F12 PWM in the same system.

During my own tests, it looks like "Standard", "Optimum" and "Heavy I/O" all drive the CPU Zone at 20% PWM baseline (low temperature). For Heavy I/O, the 2nd zone is driven at around 40% - 50% PWM. According to Noctua's specs, the NF-A14 PWM iPPC 2000 is rated at 450 RPM (+- 20%) and I have 4 of them. 2 of them are read as 420RPM, but one is read as 280 RPM and the other one as 420 RPM with occasional dips to 280 RPM. They trigger the critical threshold.

When manually setting PWM to 30% using ipmi raw, all is good, even the ordinary NF-A14 PWM and NF-F12 PWM. They are read as 420 RPM, while the iPPC 2000 are read as 540 RPM, thus not triggering critical thresholds.

You can manually downgrade the BMC using web UI, without requiring you to buy any license. You just need to download the BMC from somewhere (Supermicro Link https://supermicro.com/support/resources/getfile.php?SoftwareItemID=20765, SHA256: ffc09b5f54fc8c60c6dbfbf12cdb8975e73b08bbc9ae1b2685f7d42053b9762a). While you're at it, download and archive any past updates, you'll never know when it might be useful next time.

Downgrade to 1.04.03 worked from 1.05.02. I kept BIOS at version 3.0. As noted by the other users, when not doing a factory reset, you will still get the error when setting fan tresholds. Firmware reset with option "keep user configurations" worked for me though. This will remove some settings, such as SSL, but e.g. your custom user, IP settings etc. will be kept.
 
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noonamer

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Apr 19, 2025
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Hey folks, I just followed the same downgrade process for my H12SSL-I. But I'm not able to set all thresholds for NH-U14S in double mode (connected to FAN1 and FAN2):

Code: 
ipmitool sensor thresh FAN1 lower 0 100 200
Locating sensor record 'FAN1'...
Setting sensor "FAN1" Lower Non-Recoverable threshold to 0.000
Setting sensor "FAN1" Lower Critical threshold to 100.000
Setting sensor "FAN1" Lower Non-Critical threshold to 200.000
ipmitool sensor thresh FAN2 lower 0 100 200
Locating sensor record 'FAN2'...
Setting sensor "FAN2" Lower Non-Recoverable threshold to 0.000
Setting sensor "FAN2" Lower Critical threshold to 100.000
Setting sensor "FAN2" Lower Non-Critical threshold to 200.000

ipmitool sensor thresh FAN2 upper 1700 1800 1900
Locating sensor record 'FAN2'...
Setting sensor "FAN2" Upper Non-Critical threshold to 1700.000
Setting sensor "FAN2" Upper Critical threshold to 1800.000
Setting sensor "FAN2" Upper Non-Recoverable threshold to 1900.000
ipmitool sensor thresh FAN1 upper 1700 1800 1900
Locating sensor record 'FAN1'...
Setting sensor "FAN1" Upper Non-Critical threshold to 1700.000
Setting sensor "FAN1" Upper Critical threshold to 1800.000
Setting sensor "FAN1" Upper Non-Recoverable threshold to 1900.000
And the results:

Code: 
ipmitool sensor get FAN1
Locating sensor record...
Sensor ID              : FAN1 (0x41)
Entity ID             : 29.1
Sensor Type (Threshold)  : Fan
Sensor Reading        : 280 (+/- 0) RPM
Status                : ok
Lower Non-Recoverable : 0.000
Lower Critical        : 140.000
Lower Non-Critical    : na
Upper Non-Critical    : na
Upper Critical        : 1820.000
Upper Non-Recoverable : 1960.000
Positive Hysteresis   : 140.000
Negative Hysteresis   : 140.000
Assertion Events      :
Assertions Enabled    : lcr- lnr-
Deassertions Enabled  : lcr- lnr-

ipmitool sensor get FAN2
Locating sensor record...
Sensor ID              : FAN2 (0x42)
Entity ID             : 29.2
Sensor Type (Threshold)  : Fan
Sensor Reading        : 280 (+/- 0) RPM
Status                : ok
Lower Non-Recoverable : 0.000
Lower Critical        : 140.000
Lower Non-Critical    : na
Upper Non-Critical    : na
Upper Critical        : 1820.000
Upper Non-Recoverable : 1960.000
Positive Hysteresis   : 140.000
Negative Hysteresis   : 140.000
Assertion Events      :
Assertions Enabled    : lcr- lnr-
Deassertions Enabled  : lcr- lnr-
Which still seems to trigger fan in critical mode, as it gets in NA state

Is there any reason they are in "na" for `Non-Critical`
 
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bugacha

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Sep 21, 2024
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noonamer said:
I set to standard. But once fan goes into NA mode it spins up. in Optimal - even more frequently
Click to expand...
got it.

I see one of your lower thresholds is 0, I don't know if that can be a problem.

can you try
Code: 
ipmitool sensor thresh FAN2 lower 150 250 300
to see if it makes any difference ?
 
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