Supermicro X9 Proprietary Motherboard Power – Advice Needed

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RedX1

Active Member
Aug 11, 2017
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Hi

New here, so please be gentle.


I have posted this in the Chassis and Enclosures forums, but I am not sure where this topic fits best.

I have a specific question about Power Distribution for SM proprietary motherboards.


I have several self-built SM and Asus platforms both DP and UP. These are nominally used for some of my work.

I recently obtained a SM X9DRFF motherboard and have been trying to bring this into operation. My question is about powering this board. It is “Fat Twin” node with a proprietary edge connector.

Supermicro | Products | Motherboards | Xeon® Boards | X9DRFF


As advised by SM Europe, whose product support is exceptionally good, I have obtained.

Power - distributor: BPN-PDB-F418 and a Power supply: PWS-1K62P-1R

F418 Front.png PWS-1K62P-1R.png



The Supermicro Manual MNL-1423 for this Board gives the following instructions for powering this board.

X9DRFF Power Connectors.png

Supermicro Support gave me the following information.


The EPS P8 (JP5) and the two P4 CPU Power connections (JP3 and JP4) are not mandatory for the node to power on and function

The JP3 and JP4 power headers are for optional power to a backplane for HDD power support

The JP5 power header is for an optional GPU card power support

These are all power OUTPUT not INPUT headers

Only BPN-PDB-F418 needs to be used to power on the node

SM Logo.png

P: +31-736400390
E: support_europe@supermicro.com
A: Het Sterrenbeeld 12-16
5215 ML ’S-Hertogenbosch
Netherlands
W: www.Supermicro.com


Interestingly the form factor for the EPS P8 (JP5) connector on this board is that for a GPU, a normal EPS P8 Backshell shell will not fit.

Other motherboards in the FatTwin series do indeed have dedicated HDD power connectors.

X9DRFF-i+ X9DRFF-iT+ X9DRFF-7+ X9DRFF-7T+

https://www.supermicro.com/manuals/motherboard/C606_602/MNL-1422.pdf


Perhaps one of the more experienced members could, point me in the right direction, I do not want to damage this unit.


Thanks



RedX1




http://www.supermicro.com/
https://www.supermicro.com/manuals/motherboard/C606_602/MNL-1422.pdf


 

MiniKnight

Well-Known Member
Mar 30, 2012
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NYC
Aren't those made to plug into a backplane using a riser so you can hot swap the nodes?

Here's my next question for you: how far are you from being able to sell what you have and just buying a normal setup?
 
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RedX1

Active Member
Aug 11, 2017
132
144
43
Thanks for your interest.


Yes, this SM X9DRFF is a hot-plug node for a Fat-Twin Chassis. Supermicro make a few versions of this node.

Some motherboards in this series have an edge connector directly on the motherboard, others have a small daughterboard, the
BPN-ADP-F418L-O-P as an interface between the riser board and the MB.

BPN-ADP-F418L-O-P 1.png BPN-ADP-F418L-O-P.png


My question is really about the instructions for the power connectors in the X9DRFF manual, they are confusing at best and perhaps wrong and that is where I am seeking some guidance. The SM chassis manuals do not give much detail about this subject at all.


Your second question really gets to the heart of my interest. I am not an IT professional and these undertakings are more from a curiosity, education and recreation standpoint. Sometimes the more difficult the challenge the more rewarding the result. Bringing this system into operation is a little more of a task than usual. But at this time I don’t want to sell it. I could just buy a system, anyone can do that, but where is the fun.

I am not far from having all the necessary components to complete this project, I just need some further information and clarity around the connectors. Getting documentation about some of the more obscure SM parts, such as riser boards, backplanes and connector interfaces is difficult. I cannot find any information either in the public domain or on their ftp site.

As I mentioned, I have some other systems. Here is one of my recent projects, a SM X9DRI-F configured as a workstation.

IMG_1783.JPG


Anyway, some guidance about power connectors for the SM X9DRFF from someone who has experience with SM Fat-Twin systems would be greatly appreciated.


Thanks again for your interest in this.


RedX1