Taming the C6100

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PigLover

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Jan 26, 2011
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I don't know if your goal is a lost cause, but it will be a significant challenge. Mine is not quite 'done', but with the L5638s, 48G and the Intel 10Gbe cards they run hot enough that the fans never reach their fully low speed. I'm not running heavy workloads like F@H regularly, but when I do things that stress it the fans still light up every now and then...and even with the quieter fans it is still fairly loud when they do.

My biggest problem since adding the Intel 10gbe is that one node - just one of them - has the 5520 io chip in the rear running hot all the time. Always 60c and occasionally much hotter. I know from other systems that this chip is technically ok up to really high temps. Intel says design limit is 105c(!). But I'm not comfortable with running it hot. It sits right under the intel nic and I don't want the 10Gbe card getting cooked.

It also bothers me that it is just on one sled...can't figure out what is different...
 

gigatexal

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Nov 25, 2012
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alexandarnarayan.com
Ugh I copied the wrong eBay link. I tried looking into if I could fill my nodes with L5638s but they're too expensive. I meant to say that I bought 6 E5530s that are rated for 80W. Ill follow your fan mod to the T and do more research as I think my little c6100 will turn into a space heater but I'd rather they run hotter than louder.

If with the fan mod and your low voltage 6 core chips hovering in the 60s to 70s and the max temp of the e5530 bring 76C I might be out of luck, no?
 
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PigLover

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You misunderstood my post. The CPUs are happy campers - 30c to 38c, running up into the 50s under normal heavy loads and only reaching critical temps on artificial stress loads (prime95) or with F@H. Its the IOP - the 5520 chip - that is running stupid hot. The 5520 is the one that sits at the back of the sled right under the mezz card (assuming you have one installed...). If you pull temps using IPMI its the one that reports as "MLB Temp 1".

The CPU type shouldn't change the temps on the IOP, except that the air moves front to back and the IOP sits all the way at the rear of the sled. Hotter CPUs mean hotter air available to try and cool the IOP with.
 

gigatexal

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Nov 25, 2012
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Hmm that's no bueno.

Is it bad enough to get some epoxy and "glue" a small heatsink on it?

I don't have a mezzanine card in the back, but I might in the future.

if it's rated at 105C and runs even at 80C for long term use it should be ok. It is odd that it's not at least covered with a heatsink imo.
 

RimBlock

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Sep 18, 2011
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Just looking through the fan mod and I am wondering how the Supermicro FAN-0074L4 will be a good alternative. More expensive than the Evercool but these are the fans that came with my CSE-743TQ-865B superquiet chassis. They are 80X38mm pwm 4 pin units although I believe they come in a hot plug frame that should be easy to remove.

FAN-0074L4
•Form Factor: Fan
•Dimensions: 38mm Length x 80mm Width x 80mm Height
•Rated current: 0.58 A
•Speed: 5,000rpm
•Airflow (CFM): 68.3
•Static Pressure: 0.53 in.H2O
•Noise: 45 dBA

Looking deeper, the following models all have the same ratings;
FAN-0084L4
FAN-0082L4
FAN-0074L4

The full Supermicro fan list is here for easy reference.

RB
 

Dragon

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Feb 12, 2013
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Just looking through the fan mod and I am wondering how the Supermicro FAN-0074L4 will be a good alternative. More expensive than the Evercool but these are the fans that came with my CSE-743TQ-865B superquiet chassis. They are 80X38mm pwm 4 pin units although I believe they come in a hot plug frame that should be easy to remove.

FAN-0074L4
•Form Factor: Fan
•Dimensions: 38mm Length x 80mm Width x 80mm Height
•Rated current: 0.58 A
•Speed: 5,000rpm
•Airflow (CFM): 68.3
•Static Pressure: 0.53 in.H2O
•Noise: 45 dBA

Looking deeper, the following models all have the same ratings;
FAN-0084L4
FAN-0082L4
FAN-0074L4

The full Supermicro fan list is here for easy reference.

RB
LOL why even bother replacing the original fans with something with half the speed and CFM but just as noisy.
 

PigLover

Moderator
Jan 26, 2011
3,184
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Just looking through the fan mod and I am wondering how the Supermicro FAN-0074L4 will be a good alternative. More expensive than the Evercool but these are the fans that came with my CSE-743TQ-865B superquiet chassis. They are 80X38mm pwm 4 pin units although I believe they come in a hot plug frame that should be easy to remove.

FAN-0074L4
•Form Factor: Fan
•Dimensions: 38mm Length x 80mm Width x 80mm Height
•Rated current: 0.58 A
•Speed: 5,000rpm
•Airflow (CFM): 68.3
•Static Pressure: 0.53 in.H2O
•Noise: 45 dBA

Looking deeper, the following models all have the same ratings;
FAN-0084L4
FAN-0082L4
FAN-0074L4

The full Supermicro fan list is here for easy reference.

RB
That actually could be a great choice if you can source them easily. It's slower than the EC at full speed, but rated almost 6db quieter (4x), with higher static pressure and airflow. If the specs are accurate it move more air at higher pressure and with less noise.

There is nothing special about the Evercool fans I chose - my choice was based solely on the fact that it was the only relatively quiet high pressure fan I found at the time that I could get shipped immediately.
 
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RimBlock

Active Member
Sep 18, 2011
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Singapore
The fans tend to be available on EBay, Amazon or a number of other places around.

Not as cheap but may be worth the extra $ for a higher airflow with a lower noise level.

I may give them a go as they are pretty easy for me to get from the local distributor.

RB
 

RimBlock

Active Member
Sep 18, 2011
837
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28
Singapore
XPCGear has the FAN-0074L4 for US$26 here.
PC Superstore has them for US$18.86 here.

Note: I have not used either of these sellers so this is not an endorcement of any kind.

I believe the FAN-0074L4 is the one to go for. It has what apears to be an easy to remove frame where as the others may not. There are conflicting images around the 'net.

I had 4x FAN-0074L4 in my Supermicro chassis but it was delivered to my client last weekend or I would have pulled one out and tested for fit etc.

The unit uses a San Ace 80 fan IIRC. Unfortunately this is a range of fans and not a single fan. If I get the chance, I need to do some more networking for the same client, I will take one of the fans out and note the actual San Ace 80 fan model number.

RB
 
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Smalldog

Member
Mar 18, 2013
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Goodyear, AZ
I picked up a few of the "barebones" systems from Justin at Vista Computer, along with a few 3.5" trays, and some memory, ordered a 10 pack of CPU's from e-bay, so I think I have everything I need to get started.

I was wondering if anyone was able to find an alternative to the 3.5" drive trays that Dell offers? I saw that the 2.5" trays from HP servers work, so I was hoping that there was some less expensive alternative for the 3.5" drives.

Also, this will be my first C6100 build, is there anything special that I should be aware of as I put it together? I was going to probably cannibalize one of the chassis to see if I could get something better in there for cooling and possibly noise control. Space isn't at a premium for me, so I don't care if this 2U turns into a 4U or 6U. I doubt that I'll even put it in a rack.

Any pointers or advice is greatly appreciated.

Jeff
 
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korban

Member
Feb 12, 2013
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Belgium
www.befr.ebay.be
Hi everyone, I have a strange isue that could have his place in this post.

I bought recently 2 x C6100 chassis. I'v tested all node one by one with F@H.

All nodes of the first chassi, it was normy loudy.
All nodes of the second chassi, it was extremely loudy. I beleve that the fan are runing at full speed. It make me an extra of 70w power consumtion for nothing :-/

I extract the 3 other nodes of the second chassi to try to isolate the problem, but no changes.

I read somewhere that's possible to upgrade the "fan firmware", did you know how?
How is it possible to check the revision of the actual "fan fimware"?

thx

Tel me if it's better to open a new thread.
 
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ian_malcom_im

New Member
Mar 29, 2013
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This is a great thread. Thank you for the great discussion.

I just picked up a 6100 box today and hope to get it early next week. I'll be running it in an apartment so noise reduction will be paramount.

QQ about the built-in thermal protection. I don't have a rack and am a bit concerned about heat dissipation. Will the built-in protection mechanism save my server if I don't get sufficient cooling? I was planning to either keep the server on a desk (on the second floor of the apartment where I have a home office) or put it in a storage closet. I am worried the storage closet will restrict air flow too much. The best I can think of is to get the server and monitor the temperature for a few hours.