Asrock C621A WS User Manual

Version 1.0

Published July 2021

Copyright©2021 ASRock INC. All rights reserved.

Copyright Notice:

No part of this documentation may be reproduced, transcribed, transmitted, or
translated in any language, in any form or by any means, except duplication of
documentation by the purchaser for backup purpose, without written consent of
ASRock Inc.

Products and corporate names appearing in this documentation may or may not
be registered trademarks or copyrights of their respective companies, and are used
only for identication or explanation and to the owners’ benet, without intent to

infringe.

Disclaimer:

Specications and information contained in this documentation are furnished for
informational use only and subject to change without notice, and should not be
constructed as a commitment by ASRock. ASRock assumes no responsibility for
any errors or omissions that may appear in this documentation.

With respect to the contents of this documentation, ASRock does not provide
warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including but not limited to
the implied warranties or conditions of merchantability or tness for a particular
purpose.

In no event shall ASRock, its directors, ocers, employees, or agents be liable for
any indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages (including damages for
loss of prots, loss of business, loss of data, interruption of business and the like),
even if ASRock has been advised of the possibility of such damages arising from any
defect or error in the documentation or product.

is device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following
two conditions:
(1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and
(2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that

may cause undesired operation.

CALIFORNIA, USA ONLY

e Lithium battery adopted on this motherboard contains Perchlorate, a toxic substance
controlled in Perchlorate Best Management Practices (BMP) regulations passed by the
California Legislature. When you discard the Lithium battery in California, USA, please
follow the related regulations in advance.
“Perchlorate Material-special handling may apply, see ww w.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/
perchlorate”

ASRock Website: http://www.asrock.com

AUSTRALIA ONLY

Our goods come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer
Law. You are entitled to a replacement or refund for a major failure and compensation for
any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage caused by our goods. You are also entitled
to have the goods repaired or replaced if the goods fail to be of acceptable quality and the
failure does not amount to a major failure. If you require assistance please call ASRock Tel

: [phone] ext.123 (Standard International call charges apply)

Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction 1

1.1 Package Contents 1

1.2 Specications 2

1.3 Motherboard Layout 6

1.4 Onboard LED Indicators 9

1.5 I/O Panel 11

Chapter 2 Installation 14

2.1 Screw Holes 14

2.2 Pre-installation Precautions 14

2.3 Installing the CPU and Heatsink 15

2.4 Installation of Memory Modules (DIMM) 21

2.5 Expansion Slots (PCIe Slots) 23

2.6 Jumper Setup 25

2.7 Onboard Headers and Connectors 27

2.8 Unit Identication purpose LED/Switch 35

2.9 Driver Installation Guide 35

2.10 M.2_SSD (NGFF) Module Installation Guide 36

Chapter 3 UEFI Setup Utility 38

3.1 ntroduction 38

3.1.1 UEFI Menu Bar 38

3.1.2 Navigation Keys 39

3.2 Main Screen

3.2 Main Screen 40

3.3 Advanced Screen 41

3.3.1 CPU Conguration 42

3.3.2 DRAM Conguration 45

3.3.3 Chipset Conguration 47

3.3.4 Storage Conguration 50

3.3.5 ACPI Conguration 51

3.3.6 USB Conguration 52

3.3.7 Super IO Conguration 53

3.3.8 Serial Port Console Redirection 54

3.3.9 H/W Monitor 57

3.3.10 Runtime Error Logging 58

3.3.11 Intel SPS Conguration 60

3.3.12 Intel® VMD technology 61

3.3.13 Tls Auth Conguration 64

3.3.14 Instant Flash 65

3.4 Security 66

3.4.1 Key Management 67

3.5 Boot Screen 70

3.5.1 CSM Parameters 72

3.6 Server Mgmt 74

3.6.1 System Event Log 75

3.6.2 View System Event Log 76

3.6.3 BMC Network Conguration 76

3.6.4 BMC Tools 78

3.7 Event Logs 79

3.8 Exit Screen 80

Chapter 4 Software Support 81

4.1 Install Operating System 81

4.2 Support CD Information 81

4.2.1 Running The Support CD 81

4.2.2 Drivers Menu 81

4.2.3 Utilities Menu 81

4.2.4 Contact Information 81

Chapter 5 Troubleshooting 82

5.1 Troubleshooting Procedures 82

5.2 Technical Support Procedures 84

5.3 Returning Merchandise for Service 84

Chapter 1 Introduction

ank you for purchasing ASRock C621A WS motherboard, a reliable motherboard

produced under ASRock’s consistently stringent quality control. It delivers excellent

performance with robust design conforming to ASRock’s commitment to quality and

endurance.

In this manual, chapter 1 and 2 contains introduction of the motherboard and step-

by-step guide to the hardware installation. Chapter 3 and 4 contains the conguration

guide to BIOS setup and information of the Support CD.

Becau se the motherboard specications and the BIOS soware might be updated, the
content of this documentation will be subject to change without notice. In case any
modications of this documentation occur, the upd ated version will be available on
ASRock’s website w ithout f urther notice. If you require technical support related to
this motherboard, please vi sit our website for s pecic information about the model
you are using. You may nd the l atest VGA cards and CPU suppor t list on ASRock’s
website a s well. ASRock website http://www.asrock.com.

C621A WS

1.1 Package Contents

ASRock C621A WS Motherboard (ATX Form Factor)

•

ASRock C621A WS Quick Installation Guide

•

ASRock C621A WS Support CD

•

1 x TPM-SPI module

•

1 x CPU Non-Fabric Carrier (Optional)

•

1 x Mini SAS HD to 4*SATA Cable (60cm) (Optional)

•

1 x SATA Power Cable (80cm) (Opt ional)

•

1 x SATA3 Data Cable (60cm) (Opt iona l)

•

1 x I/O Panel Shield

•

If any items are missing or appear dam aged, contac t your authorized deal er.

English

1.2 Specications

Platform

CPU

Chipset

Memory

Expansion
Slot

* If PCIE2 is occupied, PCIE3 will downgrade to x8 mode. If

PCIE4 is occupied, PCIE5 will downgrade to x8 mode. If PCIE6

is occupied, PCIE7 will downgrade to x8 mode.

ATX Form Factor

•

12 Layer PCB

•

2oz Copper PCB

•

Supports 3rd Generation Intel® Xeon® Scalable Processors

•

Intel® Socket 4189 (Socket P+)

•

Digi Power Design

•

7 Power Phase Design

•

Intel® C621A

•

Eight Channel Memory Technology (1DPC)

•

8 x DDR4 DIMM Slots

•

Supports DDR4 3200/2933/2666/2400/2133/1866 DDR4

•

RDIMM/ RDIMM-3DS/ LRDIMM/ LRDIMM-3DS/

Intel®Optane™ Persistent Memory 200 Series

Max. capacity of system memory: R DIMM: 64GB, LRDIMM:

•

128GB, RDIMM-3DS/ LRDIMM-3DS: 256GB

4 x PCIe Gen4x16 Slots (PCIE1/PCIE3/PCIE5/PCIE7)*

•

3 x PCIe Gen4x8 Slots (PCIE2/PCIE4/PCIE6)*

•

Aspeed® AST2500 BMC Controller

Graphics

LAN

English

•

Supports D-Sub with max. resolution up to 1920x1200 @

•

60Hz

2 x 10 Gigabit LAN 100/1000/2500/5000/10000 Mb/s (Intel®

X710-AT 2)

Supports Wake-On-LAN

•

Supports Lightning/ESD Protection

•

Supports Energy Ecient Ethernet 802.3az

•

Supports PXE

•

2 3

Storage

2 x Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000 Mb/s (Intel® I210)

Supports Wake-On-LAN

•

Supports Lightning/ESD Protection

•

Supports Energy Ecient Ethernet 802.3az

•

Supports PXE

•

1 x Dedicated IPMI (ASPEED AST2500)

Supports iKVM and vMedia

•

2 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s Connectors

•

1 x Mini-SAS HD Connector

•

1 x Ultra M.2 Socket (M2_1, Key M), supports type

•

2242/2280/22110 SATA3 6.0 Gb/s & PCIe Gen3x4 (32 Gb/s)

modes*

1 x M.2 Socket (M2_2, Key M), supports type

•

2242/2280/22110 SATA3 6.0 Gb/s & PCIe Gen3x1 (8 Gb/s)

modes*

* Supports Intel® OptaneTM Tech nolo gy

* Supports NVMe SSD as boot disks

* Supports ASRock U.2 Ki

C621A WS

RAID

Rear Panel
I/O

Connector

Supports RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5 and R AID 10 for SATA

•

storage devices

Supports RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5 for M.2 NVMe storage

•

devices

1 x UID Switch w/ LED

•

1 x D-Sub Port

•

4 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Ports (Supports ESD Protection)

•

2 x RJ45 (10GbE), 2 x RJ45 (1GbE)

•

1 x RJ45 Dedicated IPMI LAN port

•

1 x SPI TPM Header

•

1 x LPC TPM Header

•

1 x COM Port Header

•

5 x System Fan Connectors (6-pin)

•

1 x 24 pin ATX Power Connector (Hi-Density Power

•

Connec tor)

English

1 x 8 pin 12V Power Connector (Hi-Density Power

•

Connec tor)

1 x 4 pin 12V Power Connector (Hi-Density Power

•

Connec tor)

1 x Vertical Type A USB 2.0

•

1 x USB 2.0 Header (Supports 2 USB 2.0 ports) (Supports

•

ESD Protection)

1 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Headers (Support 2 USB 3.2 Gen1 ports)

•

(Supports ESD Protection)

2 x USB3.2 Gen2 ports (2 Type-C headers)

•

2 x Front Panel Type C USB 3.2 Gen2 Headers (Supports ESD

•

Protection)

2 x SGPIO Headers

•

1 x Auxiliary Panel Header

•

1 x Intelligent Platform Management Bus Header

•

1 x Backplane PCI Express Hot-Plug Connector Header

•

1 x SMBus Header

•

1 x PMbus Header

•

1 x CPU HP-SMBus Connector

•

1 x ermal Sensor Header

•

1 x Virtual RAID On CPU Header

•

1 x BMC Heartbeat LED

•

1 x StandbyPower LED

•

5 x FanFail LED

•

1 x Non Maskable Interrupt Button Header

•

1 x Buzzer

•

1 x Dr. Debug with LED

•

AMI UEFI Legal BIOS

BIOS
Feature

Hardware
Monitor

English

•

ACPI 5.0 Compliant wake up events

•

SMBIOS 2.3 Support

•

Temperature Sensing: CPU, PCH, MB, Card Side

•

Fan Tachometer: CPU, Rear, Front Fan Tachometer

•

Quiet Fan (Auto adjust chassis fan speed by CPU

•

temperature): CPU Fan

Fan Multi-Speed Control: CPU, Rear, Front Fan

•

Voltage Monitoring: CPU1_PVCCIN, PVDDQ_

•

ABCD,PVDDQ_EFGH, 1.05V_PCH,1.8V_PCH,

+BAT,PVNN_PCH, 3.3V,5V,12V,3.3VSB, 5VSB

4 5

OS

Microso® Windows®

10 64-bit / 11 64-bit

•

Server 2016 (64 bit)

•

Server 2019 (64 bit)

•

Server 2022 (64 bit)

•

Linux®:

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server 7.9 (64 bit) / 8.3 (64 bit)

•

CentOs 7.9 (64 bit) / 8.3 (64 bit)

•

SUSE Enterprise Linux Server 12 SP5 (64 bit) / 15 SP2 (64 bit)

•

Ubuntu 20.04.1 (64 bit) / 20.10 (64 bit)

•

Hypervisor:

VMWare® ESXi 6.7 U3 / vSphere 6.7 U3

•

VMWare® ESXi 7.0.U1c / vSphere 7.0.U1c

•

Hyper-V Winders Server 2016

•

Hyper-V Winders Server 2019

•

* Please refer to our website for the latest OS suppor t list.

FCC, CE

Certica­tions

* For detailed product information, please visit our website: http://www.asrock .com

Please realiz e that the re is a certain r isk involved with o verclocking, including
adjusting the setting in the BIOS, applying Untied Overclocking Technology, or using
third-party overclocking tool s. Overclocking may aect your s ystem’s stability, or
even cause dam age to the components and devices of your system. It should be done
at your own risk and expense. We are not responsible for poss ible damage caused by
overclocking.

•

ErP/EuP ready (ErP/EuP ready power supply is required)

•

1.3 Motherboard Layout

12

15
16

10
11

13

14

17

20

18

19

21

23

24

22

25

26

27

28

59

57

55

54

56

49

47

46

45

50

51

52

53

61

60

58

VGA1

USB 3.2
Gen1
T: USB3_4
B:USB3_3

USB 3.2
Gen1
T: USB3_2
B:USB3_1

IPMI_LAN

1

CPU1_HSBP1

DDR4_B1

DDR4_A1

DDR4_D1

DDR4_C1

PSU_SMB1

USB3_5_6

3

2

FAN1

ATXPWR1

ATX12V1

4

5

6

ATX12V2

FAN2

7

8

9

LAN3

48

English

LAN4

LAN1

LAN2

UID1

BMC
ROM1

NMI_BTN2

COM1

PCIE7

PCIE6

PCIE5

PCIE4

PCIE3

PCIE2

CPU1

PECI1

C621A WS

ME_RECOVERY1

PASSWORD_CLEAR

ESPI_SHARE

BIOS_RECOVERY

IPMB1

ESPI_MODE1

BMC_SMB_1

41424344

ESPI_LPC_SEL1

CPU_VSENSE

SATAPWR2

SATAPWR1

DDR4_G1

DDR4_H1

DDR4_E1

DDR4_F1

CLRMOS1

PWM_CFG1

FAN3

FAN4

SATA_5

SATA_4

FAN5

BAT1

M2_1

SATA_0_3

USB31 _TC_1

USB31 _TC_2

SSATA_2_ 3

M2_2

USB_2_3

PANEL1

RAID_1

MINISAS_1

PCIE1

SEC_OR1

R

T 1

SATA_SGPIO1

SSATA_SGPIO1

FRONT_LED_LAN34

TPM1

USB_1

TPM_BIOS_PH1

AUX_PANEL1

BIOS
ROM1

SPEAKER1

29

3435 3236

39

40

333738

3031

6 7

No. Description

1 Backplane PCI Express Hot-Plug Connector (CPU1_HSBP1)

2 PSU SMBus Header (PSU_SMB1)

3 System Fan Connector (FAN1)

4 ATX Power Connector (ATXPWR1)

5 ATX 12V Power Connector (ATX12V1)

6 USB 3.2 Gen1 Header (USB3_5_6)

7 ATX 12V Power Connector (ATX12V2)

8 System Fan Connector (FAN2)

9 LGA 4189 CPU Socket (CPU1)

10 CPU VSENSE Header (CPU_VSENSE)

11 PWM Conguration Header (PWM_CFG1)

12 SATA DOM Power Connector (SATAPWR2)

13 System Fan Connector (FAN3)

14 System Fan Connector (FAN4)

15 SATA DOM Power Connector (SATAPWR1)

16 SATA3 DOM Connector (SATA_5)

17 2 x 288-pin DDR4 DIMM Slots (DDR4_E1, DDR4_G1)*

18 SATA3 DOM Connector (SATA_4)

19 System Fan Connector (FAN5)

20 2 x 288-pin DDR4 DIMM Slots (DDR4_F1, DDR4_H1)*

21 M.2 Socket (M2_1) (Ty pe 2242/2280/22110)

22 Mini-SAS HD Connector (SATA_0_3)

23 Front Panel Type C USB 3.2 Gen2 Header (USB31_TC_1)**

24 Front Panel Type C USB 3.2 Gen2 Header (USB31_TC_2)**

25 SATA3 Connectors (SSATA_3)(Upper), (SSATA3_2)(Lower)**

26 Speaker Header (SPEAKER1)

27 USB 2.0 Header (USB_2_3)

28 Virtual RAID On CPUHeader (RAID_1)

29 System Panel Header (PANEL1)

30 Auxiliary Panel Header (AUX_PANEL1)

31 M.2 Socket (M2 _2) (Type 2242/2280/22110)

32 TPM-SPI Header (TPM_BIOS_PH1)

33 Security Override Jumper (SEC_OR1)

C621A WS

English

English

No. Description

34 Vertical USB 2.0 Port (USB_1)

35 Front LAN LED Header (FRONT_LED_LAN34)

36 TPM Header (TPM1)

37 SATA SGPIO Connector (SATA_SGPIO1)

38 SATA SGPIO Connector (SSATA _SGP IO1)

39 ermal Sensor Header (TR1)

40 MiniSAS HD SATA/PCIE Slection Jumper (MINISAS_1)

41 BMC SMBus Header (BMC_SMB_1)

42 ESPI Flash Sharing Jumper (ESPI_SHARE)

43 Intelligent Platform Management Bus Header (IPMB1)

44 COM Header (COM1)

45 BIOS Recovery Jumper (BIOS_RECOVERY1)

46 Non Maskable Interrupt Button (NMI_BTN2)

47 PCI Express 4.0 x16 Card Slot (PCIE1)

48 CPU PECI Mode Jumper (PECI1)

49 ME Recovery Jumper (ME_RECOVERY1)

50 PCI Express 4.0 x8 Card Slot (PCIE2)

51 Password Reset Jumper (PASSWORD_CLEAR)

52 BIOS Swap Override Header (ESPI_MODE1)

53 PCI Express 4.0 x16 Card Slot (PCIE3)

54 ESPI/LPC Selection Jumper (ESPI_LPC_ SEL1)

55 PCI Express 4.0 x8 Card Slot (PCIE4)

56 PCI Express 4.0 x16 Card Slot (PCIE5)

57 PCI Express 4.0 x8 Card Slot (PCIE6)

58 Clear CMOS Pad (CLRMOS1)

59 PCI Express 4.0 x16 Card Slot (PCIE7)

60 2 x 288-pin DDR4 DIMM Slots (DDR4_A1, DDR4_C1)*

61 2 x 288-pin DDR4 DIMM Slots (DDR4_B1, DDR4_D1)*

*For DIMM in stallation and conguration instructions, ple ase see p.21 (Installation of Memor y Modules
(DIMM)) for more detail s.

**2 Type-C USB headers (USB31_TC1/USB31_TC2) are shared with 2 SATA 7-pin headers (SSATA_2/SSATA_3)
(BOM option)

8 9

1.4 Onboard LED Indicators

2

3

4

5

6

7

C621A WS

1

English

No. Item Status Description

1 SB_PWR1 Green STB PWR ready

2 FAN _LE D1 Amber FAN1 failed

3 FAN _LE D2 Amber FAN2 failed

4 FAN _LE D3 Amber FAN3 failed

5 FAN _LE D4 Amber FAN4 f aile d

6 FAN _LE D5 Amber FAN5 f ailed

7 BLED1 Green BMC heartbeat LED

English

10 11

1.5 I/O Panel

3

5

C621A WS

1

No. Description No. Description

1 VGA Por t ( VGA1) 6 1G LAN RJ-45 Port (LAN4)**

2 USB 3.2 Gen1 Ports (USB3_3_4) 7 10G LAN RJ-45 Port (LAN1)***

3 LAN RJ-45 Port (IPMI_LAN)* 8 10G LAN RJ-45 Port (LAN2)***

4 USB 3.2 Gen1 Ports (USB3_1_2) 9 UID Switch (UID1)

5 1G LAN RJ-45 Port (LAN3)**

2

4

6

7

8

9

English

*ere are two LED next to the LAN port. Please refer to the table below for the LAN port

LED indications.

ACT/LINK LED

SPEED LED

LAN Por t

Dedicated IPMI LAN Port LED Indications

Activity / Link LED Speed LED

Status Description Status Description

O No Link O 10M bps connection or no

link
Blinking Orange Data Activity Ye l low 100M bps connection
On Link Green 1G bps connection

**ere are two LEDs on each LAN port. Please refer to the table below for the LAN port

LED indications.

ACT/LINK LE D

SPEED LE D

ACT/LINK LE D

LAN Port

SPEED LE D

LAN Port (LAN3, LAN4) LED Indications

Activity / Link LED Speed LED

Status Description Status Description

O No Link O 10Mbps connection or

no link
Blinking Yellow Data Activity Yel low 100Mbps connection
On Link Green 1Gbps connection

English

12 13

C621A WS

***ere are two LEDs on each LAN port. Please refer to the table below for the LAN port

LED indications.

ACT/LINK LED

SPEED LED

LAN Por t

LAN Port (LAN1, LAN2) LED Indications

Activity / Link LED Speed LED

Status Description Status Description

O No Link O 100Mbps connection or

no link
Blinking Green Data Activity Yel low 1Gbps connection
On Link Green 10Gbps connection

English

Chapter 2 Installation

is is an ATX form factor (12” x 9.6”, 30.5 cm x 24.4 cm) motherboard. Before you install

the motherboard, study the conguration of your chassis to ensure that the motherboard

ts into it.

Make sure to unplug the power cord before installing or re moving the motherboard . Failure
to do so may cause physical injurie s to you and d amages to motherboard components.

2.1 Screw Holes

Place screws into the holes indicated by circles to secure the motherboard to the chassis.

Do not over-tighten the screws! Doing so may damage the motherboard.

2.2 Pre-installation Precautions

Take note of the following precautions before you insta ll motherboard components or

change any motherboard settings.

1. Unplug the power cord from the wall socket before touching any components.

2. To avoid damaging the motherboard’s components due to static electricity, NEVER

place your motherboard directly on the carpet or the like. Also remember to use a

grounded wrist strap or touch a safety grounded object before you handle the compo-

nents.

3. Hold components by the edges and do not touch the ICs.

4. Whenever you uninstall any component, place it on a grounded anti-static pad or in

the bag that comes with the component.

5. When placing screws into the screw holes to secure the motherboard to the chassis,

please do not over-tighten the screws! Doing so may damage the motherboard.

Before you install or remove any component, ensure that the power is switched o or the
power cord is detached f rom the power supply. Failure to d o so may cau se severe damage to
the motherboard, peripherals, and/or components.

English

14 15

2.3 Installing the CPU and Heatsink

1. Before you insert the CPU into the socket, please check if the PnP cap is on the socket ,
if the CPU sur face is unclean, or if there are any bent pins in the socket. Do not force to
inser t the CPU into the socket if above situation is found. Oth erwise, the CPU will be
seriously damaged.

2. Unplug all power c ables before in stalling the CPU.

1

C621A WS

Socket Dust Cover

English

1. Before you installed the heatsink , you need to spray thermal interface material between the CPU
and the heatsink to improve heat dissipation.

2. Illustration in this documentation are examples only. Heatsink or fan cooler type may dier.

2

CPU Carrier

3

English

16 17

C621A WS

4

5

180

o

English

6

7

English

CPU Carrier

18 19

C621A WS

8

Heatsink

CPU Carrier

Socket

English

9

10

English

20 21

2.4 Installation of Memory Modules (DIMM)

is motherboard provides eight 288-pin DDR4 (Double Data Rate 4) DIMM slots in two

groups, and supports Eight Channel Memory Technology.

CPU1

A1 B1 C1 D1 E1 F1 G1 H1

1 DIMM

2 DIMMS

4 DIMMS

8 DIMMS

1. It is not allowe d to install a DDR, DDR 2 or DDR3 memory module into a DDR4 slot;

2. For eight channel conguration , you always need to in stall identical (the same brand,

# # # # # # # #

otherwise , this motherboard and DIM M may be damaged.

speed , size and chip-type) DDR4 DIMM pairs.

#

# #

# # # #

C621A WS

English

1

2

3

English

22 23