Asus RS924A-E6/RS8 User Manual

2U Rackmount
Server

RS920A-E6/RS8
RS924A-E6/RS8

User Guide

ii

Copyright © 2011 ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. All Rights Reserved.

No part of this manual, including the products and software described in it, may be reproduced, transmitted,
transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form or by any means,
except documentation kept by the purchaser for backup purposes, without the express written permission
of ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. (“ASUS”).

ASUS provides this manual “as is” without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including but not

limited to the implied warranties or conditions of merchantability or tness for a particular purpose. In no
event shall ASUS, its directors, of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 use or data,

interruption of business and the like), even if ASUS has been advised of the possibility of such damages
arising from any defect or error in this manual or product.

Specications and information contained in this manual ae furnished for informational use only, and are

subject to change at any time without notice, and should not be construed as a commitment by ASUS.
ASUS assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies that may appear in this manual,
including the products and software described in it.

Product warranty or service will not be extended if: (1) the product is repaired, modied or altered, unless
such repair, modication of alteration is authorized in writing by ASUS; or (2) the serial number of the

product is defaced or missing.

Products and corporate names appearing in this manual 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.

E6861

First Edition V1

September 2011

iii

Contents

Contents ...................................................................................................... iii

Notices ........................................................................................................ vii

Safety information ...................................................................................... ix

About this guide .......................................................................................... x

Chapter 1: Product introduction

1.1 System package contents ........................................................... 1-2

1.2 Serial number label ......................................................................

1-3

1.3 Systemspecications .................................................................

1-4

1.4 Front panel features .....................................................................

1-6

1.5 Rear panel features ......................................................................

1-6

1.6 Internal features ...........................................................................

1-7

1.7 LED information ...........................................................................

1-8

1.7.1 Front panel LEDs ............................................................

1-8

1.7.2 LAN (RJ-45) LEDs ..........................................................

1-9

1.7.3 HDD status LED ............................................................

1-10

Chapter 2: Hardware setup

2.1 Chassis cover ............................................................................... 2-2

2.2 Central Processing Unit (CPU) ...................................................

2-3

2.2.1 Installing Socket 1944 CPU ............................................

2-3

2.2.2 Installing the CPU heatsink and airduct ..........................

2-6

2.3 System memory ...........................................................................

2-7

2.3.1 Overview .........................................................................

2-7

2.3.2 Memory Congurations ...................................................

2-7

2.4 Hard disk drives .........................................................................

2-10

2.5 Expansion slot ............................................................................

2-12

2.5.1 Installing an expansion card to the riser card bracket ...

2-12

2.5.2 Conguring an expansion card .....................................

2-14

2.6 Cable connections .....................................................................

2-15

2.7 SATAII/SAS backplane cabling .................................................

2-16

2.8 Removable/optional components .............................................

2-17

2.8.1 System fans ..................................................................

2-17

2.8.2 Redundant power supply units ......................................

2-18

2.8.3 Installing ASUS PIKE RAID card (optional) ..................

2-21

iv

Contents

2.8.4 Installing ASUS PIKE SAS RAID Card (optional) ......... 2-24

Chapter 3: Installation options

3.1 Installing friction rail kit items .................................................... 3-2

3.1.1 Attaching the xing latches to the server ........................

3-2

3.1.2 Mounting the server to the rack ......................................

3-5

Chapter 4: Motherboard information

4.1 Motherboard layouts .................................................................... 4-2

4.2 Jumpers ........................................................................................

4-4

4.3 Internal connectors ......................................................................

4-8

Chapter 5: BIOS setup

5.1 Managing and updating your BIOS ............................................ 5-2

5.1.1 ASUS EZ Flash 2 utility ...................................................

5-2

5.1.2 BUPDATER utility

............................................................ 5-3

5.1.3 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 utility ......................................

5-5

5.2 BIOS setup program ....................................................................

5-6

5.2.1 BIOS menu screen ..........................................................

5-7

5.2.2 Menu bar .........................................................................

5-7

5.2.3 Navigation keys ...............................................................

5-7

5.2.4 Menu items .....................................................................

5-8

5.2.5 Submenu items ...............................................................

5-8

5.2.6 Conguration elds .........................................................

5-8

5.2.7 Pop-up window ...............................................................

5-8

5.2.8 Scroll bar .........................................................................

5-8

5.2.9 General help ...................................................................

5-8

5.3 Main menu ....................................................................................

5-9

5.3.1 System Time [xx:xx:xx] ...................................................

5-9

5.3.2 System Date [Day xx/xx/xxxx] .........................................

5-9

5.3.3 SATA1–6 .......................................................................

5-10

5.3.4 Storage Conguration ....................................................

5-11

5.3.5 System Information .......................................................

5-12

5.4 Advanced menu .........................................................................

5-14

5.4.1 CPU Conguration ........................................................

5-14

5.4.2 Chipset Conguration ...................................................

5-16

v

Contents

5.4.3 Onboard Devices Conguration .................................... 5-25

5.4.4 USB Conguration ........................................................

5-26

5.4.5 PCIPnP .........................................................................

5-27

5.4.5 Event Log Conguration ...............................................

5-28

5.5 Server menu ...............................................................................

5-28

5.6 Power menu ................................................................................

5-33

5.6.1 ACPI APIC support [Enabled] .......................................

5-33

5.6.5 APM Conguration ........................................................

5-34

5.6.6 Hardware Monitor .........................................................

5-35

5.7 Boot menu ..................................................................................

5-37

5.7.1 Boot Device Priority ......................................................

5-37

5.7.2 Hard Disk Drives; CDROM Drives ................................

5-37

5.7.3 Boot Settings Conguration ..........................................

5-38

5.7.4 Security .........................................................................

5-39

5.8 Tools menu .................................................................................

5-41

5.8.1 ASUS EZ Flash 2 ..........................................................

5-41

5.9 Exit menu ....................................................................................

5-42

Chapter6: RAIDconguration

6.1 Setting up RAID ............................................................................ 6-2

6.1.1 RAID denitions ..............................................................

6-2

6.1.2 Installing hard disk drives ................................................

6-3

6.1.3 Setting the RAID item in BIOS ........................................

6-3

6.2 FastBuild Utility ............................................................................

6-4

6.2.1 Creating a RAID set (RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 10, RAID 5, SPAN

or JBOD) .........................................................6-5

6.2.2 Deleting a RAID set .......................................................

6-11

6.2.3 Viewing the Drive Assignment

....................................... 6-13

6.2.4 Viewing the Controller Conguration

............................. 6-14

Chapter 7: Driver installation

7.1 RAID driver installation ............................................................... 7-2

7.1.1 Creating a RAID driver disk ............................................

7-2

7.1.2 Installing the RAID controller driver ................................

7-4

7.2 Intel

®

Network Connection Software ........................................ 7-17

vi

Contents

7.3 LAN driver installation ............................................................... 7-21

7.4 Display driver installation .........................................................

7-25

7.5 Mellanox ConnectX QDR PCI Gen2 .........................................

7-28

7.5.1 Windows operating system ...........................................

7-28

7.5.2

Red Hat® Enterprise Linux OS .............................7-32

7.6 Management applications and utilities installation ................ 7-35

7.6.1 Running the support DVD .............................................

7-35

7.6.2 Drivers menu .................................................................

7-35

7.6.3 Utilities menu ................................................................

7-36

7.6.4 Make disk menu ............................................................

7-36

7.6.5 Contact information .......................................................

7-36

vii

Notices

Federal Communications Commission Statement

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the

following two conditions:

• This device may not cause harmful interference, and

• This device must accept any interference received including interference that
may cause undesired operation.

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class

B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed

to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential
installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency
energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions,
may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no
guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment
does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be
determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to
correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

• Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the
receiver is connected.

• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

Canadian Department of Communications Statement

This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions

from digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the
Canadian Department of Communications.

This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.

WARNING! The use of shielded cables for connection of the monitor to the

graphics card is required to assure compliance with FCC regulations. Changes

or modications to this unit not expressly approved by the party responsible for

compliance could void the user’s authority to operate this equipment.

viii

REACH Information

Complying with the REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction

of Chemicals) regulatory framework, we publish the chemical substances in our

products at ASUS REACH website at http://csr.asus.com/english/REACH.htm.

ASUS Recycling/Takeback Services

ASUS recycling and takeback programs come from our commitment to the highest

standards for protecting our environment. We believe in providing solutions for you

to be able to responsibly recycle our products, batteries, other components as well
as the packaging materials. Please go to http://csr.asus.com/english/Takeback.htm
for detailed recycling information in different regions.

DO NOT throw the motherboard in municipal waste. This product has been designed
to enable proper reuse of parts and recycling. This symbol of the crossed out wheeled
bin indicates that the product (electrical and electronic equipment) should not be
placed in municipal waste. Check local regulations for disposal of electronic products.

DO NOT throw the mercury-containing button cell battery in municipal waste.
This symbol of the crossed out wheeled bin indicates that the battery should not
be placed in municipal waste.

ix

Safety information

Electrical Safety

• Before installing or removing signal cables, ensure that the power cables for

the system unit and all attached devices are unplugged.

• To prevent electrical shock hazard, disconnect the power cable from the

electrical outlet before relocating the system.

• When adding or removing any additional devices to or from the system, ensure

that the power cables for the devices are unplugged before the signal cables
are connected. If possible, disconnect all power cables from the existing
system before you add a device.

• If the power supply is broken, do not try to x it by yourself. Contact a qualied

service technician or your dealer.

Operation Safety

• Any mechanical operation on this server must be conducted by certied or

experienced engineers.

• Before operating the server, carefully read all the manuals included with the

server package.

• Before using the server, ensure all cables are correctly connected and the

power cables are not damaged. If any damage is detected, contact your dealer
as soon as possible.

• To avoid short circuits, keep paper clips, screws, and staples away from
connectors, slots, sockets and circuitry.

• Avoid dust, humidity, and temperature extremes. Place the server on a stable
surface.

Lithium-Ion Battery Warning

CAUTION! Danger of explosion if battery is incorrectly replaced. Replace

only with the same or equivalent type recommended by the manufacturer.
Dispose of used batteries according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

CD-ROM Drive Safety Warning

CLASS 1 LASER PRODUCT

Heavy System

CAUTION! This server system is heavy. Ask for assistance when moving or

carrying the system.

This product is equipped with a three-wire power cable and plug for the user’s
safety. Use the power cable with a properly grounded electrical outlet to avoid
electrical shock.

x

About this guide

Audience

This user guide is intended for system integrators, and experienced users with at

least basic knowledge of conguring a server.

Contents

This guide contains the following parts:

1. Chapter 1: Product Introduction

This chapter describes the general features of the server, including sections

on front panel and rear panel specications.

2. Chapter 2: Hardware setup

This chapter lists the hardware setup procedures that you have to perform
when installing or removing system components.

3. Chapter 3: Installation options

This chapter describes how to install optional components into the barebone
server.

4. Chapter 4: Motherboard information

This chapter gives information about the motherboard that comes with the
server. This chapter includes the motherboard layout, jumper settings, and
connector locations.

5. Chapter 5: BIOS setup

This chapter tells how to change system settings through the BIOS Setup
menus and describes the BIOS parameters.

6. Chapter6:RAIDconguration

This chapter tells how to change system settings through the BIOS Setup
menus. Detailed descriptions of the BIOS parameters are also provided.

7 Chapter 7: Driver installation

This chapter provides instructions for installing the necessary drivers for
different system components.

xi

References

Refer to the following sources for additional information, and for product and
software updates.

1. ASUS Server Web-based Management (ASWM) user guide

This manual tells how to set up and use the proprietary ASUS server
management utility.

2. ASUS websites

The ASUS websites worldwide provide updated information for all ASUS
hardware and software products. Refer to the ASUS contact information.

Conventions

To ensure that you perform certain tasks properly, take note of the following
symbols used throughout this manual.

Typography

Bold text

Indicates a menu or an item to select.

Italics

Used to emphasize a word or a phrase.

<Key> Keys enclosed in the less-than and greater-than
sign means that you must press the enclosed key.

Example: <Enter> means that you must press
the Enter or Return key.

<Key1+Key2+Key3> If you must press two or more keys simultaneously,

the key names are linked with a plus sign (+).

Example: <Ctrl+Alt+Del>

Command

Means that you must type the command
exactly as shown, then supply the required
item or value enclosed in brackets.

Example: At the DOS prompt, type the
command line:

format A:/S

DANGER/WARNING: Information to prevent injury to yourself when

trying to complete a task.

CAUTION: Information to prevent damage to the components when

trying to complete a task.

NOTE: Tips and additional information to help you complete a task.

IMPORTANT: Instructions that you MUST follow to complete a task.

xii

1-

ASUS RS920A-E6/RS8; RS924-E6/RS8

This chapter describes the general
features of the chassis kit. It includes
sections on front panel and rear panel

specications.

Chapter 1

Product introduction

Chapter 1: Product introduction1-2

* ThesystemdoesnotincludeaUSBoppydrive.YoumayhavetouseaUSBoppydrive

when creating a SATA RAID driver disk. Refer to Chapter 7 for details.

*ASUS System Web-based Management

If any of the above items is damaged or missing, contact your retailer.

1.1 System package contents

Check your system package for the following items.

Model Name RS920A-E6/RS8 RS924A-E6/RS8
Chassis ASUS R21B 2U Rackmount Chassis

Motherboard ASUS KGPX-Q32 Series Server Board
Component 1 x 1620W Redundant Power Supply

1 x SATA Backplane with 8 x SATA Cables
2 x PCIe riser card
1 x Front I/O Shield (FPB-AR14)
1 x Power Supply Power Distribution Board
5 x System Fans (80mm)

Accessories 1 x User’s Guide

1 x RS924A-E6/RS8 Series Support DVD (including ASWM*)
1 x Bag of Screws

1 x Friction Rail Kit

Optional Items CPU Heatsink

Anti-virus CD

ASUS RS920A-E6/RS8; RS924A-E6/RS8 1-3

1.2 Serial number label

Before requesting support from the ASUS Technical Support team, you must
take note of the product’s serial number containing 14 characters such as
xxS0xxxxxxxxxx. See the gure below.

With the correct serial number of the product, ASUS Technical Support team

members can then offer a quicker and satisfying solution to your problems.

xxS0xxxxxxxxxx

RS924A -E6/RS8

Chapter 1: Product introduction1-4

1.3 Systemspecications

The ASUS RS920A-E6/RS8 and RS924A-E6/RS8 are a servers featuring the
ASUS KGPX-Q32 Series server board.The server supports AMD® LGA 1944
Opteron™ 6100 series and 6200 series processors with HyperTransport™

technology, plus other latest technologies through the chipsets onboard.

(continued on the next page)

Model Name RS920A-E6/RS8 RS924A-E6/RS8

Processor / System Bus

4 x Socket LGA1944

4/8/12/16 Core AMD®Opteron 6200 Series
(ACP=105W)
8/12 Core AMD Opteron 6100 Series (ACP=80W)
HyperTransport Technology 3.0, 6.4 GT/s per link

Core Logic

AMD® SR5690 + SR5650
AMD® SP5100

ASUS Features

Fan Speed
Control

√

ASWM Enterprise

√

Memory

Total Slots

32 (4-channel per CPU, 8 DIMMs per CPU)

Capacity

Maximum up to 512GB (RDIMM)
Maximum up to 128GB (UDIMM)

Memory Type

DDR3 1600/1333/1066/800 RDIMM
DDR3 1600/1333/1066/800 UDIMM / Unbuffered

DIMM with ECC

Memory Size

1GB, 2GB, 4GB, 8GB and 16GB (RDIMM)
1GB, 2GB and 4GB (UDIMM)

Expansion Slots

Total PCI/PCI-X/
PCI-E Slots

4

Slot Type

4 x PCI-E G2 x16 (2 at Gen2 x16 Link or 4 at Gen2

x8 Link)

Additional Slot

1 x PIKE Slot for Storage Enhancement

Storage

SATA Controller

AMD® SP5100:

- 6 x SATA2 300MB/s ports

Promise® SW RAID (for Linux / Windows):

- Supports software RAID 0, 1, 5 & 10

SAS Controller

Optional: PIKE riser is necessary.

ASUS PIKE 2008 8-port SAS2 6G RAID card
ASUS PIKE 2008/IMR 8-port SAS2 6G RAID card
ASUS PIKE 2108 8-port SAS2 6G H/W RAID card

ASUS RS920A-E6/RS8; RS924A-E6/RS8 1-5

*Specicationsaresubjecttochangewithoutnotice.

HDD Bays

I = Internal
A or S will be
hot-swappable

8 x Hot-swap 3.5” SATAII/SAS HDD Bays

Networking LAN

4 x Intel PCI-E GbE
LAN (82580EB) + 1 x

Mgmt LAN

4 x Intel PCI-E GbE
LAN (82580EB) + 1 x

Mgmt LAN
1 x Single Port Mellanox

ConnectX QDR
InniteBand with QSFP

interface

Graphic VGA

Aspeed AST2050 / 16MB

Auxiliary Storage Device Bay
(Floppy / Optical Device)

1 x slim-type Optical Device Bay
(Options: No Device / DVD-RW)

Onboard I/O

1 x PS/2 Keyboard Port
1 x PS/2 Mouse Port

1 x External Serial Port

5 x RJ-45 ports (1 for onboard ASMB5-iKVM)
4 x USB 2.0 ports (Front x 2, Rear x 2)
1 x Internal A Type USB Port
1 x VGA port
1 x QSFP Port for Inniband QDR

OS Support

Windows® Server 2008 R2 SP1
Windows® Server 2008 Enterprise 32/64-bit

RedHat® Enterprise Linux AS 6.1 32/64-bit
SuSE® Linux Enterprise Server 11.1 32/64-bit
(Subject to change without any notice)

Anti-virus Software

Optional Anti-virus Software CD

Management
Solution

Out of Band
Remote
Hardware

Onboard ASMB5-iKVM

Dimension (DD x WW x HH)

750mm x 444mm x 87mm (2U)

Net Weight Kg (CPU, DRAM &
HDD not inclu ded)

18 Kg

Power Supply

1620W (80+) 1+1 Redundant Power Supply

(Platinum-Level)

Power Rating

Input: 100—140/180—240 Vac, 12—10A/10.5A—A,
50—60Hz Class 1

Environment

Operation temperature: 10°C–35°C / Non operation
temperature: -40°C–70°C
Non operation humidity:20%–90% ( Non-condensing)

Chapter 1: Product introduction1-6

1.4 Front panel features

The barebone server displays a simple yet stylish front panel with easily accessible

features. The power and reset buttons, LED indicators, optical drive, and two USB

ports are located on the front panel.

• The rear I/O ports do not appear on the rear panel if motherboard is not

present.

• *The port is for ASUS ASMB5-iKVM controller card only.

1.5 Rear panel features

The rear panel includes the expansion slots, system power socket, and rear fans.

The middle part includes the I/O shield with openings for the rear panel connectors

on the motherboard.

Refer to section 1.7.1 Front panel LEDs for the LED descriptions.

ODD dummy cover

USB ports

Power
button

Power LED

LAN2/4 LED

HDD Access LED

LAN1/3 LED

Message LED

Location switch

Reset button

Location LED

HDD 1 HDD 5 HDD 2 HDD 6 HDD 3 HDD 7 HDD 4 HDD 8

USB ports

LAN port 1

Serial port

VGA port

LAN port 2

Redundant
power supply

LAN port 3

Power cord
connector

InniBandport(ForRS924A-E6/RS8only)

2 Half-length / Low-

proleExpansionslot

Power cord
connector

Redundant
power supply

LAN port 5*

LAN port 4

2 Half-length / Low-

proleExpansionslot

PS/2 ports

ASUS RS920A-E6/RS8; RS924A-E6/RS8 1-7

1.6 Internal features

The barebone server includes the basic components as shown.

The barebone server does not include a oppy disk drive. Connect a USB oppy
disk drive to any of the USB ports on the front or rear panel if you need to use a
oppy disk.

*WARNING

HAZARDOUS MOVING PARTS

KEEP FINGERS AND OTHER BODY PARTS AWAY

1. Redundant Power
supply and power fan
(hidden)

2. ASUS KGPX-Q32
Server Board

3. 8056 System fans

4. SATA/SAS backplane

(hidden)

5. Hot-swap HDD tray 1–

8 (SAS and SATA)

6. Slim-type optical drive
bay

7. Front I/O board

(hidden)

8. PCI-E 1,2 Expansion
Boards (hidden)

9. PIKE Slot

A protection lm is pre-attached to the front cover before shipping. Please
remove the protection lm before turning on the system for proper heat

dissipation.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

9

8

8

Chapter 1: Product introduction1-8

1.7 LED information

1.7.1 Front panel LEDs

LED Icon

Display
status

Description

Power LED ON System power ON

Location
LED

OFF Normal status

ON

Location switch is pressed (Press the location switch again to
turn off)

Message
LED

OFF System is normal; no incoming event

ON

1. Without ASMB5-iKVM installed: CPU over-heated

2. With ASMB5-iKVM installed: a hardware monitor event is

indicated

LAN LEDs

OFF No LAN connection

Blinking LAN is transmitting or receiving data

ON LAN connection is present

HDD
Access
LED

OFF No activity

Blinking Read/write data into the HDD

Message LED

LAN2/4 LED

HDD Access LED

LAN1/3 LED

Power LED

Location LED

ASUS RS920A-E6/RS8; RS924A-E6/RS8 1-9

1.7.2 LAN (RJ-45) LEDs

ACT/LINK LED SPEED LED

Status Description Status Description

OFF No link OFF 10 Mbps connection

GREEN Linked ORANGE 100 Mbps connection

ACT/LINK LED

SPEED LED

LAN5 LEDs

ACT/LINK LED SPEED LED

Status Description Status Description

OFF No link OFF 10 Mbps connection

GREEN Linked ORANGE 100 Mbps connection

BLINKING Data activity GREEN 1 Gbps connection

SPEED LED

ACT/LINK LED

LAN1 to LAN4 LEDs

Chapter 1: Product introduction1-10

1.7.3 HDD status LED

SATAII/SAS HDD LED Description

HDD Activity LED (Green)

OFF HDD not present

ON HDD present, no activity

Blinking

1. Read/write data from/into the SATAII/SAS HDD

2. Locating (blinking with the HDD status LED)

HDD Status LED (Red)

OFF HDD not present

ON HDD has failed and should be swapped immediately

Blinking

1. RAID rebuilding

2. Locating (blinking with the HDD activity LED)

HDD Activity LED (Green)

HDD Status LED (Red)

ASUS RS920A-E6/RS8; RS924-E6/RS8

2-

This chapter lists the hardware setup
procedures that you have to perform
when installing or removing system
components.

Chapter 2

Hardware setup

Chapter 2: Hardware setup2-2

2.1 Chassis cover

Removing the rear cover

1. Locate and remove the side screws.

3. Firmly hold the cover and slide it
toward the rear panel for about half
an inch until it is disengaged from
the chassis.

4. Lift the cover from the chassis.

5. To recover the rear cover, reverse
step 1 to 4.

2. Loosen the thumbscrew on the rear panel.

A protection lm is pre-attached

to the system cover before
shipping. Please remove the

protection lm before turning

on the system for proper heat
dissipation.

Thumbscrews

2-3ASUS RS920A-E6/RS8; RS924A-E6/RS8

2.2.1 Installing Socket 1944 CPU

To install a CPU:

1. Locate the CPU socket on the motherboard.

2.2 Central Processing Unit (CPU)

The motherboard comes with four surface mount LGA1944 sockets designed

for

8/12/16 Core or AMD® Opteron 6200 Series or 8/12 Core AMD® Opteron 6100 Series

processor.

• Your boxed AMD® Opteron LGA1944 processor package should come with

installation instructions for the CPU and heatsink. If the instructions in this
section do not match the CPU documentation, follow the latter.

• Upon purchase of the motherboard, ensure that the PnP cap is on
the socket and the socket contacts are not bent. Contact your retailer
immediately if the PnP cap is missing, or if you see any damage to the PnP

cap/socket contacts/motherboard components. ASUS will shoulder the cost
of repair only if the damage is shipment/transit-related.

• Keep the cap after installing the motherboard. ASUS will process Return

Merchandise Authorization (RMA) requests only if the motherboard comes
with the cap on the LGA1944 socket.

• The product warranty does not cover damage to the socket contacts

resulting from incorrect CPU installation/removal, or misplacement/loss/

incorrect removal of the PnP cap.

Before installing the CPU, ensure that the socket box is facing towards you and

the load lever is on your left.

Chapter 2: Hardware setup2-4

C

D

To prevent damage to the socket
pins, do not remove the PnP cap
unless you are installing a CPU.

2. Press the load lever with your

thumb (A), then move it to the left

(B) until it is released from the

retention tab.

3. Lift the load lever in the direction of

the arrow to a 135º angle.(C)

4. Lift the load plate with your thumb
and forenger to a 100º angle.(D)

5. Remove the PnP cap from the CPU

socket.(E)

Load plate

PnP cap

A

B

Retention tab

Load lever

E

The CPU ts in only one correct

orientation. DO NOT force the
CPU into the socket to prevent
bending the connectors on the

socket and damaging the CPU!

6. Position the CPU over the socket,
ensuring that the gold triangle is on
the bottom-right corner of the socket,

and then t the socket alignment key

into the CPU notch.

Alignment keys

Gold triangle mark

2-5ASUS RS920A-E6/RS8; RS924A-E6/RS8

Apply some Thermal Interface Material to the exposed area of the
CPU that the heatsink will be in contact with, ensuring that it is spread
in an even thin layer. Some heatsinks come with pre-applied Thermal
Interface Material. If so, skip this step.

7. Close the load plate (F), then push

the load lever (G) until it snaps into

the retention tab.

F

G

CPU1 Conguration

CPU1 Socket CPU2 Socket CPU3 Socket CPU3 Socket

One Processor V
Dual Processors V V
Quad Processors V V V V

CPU Installation Sequence:

Chapter 2: Hardware setup2-6

2. Twist each of the four screws with

a Philips (cross) screwdriver just
enough to attach the heatsink to

the motherboard. When the four

screws are attached, tighten them
one by one to completely secure
the heatsink.

2.2.2 Installing the CPU heatsink and airduct

To install the CPU heatsink:

1. Place the heatsink on top of the
installed CPU, ensuring that the four
fasteners match the holes on the
motherboard.

Tighten the four heatsink screws in a
diagonal sequence.

A

B

B

A

2-7ASUS RS920A-E6/RS8; RS924A-E6/RS8

2.3 System memory

2.3.1 Overview

The motherboard comes with thirty-two (32) Double Data Rate 3 (DDR3) Dual

Inline Memory Modules (DIMM) sockets.

The gure illustrates the location of the DDR3 DIMM sockets:

2.3.2 MemoryCongurations

You may install 1GB/2GB/4GB/8GB/16GB Registerd or 1GB/2GB/4GB Unbuffered
with ECC/Non-ECC DDR3 DIMMs into the DIMM sockets using the memory
congurations in this section.

Memory population table

For UDIMM and RDIMM (Single Rank, Dual Ranks)

CPU1 Conguration

A2 A1 B2 B1 C2 C1 D2 D1
2 DIMMs V V
4 DIMMs V V V V

6 DIMMs V V V V V V
8 DIMMs V V V V V V V V

CPU1+CPU2 Conguration

A2 A1 B2 B1 C2 C1 D2 D1 E2 E1 F2 F1 G2 G1 H2 H1
2 DIMMs V V
4 DIMMs V V V V

6 DIMMs V V V V V V
8 DIMMs V V V V V V V V

10 DIMMs V V V V V V V V V V
12 DIMMs V V V V V V V V V V V V
14 DIMMs V V V V V V V V V V V V V V

16 DIMMs V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V

Chapter 2: Hardware setup2-8

CPU1+CPU2+CPU3+CPU4 Conguration

A2 A1 B2 B1 C2 C1 D2 D1 E2 E1 F2 F1 G2 G1 H2 H1

4 DIMMs V V

8 DIMMs V V V V
12 DIMMs V V V V V V
16 DIMMs V V V V V V V V

20 DIMMs V V V V V V V V V V
24 DIMMs V V V V V V V V V V V V
28 DIMMs V V V V V V V V V V V V V V
32 DIMMs V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V

Memory population table

For UDIMM and RDIMM (Single Rank, Dual Ranks)

CPU1+CPU2+CPU3+CPU4 Conguration

I1 J2 J1 K2 K1 L2 L1 M2 M1 N2 N1 O2 O1 P2 P1

4 DIMMs V

8 DIMMs V V V
12 DIMMs V V V V V
16 DIMMs V V V V V V V

20 DIMMs V V V V V V V V V
24 DIMMs V V V V V V V V V V V
28 DIMMs V V V V V V V V V V V V V
32 DIMMs V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V