Supermicro Supero X7DCA-L User Manual

®

X7DCA-L

USER’S MANUAL

Revision 1.0a

SUPER

The information in this User’s Manual has been carefully reviewed and is believed to be accurate.
The vendor assumes no responsibility for any inaccuracies that may be contained in this document,
makes no commitment to update or to keep current the information in this manual, or to notify any
person or organization of the updates. Please Note: For the most up-to-date version of this

manual, please see our web site at www.supermicro.com.

Super Micro Computer, Inc. ("Supermicro") reserves the right to make changes to the product
described in this manual at any time and without notice. This product, including software, if any,
and documentation may not, in whole or in part, be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated or
reduced to any medium or machine without prior written consent.

IN NO EVENT WILL SUPERMICRO BE LIABLE FOR DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL,
SPECULATIVE OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING FROM THE USE OR INABILITY TO
USE THIS PRODUCT OR DOCUMENTATION, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF
SUCH DAMAGES. IN PARTICULAR, SUPERMICRO SHALL NOT HAVE LIABILITY FOR ANY
HARDWARE, SOFTWARE, OR DATA STORED OR USED WITH THE PRODUCT, INCLUDING THE
COSTS OF REPAIRING, REPLACING, INTEGRATING, INSTALLING OR RECOVERING SUCH
HARDWARE, SOFTWARE, OR DATA.

Any disputes arising between manufacturer and customer shall be governed by the laws of Santa
Clara County in the State of California, USA. The State of California, County of Santa Clara shall
be the exclusive venue for the resolution of any such disputes. Supermicro's total liability for
all claims will not exceed the price paid for the hardware product.

FCC Statement: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class
A digital device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide
reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial
environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not
installed and used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instruction manual, may cause harmful
interference with radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely
to cause harmful interference, in which case you will be required to correct the interference at your
own expense.

California Best Management Practices Regulations for Perchlorate Materials: This Perchlorate
warning applies only to products containing CR (Manganese Dioxide) Lithium coin cells. “Perchlorate
Material-special handling may apply. See www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate”

WARNING: Handling of lead solder materials used in this
product may expose you to lead, a chemical known to
the State of California to cause birth defects and other
reproductive harm.

Manual Revision 1.0a
Release Date: March 16, 2009

Unless you request and receive written permission from Super Micro Computer, Inc., you may not
copy any part of this document.

Information in this document is subject to change without notice. Other products and companies
referred to herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies or mark
holders.

Copyright © 2009 by Super Micro Computer, Inc.
All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

Preface

About This Manual

Thi s m an u al is wri tte n f or sys tem in teg rat ors , P C t ec h ni c ia n s and

knowledgeable PC users. It provides information for the installation and use of

the X7DCA-L motherboard. The X7DCA-L supports dual Intel

Xeon Quad-Core/Dual-Core 5400/5300/5200/5100 Series processors (w/771

LGA) with a front side bus speed of up to 1.333 GHz or 1.066 GHz. With dual 64-

bit Xeon Quad-Core/Dual-Core 5400/5300/5200/5100 Series processors built-in,

the X7DCA-L offers substantial functionality enhancements to the motherboards

based on the Intel Core microarchitecture while remaining compatible with the

IA-32 software. The features supported include Intel Virtualization Technology

and Enhanced Intel SpeedStep technology. These features allow the motherboard

to operate at much higher speeds with better power management in much safer

thermal environments than the traditional motherboards. The X7DCA-L is ideal for

intense computing environments, complex business applications and high- end

workstations. Please refer to the motherboard specications pages on our web

site (http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/) for updates. This product

is intended to be professionally installed.

Manual Organization

Chapter 1 describes the features, specications and performance of the mainboard

and provides detailed information about the chipset.

Chapter 2 provides hardware installation instructions. Read this chapter when

installing the processor, memory modules and other hardware components into

the system. If you encounter any problems, see Chapter 3, which describes

troubleshooting procedures for the video, the memory and the system setup stored

in the CMOS.

Chapter 4 includes an introduction to the BIOS, and provides detailed information

on running the CMOS Setup utility.

Appendix A and Appendix B provide BIOS POST Messages and POST Codes.

Appendix C and Appendix D list Windows OS and Other Software Installation

Instructions.

Conventions Used in the Manual

Special attention should be given to the following symbols for proper installation and

to prevent damage done to the components or injury to yourself.

iii

Table of Contents

X7DCA-L User's Manual

Danger/Caution: Instructions to be strictly followed to prevent cata-

strophic system failure or to avoid bodily injury.

Warning: Important information given to ensure proper system installation

or to prevent damage to the components.

Note: Additional Information given to differentiate various models or to

ensure correct system setup.

iv

Notes

Table of Contents

v

vi

Preface

About This Manual ........................................................................................... iii

Manual Organization ........................................................................................ iii

Conventions Used in the Manual .......................................................................iii

Chapter 1: Introduction

1-1 Overview ............................................................................................................ 1-1

Checklist ................................................................................................... 1-1

Contacting Supermicro ............................................................................. 1-2

X7DCA-L Image ........................................................................ 1-3

X7DCA-L Layout ........................................................................ 1-4

Quick Reference ...................................................................................... 1-5

Motherboard Features ................................................................................ 1-6

Intel 5100 Chipset: System Block Diagram ............................................. 1-8

1-2 Chipset Overview ............................................................................................... 1-9

1-3 Special Features .............................................................................................. 1-10

1-4 PC Health Monitoring ........................................................................................ 1-10

1-5 ACPI Features ................................................................................................. 1-11

1-6 Power Supply ................................................................................................... 1-12

1-7 Super I/O ............................................................................................................ 1-13

Chapter 2: Installation

2-1 Static-Sensitive Devices .................................................................................... 2-1

Precautions ................................................................................................ 2-1

Unpacking ................................................................................................ 2-1

2-2 Processor and Heatsink Installation .................................................................. 2-2

2-3 Installing DIMMs ................................................................................................ 2-6

2-4 Control Panel Connectors and IO Ports ............................................................ 2-8

Back Panel Connectors/IO Ports................................................................... 2-8

Front Control Panel ....................................................................................... 2-9

Front Control Panel Pin Denitions ............................................................. 2-10

NMI Button ............................................................................................. 2-10

Power LED ............................................................................................. 2-10

HDD LED .............................................................................................. 2-11

NIC1/NIC2 LED Indicators ..................................................................... 2-11

Overheat/Fan Fail LED ......................................................................... 2-12

Power Fail LED ........................................................................................ 2-12

Reset Button ............................................................................................. 2-13

Table of Contents

X7DCA-L User's Manual

Table of Contents

vii

Power Button ............................................................................................ 2-13

2-5 Connecting Cables .......................................................................................... 2-14

ATX Power Connector .......................................................................... 2-14

Processor Power Connector ................................................................. 2-14

Universal Serial Bus (USB) ..................................................................... 2-15

Chassis Intrusion ...................................................................................... 2-15

Fan Headers .......................................................................................... 2-16

VGA Connector ........................................................................................ 2-16

ATX PS/2 Keyboard and Mouse Ports ..................................................... 2-17

Serial Ports .............................................................................................. 2-17

Wake-On-Ring .......................................................................................... 2-18

Wake-On-LAN .......................................................................................... 2-18

GLAN 1/2 (Ethernet) Ports ....................................................................... 2-19

Power LED/Speaker Header .................................................................. 2-19

T-SGPIO Headers .................................................................................... 2-20

Power SMB Connector ............................................................................. 2-20

High Denition Audio ................................................................................ 2-21

CD and FP Audio Headers ....................................................................... 2-21

Auxiliary FP Audio Control ....................................................................... 2-22

SMB .......................................................................................................... 2-22

2-6 Jumper Settings ............................................................................................... 2-23

Explanation of Jumpers ......................................................................... 2-23

GLAN Enable/Disable ............................................................................ 2-23

CMOS Clear ............................................................................................ 2-24

Watch Dog ................................................................................................ 2-24

I2C Bus to PCI Slots ................................................................................. 2-25

VGA Enable/Disable ................................................................................. 2-25

2-7 Onboard Indicators .......................................................................................... 2-26

GLAN LEDs .............................................................................................. 2-26

Onboard Power LED ................................................................................ 2-26

CPU_VRM Overheat LEDs ...................................................................... 2-27

Mini Power LED ....................................................................................... 2-27

2-8 Floppy Connector .............................................................................................. 2-28

Floppy Connector ..................................................................................... 2-28

Chapter 3: Troubleshooting

3-1 Troubleshooting Procedures .............................................................................. 3-1

Before Power On ....................................................................................... 3-1

No Power ................................................................................................... 3-1

vi

No Video .................................................................................................. 3-2

Losing the System’s Setup Conguration ................................................ 3-2

Memory Errors ........................................................................................... 3-2

3-2 Technical Support Procedures ........................................................................... 3-3

3-3 Frequently Asked Questions .............................................................................. 3-3

3-4 Returning Merchandise for Service .................................................................... 3-4

Chapter 4: BIOS

4-1 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 4-1

4-2 Running Setup .................................................................................................... 4-2

4-3 Main BIOS Setup ................................................................................................ 4-2

4-4 Advanced Setup ................................................................................................... 4-7

4-5 Security Setup .................................................................................................. 4-19

4-6 Boot Setup ......................................................................................................... 4-21

4-7 Exit ..................................................................................................................... 4-27

Appendices:

Appendix A: BIOS POST Messages ..........................................................................A-1

Appendix B: BIOS POST Codes ................................................................................B-1

Appendix C: Operating System Installation Instructions ............................................C-1

Appendix D: Installing other Software and Drivers ....................................................D-1

X7DCA-L User's Manual

Chapter 1: Introduction

1-1

Chapter 1

Introduction

1-1 Overview

Checklist

Congratulations on purchasing your computer motherboard from an acknowledged

leader in the industry. Supermicro boards are designed with the utmost attention to

detail to provide you with the highest standards in quality and performance. Check

that the following items have all been included with your motherboard. If anything

listed here is damaged or missing, contact your retailer.

All the following items are included in the retail box only:

One (1) Supermicro Mainboard•

One (1) oppy ribbon cable (CBL-0022L)•

Six (6) SATA cables (CBL-0044L)•

One (1) I/O add-on card backplate (MCP-260-74301-ON)•

One (1) CPU retention backplate (SKT-0159L)•

One (1) Supermicro CD containing drivers and utilities•

One (1) User's/BIOS Manual•

1-2

X7DCA-L User's Manual

Contacting Supermicro

Headquarters

Address: Super Micro Computer, Inc.

980 Rock Ave.

San Jose, CA 95131 U.S.A.

Tel: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

Email: [e-mail] (General Information)

[e-mail] (Technical Support)

Web Site: www.supermicro.com

Europe

Address: Super Micro Computer B.V.

Het Sterrenbeeld 28, 5215 ML

's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands

Tel: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

Email: [e-mail] (General Information)

[e-mail] (Technical Support)

[e-mail] (Customer Support)

Asia-Pacic

Address: Super Micro Computer, Inc

4F, No. 232-1, Liancheng Rd.

Chung-Ho 235, Taipei County

Taiwan, R.O.C.

Tel: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

Web Site: www.supermicro.com.tw

Technical Support:

Email: [e-mail]

Tel: [phone], ext.132 or 139

Chapter 1: Introduction

1-3

X7DCA-L Image

Note: The drawings and pictures shown in this manual were based on the

latest PCB Revision available at the time of publishing of the manual. The

motherboard you’ve received may or may not look exactly the same as the

graphics shown in the manual.

1-4

X7DCA-L User's Manual

X7DCA-L Motherboard Layout

Notes:

1. Jumpers not indicated are for test purposes only.

2. See Chapter 2 for detailed information on jumpers, I/O ports and JF1

front panel connections.

3. " " indicates the location of Pin 1.

4. For RAID conguration and OS installation instructions, please refer to

the user guides posted on our web site at www.supermicro.com.

(not drawn to scale)

FA N4

Buttery

JD1

USB6

JWD1

JPL2

JPL1

JI2C1

JWOR1

JSMB1

CD1

J139

JWOL1

Mini PWR LED

LED6

JBT1

CPU2

J7

FAN1

FA N6

Floppy

FAN5

USB4/5

PWR I2C

KB/MS

USB0/1/2/3

COM1

VGA

LAN1/2

HD Audio

Slot5 PCI-E x4 (in x8 slot)

Slot4 PCI-E x8(in x8 slot)

Slot3 PCI 33MHz

COM2

S I/O

BIOS

Slot6 PCI-E x16

JI2C2

FA N3

CPU1

LED5

Intel 5100
North Bridge

Intel ICH9R
South Bridge

LAN
CTRL

LAN
CTRL

Video
CTRL

Audio
CTRL

Buzzer

FA N2

JPW2

JPW1

DIMM1B

DIMM1A

DIMM2B

DIMM2A

DIMM3B

DIMM3A

X7DCA-L

LED7

JF1

J8

USB7

JPG1

JL1

SATA 0

SATA 1

SATA 2

SATA 3

SATA 4

SATA 5

Chapter 1: Introduction

1-5

X7DCA-L Quick Reference

Jumper Description Default Setting

JBT1 CMOS Clear (See Section 5-10)

JI2C1/JI2C2 I2C to PCI/PCI-X/E Slots Open (Disabled)

JPG1 VGA Enable Pins 1-2 (Enabled)

JPL1/JPL2 LAN1/2 Enable/Disable Pins 1-2 (Enabled)

JWD1 Watch Dog Pins 1-2 (Reset)

Connector Description

Audio/J139/CD1 HD Audio, Microphone, Line-In/Line-Out/CD-In

COM1/COM2 COM1/COM2 Serial Port/Header

FAN 1-6 Chassis/CPU Fan Headers

Floppy Floppy Drive Connector (JFDD1)

I-SATA0 ~ I-SATA5 SATA Ports

JD1 Onboard Speaker/Power LED

JF1 Front Panel Control Connector

JL1 Chassis Intrusion Header

JPW1 8-pin Power Connector

JPW2 24-pin Power Connector

JSMB1 Power System Management (I2C)

JWOL1 Wake-On-LAN Header

JWOR1 Wake-On-Ring Header

KB/MS PS2 Keyboard/Mouse Connectors

LAN1/2 Gigabit Ethernet (RJ45) Ports

PWR I2C Power Supply SMBus I2C Header (JP I2C1)

J7, J8 Serial General Purpose Input/Output Headers

USB0~3,USB4~5,6,7 Universal Serial Bus (USB) Ports, Headers

VGA VGA Connector

LED Indicator Description

Mini Power LED Mini Power LED

LED5 CPU1 VRM Overheat LED

LED6 CPU2 VRM Overheat LED

LED7 Onboard Standby Power LED

1-6

X7DCA-L User's Manual

Motherboard Features

CPU

Dual Intel•

®

64-bit Xeon LGA 771 Quad-Core/Dual-Core 5400/5300/5200/5100

Series processors at a front side bus speed of 1333 MHz/1066 MHz

Memory

Six 240-pin DIMM sockets with support up to 48 GB ECC Buffered (Registered) •

DDR2 667/533 Memory (*See Section 2-3 in Chapter 2 for DIMM Slot Popula-

tion.)

Chipset

Intel 5100 chipset, including: the 5100 Memory Control Hub (MCH) and the •

ICH9R South Bridge

Expansion Slots

One PCI-Exp. x16•
One PCI-Exp. x8 (in x8 slot)•
One PCI-Exp. x4 (in x8) slot•
One 32-bit PCI 33 MHz slot•

BIOS

16 Mb Phoenix•

®

Flash ROM

DMI 2.3, PCI 2.2, ACPI 1.0/2.0, Plug and Play (PnP), USB Keyboard support, •

Hardware BIOS Virus Protection, and Real Time Clock Wake-up

PC Health Monitoring

Onboard voltage monitors for CPU core voltage, Memory voltage, Chipset, •

+3.3V, +5V, +12V, -12V, +3.3V standby, +5V standby and VBAT)

Fan status monitor with rmware control•

CPU/chassis temperature monitors•
Low noise fan speed control •
CPU fan auto-off in sleep mode•
Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) fan control•
I•2C temperature sensing logic
Thermal Monitor 2 (TM2) support•
CPU slow-down on temperature overheat•
CPU thermal trip support for processor protection•
Power-up mode control for recovery from AC power loss•
Chassis intrusion detection•
System resource alert via Supero Doctor III•

Chapter 1: Introduction

1-7

ACPI Features

Slow blinking LED for suspend state indicator•
Main switch override mechanism•
ACPI Power Management•
Power-on mode for power recovery•

Onboard I/O

Six SATA ports (supporting RAID0, 1,10 and 5 in the Windows OS environment) •

(*Note below)
Dual Intel 82573L LAN chips support two Giga-bit LAN ports•

One oppy port interface •

Two COM ports(1 header, 1 port)•
Up to eight USB 2.0 (Universal Serial Bus) (four ports, four headers)•

7.1 High-Denition (HD) Audio•

Super I/O: Winbond W83627DHG •

Other

External modem ring-on•
Wake-on-LAN (WOL1)•
Wake-on-Ring (WOR1)•
Console redirection•
Onboard Fan Speed Control by Thermal Management via BIOS•

CD/Diskette Utilities•

BIOS ash upgrade utility and device drivers•

Dimensions

Micro ATX 10.00" (L) x 10.00" (W) (254.00 mm x 254.00 mm) •

Note: For RAID conguration and Linux OS installation instructions,

please refer to the user guides posted on our web site at www.supermicro.

com/support/manuals.

1-8

X7DCA-L User's Manual

System Block Diagram

Note: This is a general block diagram. Please see the previous Mother-

board Features pages for details on the features of each motherboard.

USB2.0

Ports

Ports

Port

#0

MCH

Intel 5100

Processor #2

ICH9R

PCI-Ex8

SPI

LPC

COM1
External

SIO

W83627DHG

VGA

PCI33MMz

Volari/Z9S

VGA

Conn.

KB

MS

VRD

ISL6312A

#2,3

#4,5,6,7

VRD

ISL6312A

1067/1333

MT/S

1067/1333

MT/S

USB

#0

#1

#2

#3

#4

PCIEx4

#2A

#1A

DDRII 667

#2B

#1B

DDR2 667

DMI

Lane 6

Lanes 1/2/3/4

PCI-Ex1

PCI-E X8

COM2

Internal/SOL

PCI-Ex16

PCI-E X16

82573L

GDDR2 SDRAM 32MB

#4

#5

3.0Gb/S

SATA

#0

#1

#2

#3

#5

#6

LAN

#7

HD Audio

ALC883

HD

Audio

Port

PCI Slot

82573L

LAN

Dual
RJ45

JLAN

Lane 5

#3A

#3B

PCI-E X8

PCI-Ex1

Processor #1

Chapter 1: Introduction

1-9

1-2 Chipset and Processor Features Overview

Built upon the functionality and the capability of the Intel 5100 chipset, the

X7DCA-L motherboard provides the performance and feature set required for dual

processor-based high-end computer systems with conguration options optimized

for intensive computing, high energy-efciency and complex business applications.

The 5100 chipset supports single or dual Intel Xeon 64-bit Quad-Core/Dual-Core

5400/5300/5200/5100 Series processors with front side bus speeds of up to 1.333

GHz. The chipset consists of the 5100 Memory Controller Hub (MCH), Intel I/O

Controller Hub (ICH9R) and the I/O subsystem.

The 5100 Memory Controller Hub (MCH)

The Intel 5100 MCH chip is designed for symmetric multiprocessing across two

independent front side bus interfaces. Each front side bus uses a 64-bit wide,

1066/1333 MTS data bus capable of transferring data at 8.5/10.6 GB/s for a total

bandwidth of 17/21.3 GB/s. The MCH supports a 36-bit wide address bus and up

to six DDR2 667 MHz/533 MHz DIMM modules, providing a total memory capacity

of up to 48 GB.

The 5100 MCH also provides six x4 PCI-Express interfaces and one x4 DMI

Interface to the ICH9R. Each PCI Express port on the MCH provides 4 GB/s bi-

directional bandwidth if congured as a x8 port, or 2 GB/s bi-directional bandwidth

if congured as a x4 port.

The Ninth Generation I/O Controller Hub (ICH9)

The I/O Controller ICH9R provides the data buffering and interface arbitration re-

quired for the system to operate efciently. It also provides the bandwidth needed

for the system to maintain its peak performance. The Direct Media Interface (DMI)

provides the connection between the MCH and the ICH9R. The ICH9R supports

up to six PCI-Express x1 slots, six Serial ATA ports and eight USB 2.0 ports. In

addition, the ICH9R offers the Intel Matrix Storage Technology which provides vari-

ous RAID options for data protection and rapid data access. It also supports the

next generation of client management through the use of PROActive technology in

conjunction with Intel's next generation Gigabit Ethernet controllers.

The Xeon Quad-Core/Dual-Core 5400/5300/5200/5100
Series Processor Features

In addition, the Intel Xeon Quad-Core/Dual-Core 5400/5300/5200/5100 Series

Processor-based platforms offer a wide range of RAS (Reliability, Availability, and

Serviceability) features, including memory interface ECC, x4 Single Device Data

Correction, parity protection, and out-of-band register access via SMbus.

1-10

X7DCA-L User's Manual

1-3 Special Features

Recovery from AC Power Loss

BIOS provides a setting for you to determine how the system will respond when

AC power is lost and then restored to the system. You can choose for the system

to remain powered off (in which case you must hit the power switch to turn it back

on) or for it to automatically return to a power- on state. See the Power Lost Con-

trol setting in the Advanced BIOS Setup section to change this setting. The default

setting is Last State.

1-4 PC Health Monitoring

This section describes the PC health monitoring features of the X7DCA-L. All have

an onboard System Hardware Monitor chip that supports PC health monitoring.

Onboard Voltage Monitoring

An onboard voltage monitor will scan the following voltages continuously: CPU

core voltage, Memory voltage, Chipset, +3.3V, +5V, +12V, -12V, +3.3V standby,

+5V standby and VBAT. Once a voltage becomes unstable, a warning is given or

an error message is sent to the screen. Users can adjust the voltage thresholds

to dene the sensitivity of the voltage monitor.

Fan Status Monitor with Firmware Control

The PC health monitor can check the RPM status of the cooling fans. The onboard

CPU and chassis fans are controlled by Thermal Management via BIOS (under

Hardware Monitoring in the Advanced Setting).

Environmental Temperature Control

The thermal control sensor monitors the CPU temperature in real time and will turn

on the thermal control fan whenever the CPU temperature exceeds a user-dened

threshold. The overheat circuitry runs independently from the CPU. Once it detects

that the CPU temperature is too high, it will automatically turn on the thermal fan

control to prevent any overheat damage to the CPU. The onboard chassis thermal

circuitry can monitor the overall system temperature and alert users when the chas-

sis temperature is too high.

Chapter 1: Introduction

1-11

CPU Overheat LED and Control

This feature is available when the user enables the CPU overheat warning function

in the BIOS. This allows the user to dene an overheat temperature. When the CPU

temperature reaches the pre-dened overheat threshold, both the overheat fan and

the warning LED are triggered.

System Resource Alert

This feature is available when used with Supero Doctor III in the Windows OS

environment or used with Supero Doctor II in Linux. Supero Doctor is used to

notify the user of certain system events. For example, if the system is running low

on virtual memory and there is insufcient hard drive space for saving the data,

you can be alerted of the potential problem. You can also congure Supero Doctor

to provide you with warnings when the system temperature goes beyond a pre-

dened range.

1-5 ACPI Features

ACPI stands for Advanced Conguration and Power Interface. The ACPI specica-

tion denes a exible and abstract hardware interface that provides a standard

way to integrate power management features throughout a PC system, including

its hardware, operating system and application software. This enables the system

to automatically turn on and off peripherals such as CD-ROMs, network cards, hard

disk drives and printers. This also includes consumer devices connected to the PC

such as VCRs, TVs, telephones and stereos.

In addition to enabling operating system-directed power management, ACPI

provides a generic system event mechanism for Plug and Play and an operating

system-independent interface for conguration control. ACPI leverages the Plug

and Play BIOS data structures while providing a processor architecture-independent

implementation that is compatible with Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows

2003 Servers.

Slow Blinking LED for Suspend-State Indicator

When the CPU goes into a suspend state, the chassis power LED will start blinking

to indicate that the CPU is in suspend mode. When the user presses any key, the

CPU will wake-up and the LED will automatically stop blinking and remain on.

1-12

X7DCA-L User's Manual

Main Switch Override Mechanism

When an ATX power supply is used, the power button can function as a system

suspend button to make the system enter a SoftOff state. The monitor will be

suspended and the hard drive will spin down. Pressing the power button again

will cause the whole system to wake-up. During the SoftOff state, the ATX power

supply provides power to keep the required circuitry in the system alive. In case

the system malfunctions and you want to turn off the power, just press and hold

the power button for 4 seconds. This option can be set in the Power section of the

BIOS Setup routine.

External Modem Ring-On

Wake-up events can be triggered by a device such as the external modem ringing

when the system is in the Standby or Off state. The external modem ring-on can

only be used with an ATX 2.01 (or above) compliant power supply.

Wake-On-LAN is dened as the ability of a management application to remotely

power up a computer that is powered off. Remote PC setup, up-dates and asset

tracking can occur after hours and on weekends so that daily LAN trafc is kept

to a minimum and users are not interrupted. The motherboard has a 3-pin header

(WOL) to connect to the 3-pin header on a Network Interface Card (NIC) that has

WOL capability. In addition, an onboard LAN controller can also support WOL

without any connection to the WOL header. The 3-pin WOL header is to be used

with a LAN add-on card only.

Note: Wake-On-LAN requires an ATX 2.01 (or above) compliant power supply.

1-6 Power Supply

As with all computer products, a stable power source is necessary for proper and

reliable operation. It is even more important for processors that have high CPU

clock rates.

The X7DCA-L can only accommodate 24-pin ATX power supply. Although most

power supplies generally meet the specications required by the motherboard,

some are inadequate. You should use one that will supply at least 400W of power.

In addition, the 12V 8-pin is also required for adequate power supply to the CPU.

Also your power supply must supply 1.5A for the Ethernet ports.

It is strongly recommended that you use a high quality power supply that meets

ATX power supply Specication 2.02 or above. It must also be SSI compliant (info

at http://www.ssiforum.org/). Additionally, in areas where noisy power transmission

is present, you may choose to install a line lter to shield the computer from noise.

It is recommended that you also install a power surge protector to help avoid prob-

lems caused by power surges.

Chapter 1: Introduction

1-13

1-7 Super I/O

The disk drive adapter functions of the Super I/O chip include a oppy disk drive

controller that is compatible with industry standard 82077/765, a data separator,

write pre-compensation circuitry, decode logic, data rate selection, a clock generator,

drive interface control logic and interrupt and DMA logic. The wide range of functions

integrated onto the Super I/O greatly reduces the number of components required

for interfacing with oppy disk drives. The Super I/O supports 360 K, 720 K, 1.2

M, 1.44 M or 2.88 M disk drives and data transfer rates of 250 Kb/s, 500 Kb/s or

1 Mb/s. It also provides two high-speed, 16550 compatible serial communication

ports (UARTs). Both UARTs provide legacy speed with baud rate of up to 115.2

Kbps as well as an advanced speed with baud rates of 250 K, 500 K, or 1 Mb/s,

which support higher speed modems.

The Super I/O provides functions that comply with ACPI (Advanced Conguration

and Power Interface), which includes support of legacy and ACPI power manage-

ment through an SMI or SCI function pin. It also features auto power management

to reduce power consumption.

1-14

X7DCA-L User's Manual

Notes

Chapter 2: Installation

2-1

Chapter 2

Installation

2-1 Static-Sensitive Devices

Electro-Static-Discharge (ESD) can damage electronic com ponents. To prevent

damage to your system board, it is important to handle it very carefully. The following

measures are generally sufcient to protect your equipment from ESD.

Precautions

Use a grounded wrist strap designed to prevent static discharge.•

Touch a grounded metal object before removing the board from the antistatic •

bag.

Handle the board by its edges only; do not touch its components, peripheral •

chips, memory modules or gold contacts.

When handling chips or modules, avoid touching their pins.•

Put the motherboard and peripherals back into their antistatic bags when not •

in use.

For grounding purposes, make sure your computer chassis provides excellent •

conductivity between the power supply, the case, the mounting fasteners and

the motherboard.

Use only the correct type of onboard CMOS battery as specied by the •

manufacturer. Do not install the onboard battery upside down to avoid possible

explosion.

Unpacking

The motherboard is shipped in antistatic packaging to avoid static damage. When

unpacking the board, make sure the person handling it is static protected.

2-2

X7DCA-L User's Manual

Installing the LGA771 Processor

Press the load lever to release 1.

the load plate, which covers the

CPU socket, from its locking

position.

Gently lift the load lever to open 2.

the load plate.

Use your thumb and your index 3.

finger to hold the CPU at the

North Center Edge and the South

Center Edge of the CPU.

Load Lever

PnP Cap on

top of the

Load Plate

Load Plate

(with PnP Cap

attached)

2-2 Processor and Heatsink Installation

Warning: When handling the processor package, avoid placing

direct pressure on the label area of the fan.

Notes:

Always connect the power cord last and always remove it before adding, 1.

removing or changing any components. Make sure that you install the pro-

cessor into the CPU socket before you install the CPU heatsink.

Intel's boxed Xeon CPU package contains the CPU fan and heatsink assem-2.

bly. If you buy a CPU separately, make sure that you use only Intel-certied

multi-directional heatsink and fan.

Make sure to install the motherboard into the chassis before you install the 3.

CPU heatsink and fan.

When purchasing a motherboard with an LGA 771 CPU Socket, make sure 4.

that the CPU plastic cap is in place, and none of the CPU Socket pins are

bent; otherwise, contact the retailer immediately.

Refer to the Chipset/MB Features Section for more details on CPU support.5.

!

Chapter 2: Installation

2-3

Warning: Please save the plastic PnP cap. The motherboard must

be shipped with the PnP cap properly installed to protect the CPU

socket pins. Shipment without the PnP cap properly installed will

cause damage to the socket pins.

Socket Key

(Socket Notch)

South

Center

Edge

North

Center

Edge

Load Lever

CPU in the

CPU socket

Plastic cap is

released from

the load plate

if the CPU

properly in-

stalled.

Align CPU Pin1 (the CPU corner 1.

marked with a triangle) against the

socket corner that is marked with a

triangle cutout.

Align the CPU key that is the 2.

semi-circle cutout below a gold dot

against the socket key, the notch

on the same side of the triangle

cutout on the socket.

Once aligned, carefully lower the 3.

CPU straight down to the socket.

(Do not drop the CPU on the

socket. Do not move the CPU

horizontally or vertically. Do not

rub the CPU against the surface

or against any pins of the socket

to avoid damage to the CPU or

the socket.)

Wi th the CPU installed in the 4.

socket, inspect the four corners of

the CPU to make sure that the CPU

is properly installed. Then, close

the load plate.

Use your thumb to gently push the 5.

load lever down to lock it.

If the CPU is properly installed into 6.

the socket, the plastic cap will be

automatically released from the

load plate when the clip is pushed

in the clip lock. Remove the plastic

cap from the motherboard.

CPU Key (semi-

circle cutout)

below the circle.

CPU Pin1

Corner with a

triangle cutout

gold dot

Loading the Processor into the Socket

!

2-4

X7DCA-L User's Manual

Installing the Heatsink

CEK Passive Heatsink

Screw#1 Screw#2

Screw#1

Do not apply any thermal grease to the 1.

heatsink or the CPU die; the required

amount has already been applied.

Place the heatsink on top of the CPU 2.

so that the four mounting holes are

aligned with those on the retention

mechanism.

Screw in two diagonal screws (ie the #1 3.

and the #2 screws) until just snug (-do

not fully tighten the screws to avoid

possible damage to the CPU.)

Finish the installation by fully tightening 4.

all four screws.

CEK Heatsink Installation

Screw#2

Warning: We do not recommend that the CPU or the heatsink be

removed. However, if you do need to uninstall the heatsink, please

follow the instructions on the next page to uninstall the heatsink to

prevent damage done to the CPU or the CPU socket.

To Un-install the Heatsink

!

Chapter 2: Installation

2-5

Mounting the Motherboard in the Chassis

All motherboards have standard mounting holes to t different types of chassis.

Make sure that the locations of all the mounting holes for both motherboard and

chassis match. Make sure that the metal standoffs click in or are screwed in tightly.

Then, use a screwdriver to secure the motherboard onto the motherboard tray.

Note: some components are very close to the mounting holes. Please take

precautionary measures to prevent damage done to these components when

you install the motherboard into the chassis.

Unscrew and remove the heatsink 1.

screws from the motherboard in the

sequence as shown in the picture on

the right.

Hold the heatsink as shown in the pic-2.

ture on the right and gently wriggle the

heatsink to loosen it from the CPU. (Do

not use excessive force when wriggling

the heatsink!!)

Once the heatsink is loosened, remove 3.

the heatsink from the CPU socket.

Clean the surface of the CPU and the 4.

heatsink to get rid of the old thermal

grease. Reapply the proper amount

of thermal grease on the surface be-

fore you re-install the CPU and the

heatsink.

Caution: To avoid damaging the motherboard and its components, please

do not use a force greater than 8 lb/inch on each mounting screw during

motherboard installation.

2-6

X7DCA-L User's Manual

2-3 Installing DIMMs

Note: Check the Supermicro web site for recommended memory modules.

CAUTION

Exercise extreme care when installing or removing DIMM

modules to prevent any possible damage. Also note that the

memory is interleaved to improve performance (see step 1).

DIMM Installation (See Figure 2-2)

Insert the desired number of DIMMs into the memory slots, starting with DIMM •

#1A. The memory scheme is interleaved, so you must install two modules at a

time, beginning with DIMM 1A, DIMM 1B, then DIMM 2A, DIMM 2B, and DIMM

3A, DIMM 3B.

Insert each DIMM module vertically into its slot. Pay attention to the notch along •

the bottom of the module to prevent inserting the DIMM module incorrectly.

Gently press down on the DIMM module until it snaps into place in the slot. •

Repeat for all modules (see step 1 above).

Memory Support

The X7DCA-L supports up to 48 GB Buffered (Registered) ECC DDR2 667/533

in 6 DIMMs. Populating memory slots of the same bank with a pair of memory

modules of the same size and same type will result in two-way Interleaved

Memory which will improve memory performance.

Notes:

1: Due to OS limitations, some operating systems may not show more than

4 GB of memory.

2: Due to memory allocation to system devices, memory remaining avail-

able for operational use will be reduced when 4 GB of RAM is used. The

reduction in memory availability is disproportional. (Refer to the following

Memory Availability Table for details. For Microsoft Windows users: Microsoft

implemented a design change in Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2) and

Windows Vista. This change is specic to the Physical Address Extension

(PAE) mode behavior which improves driver compatibility. For more informa-

tion, please read the following article at Microsoft’s Knowledge Base website

at: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/888137.

Chapter 2: Installation

2-7

X7DCA-L

To Ins tall: Insert module vertically and press

down until it snaps into place. Pay attention to the

alignment notch at the bottom.

Installing and Removing DIMMs

To Remove:

Use your thumbs to

gently push the re-

lease tabs near both

ends of the module

to release it from the

slot.

DDR2 ECC (Buffered) Memory

Notch

Notch

Release Tab

Release Tab

Possible System Memory Allocation & Availability

System Device Size Physical Memory

Remaining (-Available)
(4 GB Total System Memory)

Firmware Hub ash memory (System BIOS) 1 MB 3.99

Local APIC 4 KB 3.99

Area Reserved for the chipset 2 MB 3.99

I/O APIC (4 Kbytes) 4 KB 3.99

PCI Enumeration Area 1 256 MB 3.76

PCI Express (256 MB) 256 MB 3.51

PCI Enumeration Area 2 (if needed) -Aligned on 256­MB boundary-

512 MB 3.01

VGA Memory 16 MB 2.85

TSEG 1 MB 2.84

Memory available to OS and other applications 2.84

Top View of DDR2 ECC Slot

Release Tab

Release Tab

2-8

X7DCA-L User's Manual

2-4 Control Panel Connectors/IO Ports

The I/O ports are color coded in conformance with the PC 99 specication. See

Figure 2-3 below for the colors and locations of the various I/O ports.

Back Panel Connectors/IO Ports

BackPanelI/OPortLocationsandDenitions

123

4

5

6

789

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

Back Panel Connectors

1 Keyboard (Purple) 9 LAN 1

2 PS/2Mouse (Green) 10 LAN 2

3 USB 0 11 Side_Surround (Grey)

4 USB 1 12 Back_Surround (Black)

5 USB 2 13 CEN/LFE (Orange)

6 USB 3 14 Microphone-In (Pink)

7 COM 1 (Turquoise) 15 Front (Green)

8 VGA (Blue) 16 Line-In (Blue)

(See Section 2-5 for details.)

X7DCA-L