SUPER MICRO Computer X7DB8, X7DBE User Manual

®

SUPER

X7DB8
X7DBE

USER’S MANUAL

Revision 1.0a

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.

SUPERMICRO COMPUTER 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 COMPUTER BE LIABLE FOR DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL,
INCIDENTAL, 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, THE VENDOR 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.

Manual Revision: Rev. 1.0a

Release Date: Aug. 8, 2006

Unless you request and receive written permission from SUPER MICRO COMPUTER, 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 © 2006 by SUPER MICRO COMPUTER INC.
All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

Preface

About This Manual

This manual is written for system integrators, PC technicians and

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

X7DB8/X7DBE motherboard. The X7DB8/X7DBE supports dual

Intel Xeon 64-bit dual core processors at a front side bus speed of 1333/1066/667

MHz. With dual Xeon 64-bit dual core processors, the 5000P (Blackford) chipset,

and eight DDR2 FBD 667/533 memory modules built-in, the X7DB8/X7DBE offers

substantial functionality and performance enhancements to the motherboards based

on the dual core NetBurst microarchitecture while remaining compatible with the

32-bit based software. Key features include Intel's Hyper-Threading Technology,

Virtualization Technology, Hyper Pipelined Technology, Execution Trace Cache,

Thermal Monitor 1/2 (TM1/TM2), Enhanced Intel SpeedStep technology, Advanced

Dynamic Execution, Advanced Transfer Cache, Streaming SIMD Extensions 3

(SSE3) and Extended Memory 64 Technology (EM64T). These features allow the

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

much safer environments than the traditional motherboards. The X7DB8/X7DBE

is ideal for high performance dual processor (DP) enterprise server/workstation

environments. This product is intended to be professionally installed.

Preface

Manual Organization

Chapter 1 describes the features, specifi 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 CMOS.

Chapter 4 includes an introduction to 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, Appendix D and Appendix E list HostRAID Setup Guidelines and

Other Software Driver and Program 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:

Danger/Caution: Instructions to be strictly followed to prevent

catastrophic system failure or to avoid bodily injury.

Warning: Important information given to ensure proper system installation

or to prevent damage to the components.

(*Note): Note: Additional Information given to differentiate various models or

to ensure correct system setup.

iii

X7DB8/X7DBE User's Manual

Table of Contents

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

X7DB8/X7DBE Image ................................................................ 1-3

X7DB8/X7DBE Layout ................................................................ 1-4

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

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

Intel 5000P (Blackford) Chipset: System Block Diagram ........................ 1-8

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

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

Recovery from AC Power Loss .............................................................. 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

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

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

C. Front Control Panel Pin Defi nitions ........................................................ 2-10

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

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

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

NIC1/NIC2 LEDs ................................................................................... 2-11

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

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

iv

Table of Contents

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

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

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

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

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

Universal Serial Bus (USB0/1) ................................................................ 2-15

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

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

Keylock ..................................................................................................... 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 (Ethernet Ports) ............................................................................. 2-19

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

Power Fault .............................................................................................. 2-20

Alarm Reset .............................................................................................. 2-20

Overheat LED/Fan Fail ............................................................................ 2-21

SMB Connector ........................................................................................ 2-21

SMB Power Connector ............................................................................. 2-22

VGA Connector ........................................................................................ 2-22

Compact Flash Card PWR Connector ..................................................... 2-23

SGPIO Headers ....................................................................................... 2-23

2-6 Jumper Settings .............................................................................................. 2-24

Explanation of Jumpers ......................................................................... 2-24

GLAN Enable/Disable ............................................................................ 2-24

Clear CMOS ............................................................................................. 2-25

Watch Dog ................................................................................................ 2-25

SCSI Controller Enabled/Disabled ........................................................... 2-26

SCSI Termination Enabled/Dsiabled ........................................................ 2-26

3rd PWR Supply PWR Fault .................................................................... 2-27

VGA Enable/Disable ................................................................................. 2-27

Compact Flash Master/Slave Enable/Disable .......................................... 2-28

2

I

C Bus to PCI-X-PCI-E Slots .................................................................. 2-28

2-7 Onboard Indicators .......................................................................................... 2-29

GLAN LEDs .............................................................................................. 2-29

Onboard SCSI Activity LED ..................................................................... 2-30

Onboard Standby PWR LED ................................................................... 2-30

2-8 Parallel Port, Floppy, SIMLP IPMI, Hard Disk Drive and SCSI Connections .. 2-31

v

X7DB8/X7DBE User's Manual

Parallel Port Connector ........................................................................... 2-31

Floppy Connector .................................................................................... 2-32

SIMLP IPMI Slot ...................................................................................... 2-32

IDE Connectors ....................................................................................... 2-33

Ultra 320 SCSI Connectors ..................................................................... 2-34

Chapter 3: Troubleshooting

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

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

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

No Video .................................................................................................. 3-1

Memory Errors ........................................................................................... 3-1

Losing the System’s Setup Confi guration ................................................ 3-1

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

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 ............................................................................................... 4-24

4-6 Boot Setup ...................................................................................................... 4-25

4-7 Exit .................................................................................................................. 4-26

Appendices:

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

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

Appendix C: The Intel HostRAID Setup Guidelines ...................................................C-1

Appendix D: The Adaptec HostRAID Setup Guidelines .............................................D-1

Appendix E: Installing Other Software Programs and Drivers ...................................E-1

vi

Chapter 1: Introduction

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 are included

in the Retail Box.

One (1) Supermicro Mainboard

One (1) ribbon cable for IDE devices

One (1) Serial Port cable

One (1) USB cable

One (1) fl oppy ribbon cable

One (1) Ultra 320 SCSI cable (*X7DB8 only)

Four (4) SATA cables (*X7DB8 only)

Six (6) SATA cables (*X7DBE only)

One (1) I/O backpanel shield

One (1) Supermicro CD containing drivers and utilities

One (1) User's/BIOS Manual

One (1) Ultra 320 SCSI User's Manual (*X7DB8 only)

1-1

X7DB8/X7DBE User's Manual

Contacting Supermicro

Headquarters

Address: SuperMicro 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: SuperMicro 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-Pacifi c

Address: SuperMicro, Taiwan
D5, 4F, No. 16 Chien-Ba Road
Chung-Ho 235, Taipei Hsien, 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

1-2

Chapter 1: Introduction

Figure 1-1. X7DB8/X7DBE 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.)

1-3

X7DB8/X7DBE User's Manual

Figure 1-2. X7DB8/X7DBE Motherboard Layout

(not drawn to scale)

KB/
Mous e

SB

U

JUSB1

CO

Parrallel

VGA

Fan5

6

n

a

F

JKM1

1

0/

M1

Port

JLAN1

J1

5

GLAN1

GLAN2

L
CTRL

/O

I

S

O

C

J

J9B2

J9B1

JCO

M

1

J8B3

2

J8B

8B 1

J

7B 3

J

J7B2

J21

J7B1

JLAN1

JLAN2

S

UP ER X7DB 8/

t7

o

l

S

SIMLP IPMI

JPG1

Slot6

PCI-Exp x8

A

VG
CTRL

Slot5

P

Slot4

PCI-Exp x4

JWD

t3

o

l

S

JPL
JPL2

Slo

Slot1

1

t2

PCI

PCI

PCI-X1

N

A

2

M

4-Pin

WR

P

JPW2

DIMM 4

DIMM 4A (B a nk 4)

DIMM 3

D

IMM 3A (B ank3)

DIMM2B (Bank 2)

DIMM 2A (B ank 2)

DIMM 1

DIMM 1A (B ank 1)

®

SEPC

J

5

Ba

x8

xp

CI-E

-

-

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X1

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J
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3

3

8

2

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2

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00

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MH

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6

J9

z

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zZCR

in

-P

24

ATX PWR

B(Bank4)

B

(B

ank 3)

B

(B

ank 1)

E

ttery

J

1

6

1

1

J

North

OS

I

B

JPW1

SATA0

Fan3

Fan8

3

JPA

2

J

JPA2

8-pin P WR

JPW3

y
p
p

act Flash
p

Flo

m
Co

2

JA1

A2
J

LE1

SGPI

SG

JIDE2

320 S CS I C hannel A

JF1

SPK

PW LED

J
J

PIO1

Fan4

Fan1

FP Ctrl

Fan2

D1
J

JP1

JOH1

2

O

0

3

9

2

1

IDE

JIDE1

1
A
D

SMBPS

P

X

JL1

JAR

JB

H

SATA4

J17

1

T

7

J

SATA2

PSF

J3P

SATA5

SATA3

B

US

JU

S

SB

U

JUSB2

CPU1

4

B

3

2/3

U2

CP

th

u

o

S

dge

i

r

B

JWOL1

L

O

W

SCSI CTRL

DA2

JPA1

320 S CS I C hannel B

CF1

J

F1

W

J

Fan7

ridge

B

14
J

J13

12
J

B

M

S

J

K1

J

1

6

SATA1

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. SCSI is for the X7DB8 only.

5. SEPC: Supermicro Enhanced Power Connector, specially designed

to support Supermicro 2U Riser Card only.

6. When LE1 is on, make sure to turn off the power before removing or installing

components.

7. For the ZCR card to function properly, be sure to install it in the green slot.

1-4

Chapter 1: Introduction

Quick Reference ( X7DB8/X7DBE)

Jumper Description Default Setting

J27, J28 I
J3P 3rd PWR Failure Detect Off (Disabled)

JBT1 CMOS Clear See Chapter 2

JCF1 Compact Card Master/Slave Select On (Master)

JPA1 (*X7DB8) SCSI Controller Enable Pins 1-2 (Enabled)

JPA2, JPA3 SCSI CHA(JPA2),CHB(JPA3)Term.En Off (Enabled) (*X7DB8)

JPG1 VGA Enable Pins 1-2 (Enabled)

JPL1/ JPL2 GLAN1/GLAN2 Enable Pins 1-2 (Enabled)

JWD Watch Dog Pins 1-2 (Reset)

Connector Description

ATX PWR (JPW1) Primary 24-Pin ATX PWR Connector

Aux. PWR/CPU PWR +12V 4-pin PWR (JWP2)/+12V 8-pin PWR(JPW3)

Alarm Reset (JAR) Alarm Reset Off (Normal)

Chassis Intrusion (JL1) Chassis Intrusion Header

COM1/COM2 COM1/COM2 Serial Port Connectors

Compact PWR (JWF1) Compact Card PWR Connector (*Used if JCF1 is on.)

DA1/DA2 SCSI Activity LED Indicators (See Chapter 2)

DIMM#1A-DIMM#4B Memory FBD DDRII Slots

FAN 1-8 Fans 1-8 (CPU Fans/Chassis Fans)

Floppy (J22) Floppy Disk Drive Connector

FP CTRL (JF1) Front Control Panel Connector

GLAN 1/2 (JLAN1/2) G-bit Ethernet Ports

IDE1/IDE2 (*Note) IDE1 Hard Drive (JIDE1)/Compact Flash Card (JIDE2)

Keylock (JK1) Keylock Header

OH LED (JOH1) Overheat LED

Parallel (J21) Parallel (Printer) Port

PSF Power Supply Failure (See Chapter 2)

PWR LED (LE1) PWR LED Indicator (*Note 6 on Pg.1-4)

PWR LED/SPKR (JD1) PWR LED(pins1-3)/SpeakerHeader (pins 4-7)

PWR SMB (J17) Power System Management (I

SATA0-SATA5 SATA 0-5 Connectors

SCSI Chan. A/B(JA1/JA2)SCSI Channel A/Channel B Connectors (*X7DB8 only)

SGPIO 1/2(J29,J30) Serial General Purpose Input/Output Headers

SMB (J18) System Management Bus Header

Slot 7 SIM Low Profi le IPMI Connector

USB 0/1,USB 2/3, USB4 Back Panel USB 0/1, Front Panel USB 2/3, FP USB4

VGA (J15) VGA Connector

WOL (JWOL) Wake-on-LAN Header

WOR (JWOR) Wake-on-Ring Header

2

C Bus to PCI-X/PCI-E Slots Open (Disabled)

2

C) Header

*Note: JIDE2 is for Compact Card Use only. For Compact Card to work properly,

please enable JCF1 by putting cap on it and connect JWF1 to a power supply.

1-5

X7DB8/X7DBE User's Manual

Motherboard Features

CPU

®

• Dual Intel

speed of 1.333 GHz/1.066 GHz/667 MHz with a system clock speed of

333/267 MHz

Memory

• Eight 240-pin DIMM sockets with support up to 16 (32) GB DDR2 Fully Buff-

ered (FBD) ECC 667/533 Memory (*See Section 2-3 in Chapter 2 for DIMM

Slot Population.)

Chipset

• Intel 5000P (Blackford) chipset, including: the 5000P (Blackford) Memory Con-

trol Hub (MCH), the Enterprise South Bridge 2 (ESB2), and the I/O subsystem

(PXH).

64-bit Xeon LGA 771 dual core processors at a front side bus

Expansion Slots

• Three PCI-Express slots (*two slots at x8@4GB/sec, one slot x4@2GB/sec.)

• Three 64-bit PCI-X slots (*two PCI-X-133 slots, one PCI-X-100 w/ZCR slot)

BIOS

• 8 Mb Phoenix

®

Flash ROM

• DMI 2.3, PCI 2.2, ACPI 1.0, Plug and Play (PnP)

PC Health Monitoring

• Onboard voltage monitors for CPU cores, chipset voltage, +3.3V, +5V, +12V,

−12V and +5V standby

• Fan status monitor with fi rmware control

• CPU/chassis temperature monitors

• Platform Environment Control Interface (PECI) ready

• CPU fan auto-off in sleep mode

• CPU slow-down on temperature overheat

• CPU thermal trip support for processor protection, power LED

• Power-up mode control for recovery from AC power loss

• Auto-switching voltage regulator for CPU cores

• System overheat/Fan Fail LED Indicator and control

• Chassis intrusion detection

• System resource alert via Supero Doctor III

1-6

Chapter 1: Introduction

ACPI Features

• Slow blinking LED for suspend state indicator

• Main switch override mechanism

• ACPI/ACPM Power Management

• Keyboard Wakeup from Soft-off

Onboard I/O

• Adaptec 7902 dual channel Ultra 320 SCSI with ZCR option (*X7DB8 only)

• Six SATA2 ports (supporting RAID0, RAID1,10 and 5)

• One SIMLP IPMI socket

• Intel 82563 Gigabit Ethernet controller supporting two Giga-bit LAN ports

• Two EIDE Ultra DMA/100 bus master interfaces supporting one IDE (the blue

slot) and one Compact Flash card (the blue slot)

• Two SGPIO (Serial General Purpose Input/Output) headers

• One fl oppy port interface

• Two COM ports (1 header, 1 port)

• One EPP/ECP Parallel Port

• PS/2 mouse and PS/2 keyboard ports

• Up to fi ve USB 2.0 (Universal Serial Bus) (2 ports, 3 Headers)

• ATI ES1000 with 16 MB Graphic Controller

• Super I/O: Winbond W83627HF w/Hardware Monitor support: W83793,

HECETA

Other

• External modem ring-on

• Wake-on-LAN (WOL)

• Wake-on-Ring (WOR)

• Console redirection

• Onboard Fan Speed Control by Thermal Management via BIOS

CD/Diskette Utilities

• BIOS fl ash upgrade utility and device drivers

Dimensions

• Ext. ATX 13.5" x 13.05" (342.90 x 331.5 mm)

1-7

X7DB8/X7DBE User's Manual

#2

Slot
X
I-

PC

#3

#1

Slot

ZCR

Slot

PCI -X

SCSI

7902

#5

PC

PCI -

VRM

ISL ISL

6307

#6

PROCESSOR#2

667/1067/

MT/S

PC

EXP x8

I-

1333

Slot

PCI -

EX

P x8

PCI - EXP x8 Slot

PCI -E XP x8

PROCESSOR#1

5000P

MCH

667/1067/

MT/S

FBD CHNL0

FBD CHNL1

FBD

FBD CHNL

PC

x8
IE

PC

ESB2

x4

IE
PC

I-

133

x

x133

SE

#4

PCI - EXP x4

PCI-EXPx8

A

PX

H

B

PCI -X

PC

P x8

I-EX

133

MHz

1333

CHNL

2

3

AT A

3.

-1B

#1A

DIMM

100

0 Gb/ S

D
FB

VRM

6307

#2A-2B

#3A-3B

MM

MM

DI

DI

D
FB

FBD

-#5

#0

SATA

#4A-4B

MM
DI

FBD

CONNIDE

PCI -X

A

VG

CONN

VGA

Controller

RJ

45

RJ45

PCI 32/ 33

MHz

PARALLEL

GB L AN

GIGAL

PORT

KU

ME

RA

N

FDD

SIO

83627

W

HF

MS/

KB

US

LPC

CO M

B 2.0

1/2

FW

-#4

US B

#0

H

Figure 1-9. Block Diagram of the 5000P (Blackford) Chipset

Note: This is a general block diagram. Please see the previous Motherboard Features

pages for details on the features of each motherboard.

1-8

Chapter 1: Introduction

1-2 Chipset Overview

Built upon the functionality and the capability of the 5000P (Blackford) chipset, the

X7DB8/X7DBE motherboard provides the performance and feature set required

for dual processor-based servers with confi guration options optimized for commu-

nications, presentation, storage, computation or database applications. The 5000P

(Blackford) chipset supports single or dual Xeon 64-bit dual core processor(s) with

front side bus speeds of up to 1.333 GHz. The chipset consists of the 5000P

(Blackford) Memory Controller Hub (MCH), the Enterprise South Bridge 2 (ESB2),

and the I/O subsystem (PXH).

The 5000P (Blackford) MCH chipset is designed for symmetric multiprocessing

across two independent front side bus interfaces. Each front side bus uses a 64-

bit wide, 1333 MHz data bus that transfers data at 10.7 GB/sec. In addition, the

5000P (Blackford) chipset offers a wide range of RAS features, including memory

interface ECC, x4/x8 Single Device Data Correction, CRC, parity protection, memory

mirroring and memory sparing.

The Xeon Dual Core Processor Features

Designed to be used with conjunction of the 5000P (Blackford) chipset, the Xeon

dual core Processor provides a feature set as follows:

The Xeon Dual Core Processors

*L1 Cache Size: Instruction Cache (32KB/16KB), Data Cache (32KB/24KB)

*L2 Cache Size: 4MB/2MB (per core)

*Data Bus Transfer Rate: 8.5 GB/s

*Package: FC-LGA6/FC-LGA4, 771 Lands

1-9

X7DB8/X7DBE 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 Control

setting in the Advanced BIOS Setup section (Peripheral Device Confi guration) to

change this setting.

1-4 PC Health Monitoring

This section describes the PC health monitoring features of the X7DB8/X7DBE. All

have an onboard System Hardware Monitor chip that supports PC health monitor-

ing.

Onboard Voltage Monitors for CPUCore, +3.3V, +5V, +12V, −12V
and +5V standby

An onboard voltage monitor will scan these voltages continuously. 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 defi 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-defi 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.

1-10

Chapter 1: Introduction

CPU Fan Auto-Off in Sleep Mode

The CPU fan activates when the power is turned on. It continues to operate when

the system enters Standby mode. When in sleep mode, the CPU will not run at

full power, thereby generating less heat.

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 defi ne an overheat temperature. When this tem-

perature is exceeded, 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 en-

vironment or used with Supero Doctor II in Linux. Supero Doctor is used to notify

the user of certain system events. For example, you can also confi gure Supero

Doctor to provide you with warnings when the system temperature, CPU tempera-

tures, voltages and fan speeds go beyond a pre-defi ned range.

.

1-5 ACPI Features

ACPI stands for Advanced Confi guration and Power Interface. The ACPI specifi -

cation defi nes a fl 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 confi guration control. ACPI leverages the Plug

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

implementation that is compatible with both Windows 2000 and Windows NT 5.0.

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.

1-11

X7DB8/X7DBE 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 SoftOff state. Note that external modem ring-on can only

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

Wake-On-LAN (WOL)

Wake-On-LAN is defi 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 traffi 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 X7DB8/X7DBE can only accommodates 24-pin ATX power supplies. Although

most power supplies generally meet the specifi cations required by the CPU, some

are inadequate. In addition, the 12V 4-pin power supply - is also required to ensure

adequate power supply to the system. Also your power supply must supply 1.5A

for the Ethernet ports.

1-12

Chapter 1: Introduction

NOTE: The + 12V 8-pin Aux. Power Connector is also required to support

Intel 64-bit CPUs. Failure to provide this extra power will result in CPU PWR

Failure. See Section 2-5 for details on connecting the power supply.

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

power supply Specifi 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 fi lter to shield the computer from noise. It

is recommended that you also install a power surge protector to help avoid problems

caused by power surges.

1-7 Super I/O

The disk drive adapter functions of the Super I/O chip include a fl 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 genera-

tor, 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 fl 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). Each UART includes a 16-byte send/receive FIFO, a programmable

baud rate generator, complete modem control capability and a processor interrupt

system. 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 supports one PC-compatible printer port (SPP), Bi-directional Printer

Port (BPP) , Enhanced Parallel Port (EPP) or Extended Capabilities Port (ECP).

The Super I/O provides functions that comply with ACPI (Advanced Confi 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.

1-13

X7DB8/X7DBE User's Manual

Notes

1-14

Chapter 2: Installation

Chapter 2

Installation

2-1 Static-Sensitive Devices

Electric-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 suffi 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 specifi ed by the manu-

facturer. Do not install the onboard battery upside down to avoid possible explo-

sion.

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.

2-1

X7DB8/X7DBE User's Manual

2-2 Processor and Heatsink Fan Installation

When handling the processor package, avoid placing

direct pressure on the label area of the fan.

(*Notes: 1. Always connect the power cord last and always remove it before adding,

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

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

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

If you buy a CPU separately, make sure that you use only Intel-certifi ed multi-di-

rectional heatsink and fan.

3. The Intel Xeon LGA 771 heatsink and fan comes with a push-pin design and no

tool is needed for installation.

4. Make sure to install the motherboard into the chassis before you install the CPU

heatsink and fan.)

5. When purchasing an LGA 771 CPU or when receiving a motherboard with an LGA

771 CPU pre-installed, make sure that the CPU plastic cap is in place and none of

the CPU pins are bent; otherwise, contact the retailer immediately.

6. Refer to the MB Features Section for more details on CPU support.

!

Installation of the LGA771 Processor

1. Press the socket clip to release

the load plate, which covers the CPU

socket, from its locking position.

2. Gently lift the socket clip to open

the load plate.

Socket Clip

Load Plate

Load Plate

2-2

Chapter 2: Installation

3. Use your thumb and your index

fi nger to hold the CPU at the North

Center Edge and the South Center

Edge of the CPU.

4. Align CPU Pin1 (the CPU corner

marked with a triangle) against the

socket corner that is marked with a

triangle cutout.

5. Align the CPU key that is the

semi-circle cutout below a gold dot

against the socket key, the notch on

the same side of the triangle cutout

on the socket.

6. Once aligned, carefully lower the

CPU straight down to the socket.

(**Do not drop the CPU on the

socket. Do not move the CPU hori-

zontally or vertically. Do not rub the

CPU against the surface or against

any pins of the socket to avoid dam-

age to the CPU or the socket.)

Socket Key

(Socket Notch)

CPU Key (semi-

circle cutout)

below the circle.

Corner with a

triangle cutout

North Center Edge

South Center Edge

gold dot

CPU Pin1

7. With the CPU inside the socket,

inspect the four corners of the CPU

to make sure that the CPU is prop-

erly installed.

8. Use your thumb to gently push the

socket clip down to the clip lock.

9. If the CPU is properly installed

into 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.

!

(*Warning: Please save the

plastic cap. The motherboard must

be shipped with the plastic cap

properly installed to protect the CPU

socket pins. Shipment without the

plastic cap properly installed will

cause damage to the socket pins.)

Socket clip

CPU in the CPU socket

Plastic cap

is released

from the

load plate

if the CPU

is properly

installed.

2-3

X7DB8/X7DBE User's Manual

Installation of the Heatsink

CEK Heatsink Installation

1. Do not apply any thermal grease to

the heatsink or the CPU die-the required

amount has already been applied.

2. Place the heatsink on top of the

CPU so that the four mounting holes

are aligned with those on the retention

mechanism.

3. Screw in two diagonal screws (ie the

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

not fully tighten the screws to avoid pos-

sible damage to the CPU.)

4. Finish the installation by fully tightening

all four screws.

CEK Passive Heatsink

Screw#1 Screw#2

Screw#1

To Un-install the Heatsink

(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 below to
uninstall the heatsink to prevent
damage done to the CPU or the
CPU socket.)

Screw#2

2-4

1. Unscrew and remove the heatsink
screws from the motherboard in the
sequence as show in the picture on the
right.

2. Hold the heatsink as shown in the
picture on the right and gently wriggle the
heatsink to loosen it from the CPU. (Do
not use excessive force when wriggling
the heatsink!!)

3. Once the CPU is loosened, remove the
heatsink from the CPU socket.

Chapter 2: Installation

4. Clean the surface of the CPU and
the heatsink to get rid of the old thermal
grease. Reapply the proper amount of
thermal grease on the surface before you
re-install the CPU and the heatsink.

Mounting the Motherboard in the Chassis

All motherboards have standard mounting holes to fi t different types of chas-

sis. 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 to the chassis.)

2-5

X7DB8/X7DBE 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)

1. Insert the desired number of DIMMs into the memory slots, starting with DIMM

#1A. The memory scheme is interleaved so you must install four modules at

a time, beginning with DIMM #1A, then DIMM #2A and so on. *For optimal

performance, please install four modules at a time up to 8 modules. (*See

the Memory Installation Table Below.)

2. 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.

3. 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 X7DB8/X7DBE supports up to 16 GB (32 GB) fully buffered (FBD) ECC DDR2

533/667 in 8 DIMMs. Populating DIMM modules with pairs of memory modules

of the same size and same type will result in Interleaving Memory which will

increase memory performance.

*Note: Due to OS limitations, some operating systems may not show more than 4

GB of memory.

Optimized DIMM Population Configurations

Branch0 Branch1

Number of

DIMMs

2 DIMMs 1A ------ 2A ------ ------ ------ ------ -----­4 DIMMs 1A ------ 2A ------ 3A ------ 4A -----­6 DIMMs 1A 1B 2A 2B 3A ------ 4A -----­8 DIMMs 1A 1B 2A 2B 3A 3B 4A 4B

Bank 1

(Channel 0)

Bank 2

(Channel 1)

Bank 3

(Channel 2)

Bank 4

(Channel 3)

(*Notes: i. DIMM slot# specified: DIMM slot to be populated; “---“: DIMM slot not to
be populated. ii. Both FBD 533 MHz and 667MHz DIMMs are supported; however,
you need to use the memory modules of the same speed and of the same type on a
motherboard. iii. Interleaving memory is supported when pairs of DIMM modules are
installed. To optimize memory performance, please install pairs of DIMMs in both
Branch 0 and Branch 1. iv. For memory to work properly, you need to follow the
restrictions listed above. )

2-6

JLAN1

UPER X7DB8/E

S

Chapter 2: Installation

Figure 2-2. Installing and Removing DIMMs

DDR2 FBD

II

®

To Install: Insert module vertically and press down until it
snaps into place. Pay attention to the alignment notch at
the bottom.

To Remove:

Use your thumbs
to gently push
the release tabs
near both ends of
the module. This
should release it
from the slot.

DDR2 FBD Slot

II

2-7

X7DB8/X7DBE User's Manual

2-4 Control Panel Connectors/IO Ports

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

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

A. Back Panel Connectors/IO Ports

JLAN1

®

UPER X7DB8/E

S

Figure 2-3. Back Panel I/O Port Locations and Defi nitions

Back Panel Connectors

1. Keyboard (Purple)

2. PS/2 Mouse (Green)

3. Back Panel USB Port 0

4. Back Panel USB Port 1

5. COM Port 1 (Turquoise)

6. VGA Port (Blue)

7. Parallel Port (Printer)

8. Gigabit LAN 1

9. Gigabit LAN 2

2

1

4

3

5

7

6

8 9

(*See Section 2-5 for details.)

2-8

Chapter 2: Installation

B. Front Control Panel

JF1 contains header pins for various buttons and indicators that are normally located

on a control panel at the front of the chassis. These connectors are designed specifi -

cally for use with Supermicro server chassis. See Figure 2-4 for the descriptions of

the various control panel buttons and LED indicators. Refer to the following section

for descriptions and pin defi nitions.

Figure 2-4. JF1 Header Pins

1920

Ground

NMI

JLAN1

S

UPER

®

X7DB8/E

X

Power LED

HDD LED

NIC1 LED

NIC2 LED

OH/Fan Fail LED

PWR Fail LED

Ground

Ground

X

Vcc

Vcc

Vcc

Vcc

Vcc

Vcc

Reset

PWR

2

1

Reset Button

Power Button

2-9

X7DB8/X7DBE User's Manual

C. Front Control Panel Pin Defi nitions

NMI Button

The non-maskable interrupt button

header is located on pins 19 and 20

of JF1. Refer to the table on the right

for pin defi nitions.

Power LED

The Power LED connection is located

on pins 15 and 16 of JF1. Refer to the

table on the right for pin defi nitions.

NMI Button

Pin Defi nitions (JF1)

Pin# Defi nition

19 Control

20 Ground

Power LED

Pin Defi nitions (JF1)

Pin# Defi nition

15 +5V

16 Ground

A. NMI

B. PWR LED

Fan6

KB/
Mouse

USB0/1

COM1

Parrallel

Port

JLAN1

VGA

GLAN1

GLAN2

UPER

S

Slot7

JPG1

Slot6

VGA

Slot5

CTRL

Slot4

Slot3

LAN

JPL1

CTRL

JPL2
Slot2

S I/O

Slot1

JCOM2

4-Pin

Fan5

PWR

DIMM 4B (Bank 4)

DIMM 4A (Bank 4)

DIMM 3B (Bank 3)

DIMM 3A (Bank 3)

DIMM 2B (Bank 2)

DIMM 2A (Bank 2)

DIMM 1B (Bank 1)

DIMM 1A (Bank 1)

®

X7DB8/E

SIMLP IPMI

PCI-Exp x8

PCI-Exp x8

PCI-Exp x4

JWD

MHz

PCI-X 133

J28
J27

PCI-X 133 MHz

JWOR

PCI-X 100 MHz ZCR

SEPC

Battery

24-Pin

ATX PWR

BIOS

North Bridge

JK

SATA0

1920

Fan3

Fan8

JCF1

JWF1

JPA3

JPA2

SCSI CTRL

320 SCSI Channel B

8-pin PWR

Floppy

Compact Flash

Fan1

FP Ctrl

Fan2

SPK

PW LED

JP1

LE1

JOH1

SGPIO2

SGPIO1

IDE1

320 SCSI Channel A

A1
D

Fan4

Ground

B

Power LED

HDD LED

NIC1 LED

NIC2 LED

OH/Fan Fail LED

PWR Fail LED

Ground

Ground

NMI

A

X

X

Vcc

Vcc

Vcc

Vcc

Vcc

Vcc

Reset

Reset Button

Power Button

PWR

2

1

PSF

Fan7

SMB PS

J3P

JAR

CPU1

CPU2

JBT1

South
Bridge

J7

USB4

PXH

1

SMB

JL1

SATA1

SATA4

SATA2

USB2/3

SATA5

SATA3

WOL

DA

2

JPA

1

2-10