Supero X8QB6-F, SUPERO X8QBE-F, X8QBE-F User Manual

X8QB6-F

X8QBE-F

USER’S MANUAL

Revision 1.1b

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,
and 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 Website 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 and docu­mentation, is the property of Supermicro and/or its licensors, and is supplied only under a license.
Any use or reproduction of this product is not allowed, except as expressly permitted by the terms
of said license.

IN NO EVENT WILL SUPER MICRO COMPUTER, INC. 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, SUPER MICRO COMPUTER, INC.
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 the manufacturer and the 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 1.1b
Release Date: January 7, 2011
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 © 2011 by Super Micro Computer, Inc.
All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

Preface

This manual is written for system integrators, PC technicians and
knowledgeable PC users. It provides information for the installation and use of the
X8QB6-F/X8QBE-F motherboard.

About This Motherboard

The X8QB6-F/X8QBE-F motherboard supports the Intel 7500 Series Socket-LS
processor, the fi rst generation chip multiprocessor (CMP) platform that offers Intel
QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) Technology, providing point-to-point system interface,
replacing the Front Side Bus. Integrating Intel Turbo Boost Technology, 45nm Pro­cess Technology, combined with support of up to 32 CPU cores and 24MB L3 cache,
the X8QB6-F/X8QBE-F motherboard substantially enhances system performance
for HPC/Cluster/Database server platforms. Please refer to our Website (http://www .
supermicro.com) for updates on supported processors. This product is intended to
be installed and serviced by professional technicians.

Preface

Manual Organization

Chapter 1 provides quick installation instructions.
Chapter 2 describes the features, specifi cations and performance of the mother-

board, and provides detailed information about the Intel 7500 chipset.
Chapter 3 provides hardware installation instructions. Read this chapter when in-

stalling the processor, memory modules and other hardware components into the
system. If you encounter any problems, see Chapter 4, which describes trouble­shooting procedures for video, memory, and system setup stored in the CMOS.

Chapter 5 includes an introduction to the BIOS, and provides detailed information
on running the CMOS Setup utility.

Appendix A provides BIOS Error Beep Codes.
Appendix B lists Software Installation Instructions.

iii

X8QB6-F/X8QBE-F Motherboard User’s Manual

Conventions Used in the Manual

Special attention should be given to the following symbols for proper installation
and to prevent damage to the system 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: Additional information given to differentiate between various models
or provides information for correct system setup.

iv

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)

Website: www.supermicro.com

Europe

Address: Super Micro Computer B.V.

Preface

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: Super Micro Computer, Inc.

4F, No. 232-1, Liancheng Rd.
Chung-Ho 235, Taipei County
Taiwan, R.O.C.

Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Website: www.supermicro.com.tw
Technical Support:
Email: [e-mail]
Tel: [phone], ext.132 or 139

v

X8QB6-F/X8QBE-F Motherboard User’s Manual

Table of Contents

Preface
Chapter 1 Quick Installation Guide

1-1 Installing the CPU ...........................................................................................1-1

1-2 Installing the CPU/Heatsink/ CPU Fans ......................................................... 1-1

1-3 Installing the Memory Modules .......................................................................1-2

1-4 Installing the I/O Shield ................................................................................... 1-2

1-5 Installing the Motherboard ..............................................................................1-3

1-6 Connecting the Power Supply.........................................................................1-3

1-7 Installing Internal Peripherals ..........................................................................1-4

1-8 Installing External Peripherals ........................................................................1-4

Chapter 2 Overview

2-1 Overview ......................................................................................................... 2-1

Checklist ..........................................................................................................2-1

X8QB6-F/X8QBE-F Quick Reference .............................................................2-4

Motherboard Features .....................................................................................2-7

2-2 Chipset Overview ...........................................................................................2-11

2-3 Special Features ...........................................................................................2-12

2-4 PC Health Monitoring .................................................................................... 2-12

2-5 ACPI Features ...............................................................................................2-13

2-6 Power Supply ................................................................................................ 2-13

2-7 Super I/O ....................................................................................................... 2-14

2-8 Overview of the Nuvoton WPCM450R Controller .......................................2-14

Chapter 3 Installation

3-1 Static-Sensitive Devices ..................................................................................3-1

Precautions .....................................................................................................3-1

Unpacking .......................................................................................................3-1

3-2 Processor and Heatsink Installation................................................................3-2

Installing an LGA 1567 Processor .................................................................. 3-2

Installing a Passive CPU Heatsink ................................................................. 3-4

Removing the Passive Heatsink ..................................................................... 3-5

3-3 Installing and Removing the Memory Modules ...............................................3-6

Installing & Removing DIMMs .........................................................................3-6

Removing Memory Modules ........................................................................... 3-6

3-4 Motherboard Installation ..................................................................................3-9

Tools Needed .................................................................................................. 3-9

Location of Mounting Holes ............................................................................ 3-9

Installing the Motherboard ............................................................................3-10

vi

Table of Contents

3-5 Control Panel Connectors/I/O Ports...............................................................3-11

Back Panel Connectors/I/O Ports ..................................................................3-11

Back Panel I/O Port Locations and Defi nitions ............................................3-1 1

Serial Ports ............................................................................................... 3-12

Video Connection ..................................................................................... 3-12

Universal Serial Bus (USB) ...................................................................... 3-13

Ethernet Ports .......................................................................................... 3-14

Unit Identifi er Switch ................................................................................3-15

Front Control Panel ....................................................................................... 3-16

Front Control Panel Pin Defi nitions............................................................... 3-17

NMI Button ............................................................................................... 3-17

Power LED .............................................................................................. 3-17

HDD LED .................................................................................................. 3-18

NIC1/NIC2 LED Indicators ....................................................................... 3-18

Overheat (OH)/Fan Fail/PWR Fail/UID LED ............................................ 3-19

Power Fail LED ........................................................................................3-19

Reset Button ........................................................................................... 3-20

Power Button ........................................................................................... 3-20

3-6 Connecting Cables ........................................................................................ 3-21

Power Connectors ...................................................................................3-21

Fan Headers ............................................................................................. 3-22

Chassis Intrusion .....................................................................................3-22

Internal Speaker ....................................................................................... 3-23

Power LED/Speaker ................................................................................. 3-23

TPM Header/Port 80 ................................................................................ 3-24

Overheat LED/Fan Fail ............................................................................3-24

Power SMB (I

2

C) Connector .................................................................... 3-25

IPMB .........................................................................................................3-25

T-SGPIO 1/2 Headers .............................................................................. 3-26

Wake-On-Ring ..........................................................................................3-26

BBU Header (Optional for the X8QB6-F Only) ........................................ 3-27

Unit Identifi cation Switch/LED .................................................................. 3-28

3-7 Jumper Settings ............................................................................................3-29

Explanation of Jumpers ................................................................................3-29

GLAN Enable/Disable ..............................................................................3-29

CMOS Clear ............................................................................................. 3-30

Watch Dog Enable/Disable ...................................................................... 3-30

VGA Enable .............................................................................................. 3-31

TPM Support Enable ................................................................................ 3-31

vii

X8QB6-F/X8QBE-F Motherboard User’s Manual

SAS2 Enable (X8QB6-F only) ..................................................................3-32

BMC Enable ............................................................................................ 3-32

BMC Reset .............................................................................................. 3-33

3-8 Onboard LED Indicators ...............................................................................3-34

GLAN LEDs .............................................................................................. 3-34

IPMI Dedicated LAN LEDs .......................................................................3-34

Rear UID LED ......................................................................................... 3-35

BMC Heartbeat LED ................................................................................3-35

Onboard Power LED ............................................................................... 3-36

3-9 Serial ATA Connections ................................................................................. 3-37

Serial ATA Ports........................................................................................ 3-37

SAS2 Ports (X8QB6-F only).....................................................................3-37

Chapter 4 Troubleshooting

4-1 Troubleshooting Procedures ...........................................................................4-1

4-2 Technical Support Procedures ........................................................................4-4

4-3 Frequently Asked Questions ...........................................................................4-5

4-4 Returning Merchandise for Service.................................................................4-6

Chapter 5 BIOS

5-1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 5-1

Starting BIOS Setup Utility ..............................................................................5-1

How To Change the Confi guration Data ......................................................... 5-1

Starting the Setup Utility ................................................................................. 5-2

5-2 Main Setup ......................................................................................................5-2

5-3 Advanced Setup Confi gurations...................................................................... 5-4

5-4 Boot Confi guration ........................................................................................5-29

5-5 Security Settings ........................................................................................... 5-30

5-6 Exit Options ................................................................................................... 5-31

Appendix A BIOS Error Beep Codes

A-1 BIOS Error Beep Codes ................................................................................. A-1

Appendix B Software Installation Instructions

B-1 Installing Software Programs ..........................................................................B-1

B-2 Confi guring Supero Doctor III .........................................................................B-2

viii

Quick Installation Guide

1-1 Installing the CPU

2

A B

1

Chapter 1: Quick Installation Guide

Chapter 1

CPU Key

A. Press the socket clip down to unlock
it. Gently lift the socket clip to open the
load plate.

C

CPU Pin 1

C. Align CPU Pin 1 against Socket Pin

1. Once they are aligned, lower the CPU
down to the socket.

To avoid damage, do not rub the CPU pins against the socket.

B. Align the CPU key with the socket
key.

D

D. Once the CPU is fully seated on

the socket, press the socket clip down
to lock it.

1-2 Installing the CPU/Heatsink/ CPU Fans

A B

C

A. Apply the appropriate amount of ther-

mal grease (to 0.13mm in thickness).
B. Insert the two push-pins on the sides

of the heatsink into the mounting holes
on the motherboard, turning clockwise
to lock them.

C. Connect the fan cables to CPU
Fan1 and CPU Fan 2 headers.

1-1

X8QB6-F/X8QBE-F Motherboard User’s Manual

1-3 Installing the Memory Modules

A B C

A. Press the release tabs on the both

ends of the DIMM socket outwards to
unlock it.

Align the key on the DIMM module
against that of the DIMM socket.

1-4 Installing the I/O Shield

A

B. Use two thumbs to press both

notches of the module straight down
into the DIMM socket.

C. Press the release tabs on the
ends of the DIMM module inwards
to lock it.

Note: Chassis and I/O plate images are for illustration purposes only . They
may be different from what you have in your system.

B

1-2

1-5 Installing the Motherboard

A

X8QBE-F

Rev. 1.11

Chapter 1: Quick Installation Guide

B

C

1-6 Connecting the Power Supply

D

X8QBE-F

Rev. 1.11

B

A

Note: Please connect the 24-pin

power connector and three of the
four 8-pin power connectors to the
power supply to provide adequate
power supply to your system.

1-3

X8QB6-F/X8QBE-F Motherboard User’s Manual

1-7 Installing Internal Peripherals

A

SATA/SAS2 Drives

B

Add-on Cards

1-8 Installing External Peripherals

Serial Port
(COM1)

VGA Port LAN 1/2 PortsUSB 0/1 UID

IPMI LAN

Switch

1-4

Chapter 2: Overview

Chapter 2

Overview

2-1 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.

Please check that the following items have all been included with your motherboard.
If anything listed here is damaged or missing, contact your retailer.

The following items are included in the retail box.

One (1) Supermicro Mainboard

•

Six (6) Serial ATA cables (CBL-0044Lx6) (for X8QBE-F)•

Two (2) I-Pass to 4 Serial ATA (50-cm) cables (CBL-097L-02) (for X8QB6-F)•

One (1) Supermicro CD containing drivers and utilities•

One (1) User's/BIOS Manual (MNL#1178)•

Optional (Required for Extended Battery Backup Support - X8QB6-F only)

The items listed below are available for purchase at Supermicro.

One (1) iBBU07 Battery (BTR-0018L-0000-LSI)

•

One (1) BBU Adaptor (BTR-0018L-ADPT)•

One (1) Extension Cable (CBL-0420L) •

One (1) BBU Bracket (MCP-240-00094-0N)•

2-1

X8QB6-F/X8QBE-F Motherboard User’s Manual

Motherboard Image

Note: All graphics shown in this manual were based upon 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 this manual.

2-2

5

USB2/3

COM2

I-SATA0

I-SATA2

I-SATA4

JP6

JPWR4

JWOR

J40

JP4

J35

USB5

FAN 11

I-SATA5

JP5

JPWR5

JPRST1

D10

IPMB

BMCRST

U101

Slot1 PCI-E 2.0 X8

JD1

JWD1

JLPC1

JP10

JPB1

PORT80

1

JBT1

Intel ICH 10R

Intel
IOH 7500

I-SATA1

I-SATA3

J59

BBU

JL1

JPI2C1

BMC_HB

Winbond

BMC CTRL

JPS1

Slot2 PCI-E 2.0 X16/X8

JPT1

JPG1

JUID_OW1

U70

JP1

BIOS

LSI 2108
SAS CTRL

JPWR1JPWR2

Intel 82576
LAN CTRL

Slot3 PCI-E 2.0 X8

JP3

SAS0~3

JPWR3

UID_LED

JUIDB1

UID_SWITCH

JPL1

Slot4 PCI-E 2.0 X16/X8

P1-DIMM3A

P1-DIMM4A

SAS4~7

Motherboard Layout

USB0/1

FAN10

SP1

P1-DIMM1A

LAN1

(LOWER)

LAN2

(UPPER)

IPMI_LAN

P1-DIMM5A

LED26

P1-DIMM2A

CPU1

CPU2

VGA

P1-DIMM6A

P1-DIMM7A

P1-DIMM8A

COM1

P3-DIMM4A

P3-DIMM3A

P3-DIMM1A

P3-DIMM2A

CPU3

Chapter 2: Overview

FAN9

X8QBE-F

Rev. 1.11

FAN8

P3-DIMM6A

P3-DIMM5A

CPU4

P3-DIMM8A

P3-DIMM7A

P2-DIMM6A

P2-DIMM5A

LED5

LED7

LED8

P5V_STBY

LED9

LED6

FAN7

P2-DIMM7A

P2-DIMM8A

BT2

Battery

FAN6

P2-DIMM2A

P2-DIMM1A

P2-DIMM4A

P2-DIMM3A

FAN4

FAN

P4-DIMM8A

P4-DIMM7A

P4-DIMM6A

P4-DIMM5A

FAN3

JF1

OHLED

JOH1

FAN1

FAN2

P4-DIMM1A

P4-DIMM2A

P4-DIMM4A

P4-DIMM3A

Note 1: SAS2 connections and the LSI 2108 SAS2 Controller are available
on the X8QB6-F only. To enable battery backup support for onboard SAS,
an optional SAS Battery Backup Accessory kit is required. Refer to Page
3-26 in Chapter 3 for more details.

Note 2: For the latest CPU/Memory updates, please refer to our website
at http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/ for details.

Note 3: To ensure adequate power supply to the motherboard for proper
system operation, please use a power supply that supports the following
specifi cations:

Type Minimum Requirement
12V 1400 Watts (minimum)
5V Standby 6A (minimum)

2-3

5

USB2/3

COM2

I-SATA0

I-SATA2

I-SATA4

JP6

JPWR4

JWOR

J40

JP4

J35

FAN 11

I-SATA5

JP5

JPWR5

X8QB6-F/X8QBE-F Motherboard User’s Manual

X8QB6-F/X8QBE-F Quick Reference

USB0/1

JPRST1

D10

IPMB

BMCRST

U101

JD1

JWD1

JLPC1

JP10

PORT80

1

Intel ICH 10R

USB5

I-SATA1

I-SATA3

J59

BBU

JL1

JPI2C1

BMC_HB

Winbond

BMC CTRL

JPS1

Slot2 PCI-E 2.0 X16/X8

Slot1 PCI-E 2.0 X8

JPT1

JPG1

JUID_OW1

JPB1

JBT1

U70

BIOS

Intel
IOH 7500

LSI 2108
SAS CTRL

JPWR1JPWR2

Intel 82576
LAN CTRL

Slot3 PCI-E 2.0 X8

JP3

JP1

SAS0~3

JPWR3

UID_LED

JUIDB1

UID_SWITCH

JPL1

Slot4 PCI-E 2.0 X16/X8

P1-DIMM3A

P1-DIMM4A

SAS4~7

LED26

P1-DIMM2A

CPU1

FAN10

SP1

P1-DIMM1A

LAN1

(LOWER)

LAN2

(UPPER)

IPMI_LAN

P1-DIMM5A

CPU2

VGA

P1-DIMM6A

P1-DIMM7A

P1-DIMM8A

COM1

P3-DIMM4A

P3-DIMM3A

P3-DIMM2A

P3-DIMM1A

CPU3

FAN9

X8QBE-F

Rev. 1.11

FAN8

P3-DIMM6A

P3-DIMM5A

CPU4

P3-DIMM8A

P3-DIMM7A

P2-DIMM6A

P2-DIMM5A

LED5

LED7

LED8

P5V_STBY

LED9

LED6

FAN7

P2-DIMM7A

P2-DIMM8A

BT2

Battery

FAN6

FAN4

FAN

P2-DIMM2A

P2-DIMM1A

P2-DIMM4A

P2-DIMM3A

P4-DIMM8A

P4-DIMM7A

P4-DIMM6A

P4-DIMM5A

FAN3

JF1

OHLED

JOH1

P4-DIMM1A

FAN1

FAN2

Notes:

See Chapter 3 for detailed information on jumpers, I/O ports and JF1 front

•

panel connections.

" " indicates the location of "Pin 1".

•

Jumpers not indicated are for testing only. •

The LSI SAS2 Controller and SAS2 Connections are available on the X8QB6-F •
only.

LED Indicators that are not documented are for testing only.

•

P4-DIMM3A

P4-DIMM2A

P4-DIMM4A

Use only the correct type of onboard CMOS battery as specifi ed by the •
manufacturer. Do not install the onboard battery upside down to avoid possible
explosion.

2-4

Chapter 2: Overview

X8QB6-F/X8QBE-F Jumpers

Jumper

JBT1

Description Default Setting

Clear CMOS See Chapter 3
JPB1 BMC Enabled Pins 1-2 (Enabled)
JPG1 VGA Enabled Pins 1-2 (Enabled)
JPL1 GLAN1/GLAN2 Enable Pins 1-2 (Enabled)
JPRST1 BMC Reset Off (Normal)
JPS1 (X8QB6-F only) SAS2 Enabled Pins 1-2 (Enabled)
JPT1 TPM Enabled Pins 1-2 (Enabled)
JWD1 Watch Dog Pins 1-2 (Reset)

X8QB6-F/X8QBE-F Connectors

Connectors Description

BT2 Onboard Battery (See Chpt. 4 for Used Battery Disposal)
COM1/COM2 Backplane COM Port1/Front Accessible COM2 Header
FAN1~11 CPU/System Fan Headers (Fan1~Fan10)

(Fan11: Reserved)

IPMB 4-pin External BMC I

2

C Header (for an IPMI Card)
I-SATA 0~5 Intel SB SATA Connectors 0~5
J59 (BBU) (X8QB6-

F only)

LSI SAS Battery Backup Unit (BBU) (See Note on Pg.2-6,

3-26)
JD1 Speaker/Power LED Indicator
JF1 Front Panel Control Header
JL1 Chassis Intrusion
JLPC1 LPC Port 80
JOH1 Overheat/Fan Fail LED

2

JPI

C1 Power Supply SMBbus I2C Header

JPWR1~2,

12V 8-Pin Power Connectors (See Warning on Pg. 2-6.)
JPWR4~5

JPWR3 ATX 24-Pin Power Connector (See Warning on Pg. 2-6.)
JUID_OW1 UID Override Header
JWOR Wake-On-Ring Header
LAN1/LAN2 G-bit Ethernet Ports 1/2
(IPMI) LAN IPMI_Dedicated LAN
SAS 0~3, 4~7 Serial_Attached_SCSI Connectors 0~3, 4~7 (X8QB6-F)
SP1 Onboard Buzzer (Internal Speaker)
Slot1, Slot3 PCI-Express 2.0 x8
Slot2, Slot4 PCI-Express 2.0 x16/x8

2-5

X8QB6-F/X8QBE-F Motherboard User’s Manual

T-SGPIO 1/2 Serial_Link General Purpose I/O Headers
BP USB 0/1 Back Panel USB 0/1
USB 2/3, USB 5 Front Panel Accessible USB Connections
UID Switch UID (Unit Identifi er) Switch
VGA Backpanel VGA Port

X8QB6-F/X8QBE-F LED Indicators

LED Description State Status

D10 BMC Heartbeat LED Green: Blinking Normal
LED 8 Stand by PWR LED Green: On SB Power On

LED 26 UI D LED

Warning!

To prevent damage to the power supply or motherboard, please use a power

•

supply that contains a 24-pin and at least three 8-pin power connectors. Be
sure to connect these power supply connectors to the 24-pin power connector
(JPWR3) and three of the 8-pin power connectors (JPWR1, JPWR2, JPWR4
or JPWR5) on the motherboard. Failure in doing so will void the manufacturer
warranty on your power supply and motherboard.

Note 1: To enable extended battery backup support for onboard SAS,
please purchase a LSI 2108 SAS Battery Accessory kit from Supermicro.
Refer to Page 3-26 in Chapter 3 for more details.

Note 2: To ensure adequate power supply to the motherboard for proper
system operation, please use a power supply that supports the following
specifi cations:

Blue: On (Windows OS),
Blinking (Linux)

Unit Identifi ed

Type Minimum Requirement
12V 1400 Watts (minimum)
5V Standby 6A (minimum)

2-6

Motherboard Features

Chapter 2: Overview

CPU

Memory

Four Intel•
cessors; each processor supports four full-width Intel
QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) links (with support of
up to 25.6 GT/s per QPI link and with Data Transfer
Rate of up to 6.4 GT/s per direction)

Integrated memory controller supports:•
32 240-pin DDR3-1066 RDIMMs running at speeds 1.

of 1066/978/800 MHz (via an onboard buffer)

Support for up to 512 GB of Registered ECC 2.
DDR3 memory in two-channel memory bus

DIMM sizes

RDIMM

• 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, 8GB and 16GB

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d, and VT-c

•

®

7500 Series (Socket LS-LGA 1567) pro-

Note: For the latest CPU/memory updates,
please refer to our website at http://www.su­permicro.com/products/motherboard.

Chipset
Expansion
Slots

Graphics
Network

I/O: Intel® QuickData Technology with Intel 82576 •
LAN Controller, supports:

Intel 825761.

LSI 2108 (Hardware RAID w/Battery Backup)2.
Intel® 7500 Chipset (7500 IOH & ICH10R)•
Two (2) PCI Express 2.0 x16 slots (Slot2/Slot4),•
Two (2) PCI Express 2.0 x8 slots (Slot1/Slot3), or•
Four (4) PCI Express 2.0x8 slots (Slot1~Slot4)•
Winbond BMC Video Controller (Matrox G200eW)•
One Intel 82576 Gigabit (10/100/1000 Mb/s) Ethernet •

Dual-Channel Controller for LAN 1/LAN 2 ports.
Winbond WP450R Base-board Controller (BMC)

•

supports IPMI_LAN 2.0

2-7

X8QB6-F/X8QBE-F Motherboard User’s Manual

I/O Devices

SATA Connections

SATA Ports

• Six (6)

RAID (Win-

•

dows)
RAID (Linux)

• RAID 0, 1, 10

SAS2 Connections

LSI SAS2 2108 Controller

•

SAS2 Ports• 0~3, 4~7
RAID Support

• RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, 60

Integrated IPMI 2.0

IPMI 2.0 supported by the WPCM450R BMC

•

Serial (COM) Port

One (1) Fast UART 16550 Connection: 9-pin RS-

•

232 port

Super I/O

Winbond Super I/O 83527

•

RAID 0, 1, 5, 10

Peripheral
Devices

BIOS

Power
Confi g.

USB Devices

Two (2) USB ports on the rear I/O panel (USB 0/1)

•

Three (3) USB connection for front access (USB •
2/3, USB 5)

64 Mb SPI AMI BIOS•
APM 1.2, PCI 2.3, ACPI 1.0/2.0/3.0, USB Keyboard,

•

Plug & Play (PnP) and SMBIOS 2.5
ACPI/ACPM Power Management•
Main switch override mechanism•
Keyboard Wake-up from Soft-Off•
Power-on mode for AC power recovery•

®

SM Flash BIOS

2-8

Chapter 2: Overview

PC Health
Monitoring

System
Management

CPU Monitoring

Onboard voltage monitors for CPU1 Vcore, CPU2 •
Vcore, CPU3 Vcore, CPU4 Vcore, NIC Vcore, BMC
Vcore, AUX Vcore, Standby ME Vcore, 12V Scale,

1.5V, 3.3V Vcc(V), 3.3VSB, Battery Voltage, and
IOPV12.

•

CPU 7-Phase switching voltage regulator
CPU/System overheat LED and control•
CPU Thermal Trip support•
Thermal Monitor 2 (TM2) support•

Fan Control

Fan status monitoring with fi rmware 4-pin (Pulse

•

Width Modulation) fan speed control
Low noise fan speed control

•

PECI (Platform Environment Confi guration Interface) •

2.0 support
System resource alert via Supero Doctor III

•

SuperoDoctor III, Watch Dog, NMI•
Chassis Intrusion Header and Detection•

Dimensions

Note: For IPMI Confi guration Instructions, please refer to the Embedded

IPMI Confi guration User's Guide available @ http://www.supermicro.com/
support/manuals/.

16.79" (L) x 16.00" (W) (426.46 mm x 406.40 mm)•

2-9

X8QB6-F/X8QBE-F Motherboard User’s Manual

(x2)

DDR3 800/1066

DDR3 800/1066

Mill Brook

(x2)

Mill Brook

DDR3 800/1066

DDR3 800/1066

(x2)

(x2)

(x2)

DDR3 800/1066

Mill Brook

(x2)

DDR3 800/1066

Mill Brook

(x2)

SMI

6.4GT/s

DDR3 800/1066

Mill Brook

SMI 6.4GT/s

Mill Brook

SMI 6.4GT/s
SMI 6.4GT/s

(x2)

SMI

6.4GT/s

DDR3 800/1066

Mill Brook

SMI 6.4GT/s

Mill Brook

SMI 6.4GT/s
SMI 6.4GT/s

Slot2 PCIE-G2x8

Slot3 PCIE-G2x16

Slot5 PCIE-G2x8

Slot6 PCIE-G2x16

SAS x4
SAS x4

FBD0
FBD1
FBD2
FBD3

FBD0
FBD1
FBD2
FBD3

PCIE-G2x8

PCIE-G2x8x2

PCIE-G2x8

PCIE-G2x8x2

USB

Ports x4

P

I

6

Q

Q

Processor 4

P

I

6

.

4

G

T

/

QPI 6.4GT/s

QPI 6.4GT/s

Processor 3

LSI 2018

SAS CTRL

BIOS

SPI

USB 2.0

Processor 2

T

/

s

.

4

G

s

/

T

G

4

.

s

6

I

P

Q

QPI 6.4GT/s

Processor 1

QPI 6.4GT/s

QPI#0 QPI#1

Intel 7500

IOH#1

Link

ICH10

SIO W83527HG

FBD0
FBD1
FBD2
FBD3

FBD0
FBD1
FBD2
FBD3

PCIE

LPC

6.4GT/s
SMI
SMI

SMI

QPI 6.4GT/s

SMI

6.4GT/s
SMI
SMI

SMI

Reset,

PWR,
GPIO

SMI

6.4GT/s

6.4GT/s

6.4GT/s

6.4GT/s

6.4GT/s

6.4GT/s

PCIE1.0x4

PCI

USB 1.0
USB 2.0

CTRL

LPC

(x2)

DDR3 800/1066

Mill Brook

Mill Brook

Kawela Dual GLAN

Mill Brook

(x2)

DDR3 800/1066

Mill Brook

RMII PHY

WPCM450R

Winbond BMC

(w/Video, KVM,

SIO, Fan Speed

CTRL, PECI,

Voltage Monitoring)

Fan CTRL

Serial

Fans

(x10)

Port

DDR3 800/1066

DDR3 800/1066

(x2)

(x2)

(x2)

DDR3 800/1066

Mill Brook

(x2)

DDR3 800/1066

Mill Brook

GLAN
GLAN

RMII

DDR2

SPI

SMBus

HM

W83795G

(x2)

DDR3 800/1066

Mill Brook

(x2)

DDR3 800/1066

Mill Brook

RJ45
10/100LAN

PHY

10/100

Rear

Video

Video

Memory

BMC

FW

Flash

Note: This is a general block diagram and may not exactly represent the
features on your motherboard. See the Motherboard Features pages for
the actual specifi cations of each motherboard.

System Block Diagram

2-10

Chapter 2: Overview

2-2 Chipset Overview

Built upon the functionality and the capability of the Intel 7500 platform, the
X8QB6-F/X8QBE-F motherboard provides the performance and support for
quad_processor-based HPC/Cluster/Database servers. The 7500 platform con­sists of t he 7500 Seri es Socket-L S (LGA 1567) pro cessor, the 7500 (I OH), and
the ICH10 R (South Bridge).

With the Intel QuickPath interconnect (QPI) controller built in, the 7500 Series
processor offer s point-to-point system interconnect interface, enhancing system
performance by utilizing serial link interconnections with increased bandwidth
and scalability.

The 7500 IO Hub provides the interface between QPI-based processor, and
industr y-standard PCI- Express components. Each processor suppor ts four full­width, bi direc tional in terconn ects t hat run at the s peed of 4.8 GT/s, 5.8 6 GT/s or

6.4 GT/s. Each QPI link consists of 20 pairs of unidirectional differential lanes for
data tr ansmissi on in additio n to a diffe rential for warded c lock. Th e two x16 PCI
Expr ess G en 2 co nnect ions c an al so be c onfi gured as x 8 and x4 link s to com ply
with PCI-E Base Specifi cati on, Rev. 2.0. The se PC I - E G en 2 l ane s sup po r t p eer-
to-peer read and write transa ctions. In add i t ion, the legac y I OH provides a x4 ESI
(Enterpr ise Sou th Bri dge Inter f ace) link suppor t fo r the leg acy br idge.

The 7500 chipset also offers a wide range of ESI, Intel® I/OAT Gen 3, Intel
VT-d an d RAS (Reliabi lity, Availabili ty and Ser viceabilit y) suppor t. The feature s
suppor ted includ e memory inte rface ECC, x4/ x8 Single Devic e Data Cor rection
(SDDC), Flow-through CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check), parity protection, out­of-ba nd registe r acces s via SM Bus, memo ry mir rorin g, and Hot- plug supp ort o n
the PCI - Expr ess Inter f ace.

Main Features of the 7500 Platform

Fully-connectivity (with four Intel® QuickPath Interconnects and up to eight cores •
in each socket with 24MB of shared last level (L3) cache supported)

CPU-Integrated memory controller with support of DDR-3 1066 MHz RDIMMS

•

running at 800/978/1066 MHz via a memory buffer

Virtualization Technology, Integrated Manageability Engine (ME) supported

•

44 bits physical address and 48 bits virtual address supported•

2-11

X8QB6-F/X8QBE-F Motherboard User’s Manual

2-3 Special Features

Recovery from AC Power Loss

The Basic I/O System (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 press the
power switch to turn it back on), or for it to automatically return to the power- on
state. See the Advanced BIOS Setup section for this setting. The default setting
is Last State.

2-4 PC Health Monitoring

This section describes the PC health monitoring features of the motherboard. This
motherboard has an onboard System_Hardware_Monitor chip that supports PC
health monitoring. An onboard voltage monitor will scan the following onboard volt­ages continuously: CPU1 Vcore, CPU2 Vcore, CPU3 Vcore, CPU4 Vcore, +1.0V,
+1.2V, +1.8V, +1.1V, +12V, 1.5V, 3.3V V, 3.3VSB, Battery Voltage, and IOPV12.
Once a voltage becomes unstable, a warning is given or an error message is sent
to the screen. The user 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 BIOS Thermal Management (under the
Hardware Monitoring section in the Advanced Setting).

Environmental Temperature Control

A 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 the CPU from overheating. The onboard chassis thermal circuitry
can monitor the overall system temperature and alert the user when the chassis
temperature is too high.

Note: To avoid possible system overheating, please be sure to provide
adequate airfl ow to your system.

2-12

Chapter 2: Overview

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, you can confi gure Supero Doctor
to provide yo u with warn ings when th e system temper ature, CPU tempe ratures,
voltag es and fa n speed s go beyond a p redefi ned range.

2-5 ACPI Features

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

In addition to enabling operating system-directed power management, ACPI also
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 Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows
2008 Operating Systems.

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.

2-6 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 X8QB6-F/X8QBE-F motherboard accommodates 24-pin ATX power supplies.
Although most power supplies generally meet the specifi cations required by the
CPU, some are inadequate. In addition, four 12V 8-pin power connections are
also required to ensure adequate power supply to the system. Also, be sure to
use a power supply that supports the specifi cations listed in the table on Page
2-3 or 2-6.

Warning! To prevent damage to the power supply or motherboard, please
use a power supply that contains a 24-pin and at least three 8-pin power

2-13

X8QB6-F/X8QBE-F Motherboard User’s Manual

connectors. Be sure to connect these power supply connectors to the
24-pin (JPWR3) and three of the four 8-pin power connectors (JPWR1,
JPWR2, JPWR4, or JPWR5) on the motherboard. Failure to do so will void
the manufacturer warranty on your power supply and motherboard.

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. (For more
information, please refer to the website 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.

2-7 Super I/O

The Super I/O supports 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 provides functions that comply with ACPI (Advanced Confi guration
and Power Interface), which includes support of legacy and ACPI power manage­ment through an SMI or SCI function pin. It also features auto power management
to reduce power consumption.

2-8 Overview of the Nuvoton WPCM450R Controller

The Nuvoton WPCM450R Controller is a Baseboard Management Controller
(BMC) that supports the PCI-compatible 2D/VGA Graphics Core, Virtual Media,
and Keyboard/Video/Mouse Redirection (KVMR) modules. With blade-oriented
Super I/O capability built-in, the WPCM450R Controller is ideal for legacy-reduced
server platforms.

The WPCM450R interfaces with the host system via a PCI interface to commu­nicate with the Graphics core. It supports USB 2.0 and 1.1 for remote keyboard/
mouse/virtual media emulation. It also provides LPC interface to control Super IO
functions. The WPCM450R is connected to the network via an external Ethernet
PHY module.

The WPCM450R communicates with onboard components via six SMBus inter­faces, fan control, and Platform Environment Control Interface (PECI) buses.

Note: For more information on IPMI confi guration, please refer to the
Embedded IPMI User's Guide posted on our website @ http://www.super­micro.com/support/manuals/.

2-14

Chapter 3: Installation

Chapter 3

Installation

3-1 Static-Sensitive Devices

Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) can damage electronic com ponents. To avoid dam­aging 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 that your system chassis provides excellent

•

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

Unpacking

The motherboard is shipped in antistatic packaging to avoid static damage. When
unpacking the board, make sure that the person handling it is static protected.

3-1

X8QB6-F/X8QBE-F Motherboard User's Manual

!

3-2 Processor and Heatsink Installation

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 hardware components. Make sure that you install
the processor into the CPU socket before you install the CPU heatsink.

Make sure to install the motherboard into the chassis before you install the 2.
CPU heatsink and heatsink fans.

When purchasing a motherboard without a 7500 Series processor pre-3.
installed, make sure that the CPU socket plastic cap is in place, and none of
the CPU socket pins are bent; otherwise, contact the retailer immediately.

Refer to the M other boar d Features S ecti on of the m anual and o ur websit e 4.
for more d etails o n CPU supp or t and upd ates.

Installing an LGA 1567 Processor

Press the socket clip to release the load plate, which covers the CPU socket, 1.
from its locking position.

Gently lift the socket clip to open the load plate.2.

Hold the plastic cap at its north and south center edges to remove it from the 3.
CPU socket.

3-2

Chapter 3: Installation

After removing the plastic cap, using your thumb and the index fi nger, hold 4.
the CPU at the north and south center edges.

Align the CPU key, which is a semi-circle cutout, against the socket key, 5.
which is the notch below the gold color dot on the side of the socket.

CPU Key

CPU Pin 1

Align Pin 1 on the CPU against Pin 1 on the CPU socket.6.

Once both CPU and the socket are aligned, carefully lower the CPU straight 7.
down into the socket. (To avoid damaging the CPU or the socket, do not rub
the CPU against the surface of the socket or its pins.)

With the CPU inside the socket, inspect the four corners of the CPU to make 8.
sure that the CPU is properly installed.

Once the CPU is securely seated on the socket, lower the CPU load plate to 9.
the socket.

Use your thumb to gently push the socket clip down to the clip lock.10.

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.

3-3

X8QB6-F/X8QBE-F Motherboard User's Manual

Installing a Passive CPU Heatsink

Apply the proper amount of thermal grease (with thickness of up to 0.13 mm) 1.
to the heatsink.

Place the heatsink on top of the CPU so that the two mounting holes on the 2.
heatsink are aligned with those on the retention mechanism.

3. Inser t t wo push -pin s on the s ides of t he heats ink thr ough th e mounti ng hol es
on the mot her board, a nd tur n the pus h- pins cl ock wis e to loc k them.

1U Heatsink (SNK-P0044P) 2U/4U Heatsink (SNK-P0045P)

3-4