S2600WF Architecture

CS500 Intel S2600WF motherboard block diagram, SDR, and BIOS/firmware.

The architecture of the CS500 Intel® S2600WF motherboard is developed around the integration of the Intel Xeon® Scalable family, the Intel C620 Series Chipset family, Intel Ethernet Controller X557, and the ASPEED AST2500 Server Board Management Controller. Previous generations of Xeon E5-2600 processors are not supported.
Figure: S2600WF Block Diagram

BIOS/Firmware Software Stack

The motherboard includes a system software stack that consists of the following components. Together, they configure and manage features and functions of the server system.
  • Motherboard BIOS
  • Manageability Engine (ME)
  • Baseboard Management Controller (BMC)
  • Sensor Data Record (SDR/FRUSDR)

Caution: Motherboard BIOS packages are released as a combined System Firmware Update Package. Cray does not support mixing-and-matching package components from different releases. Doing so could damage the motherboard. Customers should NOT obtain BIOS packages directly from Intel, unless specifically instructed to do so by Cray. Cray Engineering validates and supplies appropriate BIOS upgrade packages for download through the CrayPort system.

Features and Functions. Many features and functions of the server system are managed jointly by the System BIOS and the BMC firmware, including:
  • IPMI Watchdog timer.
  • Messaging support, including command bridging and user/session support.
  • BIOS boot flags support.
  • Event receiver device: The BMC receives and processes events from the BIOS.
  • Serial-over-LAN (SOL).
  • ACPI state synchronization: The BMC tracks ACPI state changes that are provided by the BIOS.
  • Fault resilient booting (FRB): FRB2 is supported by the watchdog timer functionality.
  • Front panel management: The BMC controls the system status LED and chassis ID LED. It sup-ports Secure lockout of certain front panel functionality and monitors button presses. The chassis ID LED is turned on using a front panel button or a command.
  • DIMM temperature monitoring: New sensors and improved acoustic management using closed-loop fan control algorithm taking into account DIMM temperature readings.
  • Integrated KVM.
  • Integrated Remote Media Redirection.
  • Sensor and SEL logging additions/enhancements (e.g., additional thermal monitoring capability).
  • Embedded platform debug feature, which allows capture of detailed data for later engineering analysis.

Hot Keys Supported During POST

Certain "Hot Keys" are recognized during Power-On Self-Test (POST). A Hot Key is a key or key combination that is recognized as an unprompted command input. The Hot Key is normally recognized even while other processing is in progress. The BIOS recognizes a number of Hot Keys during POST. After the OS is booted, BIOS supported Hot Keys are no longer recognized.

  • <F2> - Enter the BIOS setup utility. To enter this utility, press the <F2> key during boot time when the logo screen or POST diagnostic screen is displayed. Wait until the BIOS recognizes and activates the keyboard before entering key strokes.
  • <F6> - Pop-up BIOS boot menu. Displays all available boot devices. The boot order in the pop-up menu is not the same as the boot order in the BIOS setup. The pop-up menu simply lists all of the available devices from which the system can be booted, and allows a manual selection of the desired boot device.
  • <F12> - Network boot
  • <Esc> - Switch from logo screen to diagnostic screen
  • <Pause> - Stop POST temporarily

Field Replaceable Unit (FRU) and Sensor Data Record (SRD) Data

The server/node chassis and motherboard needs accurate FRU and SDR data to ensure the embedded platform management system is able to monitor the appropriate sensors and operate the chassis/system with optimum cooling and performance. The BMC automatically updates initial FRU/SDR configuration data after changes are made to the server hardware configuration when any of the following components are added or removed:
  • Processor
  • Memory
  • OCP Module
  • Integrated SAS Raid module
  • Power supply
  • Fan
  • Intel® Xeon Phi™ co-processor PCIe card
  • Hot Swap Backplane
  • Front Panel

The system may not operate with the best performance or best/appropriate cooling if the proper FRU and SDR data is not installed.