Qotom Q20331G9 Setup Experience (X553 SFP+)

[C0S]

Just sharing for awareness:

I recently purchased a Qotom Q20331G9-S10 CPU Atom C3758R - (4 SFP+ Version) - No RAM, No Storage.

I then installed:

• RAM -- Kingston KF432S20IBK2/64 -- 64GB (2x32GB).
  
• NVME -- SK hynix Gold P31 2TB

Serial console issues aside, the VGA installation went off without a hitch.

I had it up and running on the Intel i226s almost immediately.

The Intel X553 was a bit of a different matter.  It refused to recognize any of the SFP+ modules (SR or DAC) I installed, so after a bit of research I found that the Intel driver itself was refusing the use of the "unapproved" SFP+ modules.

There is a sysctl that allows you to bypass this behavior.

So, within /boot/loader.conf.local I set the following:

hw.ix.unsupported_sfp=1

... after that and a quick reboot. I could get the modules to recognize and autoconfig up at 10Gb.

For connectivity to my switches I am currently using this DAC Cable:
10Gtek SFP+ DAC Twinax Cable, Passive, Compatible with Intel XDACBL2M, 2 Meter(6.5ft)

Hope that helps anyone looking to get this device working in their own environment.


Edit:

To have the system boot after power-loss, you can set that behavior within the bios here:

--> IntelRCSetup --> South Bridge Chipset Configuration --> State after G3 --> (Change to desired behavior)

[Uncloak5213]

How has the performance been and what temp is the CPU averaging?

[C0S]

Running 24.7.1 here now.

I'm averaging between 29C (84.2F) - 33C (91.4F) on all 8 cores during normal workloads.

I did get the bottom-plate add-on with the venting and fan, as I've had issues with other mini-pc platforms and heat (which is why I went with the lower power nvme, etc.). 

If it ever becomes an issue I'll pull the internal board, drill some holes for heated air to escape passively, re-paste the CPU with KPx, etc.

Performance has been excellent though and I'm getting line-speed numbers.
Obviously, it'll depend on what you have enabled on the firewall that drives CPU use though.

I tend to try to keep the device focused solely on security and passing traffic as quickly as possible.

[datpat]

So I got the Q20321G9 C3558R and I have had a lot of issues with it. I could easily install it with the intel RJ45 connectors but SFP has been a nightmare. The SFP cage on the right seems completely dead, the SFP cage on the left seems to somewhat work(sometimes will refuse connections). All four SFP NICS are detected but I see no signs of life from the right cage. Am I right in the assumption that you didn't have to do anything to get all cages working?

p.s. I did set "hw.ix.unsupported_sfp=1" in tunables, I assume that should work?