2023-07-10 15:43:08 +00:00
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title: ASUS KFSN4-DRE server/workstation board
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x-toc-enable: true
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...
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<div class="specs">
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<center>
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![ASUS KFSN4-DRE]()
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</center>
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| ***Specifications*** | |
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|----------------------------|------------------------------------------------|
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| **Manufacturer** | ASUS |
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| **Name** | KFSN4-DRE |
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| **Released** | ? |
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| **Chipset** | nVIDIA nForce Professional 2200 |
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| **CPU** | AMD Opteron 2000 series (Barcelona Family) |
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| **Graphics** | XGI Z9s VGA Controller |
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| **Display** | None. |
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| **Memory** | 512MB, 1GB, 2GB, 4GB |
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| **Architecture** | x86_64 |
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| **Original boot firmware** | AMIBIOS |
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| **Intel ME/AMD PSP** | Not present. |
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| **Flash chip** | PLCC 1MiB (Upgradable to 2MiB) |
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```
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2023-11-21 15:53:28 +00:00
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W+: Works;
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2023-07-10 15:43:08 +00:00
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N: Doesn't work;
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U: Untested;
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P+: Partially works;
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```
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| ***Features*** | |
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|----------------|---------------------------------------|
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| **Internal flashing with original boot firmware** | W+ |
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| **Display** | - |
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| **Audio** | W+ |
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| **RAM Init** | W+ |
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| **External output** | W+ |
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| **Display brightness** | - |
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| ***Payloads supported*** | |
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|---------------------------|-----------------|
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| **GRUB** | Partially works |
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| **SeaBIOS** | Partially works |
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| **SeaBIOS with GRUB** | Partially works |
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</div>
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This is a server board using AMD hardware (Fam10h). It can also be used
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2023-10-26 00:10:41 +00:00
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for building a high-powered workstation. Powered by Canoeboot.
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2023-07-10 15:43:08 +00:00
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Flashing instructions can be found at
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2024-01-27 22:35:38 +00:00
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[../install/\#flashprog](../install/)
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extreme cleanup / grandiose gesture
make canoeboot a truly GNU FSDG compliant coreboot distro,
by removing all overly positive reference to Libreboot;
what remains is technical in nature, so as to provide
historical context since Canoeboot is a fork of Libreboot.
I've stated before that I wish to take a more neutral tone
toward the FSF, in contrast to the *coldboot war* of 2023
when GNU Boot started.
Canoeboot was heavily linking to Libreboot, even going so far
as to call itself "inferior" and tell the reader to use
Libreboot.
From now on, Canoeboot will be maintained as though I actually
believed in FSF propoganda. I don't, but its users do. Treat
them with respect. My reason for providing Canoeboot is
precisely that I wish for such people to have a high quality
coreboot distro, much unlike the inferior *GNU Boot* project;
inferior because to this day, it's still based on very old
Libreboot, with not much changed (of any real substance)
relative to the Libreboot 20220710 release on which it forked.
In general, I've also found a lot of stragglers from when
Canoeboot started, where paragraphs referred to Libreboot that
should have actually referred to Canoeboot, or paragraphs
with Libreboot-specific information that does not make sense
in the Canoeboot project e.g. references to vendor scripts.
The resulting canoeboot.org will now look no different to any
typical reader than a typical FSF-aligned project.
There is a next stage to this, which will become apparent to
everyone if I have my way.
Signed-off-by: Leah Rowe <info@minifree.org>
2024-05-10 02:12:44 +00:00
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NOTE: Canoeboot standardises on [flashprog](https://flashprog.org/wiki/Flashprog)
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2024-01-27 22:35:38 +00:00
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now, as of 3 May 2024, which is a fork of flashrom.
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2023-07-10 15:43:08 +00:00
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Form factor {#formfactor}
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===========
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These boards use the SSI EEB 3.61 form factor; make sure that your case
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supports this. This form factor is similar to E-ATX in that the size is
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identical, but the position of the screws are different.
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Flash chips {#flashchips}
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===========
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These boards use LPC flash (not SPI), in a PLCC socket. The default
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flash size 1MiB (8Mbits), and can be upgraded to 2MiB (16Mbits).
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SST49LF080A is the default that the board uses. SST49LF016C is an
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example of a 2MiB (16Mbits) chip, which might work. It is believed that
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2MiB (16Mbits) is the maximum size available for the flash chip.
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*DO NOT hot-swap the chip with your bare hands. Use a PLCC chip
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extractor. These can be found online. See
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<http://www.coreboot.org/Developer_Manual/Tools#Chip_removal_tools>*
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Native graphics initialization {#graphics}
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==============================
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Native graphics initialization exists (XGI Z9s) for this board.
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Framebuffer- and text-mode both work. A serial port is also available.
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Memory
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======
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DDR2 533/667 Registered ECC. 16 slots. Total capacity up to 64GiB.
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Hex-core CPUs {#hexcore}
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=============
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PCB revision 1.05G is the latest version of this board and the best one
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(the revision number is be printed on the board), if you want to use
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dual hex-core CPUs (Opteron 2400/8400 series), though only two board
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configurations are believed to support them. Other revisions are
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believed to only support dual quad-core CPUs.
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To be sure your board supports a CPU check the official ASUS website here:
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<https://www.asus.com/support/cpu_support>. Note: not all CPUs are listed.
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If you are running a Hex-Core CPU on any board version, please contact us.
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Board configurations {#configurations}
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==============
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There are 7 different configurations of this board: "standard", 2S, iKVM,
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iKVM/IST, SAS, SAS/iKVM and SAS/iKVM/IST.
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The 2S boards have two PCI-E slots with the numbers of lanes shared,
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making each slot have 8 lanes.
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The iKVM boards are so called because they offer a remote real-time access
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to the machine through a removable PCI management card, their hardware is
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the same as the non-iKVM ones.
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The SAS versions have a 4-port SAS controller and a four 7-pin SAS connectors
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instead of the PCI-E 8x slot which is present in all the other board configurations.
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2023-10-26 00:10:41 +00:00
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Note: the SAS functionality is **not supported** by Canoeboot.
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2023-07-10 15:43:08 +00:00
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The IST versions with PCB revision 1.05G are the ones who are believed to
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support the six core Opteron Istanbul processors (2400 and 8400 series).
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Current issues {#issues}
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==============
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- There seems to be a 30 second bootblock delay (observed by
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tpearson); the system otherwise boots and works as expected. See
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[text/kfsn4-dre/bootlog.txt](text/kfsn4-dre/bootlog.txt) - this uses
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the 'simple' bootblock, while tpearson uses the 'normal'
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bootblock, which tpearson suspects may be a possible cause. This
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person says that they will look into it. [This
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config](http://review.coreboot.org/gitweb?p=board-status.git;a=blob;f=asus/kfsn4-dre/4.0-10101-g039edeb/2015-06-27T03:59:16Z/config.txt;h=4742905c185a93fbda8eb14322dd82c70641aef0;hb=055f5df4e000a97453dfad6c91c2d06ea22b8545)
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doesn't have the issue.
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- Text-mode is jittery and it may not be usable, so it's recommended
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to flash the BIOS with the coreboot frame-buffer image (kfsn4-dre_corebootfb.rom).
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The jitter disappears if using KMS once the kernel starts, but it will
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remain, if booting the kernel in text-mode.
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- Booting from USB mass storage devices is not possible; neither GRUB
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nor SeaBIOS detect USB drives when present. USB keyboards function
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under both GRUB and SeaBIOS, albeit slowly under GRUB (several seconds per
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character typed).
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- To install an operating system you will need a hard disk
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with a pre-installed OS otherwise you have to plug in another hard disk or
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a CD/DVD reader in order to boot a copy of the installer of your OS, since
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the USB booting doesn't work.
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Other information
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=================
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[specifications](https://web.archive.org/web/20181212180051/http://ftp.tekwind.co.jp/pub/asustw/mb/Socket%20F/KFSN4-DRE/Manual/e3335_kfsn4-dre.pdf)
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