SR-IOV works with VMware ESXi 6 and Xeon D-1540/1541, but Supermicro implies it's only supported with 1541

Posted by Paul Braren on May 11 2016 in
  • Virtualization
  • ESXi
  • Homelab
  • Network

    • Just a quick update about SR-IOV support today. On Sunday, May 8th, Supermicro quietly made some updates to the Supermicro SuperServer SYS-5028D-TN4T Product Page, specifically, the Key Features section:

    Key Features

    • Space-efficient, compact design
    • Network Security Appliance
    • Cloud and Virtualization
    • High Performance NAS Servers
    • Business Critical Applications
    • Small and Medium Business
    • SR-IOV supported (for Xeon D-1541)

    Admittedly, this update isn't likely to settle those longstanding questions about SR-IOV support, but it may help folks to know what (little) Supermicro has to say about this. Also note that I never did get SR-IOV to work on the two 1GbE Intel I-350 ports, but I didn't try that hard either.

    If you're really in need of using SR-IOV for your heavy workload and/or production environment, you'll instead really want to check out Patrick's definitive article about this:

    The Supermicro SYS-5028D-TN4T system uses the X10SDV-TLN4F motherboard, so it's worth noting that the Supermicro X10SDV-TLN4F Motherboard Product Page hasn't yet been updated to mention SR-IOV yet. Likely just something they overlooked. I've reached out to Supermicro.

    Finally, here's the original press release, which clearly mentioned SR-IOV for this very same motherboard:

    Product Specifications

    • X10SDV-F/-TLN4F - Mini-ITX Motherboard (6.7" x 6.7") supports single Intel® Xeon® processor D-1540 SoC (8 core, 45W), VT-d/x, TXT, AES-NI, SR-IOV, Xeon RAS, built in 10GbE. 128GB 2133MHz DDR4 RDIMM or 64GB UDIMM in 4x DIMMs, 6x SATA 3.0, 1x M.2 slot (M key for SSD, 2242/2280, PCIe3.0 x4), 2x USB 3.0, 4x USB 2.0, 1x PCIe 3.0 x16, Quad LAN ports with SoC dual 10GbE and I350-AM2 dual GbE (-F with dual GbE only), IPMI 2.0 with KVM and dedicated port, 0-60°C operating temperature, 4 pin 12V DC and ATX power source
    • SYS-5018D-FN4T - Cost effective Embedded server solution for Network Communication with Virtualization. Compact 1U short-depth (9.8") with front I/O. Compatible with VMware vSphere Hypervisor (ESXi 5.5)
    • SYS-5028D-TN4T - Advanced Mini-Tower Server for Network Security Appliance, SMB entry server/storage, dedicated Servers featuring 4 x 3.5" hot-swap SATA HDD and 2x internal 2.5" SATA HDD, 250W power supply

    I don't have near-term plans to revisit this topic, as I'd rather use those two precious 10GbE interfaces for a variety of roles such as a vMotion and/or vSAN, rather than pinning them to some VMs. Using SR-IOV would also preclude me from using the fun and useful home lab stuff I regularly do with those VMs, such as snapshots and vMotion. See also some brief tests I did with the arrival of BIOS 1.1:

    along with my first article about SR-IOV on the Intel X552/X557 and I350 NICs, where I get into the backstory:

    SR-IOV-enabled
    Click the image to jump to the full story.

    See also at TinkerTry

    See also

    VCP logo TinkerTry - PCs, EVs, home tech, efficiency and more, including virtualization. My opinions here. IT Professional offering part-time consulting.

    vExpert logo Paul Braren, MCSE in 1998, VCP #2681 in 2005, vExpert 2014 to 2025, Veeam Vanguard Emeritus, 2015 to 2019.

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    Necessity to sunset SuperServer Bundles

    SuperServers These systems still work great for many even 9+ years later, mine included, even with (unsupported) vSphere 8 and Windows 11 Version 21H2. But unless you added the optional TPM module, it may be the end of the line as far as repurposing them for running the latest Windows 11 Version 24H2 and beyond.

    After 6 successful years testing then shipping well over 1,000 Xeon D Bundles, Wiredzone had to stop SuperServer bundles in mid-2021 due to cost, supply, and logistics challenges. Bare bones system sales continued for years longer.

    What's next in 2025? I don't yet have my answer for my home lab, especially now that VCF certification is required to keep non-production home lab licenses going, even as a vExpert and VMUG Advantage EVALExperience customer.

    As for a SuperServer follow-on, the Xeon D-1700/2700 (Ice Lake D) was a minor refresh for 2023, with Xeon D-1800/2800 (Granite Rapids D) refresh slightly better in 2024, and hopefully Xeon 6 (Granite Rapids-D) much better in 2025 featuring PCIe Gen5, MCRDIMMs, and 100GbE networking, wow! Feb. 27 2025 update update looks promising, but pricey. Infortunately, it's become clear to me that Supermicro is less focuses on the mini-tower form factor these days.

    As for the CPU industry, it's unfortunate that Pat Gelsinger was apparently ousted from Intel's helm in these challenging times, but I'm also grateful to have had the honor of working at VMware when he was the CIO there. I'll leave it at that, given the whole Broadcom thing.