E810-CAM2: cannot upgrade NVM to ver 4.01

[j4nd3r53n]

I have bought an E810-CAM2 card, installed in a Supermicro X12SPL-F motherboard, with Debian 11 as the OS. I want to upgrade the firmware with E810_NVMUpdatePackage_v4_01_Linux.tar.gz, which I have downloaded from here 

However, when I run nvmupdate64e, I see:

Intel(R) Ethernet NVM Update Tool
NVMUpdate version 1.39.5.5
Copyright(C) 2013 - 2022 Intel Corporation.


WARNING: To avoid damage to your device, do not stop the update or reboot or power off the system during this update.
Inventory in progress. Please wait [****......]


Num Description                          Ver.(hex)  DevId S:B    Status
=== ================================== ============ ===== ====== ==============
01) Intel(R) I210 Gigabit Network         N/A(N/A)   1533 00:001 Access error   
   Connection                                                                  
02) Intel(R) I210 Gigabit Network         N/A(N/A)   1533 00:002 Access error   
   Connection                                                                  
03) Intel(R) Ethernet Network Adapter   4.01(4.01)   1592 00:024 Up to date     
   E810-C-Q2                                                                   


Tool execution completed with the following status: The selected adapter (location:[02:00:00]) cannot be updated due to inaccessible device memory.
Update the device driver and reboot the system before running this utility again.
Consult the utility documentation for more information.
Press any key to exit.

The device driver (ice) is already at the newest version I could find: ice-1.9.11.tar.gz. I also wonder about the PCI location shown - lspci shows:

# lspci | grep Eth
01:00.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation I210 Gigabit Network Connection (rev 03)
02:00.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation I210 Gigabit Network Connection (rev 03)
18:00.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation Ethernet Controller E810-C for QSFP (rev 02)
18:00.1 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation Ethernet Controller E810-C for QSFP (rev 02)

How do I get around this?

[Caguicla_Intel]

Hello j4nd3r53n,

Thank you for posting in Intel Ethernet Communities. 

We are sorry to hear that you cannot upgrade NVM of your E810-CAM2 to ver 4.01. For us to check your request, please provide the following information. 

1. Please share the PBA of the adapter. You may refer to the link below on where to find the PBA number. Providing photos of the adapter focusing on the markings (white sticker) found on the physical card will be highly appreciated for us to double check on it. The PBA consists 6-3 digit number located at the last part of the serial number. This would help us identify if you are using an Original Equipment Manufacturer(OEM) or retail version of Intel Ethernet Adapter.

Identify Your Intel® Network Adapter Model Using PBA Number

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000007022/network-and-i-o/ethernet-products.html

2. Based on the output of nvmupdate64e, Intel(R) Ethernet Network Adapter E810-C-Q2 is already up to date with 4.01(4.01) version. Can you share more details regarding the issue that you are having?     

Awaiting to your reply. 

Should there be no response from you, we will follow up after 3 business days. 

Best regards,

Crisselle C.

Intel® Customer Support

[j4nd3r53n]

Hi Criselle,

Thank you for getting back to me - I had a look for the label on the card, but it is squeezed up against something else, and I would have to shut down the server to take it out. I would guess it is a retail version, since I bought it separately from Scan. But if it is already at the latest firmware version, I don't need to upgrade.

The reason I wanted to upgrade, though, is that I can only activate one of the ports on the card - when I connect the second port to the switch, there is no activity at all. Does this card require bifurcation to be set up in the BIOS?

[Caguicla_Intel]

Hello j4nd3r53n,

Thank you for the reply. 

Please share additional information below that would help further checking the issue.

1. Have you tried using the second port only? Are you able to establish connection? 

2. Can you share model of optic module and cable used?

3. We'd like to set your expectation that Debian is not listed as supported Operating System for E810 series. You may visit this link for the list of Supported Operating Systems for Retail Intel® Ethernet Adapters

https://www.intel.sg/content/www/xa/en/support/articles/000025890/ethernet-products.html

4. Did you purchased the card from the link you shared below? 

https://www.fs.com/uk/products/141788.html?attribute=8120&id=290524

If yes, we'd like to inform you that this might be an OEM version as we only have below models of E810 based on link below. 

100GbE Intel® Ethernet Network Adapter E810

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/series/184846/100gbe-intel-ethernet-network-adapter-e810.html

Hoping to hear from you soon. 

We will follow up after 3 business days in case we don't receive a reply. 

Best regards,

Crisselle C.

Intel Customer Support 

[j4nd3r53n]

Hi Criselle,

I haven't tried recently to use only the second port - I will when I get a chance to take the networking down on that server. I did try to disconnect the first port and then connect the second, but the port on the switch doesn't light up.

The modules are FS compatible module on the switch end, since this is an FS switch, and "customized modules"  that should be compatible with this Intel card at the other end. The cables are these which are meant for 850 and 1300 nm. It seems unlikely that the hardware is to blame in this case - I have tried changing the cables around as well as the modules, and the result is always that port one is active, but the other isn't. From what I have found online from similar cards, this could be because the card requires PCIe bifurcation, but I haven't found anything in the documentation for the card about this - do you know if this is the case?

I'm not worried about the OS compatibility - I see Ubuntu is supported, which is close enough. I understand that Intel hasn't officially tested on Debian, so therefore cannot guarantee that it will work with Debian; however, I compiled and installed the ice driver myself from the official source code, so if it works with Ubuntu, then it works the same on Debian.

I did indeed buy the card from FS; are there any differences between the OEM- and retail versions?

Regards

Jan Andersen

[Caguicla_Intel]

Hello Jan Andersen,

Appreciate your prompt and detailed response. 

For Original Equipment Manufacturer(OEM) version of Ethernet adapters, we'd like to set your expectation that we have a limited support and it would be best if you can get in touch with manufacturer (FS) for further assistance since they have customized drivers, firmware and software to enable or alter features on your card. The software drivers linked from our page are generic versions, and can be used for general purposes. To avoid any potential installation incompatibilities on your OEM card, Intel recommends that you check with your OEM and use the software they provide so you don’t lose features or customizations of the Ethernet adapter. 

We are also sharing with you the Ethernet Port Configuration Tool (EPCT) if this is what you are looking for when you mentioned that the card requires bifurcation. However, we would still suggest contacting the card's manufacturer to confirm if you can use this on your OEM card. Refer to Detailed Description for the Overview of the tool and check README Text Files for more information. 

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/download/19435/ethernet-port-configuration-tool-all-supported-oss.html

Feel free to let us know if you have questions or clarifications. 

Awaiting to your reply. 

We will follow up after 3 business days in case we don't hear from you. 

Best regards,

Crisselle C.

Intel Customer Support

[Caguicla_Intel · Accepted solution]

Hello Jan Andersen,

I hope this message finds you well!

We tried further checking your request and found below information. Please open this link and check if you have encountered the same issue. The resolution is also included on the site.

Resolution

It is important to review the bifurcation settings in BIOS to ensure the card is working with PCIe x16 bifurcation enabled. There have been reports from customers that were able to solve this issue by enabling the bifurcation setting in the system BIOS.

Please contact the system/platform manufacturer for detailed instructions on how to perform the necessary adjustments.

Only One Port of the Intel® Ethernet Network Adapter E810-2CQDA2 Is Working on a Dell PowerEdge R740

https://www.intel.sg/content/www/xa/en/support/articles/000090670/ethernet-products/800-series-network-adapters-up-to-100gbe.html

In your case, since you are using a Supermicro X12SPL-F motherboard, kindly contact Supermicro for further assistance on this matter.

Here is Supermicro Services and Support

https://www.supermicro.com/en/support

Feel free to let us know if you have questions or clarifications. 

Awaiting to your reply. 

Should there be no response from you, we will follow up after 3 business days. 

Best regards,

Crisselle C.

Intel® Customer Support

[Caguicla_Intel]

Hello Jan Andersen,

I hope this message finds you well!

Since you already accepted our reply as solution, please be informed that we will now close this request. If you have any other inquiry in the future, please feel free to post a new question as this thread will no longer be monitored.

Thank you for your time and cooperation on this matter. May you have a good day and stay safe!

Best regards,

Crisselle C.

Intel® Customer Support