Install Libreboot on Supermicro X11SSH-(LN4)F

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!!BACKUP everything!! just in case something fails.

Specifications
Manufacturer	Supermicro
Name	X11SSH-(LN4)F
Variants	X11SSH-F / X11SSH-LN4F
Released	2017
Chipset	Intel C236
CPU	LGA 1151 - Intel 6-7th gen. (Core+Xeon) and with Libreboot 8th-9th gen. b0 stepping (Core i3, Pentium Gold, Celeron) processors, up to 80W TDP
Graphics	iGPU on cpu, but no display output
Memory	DDR4 SODIMMs (max 64 GB, 4x16 GB)
Architecture	x86_64
Original boot firmware	Supermicro
Intel ME/AMD PSP	Server version present. Can be replaced & disabled with me_cleaner. *1
Flash chip	SOIC-8 16MB/128Mbit W25Q128.V

*1 The server Intel ME (SPS), which is the server version of the ME. One difference is that SPS does not support CPU replacement detection, so it always redoes DRAM training from scratch on every boot, which makes booting take longer. Libreboot replaces SPS with ME, which fixes this.

W+: Works without vendor firmware; 
N: Doesn't work; 
W*: Works with vendor firmware; 
U: Untested; 
P+: Partially works; 
P*: Partially works with vendor firmware
?: UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME

Features
Internal flashing with original boot firmware	N
Display (if Intel GPU)	N
Audio	N
RAM Init	W*

Payloads supported
GRUB (libgfxinit only)	Works
SeaBIOS	Works

Download from release

If you’re using a release ROM, please ensure that you’ve inserted extra firmware required refer to the guide for that (, failure to adhere to this advice will result in a bricked machine):

• Intel ME
• Intel FSP

Build from source

To build it from source for both X11SSH-F/LN4F:

./mk -b coreboot supermicro_x11ssh_f_vfsp_16mb

Software

Before internal flashing, Disable /dev/mem protection first.

In short add this kernel parameter: iomem=relaxed(linux distro)/kernel.securelevel=-1(bsd distro)

THEN REMOVE THIS KERNEL PARAMETER TO PREVENT UNAUTHORIZED/MALICIOUS ACCESS TO YOUR SYSTEM AFTER FLASHING LIBREBOOT.

(An important reminder for those who might forget to delete it, even better, replace it with lockdown=integrity / lockdown=confidentiality)

Backup the previous (working) firmware (atleast) twice (to check and compare if reading it gone wrong and backups differs.)

flashprog -p internal -r Backup1.bin

flashprog -p internal -r Backup2.bin

Check and compare those if reading from the flash were successful:

diff Backup1.bin Backup2.bin

For more than 2:

shasum Backup1.bin Backup2.bin Backup3.bin

If those differs, something gone wrong and proceeding further may (DON’T) leave your device unrecoverable (without a reliable backup) if flashing fails as well.

If you’re already running Libreboot, and you don’t have flash protection turned on, internal flashing is possible.

Hardware

For general information, please refer to 25xx NOR flash instructions - that page refers to use of socketed flash.

Backup the previous (working) firmware twice (to check and compare if reading it gone wrong and backups differs.)

flashprog -p serprog:dev=/dev/ttyACM0,spispeed=16M -r Backup1.bin

flashprog -p serprog:dev=/dev/ttyACM0,spispeed=16M -r Backup2.bin

Check and compare those if reading from the flash were successful:

diff Backup1.bin Backup2.bin

For more than 2:

shasum Backup1.bin Backup2.bin Backup3.bin

If those differs, something gone wrong and proceeding further may (DON’T) leave your device unrecoverable (without a reliable backup) if flashing fails as well.

That 16MB soic-8 flash chip is below the battery, highlighted, usually covered with a sticker and sometimes socketed, The other one is a 32MB soic_16 BMC flash chip next to the previous one.

8th-9th gen Core i3, Pentium Gold, Celeron processors works with b0 stepping using Libreboot firmware supported, even with ecc memories too, without any physical modding.

For higher core count processors, please Check this.

The Aspeed AST2400 BMC vendor firmware can be replaced with OpenBMC

Incomplete, does not boot the system and not yet used with libreboot. See

To disable it instead, shorting it’s jumper pins would work.

Not yet used/tested with libreboot.

On the motherboard the BMC is used for display output. You just won’t have any hardware graphics acceleration whatsoever and will be limited to 1920x1200.

However the igpu on the processor could be used to offload lighter softwares. For desktop environment (DE) using a dedicated gpu is advised (for display output too).

With switcheroo_control; the DE, image/video encode/decode and browser ones can be used on the integrated one, while using the more powerful one for editing,gaming,computing and/or whatever needs more horse power. (Of course, it is selectable which gpu shall be used for any program.)

(Provided the iGPU is not disabled if the dGPU added or using 2 dGPUs.)

• S3 resume not working (vendor and coreboot)
• No iGPU output via vga port (Wired directly to BMC and it is used for output without graphics acceleration.)

Specifications
Manufacturer	Supermicro
Name/Variant	X11SSH-F / X11SSH-LN4F
Released	2017
Chipset	Intel C236
CPU with venfor fw.	LGA 1151; Intel 6th gen. Core + Xeon E3-12xx v5 & 7th gen. Core + Xeon E3-12xx v6 processors, up to 80W TDP
CPU with LibreBoot fw.	LGA 1151; vendor fw. supported cpus included and Intel 8th gen. Core with B0 stepping; i3, Pentium Gold and Celeron + 9th gen. Core with B0 stepping; i3, Pentium Gold, Celeron processors, up to 80W TDP (8th & 9th gen. desktop processors support ecc memories.)
Graphics	iGPU on cpu, but no display output
Audio	None
Memory	DDR4 SODIMMs (max 64 GB, 4x16 GB)
Networking	Intel I210-AT; 2 for X11SSH-F, 4 for X11SSH-LN4F
Expansion Slots	4 PCIe 3.0; x16 wired in x8, x8, x8 wired in x4 and M.2 key M in x2 with 2280 size
Storage connectors	8x S-ATA III
Other connectors/headers	USB 3.0 , Headers; TPM, dual USB 3.0 and 2x dual USB 2.0, Custom SCOM.
I/O Ports on Back	SCOM (RS-232), 2x USB 2.0, 2x USB 3.0, 3x/5x RJ-45 1GbE (Ethernets); 1 wired to the BMC directly and 2 normal (+2 for X11SSH-LN4F)
Super I/O or BMC	ASPEED AST2400

Most detailed Here.

SPDX-License-Identifier: GFDL-1.3-or-later

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