Subject: Intel X520-SR2 with Unsupported SFP+ Module - Interface Disappears, Requires Server Reboot

Hello,

I’m running RouterOS v7.18 on an x86 system (xeon 1230v2 supermicro X9) with an Intel X520-SR2 NIC (using the ixgbe driver). When I connect an unsupported SFP+ module, the associated Ethernet interface (e.g., eth4 or eth5) disappears from the /interface ethernet list. Below is the log output from telnet devel@127.0.0.1:
text
[ 6.402232][ T205] ixgbe 0000:01:00.0: Multiqueue Enabled: Rx Queue count = 4, Tx Queue count = 4 XDP Queue count = 0
[ 6.403570][ T205] ixgbe 0000:01:00.0: 32.000 Gb/s available PCIe bandwidth (5 GT/s x8 link)
[ 6.403654][ T205] ixgbe 0000:01:00.0 eth4: MAC: 2, PHY: 1, PBA No: FFFFFF-0FF
[ 6.403656][ T205] ixgbe 0000:01:00.0: 90:e2:ba:06:8e:e4
[ 6.403658][ T205] ixgbe 0000:01:00.0 eth4: Enabled Features: RxQ: 4 TxQ: 4 FdirHash
[ 6.403689][ T205] ixgbe 0000:01:00.0 eth4: Intel(R) 10 Gigabit Network Connection
[ 6.422412][ T161] ixgbe 0000:01:00.0: registered PHC device on eth4
[ 6.538946][ T161] 8021q: adding VLAN 0 to HW filter on device eth4
[ 6.572304][ T205] ixgbe 0000:01:00.1: Multiqueue Enabled: Rx Queue count = 4, Tx Queue count = 4 XDP Queue count = 0
[ 6.749422][ T205] ixgbe 0000:01:00.1: 32.000 Gb/s available PCIe bandwidth (5 GT/s x8 link)
[ 6.749505][ T205] ixgbe 0000:01:00.1 eth5: MAC: 2, PHY: 19, SFP+: 6, PBA No: FFFFFF-0FF
[ 6.749507][ T205] ixgbe 0000:01:00.1: 90:e2:ba:06:8e:e5
[ 6.749509][ T205] ixgbe 0000:01:00.1 eth5: Enabled Features: RxQ: 4 TxQ: 4 FdirHash
[ 6.749549][ T205] ixgbe 0000:01:00.1 eth5: Intel(R) 10 Gigabit Network Connection
[ 6.768473][ T161] ixgbe 0000:01:00.1: registered PHC device on eth5
[ 6.878973][ T161] 8021q: adding VLAN 0 to HW filter on device eth5
[ 7.176730][ T108] ixgbe 0000:01:00.1 eth5: detected SFP+: 6
[ 7.348734][ T108] ixgbe 0000:01:00.1 eth5: NIC Link is Up 10 Gbps, Flow Control: None
[ 661.603166][ T104] ixgbe 0000:01:00.0: failed to initialize because an unsupported SFP+ module type was detected.
[ 661.603170][ T104] ixgbe 0000:01:00.0: Reload the driver after installing a supported module.
[ 661.603299][ T104] ixgbe 0000:01:00.0: removed PHC on eth4
[ 702.663144][ T104] ixgbe 0000:01:00.1: failed to initialize because an unsupported SFP+ module type was detected.
[ 702.663149][ T104] ixgbe 0000:01:00.1: Reload the driver after installing a supported module.
[ 702.663273][ T104] ixgbe 0000:01:00.1: removed PHC on eth5

The log shows that when an unsupported SFP+ module is detected, the driver fails to initialize the port, and the interface disappears. To restore functionality, the log suggests reloading the driver. However, since the ixgbe driver is built into the RouterOS kernel, I cannot reload it without rebooting the entire server, which is not ideal for my setup.

I have a few questions:

Is there a way to enable support for unsupported SFP+ modules in RouterOS, similar to how it’s done in regular Linux? For example, in Linux, I would add the parameter ixgbe.allow_unsupported_sfp=1 to the kernel boot options like this:


GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="ixgbe.allow_unsupported_sfp=1"
sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
Is there an equivalent method in RouterOS to pass this parameter to the ixgbe driver?
Alternatively, is there a way to recover the interface after removing the unsupported SFP+ module without rebooting the server? Currently, even after removing the problematic module, the interface doesn’t reappear until I restart the entire system.
If neither of these is possible, are there any plans to improve this behavior in future RouterOS updates (e.g., allowing unsupported modules or making the driver recoverable without a full reboot)?

Any advice or workarounds would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Additional Question:

Could you also recommend which 10G network adapters are fully supported by RouterOS v7.18 on x86 and work stably without issues? I’m looking for reliable options for my setup (e.g., Intel X520-SR2 is giving me trouble with unsupported SFP+ modules). Any suggestions based on your experience would be great!

I'm using Cisco SFP-10G-SR-S in all my Mikrotik devices and servers some using the X520 as well. They're great and don't run too hot at around 40 degrees C with no additional cooling.

They are expensive however, but you may have luck with "Cisco Compatible" SFPs from fs.com or some of the providers on Amazon like 10Gtek or others.

Note I haven't actually tried those ones so your mileage may vary.

I know this is a couple weeks old already, but I just noticed it. So allow me to link you to a post I made over on STH about how to patch any X520 EEPROM so that it will accept any SFP module, without needing to modify the kernel driver or pass kernel boot parameters (neither of which you are going to be able to do with RouterOS, or at least easily).

You will need a spare system that you can at least boot up some sort of live Linux environment on, and which your X520 PCie card can also fit into. Once you make the modification, you can move the card back over to your router, and *crosses fingers* it should work...

Brilliant! Thanks Nathan!

"...we can see that bit 1 (the last bit, the one in the "1s place")"

That's bit 0. Don't confuse people by saying it's bit 1 when it isn't.

That's bit 0.

Fair point.