Supermicro X11SCL-F

Supermicro X11SCL-F – Enterprise-Grade Micro-ATX Infrastructure for Xeon E-2100/E-2200 Edge Deployments

The Supermicro X11SCL-F represents the definitive entry point for businesses transitioning from consumer hardware to true server-grade reliability. Engineered around the Intel C242 chipset within a space-saving Micro-ATX footprint (9.6″ x 9.6″), this platform is purpose-built to host the Intel Xeon E-2100 and E-2200 processor families (LGA1151). It provides a robust, cost-effective foundation for essential SMB workloads, ranging from secure domain controllers to dedicated firewall appliances, offering stability that standard desktop motherboards cannot match.

Data Integrity and System Resilience

For 24/7 environments where downtime is unacceptable, the X11SCL-F enforces the use of Unbuffered ECC (Error Correcting Code) memory. By actively identifying and fixing single-bit memory errors, the board prevents silent data corruption—a critical feature for financial records or medical databases. System architects can populate the four DIMM slots with up to 128GB of DDR4-2666 RAM, ensuring sufficient headroom for virtualization hypervisors and caching services.

Tiered Storage Architecture

Despite its compact dimensions, the motherboard facilitates a sophisticated storage strategy suitable for NAS or backup roles:

• High-Speed Boot Tier: A dedicated M.2 M-Key interface (utilizing PCIe 3.0 x4 lanes) enables the integration of NVMe SSDs (up to 22110 length). This allows the operating system to load instantly without occupying valuable drive bays.
• Redundant Data Array: Bulk storage is handled by six SATA 6Gb/s ports. These are managed by the chipset’s controller, which includes support for RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10, allowing for the creation of fault-tolerant storage pools directly on the motherboard.

Remote Administration and Connectivity

Designed for “lights-out” operation in server closets or remote branch offices, the platform eliminates the need for physical IT intervention. It integrates an ASPEED AST2500 BMC, linked to a dedicated management LAN port. This silicon provides full IPMI 2.0 compliance and KVM-over-IP functionality, granting administrators deep-level access to BIOS settings and power controls from any remote location. Operational network traffic is routed through dual Intel I210-AT Gigabit Ethernet controllers, selected for their widespread driver compatibility and offloading efficiency.

Expansion Capabilities

To maintain a small footprint while offering utility, the expansion layout focuses on essential add-ons. The board provides a PCIe 3.0 x8 link and two PCIe 3.0 x4 links. While not intended for heavy graphical computation, this configuration is perfectly tailored for adding 10GbE network uplinks, external SAS controllers for tape backup, or additional NVMe adapter cards.

Targeted Business Applications

• SMB Infrastructure: Hosting Active Directory, DNS, and DHCP services on stable hardware.
• Edge Security: Running pfSense or OPNsense firewalls with reliable Intel networking.
• Surveillance NVR: Utilizing the SATA array for continuous video stream recording.
• DevOps Labs: Providing a compact, ECC-enabled environment for code testing.

Technical Specifications Summary

• Core Platform: LGA1151 Socket / Intel C242 Chipset (Xeon E-2100/2200 Support)
• Memory Technology: 4 DIMM Slots, DDR4 ECC UDIMM (Unbuffered)
• Storage I/O: 1x M.2 NVMe (Gen3 x4), 6x SATA 3.0 (RAID Support)
• Network Interface: 2x 1GbE (Intel I210) + Dedicated IPMI Port
• Remote Management: ASPEED AST2500 (IPMI / KVM)
• Form Factor: Micro-ATX (9.6″ x 9.6″)