XL710-QDA1 with i40e cannot read QSFP+ module EEPROM: ethtool -m "Operation not supported"
0
The poster wanted to dump the EEPROM of a QSFP+ transceiver plugged into an Intel XL710-QDA1 and ideally read live DDM values such as received optical power, as they were used to doing with SFP modules on other adapters. With i40e 2.0.23 and firmware 5.05 0x800028a2 1.1568.0, ethtool -m eth0 returned "Cannot get module EEPROM information: Operation not supported". They asked whether the adapter and driver support this at all, noting that the i40e source lacked I2C EEPROM read routines such as the read_i2c_eeprom found in ixgbe. The transceiver in use was a non-Intel QSFP+ module with a blank rear label.
- Hardware: Intel XL710-QDA1
- Transceivers: unlabelled third-party QSFP+ transceiver
- Form factor: QSFP+
Symptoms / messages:
Cannot get module EEPROM information: Operation not supported
ethtool -m unusable on XL710-QDA1
no DDM/optical power readout available from the NIC side
Comments 2
An Intel employee finally confirmed that the i40e driver at that level has no capability to read the module EEPROM; the suggested alternative was to monitor the optical parameters on a switch that supports DDM.
Intel support asked for the adapter serial number and photos of the transceiver, remarked that the module was not an Intel-validated part and recommended validated Intel optics, and pointed to the Intel QSFP optics brief for optical power specifications; the poster explained they wanted measured runtime values, not datasheet limits.