Where to set hw.ix.unsupported_sfp=1 on a Netgate XG-7100 with third-party optics (loader.conf.local vs GUI tunables)
3
The poster had third-party SFP+ optics for both the on-board Intel X553 ports of a Netgate XG-7100 and an add-in X520-DA2 and had found that hw.ixgbe.unsupported_sfp=1 in /boot/loader.conf enables them. Questions: does it apply to both on-board and PCIe Intel ports, what is the difference between loader.conf and loader.conf.local, and why the web GUI System Tunables do not work for this. A reader with an XG-1537 added that the driver is now named ix, and that an unrecognised module can disable the interface before any tunable applies, forcing removal of the module before boot.
- Hardware: Netgate XG-7100, Netgate XG-1537, Intel X553, Intel X520-DA2, Intel X710-DA4
- Transceivers: third-party SFP+
- Form factor: SFP+
Symptoms / messages:
interface disabled at boot with unsupported module
GUI tunable has no effect
Comments 2
Loader variables must be set before the driver attaches: put hw.ix.unsupported_sfp=1 in /boot/loader.conf.local, which survives upgrades; it works identically for on-board and PCIe ix(4) ports. System Tunables (sysctl) are applied too late.
If the interface still fails, try loading the driver as a module (if_ix_load=YES) or newer Intel drivers; boot logs show whether the module was accepted.