ASROCK C621A WS User manual

Version 1.0
Published July 2021
Copyright©2021 ASRock INC. All rights reserved.
Copyright Notice:
No part of this documentation may be reproduced, transcribed, transmitted, or
translated in any language, in any form or by any means, except duplication of
documentation by the purchaser for backup purpose, without written consent of
ASRock Inc.
Products and corporate names appearing in this documentation may or may not
be registered trademarks or copyrights of their respective companies, and are used
only for identication or explanation and to the owners’ benet, without intent to
infringe.
Disclaimer:
Specications and information contained in this documentation are furnished for
informational use only and subject to change without notice, and should not be
constructed as a commitment by ASRock. ASRock assumes no responsibility for
any errors or omissions that may appear in this documentation.
With respect to the contents of this documentation, ASRock does not provide
warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including but not limited to
the implied warranties or conditions of merchantability or tness for a particular
purpose.
In no event shall ASRock, its directors, ocers, employees, or agents be liable for
any indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages (including damages for
loss of prots, loss of business, loss of data, interruption of business and the like),
even if ASRock has been advised of the possibility of such damages arising from any
defect or error in the documentation or product.
is device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following
two conditions:
(1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and
(2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that
may cause undesired operation.
CALIFORNIA, USA ONLY
e Lithium battery adopted on this motherboard contains Perchlorate, a toxic substance
controlled in Perchlorate Best Management Practices (BMP) regulations passed by the
California Legislature. When you discard the Lithium battery in California, USA, please
follow the related regulations in advance.
“Perchlorate Material-special handling may apply, see www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/
perchlorate”
ASRock Website: http://www.asrock.com

AUSTRALIA ONLY
Our goods come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer
Law. You are entitled to a replacement or refund for a major failure and compensation for
any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage caused by our goods. You are also entitled
to have the goods repaired or replaced if the goods fail to be of acceptable quality and the
failure does not amount to a major failure. If you require assistance please call ASRock Tel
: [phone] ext.123 (Standard International call charges apply)

C621A WS
PB 1
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Motherboard Layout
3
4
5
7
8
9
12
15
29
1
16
3031
10
3435 3236
CPU1_HSBP1
PSU_SMB1
2
6
11
13
14
333738 39 40
FAN1
ATXPWR1 AT X12V1
ATX12V2
FAN2
USB3_5_6
PWM_CFG1
CPU_VSENSE
SATAPWR1
SATAPWR2 FAN3
FAN4
SATA_5
SATA_4
FAN5
BAT1
DDR4_G1
DDR4_H1
DDR4_E1
DDR4_F1
M2_1
SATA_0_3
USB31_TC_1
USB31_TC_2
SSATA_2_3
M2_2
SPEAKER1
USB_2_3
RAID_1
PANEL1
AUX_PANEL1
TPM_BIOS_PH1
USB_1
BIOS
ROM1
FRONT_LED_LAN34
SATA_SGPIO1
MINISAS_1
SSATA_SGPIO1
T 1
R
BMC_SMB_1
IPMB1
COM1
SEC_OR1
ESPI_LPC_SEL1
PASSWORD_CLEAR
ME_RECOVERY1
PECI1
NMI_BTN2
BIOS_RECOVERY
ESPI_SHARE
ESPI_MODE1
TPM1
BMC
ROM1
PCIE7
PCIE6
PCIE5
PCIE4
PCIE3
PCIE2
VGA1
USB 3.2
Gen1
T: USB3_4
B:USB3_3
USB 3.2
Gen1
T: USB3_2
B:USB3_1
IPMI_LAN
LAN4 LAN3
LAN1
LAN2
DDR4_B1
DDR4_A1
DDR4_D1
DDR4_C1
17
20
18
19
21
23
24
22
25
UID1
26
27
28
41424344
59
57
55
54
56
49
48
47
46
45
50
51
52
53
61
60
C621A WS
PCIE1
CPU1
CLRMOS1
58

2 3
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No. Description
1 Backplane PCI Express Hot-Plug Connector (CPU1_HSBP1)
2 PSU SMBus Header (PSU_SMB1)
3 System Fan Connector (FAN1)
4 ATX Power Connector (ATXPWR1)
5 ATX 12V Power Connector (ATX12V1)
6 USB 3.2 Gen1 Header (USB3_5_6)
7 ATX 12V Power Connector (ATX12V2)
8 System Fan Connector (FAN2)
9 LGA 4189 CPU Socket (CPU1)
10 CPU VSENSE Header (CPU_VSENSE)
11 PWM Conguration Header (PWM_CFG1)
12 SATA DOM Power Connector (SATAPWR2)
13 System Fan Connector (FAN3)
14 System Fan Connector (FAN4)
15 SATA DOM Power Connector (SATAPWR1)
16 SATA3 DOM Connector (SATA_5)
17 2 x 288-pin DDR4 DIMM Slots (DDR4_E1, DDR4_G1)*
18 SATA3 DOM Connector (SATA_4)
19 System Fan Connector (FAN5)
20 2 x 288-pin DDR4 DIMM Slots (DDR4_F1, DDR4_H1)*
21 M.2 Socket (M2_1) (Type 2242/2280/22110)
22 Mini-SAS HD Connector (SATA_0_3)
23 Front Panel Type C USB 3.2 Gen2 Header (USB31_TC_1)**
24 Front Panel Type C USB 3.2 Gen2 Header (USB31_TC_2)**
25 SATA3 Connectors (SSATA_3)(Upper), (SSATA3_2)(Lower)**
26 Speaker Header (SPEAKER1)
27 USB 2.0 Header (USB_2_3)
28 Virtual RAID On CPUHeader (RAID_1)
29 System Panel Header (PANEL1)
30 Auxiliary Panel Header (AUX_PANEL1)
31 M.2 Socket (M2_2) (Type 2242/2280/22110)
32 TPM-SPI Header (TPM_BIOS_PH1)
33 Security Override Jumper (SEC_OR1)

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No. Description
34 Vertical USB 2.0 Port (USB_1)
35 Front LAN LED Header (FRONT_LED_LAN34)
36 TPM Header (TPM1)
37 SATA SGPIO Connector (SATA_SGPIO1)
38 SATA SGPIO Connector (SSATA_SGPIO1)
39 ermal Sensor Header (TR1)
40 MiniSAS HD SATA/PCIE Slection Jumper (MINISAS_1)
41 BMC SMBus Header (BMC_SMB_1)
42 ESPI Flash Sharing Jumper (ESPI_SHARE)
43 Intelligent Platform Management Bus Header (IPMB1)
44 COM Header (COM1)
45 BIOS Recovery Jumper (BIOS_RECOVERY1)
46 Non Maskable Interrupt Button (NMI_BTN2)
47 PCI Express 4.0 x16 Card Slot (PCIE1)
48 CPU PECI Mode Jumper (PECI1)
49 ME Recovery Jumper (ME_RECOVERY1)
50 PCI Express 4.0 x8 Card Slot (PCIE2)
51 Password Reset Jumper (PASSWORD_CLEAR)
52 BIOS Swap Override Header (ESPI_MODE1)
53 PCI Express 4.0 x16 Card Slot (PCIE3)
54 ESPI/LPC Selection Jumper (ESPI_LPC_SEL1)
55 PCI Express 4.0 x8 Card Slot (PCIE4)
56 PCI Express 4.0 x16 Card Slot (PCIE5)
57 PCI Express 4.0 x8 Card Slot (PCIE6)
58 Clear CMOS Pad (CLRMOS1)
59 PCI Express 4.0 x16 Card Slot (PCIE7)
60 2 x 288-pin DDR4 DIMM Slots (DDR4_A1, DDR4_C1)*
61 2 x 288-pin DDR4 DIMM Slots (DDR4_B1, DDR4_D1)*
*For DIMM installation and conguration instructions, please see p.21 (Installation of Memory Modules
(DIMM)) for more details.
**2 Type-C USB headers (USB31_TC1/USB31_TC2) are shared with 2 SATA 7-pin headers (SSATA_2/SSATA_3)
(BOM option)

4 5
English
Onboard LED Indicators
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

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English
No. Item Status Description
1 SB_PWR1 Green STB PWR ready
2FAN_LED1 Amber FAN1 failed
3FAN_LED2 Amber FAN2 failed
4FAN_LED3 Amber FAN3 failed
5FAN_LED4 Amber FAN4 failed
6FAN_LED5 Amber FAN5 failed
7BLED1 Green BMC heartbeat LED

6 7
English
I/O Panel
4
2
1689
7
35
No. Description No. Description
1VGA Port (VGA1) 6 1G LAN RJ-45 Port (LAN4)**
2 USB 3.2 Gen1 Ports (USB3_3_4) 7 10G LAN RJ-45 Port (LAN1)***
3 LAN RJ-45 Port (IPMI_LAN)* 8 10G LAN RJ-45 Port (LAN2)***
4 USB 3.2 Gen1 Ports (USB3_1_2) 9 UID Switch (UID1)
5 1G LAN RJ-45 Port (LAN3)**

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*ere are two LED next to the LAN port. Please refer to the table below for the LAN port
LED indications.
Dedicated IPMI LAN Port LED Indications
Activity / Link LED Speed LED
Status Description Status Description
O No Link O 10M bps connection or no
link
Blinking Orange Data Activity Yellow 100M bps connection
On Link Green 1G bps connection
**ere are two LEDs on each LAN port. Please refer to the table below for the LAN port
LED indications.
LAN Port (LAN3, LAN4) LED Indications
Activity / Link LED Speed LED
Status Description Status Description
O No Link O 10Mbps connection or
no link
Blinking Yellow Data Activity Yellow 100Mbps connection
On Link Green 1Gbps connection
ACT/LINK LED
SPEED LED
LAN Port
ACT/LIN K LED SPEED LED
LAN Port
ACT/LIN K LED SPEED LED

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English
***ere are two LEDs on each LAN port. Please refer to the table below for the LAN port
LED indications.
LAN Port (LAN1, LAN2) LED Indications
Activity / Link LED Speed LED
Status Description Status Description
O No Link O 100Mbps connection or
no link
Blinking Green Data Activity Yellow 1Gbps connection
On Link Green 10Gbps connection
ACT/LINK LED
SPEED LED
LAN Port

C621A WS
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Chapter 1 Introduction
ank you for purchasing ASRock C621A WS motherboard, a reliable motherboard
produced under ASRock’s consistently stringent quality control. It delivers excellent
performance with robust design conforming to ASRock’s commitment to quality and
endurance.
1.1 Package Contents
• ASRock C621A WS Motherboard (ATX Form Factor)
• ASRock C621A WS Quick Installation Guide
• ASRock C621A WS Support CD
• 1 x CPU Non-Fabric Carrier (Optional)
• 1 x Mini SAS HD to 4*SATA Cable (60cm) (Optional)
• 1 x SATA Power Cable (80cm) (Optional)
• 1 x SATA3 Data Cable (60cm) (Optional)
• 1 x I/O Panel Shield
If any items are missing or appear damaged, contact your authorized dealer.
Because the motherboard specications and the BIOS soware might be updated, the
content of this documentation will be subject to change without notice. In case any
modications of this documentation occur, the updated version will be available on
ASRock’s website without further notice. If you require technical support related to
this motherboard, please visit our website for specic information about the model
you are using. You may nd the latest VGA cards and CPU support list on ASRock’s
website as well. ASRock website http://www.asrock.com.

10 11
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1.2 Specications
Platform • ATX Form Factor
• 12 Layer PCB
• 2oz Copper PCB
CPU • Supports 3rd Generation Intel® Xeon® Scalable Processors
• Intel® Socket 4189 (Socket P+)
• Digi Power Design
• 7 Power Phase Design
Chipset • Intel® C621A
Memory • Eight Channel Memory Technology (1DPC)
• 8 x DDR4 DIMM Slots
• Supports DDR4 3200/2933/2666/2400/2133/1866 DDR4
RDIMM/ RDIMM-3DS/ LRDIMM/ LRDIMM-3DS/
Intel®Optane™ Persistent Memory 200 Series
• Max. capacity of system memory: RDIMM: 64GB, LRDIMM:
128GB, RDIMM-3DS/ LRDIMM-3DS: 256GB
Expansion
Slot
• 4 x PCIe Gen4x16 Slots (PCIE1/PCIE3/PCIE5/PCIE7)*
• 3 x PCIe Gen4x8 Slots (PCIE2/PCIE4/PCIE6)*
* If PCIE2 is occupied, PCIE3 will downgrade to x8 mode. If
PCIE4 is occupied, PCIE5 will downgrade to x8 mode. If PCIE6
is occupied, PCIE7 will downgrade to x8 mode.
Graphics • Aspeed® AST2500 BMC Controller
• Supports D-Sub with max. resolution up to 1920x1200 @
60Hz
LAN 2 x 10 Gigabit LAN 100/1000/2500/5000/10000 Mb/s (Intel®
X710-AT2)
• Supports Wake-On-LAN
• Supports Lightning/ESD Protection
• Supports Energy Ecient Ethernet 802.3az
• Supports PXE

C621A WS
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2 x Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000 Mb/s (Intel® I210)
• Supports Wake-On-LAN
• Supports Lightning/ESD Protection
• Supports Energy Ecient Ethernet 802.3az
• Supports PXE
1 x Dedicated IPMI (ASPEED AST2500)
• Supports iKVM and vMedia
Storage • 2 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s Connectors
• 1 x Mini-SAS HD Connector
• 1 x Ultra M.2 Socket (M2_1, Key M), supports type
2242/2280/22110 SATA3 6.0 Gb/s & PCIe Gen3x4 (32 Gb/s)
modes*
• 1 x M.2 Socket (M2_2, Key M), supports type
2242/2280/22110 SATA3 6.0 Gb/s & PCIe Gen3x1 (8 Gb/s)
modes*
* Supports Intel® OptaneTM Technology
* Supports NVMe SSD as boot disks
* Supports ASRock U.2 Ki
RAID • Supports RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5 and RAID 10 for SATA
storage devices
• Supports RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5 for M.2 NVMe storage
devices
Rear Panel
I/O
• 1 x UID Switch w/ LED
• 1 x D-Sub Port
• 4 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Ports (Supports ESD Protection)
• 2 x RJ45 (10GbE), 2 x RJ45 (1GbE)
• 1 x RJ45 Dedicated IPMI LAN port
Connector • 1 x SPI TPM Header
• 1 x LPC TPM Header
• 1 x COM Port Header
• 5 x System Fan Connectors (6-pin)
• 1 x 24 pin ATX Power Connector (Hi-Density Power
Connector)

12 13
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• 1 x 8 pin 12V Power Connector (Hi-Density Power
Connector)
• 1 x 4 pin 12V Power Connector (Hi-Density Power
Connector)
• 1 x Vertical Type A USB 2.0
• 1 x USB 2.0 Header (Supports 2 USB 2.0 ports) (Supports
ESD Protection)
• 1 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Headers (Support 2 USB 3.2 Gen1 ports)
(Supports ESD Protection)
• 2 x USB3.2 Gen2 ports (2 Type-C headers)
• 2 x Front Panel Type C USB 3.2 Gen2 Headers (Supports ESD
Protection)
• 2 x SGPIO Headers
• 1 x Auxiliary Panel Header
• 1 x Intelligent Platform Management Bus Header
• 1 x Backplane PCI Express Hot-Plug Connector Header
• 1 x SMBus Header
• 1 x PMbus Header
• 1 x CPU HP-SMBus Connector
• 1 x ermal Sensor Header
• 1 x Virtual RAID On CPU Header
• 1 x BMC Heartbeat LED
• 1 x StandbyPower LED
• 5 x FanFail LED
• 1 x Non Maskable Interrupt Button Header
• 1 x Buzzer
• 1 x Dr. Debug with LED
BIOS
Feature
• AMI UEFI Legal BIOS
• ACPI 5.0 Compliant wake up events
• SMBIOS 2.3 Support
Hardware
Monitor
• Temperature Sensing: CPU, PCH, MB, Card Side
• Fan Tachometer: CPU, Rear, Front Fan Tachometer
• Quiet Fan (Auto adjust chassis fan speed by CPU
temperature): CPU Fan
• Fan Multi-Speed Control: CPU, Rear, Front Fan
• Voltage Monitoring: CPU1_PVCCIN, PVDDQ_
ABCD,PVDDQ_EFGH, 1.05V_PCH,1.8V_PCH,
+BAT,PVNN_PCH, 3.3V,5V,12V,3.3VSB, 5VSB

12 13
OS Microso® Windows®
• Server 2012 R2 (64 bit)
• Server 2016 (64 bit)
Linux
• RedHat Enterprise Linux Server 6.8 (64 bit) / 7.4 (64 bit)
• CentOS 6.8 (64 bit) / 7. 4 (64 bit)
• SUSE Enterprise Linux Server 11 SP4 (64 bit) / 12 SP3 (64 bit)
• Ubuntu 16.04 (64 bit) / 18.04 (64 bit)
• FreeBSD 11.1 (64 bit)
Virtual
• VMWare ESXi 6.5 u1
• Win hyper-V Server 2012 R2
* Please refer to our website for the latest OS support list.
* On Ubuntu 16.04 (64bit) system, Intel Raid mode only supports
UEFI BOOT.
* Ubuntu 18.04 (64bit) does not support Intel Raid mode (AHCI
only).
Certica-
tions
• FCC, CE
• ErP/EuP ready (ErP/EuP ready power supply is required)
Please realize that there is a certain risk involved with overclocking, including
adjusting the setting in the BIOS, applying Untied Overclocking Technology, or using
third-party overclocking tools. Overclocking may aect your system’s stability, or
even cause damage to the components and devices of your system. It should be done
at your own risk and expense. We are not responsible for possible damage caused by
overclocking.
* For detailed product information, please visit our website: http://www.asrock.com

14 15
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Chapter 2 Installation
is is an ATX form factor (12” x 9.6”, 30.5 cm x 24.4 cm) motherboard. Before you install
the motherboard, study the conguration of your chassis to ensure that the motherboard
ts into it.
2.1 Screw Holes
Place screws into the holes indicated by circles to secure the motherboard to the chassis.
2.2 Pre-installation Precautions
Take note of the following precautions before you install motherboard components or
change any motherboard settings.
1. Unplug the power cord from the wall socket before touching any components.
2. To avoid damaging the motherboard’s components due to static electricity, NEVER
place your motherboard directly on the carpet or the like. Also remember to use a
grounded wrist strap or touch a safety grounded object before you handle the compo-
nents.
3. Hold components by the edges and do not touch the ICs.
4. Whenever you uninstall any component, place it on a grounded anti-static pad or in
the bag that comes with the component.
5. When placing screws into the screw holes to secure the motherboard to the chassis,
please do not over-tighten the screws! Doing so may damage the motherboard.
Make sure to unplug the power cord before installing or removing the motherboard. Failure
to do so may cause physical injuries to you and damages to motherboard components.
Do not over-tighten the screws! Doing so may damage the motherboard.
Before you install or remove any component, ensure that the power is switched o or the
power cord is detached from the power supply. Failure to do so may cause severe damage to
the motherboard, peripherals, and/or components.

C621A WS
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2.3 Installing the CPU and Heatsink
1. Before you insert the CPU into the socket, please check if the PnP cap is on the socket,
if the CPU surface is unclean, or if there are any bent pins in the socket. Do not force to
insert the CPU into the socket if above situation is found. Otherwise, the CPU will be
seriously damaged.
2. Unplug all power cables before installing the CPU.
1
Socket Dust Cover

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3
2
CPU Carrier
1. Before you installed the heatsink, you need to spray thermal interface material between the CPU
and the heatsink to improve heat dissipation.
2. Illustration in this documentation are examples only. Heatsink or fan cooler type may dier.

C621A WS
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4
5
180o

18 19
English
6
7
CPU Carrier