My Lenovo Intel x550-T2 needs to be updated? Help

[Timziito]

Hello there guys, long time lurker and just decided to update my hardware with these network cards.
It says it works with 1g 2.5g 5g and 10g but now i find that i need to update them.

Does anyone have a guide or the links for download because i am stuck and slightly stressed.

Best regards
Tim

[aBav.Normie-Pleb]

Is that “Lenovo Intel X550-T2” of yours a separate regular AIC or a chip directly soldered to a Lenovo motherboard?

If it’s a branded but regular PCIe AIC updating the firmware should work, if it’s part of the motherboard things can get tricky (unfortunately never attempted this so can’t give practical advice).

Be aware that due to its design age the X550 doesn’t properly support 2.5 GbE and 5 GbE speeds, meaning there can be issues with auto-negotiation (for example only 1 GbE even with perfect Cat 8.1 cables, have been seeing this even with the latest X550 firmware and drivers):

New Mikrotik 2.5G Switch - CRS310-8G+2S+IN

Workaround recommended by MikroTik: Disable Auto-Negotiation on the affected ethernet interface of the switch and manually set it to 2.5 GbE. You have to do the same on the ethernet adapter’s end in its drivers, otherwise you’ll get a loop of it not being able to establish a stable connection. The previous point is where I had been ignora…

To update an X550 NIC PCIe AIC on Windows:

1. Download Intel’s “Ethernet Adapter Complete Driver Pack”

2. Decompress the ZIP file.

3. Go to \NVMUpdatePackage\X550\

4. Decompress the “X550_NVMUpdatePackage_v3_60_Windows” ZIP file

5. Decompress the “X550_NVMUpdatePackage_v3_60_Windows” EXE file that is within the ZIP file from step 4.

6. Go into the new folders \X550\Winx64\

7. Launch nvmupdatew64e.exe as an Administrator, if the NIC is able to be updated by Intel’s own generic tool you have to select it with a number, be sure to backup the existing firmware version and only then confirm the update process.

8. Power cycle your system after the update process says it’s done.

[Timziito]

Oh my god! Thanks! i am super grateful!

[aBav.Normie-Pleb]

You’re welcome.

Do 2.5 and 5 GbE work on your X550 properly with auto-negotiation?

[obiwantoby]

Updating here. I bought a Silicom X550-AT2. The default updater showed no update. In the end editing the config for an older model Lenovo 1563.

So it went like this.

Use linux. Use older Lenvo updater intc-lnvgy_sw_nic_v24.1-sw-cd2_anyos_x86-64.zip

Edit the nvmupdate.cfg with the right sub vendor and vendor for 1563. Update with the old Lenovo firmware.

Download the firmware from Intel’s site and proceed. In the end it worked out with as seemingly non updatable card. Works at 2.5Gbe.

Intel(R) Ethernet NVM Update Tool
NVMUpdate version 1.42.8.0
Copyright(C) 2013 - 2024 Intel Corporation.

Config file will not be read.
Inventory
[00:037:00:00]: Intel(R) Ethernet Controller X550-T2
	Flash inventory started.
	Shadow RAM inventory started.
	Shadow RAM inventory finished.
	Flash inventory finished.
	OROM inventory started.
	OROM inventory finished.
[00:037:00:01]: Intel(R) Ethernet Controller X550-T2
	Device already inventoried.
[00:037:00:00]: Intel(R) Ethernet Controller X550-T2
	Vendor                 : 8086
	Device                 : 1563
	Subvendor              : 1374
	Subdevice              : 0220
	Revision               : 1
	LAN MAC                : 000000000000
	Alt MAC                : 000000000000
	SAN MAC                : FFFFFFFFFFFF
	ETrackId               : 8000185E
	SerialNumber           : 000000000000
	NVM Version            : 3.112(3.70)
	PBA                    : 000000-000
	VPD status             : Valid
	VPD size               : 123
	NVM update             : No config file entry
	  checksum             : Valid
	OROM update            : No config file entry
	  CIVD                 : 1.3105.0
	  PXE                  : 2.4.45, checksum Valid
	  EFI                  : 8.1.0, checksum None
[00:037:00:01]: Intel(R) Ethernet Controller X550-T2
	Vendor                 : 8086
	Device                 : 1563
	Subvendor              : 1374
	Subdevice              : 0220
	Revision               : 1
	LAN MAC                : 000000000000
	Alt MAC                : 000000000000
	SAN MAC                : FFFFFFFFFFFF
	ETrackId               : 8000185E
	SerialNumber           : 000000000000
	NVM Version            : 3.112(3.70)
	PBA                    : 000000-000
	VPD status             : Valid
	VPD size               : 123
	NVM update             : No config file entry
	  checksum             : Valid
	OROM update            : No config file entry
	  CIVD                 : 1.3105.0
	  PXE                  : 2.4.45, checksum Valid
	  EFI                  : 8.1.0, checksum None