Proxmox VE 8.4 Installation Issue - CWWK i3-N305 NAS Board

UPDATE: Found the solution!

After extensive troubleshooting, I've managed to get Proxmox VE 8.4 running properly on my CWWK i3-N355 NAS Board.

The key issue was related to ACPI compatibility with the Alder Lake ULX processor. Initially, I had to use acpi=off to get the installer to work at all, but this caused Proxmox to detect only one CPU core instead of all four cores.

Working GRUB configuration:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet acpi=ht noapic"

This combination works perfectly! It enables the system to boot while still properly detecting all CPU cores.

To implement this:

Edit /etc/default/grub

Find the line with GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT and replace with the above

Run update-grub to apply changes

Reboot

BIOS Vendor: CWWK

Core Version: 5.27

Compliance: UEFI 2.8; PI 1.7

Project Version: CW-ADLN-NAS B02

Build Date and Time: 11/16/2024 13:44:14

Are there any downsides to this approach? I'm wondering if this workaround might affect power management, sleep states, or other functionality. Has anyone found BIOS settings that can fix this issue instead of using kernel parameters?

Hope this helps anyone facing the same issue!

Following up on my previous post where I got Proxmox VE 8.4 booting with all four cores using:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet acpi=ht noapic"

Unfortunately, I need to report that while this configuration allows the system to boot and detect all cores, it's not running reliably. The system is experiencing random crashes during operation, sometimes after a few seconds, sometimes after minutes.

Additionally, PCI passthrough is not working with this configuration. When I try to pass through PCIe devices to VMs, the operation fails. This is a significant limitation for my use case as I need to pass through specific hardware to my virtual machines.

I suspect these issues are related to the compromises made in the ACPI configuration. While acpi=ht enables enough ACPI for core detection and noapic helps with boot stability, they appear to be causing other system stability problems.

Has anyone found a more comprehensive solution for these CWWK CW-ADLN-NAS B02 boards with the i3-N355/N305 processors? Perhaps a different combination of kernel parameters or a specific BIOS version that works better?

I'll keep experimenting with different parameters and will update if I find a more stable solution.

After my previous posts about boot and stability issues, I'm happy to report that I've found a working configuration that has resolved both the CPU detection problems AND the random crashes/PCI passthrough issues!

Working stable GRUB configuration:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet acpi_osi=Linux pcie_aspm=off intel_idle.max_cstate=1 processor.max_cstate=1 intel_iommu=on iommu=pt"

What this configuration does:

• acpi_osi=Linux - Tells the BIOS to use Linux-specific ACPI methods, which works better than the more restrictive acpi=ht parameter
• pcie_aspm=off - Disables Active State Power Management for PCIe devices, eliminating a common source of instability
• intel_idle.max_cstate=1 and processor.max_cstate=1 - Prevents the CPU from entering deeper power-saving states that can cause instability on these Alder Lake ULX processors
• intel_iommu=on and iommu=pt - Properly enables IOMMU for PCI passthrough functionality

With this configuration, my system has been running without crashes, and PCI passthrough is now working correctly. All four CPU cores are properly detected and utilized.

The only trade-off is slightly higher power consumption since we're limiting power management features, but for a NAS/server, stability is more important than minimal power savings.

i got to say this mainboard is a nightmare. Had again issues proxmox booting while usb disk was connected. Connecting the usb disk to a usb 2.0 port worked. On the other hand the usb-c port is so close to the edge that you can't even connect bulky cable. I will sell this board again.