Anyone knows what this new driver is?

[forumjoe]

Just as I was about to download and gather together the appropriate chipset drivers for my new P55-US3L machine, Gigabyte have gone and made some changes to them.

First, up until yesterday, they made available two LAN drivers - Realtek LAN driver and Realtek PCIe LAN driver. But now they've removed the first of these and provide only the PCIe version. I was planning to install just the Realtek LAN driver, as I pre-supposed that it'd be required even if I use only the built-in RJ45 port on the motherboard (which is indeed what I plan to do). But maybe that was a wrong assumption and perhaps I'd have needed the LAN driver only if I were going to use a PCI LAN card? I do have a PCI LAN card which I've used in my old machine which I've thought to keep as a standby now but, for reasons best known to them, Gigabyte have now removed the possibility of using that. For my particular requirement, do I need to install any sort of LAN driver, even for the built-in LAN port?

One or two other chipset files have been updated in the last couple of days for this board. That's fine, but Gigabyte have also introduced a further file called Intel Management Engine Interface v.6.0.0.1179. They've done this without any word of explanation. Does anyone know what that file does and how it might differ from the Intel INF file?

[Dark Mantis]

Hi
I don't know why there was originally two different drivers for the LAN ports but the PCIE is the correct one as both LANs go through the PCIE bus to connect.
As far as the Intel Engine Management Interface goes it is simply allows thermal management for the motherboard.

[forumjoe]

Hi
I don't know why there was originally two different drivers for the LAN ports but the PCIE is the correct one as both LANs go through the PCIE bus to connect.
As far as the Intel Engine Management Interface goes it is simply allows thermal management for the motherboard.

So, I do still need to install that PCIe driver, then, even though I plan not to use a separate PCI LAN card of any kind and hope to use just the built-in RJ45 port? On my old, non-Gigabyte machine, where I've been using a PCI LAN card, I didn't have to install any LAN driver; I think Windows automatically installed the correct driver.

Re this new thermal management feature, can you say anything more about it? Has the sudden provision of it got anything to do with the recent reports from some contributors that, on various P55s, the CPU core temperature, as given by the BIOS, goes completely haywire after a period and renders a negative temperature? Or does this new feature possibly give some better control of that Sys 2 fan header output? Indeed, is it a driver or is it a utility?

[Dark Mantis]

So, I do still need to install that PCIe driver, then, even though I plan not to use a separate PCI LAN card of any kind and hope to use just the built-in RJ45 port? On my old, non-Gigabyte machine, where I've been using a PCI LAN card, I didn't have to install any LAN driver; I think Windows automatically installed the correct driver.

The thing is you will need to instal a driver for the onboard LAN anyway even if you don't intend to install a seperate LAN card. This is part of the chipset drivers and you can either install it at the same time or use the one Windows has incorporated.

Re this new thermal management feature, can you say anything more about it? Has the sudden provision of it got anything to do with the recent reports from some contributors that, on various P55s, the CPU core temperature, as given by the BIOS, goes completely haywire after a period and renders a negative temperature? Or does this new feature possibly give some better control of that Sys 2 fan header output? Indeed, is it a driver or is it a utility?

The Intel Engine Management Interface isn't a new feature. It has been around for years but why they have just brought it out for inclusion now I don't know. I will ask Tech Support and see what answer they give.

[Searcher1]

Ignorant question???

Are they rolling out the PCIe variant of the LAN driver for all the boards?

Why I ask, well for the GA-P55A-UD4 it is still listing only the Realtek Driver and Realtek LAN diganostics tool 

[Dark Mantis]

To be truthfull I really don't know yet. It could well be  a case of just renaming the drivers as I don't see anything else of difference. I will post back if I can find out any more info.

[forumjoe]

Could it be that the Realtek 'straight' LAN driver is already contained in Windows or in one of Windows's service packs and that therefore it's normally not necessary to separately install it? As I think I mentioned earlier, I didn't have to specifically install a driver for the Realtek PCI LAN card that's in my old (non-Gigabyte) machine, albeit that that one's an older implementation of a Realtek LAN port; Win XP or SP3 already had the appropriate driver and automatically installed it. If this is the case, then perhaps Gigabyte has finally realised it and so removed the straight LAN driver from the Downloads section?

I think the answer may, in any event, depend on whether the LAN port is PCI or PCIe, or whether the built-in port on the motherboard is to be used instead (which it is, in my case). It would be useful if Gigabyte were a bit more forthcoming on this, as this is certainly confusing ME, and increasingly others.

I've been informed that you can all too easily end up with more than one network connection in Device Manager through unintentional double-installing.

[Dark Mantis]

Don't forget that a lot of motherboards have two LAN ports anyway and so you should see two network adapters in Device Manager. Obviously Gigabyte only sup[ply the drivers for the on-board ports that are connected via the PCIE bus.

[forumjoe]

Yes, from what I've gathered, these days many motherboards have built-in dual RJ45 ports. My particular motherboard has only the one, though.

Myself being ignorant of the bus routing, within the motherboard, of the built-in Ethernet port, I can only rely on what you've provided as interim advice, DM. Namely, that I should download and install the now only-available PCIe LAN driver. But I have to confess that it somehow doesn't sound right.

[Dark Mantis]

If you look in your motherboard manual at the block diagram it clearly shows the connection paths of the various components including the LAN ports. I am sure someone else would be happy to confirm this for you.

[forumjoe]

Good thinking, DM. And you're absolutely right. The block diagram in my user manual shows the RTL8111D communicating with the Intel H55 chip via the PCIe bus, and thence the rest of the machine.

I think that's good enough confirmation that, when it comes to the built-in LAN port, the PCIe LAN Driver is really the only driver required, in my case.

[forumjoe]

DM,

As soon as you've had any response from Gigabyte on the appearance of the Intel Management Engine Interface in the list of downloads for the P55-US3L, do please post it. I'm now being held up not knowing what it is and whether I myself will need it. I'd be especially keen to learn whether it's got anything to do with the 'mis-reported CPU core temperature' problem that's been highlighted in this forum.

[Dark Mantis]

I have asked and as soon as I receive a reply I will post it here.

[Dark Mantis]

Hi
Well I received a rapid response from out Technical Advisor and I was correct but this is the answer he gave:

1. Intel Management Engine (ME) Interface driver is for our all H55 models (as they have ME inside BIOS) . Its purpose is to support PAVP (high definition audio).

If you don't install it, you will find the “PCI simple communication controller” with question mark in Device Manager.
In addition, you cannot play Blu-Ray disks.

2.  P55-US3L rev2.0 does not need to install this driver. It will be removed from our website.

So that clears up your dilemma of whether you need to install it or not.

[forumjoe]

Intel Management Engine (ME) Interface driver is for all our H55 models....

Okay, but one of the confusions is that this supposedly applies to P55 boards. Some P55 boards have the P55 chip but others, like mine, have just the H55 chip.

If you don't install it, you will find the “PCI simple communication controller” with question mark in Device Manager.

I was under the impression that, on my and other P55 boards, HD audio (apart from perhaps the inclusion of BluRay) was already provided for, as part of the Azalia onboard audio option, together with the Microsoft UAA driver. Therefore, if you disable Azalia in the BIOS, you'd simply be able to install the Windows standard audio driver for the PCI soundcard you're using and deliver instead the audio according to the provisions of that third-party PCI card. That's the way I've got it planned, anyway. I would hope that, in disabling Azalia in the BIOS, I'll not end up with a permanent question-marked PCI Simple Communication Controller in Device Manager. I did, for a moment, wonder whether the way around it would be to install the Intel ME driver and to disable Azalia in the BIOS but then also to disable PCI Simple Communication Controller in Device Manager, but I think the next quote from the technical advisor makes that all completely unnecessary.

P55-US3L rev2.0 does not need to install this driver. It will be removed from our website.

I presume "it" means "this Intel ME driver, in the case of the P55-US3L revn. 2.0"? A bit ambiguous, that. It's actually revn. 2.1 that I've got. I'm not sure if Gigabyte ever released a revn. 2.0 in Europe. The revisions in Europe appear to have been 1.1, then 2.1. Apparently, there exists a 2.3 but 2.3 doesn't seem to be available in Europe. I tried for a long time to get a revn. 2.3 but was unsuccessful. None of the retailers had any.

But, like you say, DM, it very much looks like I'll not need to install it. Good.