IPMI (Intelligent Platform Management Interface) is an open standard for remotely managing computer systems and monitoring sensors. It allows for out-of-band management of servers through various interfaces like LAN, serial, and modem. IPMI tools like ipmitool allow monitoring server health through sensors, logs, power controls, and more. Future development is focused on adding support for IPV6 protocols and additional vendor commands.

1. Presenter : Harsha S (Dell R&D, Bangalore)

2. • IPMI stands for intelligent platform management
interface, designed by the Intel, IPMI is now at revision 2.0.
• This standard accepted by DELL, IBM, INTEL and Others
• Through IPMI can monitor and control the BMC(Board
Management Controller) and Server
• In-Band Management
• - Communication over KCS
• -Out-of-Band Management
• IPMB, ICMB, PCI SMBus, LAN, Serial/Modem

3. Management Application
Service Provider Proxy/Service Provider
IPMI Messages
IPMI I/F Channel IPMI I/F Channel
-------------In- Band (KCS) ----------------------------------------------------- Out-Of-Band ------
IPMI H/W Interface O
O
Base Board Management Controller B Out of Band :
Hardware Unit I/ Serial, Network, Modem, Chassis
F Mgmt.

4. • Keyboard controller style system
System interface (KCS)
• System Management interface Chip
Interface • Block Transfer
• SMBus system interface(SSIF)
• System interface
• IPMB
Messaging • ICMB
• LAN
Interface • Serial/Modem
• PCI SMBus

5. • Standard interface for management across vendors
• Serial Over Lan (SOL). This is a method to redirect
Features serial connections over an Ethernet cable.
• Remote Management from LAN
of • OS-independent management
• Monitor Sensors, Sel(System event logs), FRU and etc.
• PEF(Platform Event Filtering)
IPMITool • Users, privileges and Authentication
• OEM Management
• Off-the-shelf software is available

6. Feature Use Cases
• Power Management of the server
• Monitoring SEL for the Platform issues
• PET (Platform Event Trap)
• OEM Command Support
• Set Boot Options
• Debug windows OS Kernel
• Communicate to BMC even if the Server is OFF
• Secured Login with RMCP+/RAKP

7. • Monitor the power statistics of the
server
• Clear the power readings
• Monitor the individual power supply
Power ratings
management • Monitoring the power consumption
• Monitoring the power history
• Monitor and control the power
budgeting
• Monitor and control power capping

8. System event logging(SEL) with OEM information
• System event logs
• OEM decoding from the log
• Sensor verification by event
[root@lcg0954 ~]# ipmitool sel list
1 | 06/11/2008 | 22:34:44 | Event Logging Disabled #0x72 | Log area reset/cleared | Asserted
5 | Pre-Init Time-stamp | Add-in Card #0x56 | Install Error
b | 08/21/2008 | 15:04:44 | Temperature #0x08 | Lower Non-critical going low
c | 08/21/2008 | 15:04:44 | Temperature #0x08 | Lower Non-critical going high
d | 04/20/2010 | 17:29:35 | OS Boot | C: boot completed | Asserted
f | 04/20/2010 | 17:29:35 | OEM record dc | 000137 | 003be4cd4b00
10 | 04/20/2010 | 17:47:05 | OS Boot | C: boot completed | Asserted
11 | 04/20/2010 | 17:47:05 | OEM record dc | 000137 | 0053e8cd4b00
12 | 04/20/2010 | 17:52:20 | OS Stop/Shutdown | OS graceful shutdown | Asserted
17 | 04/21/2010 | 16:51:41 | OEM record dd | 000137 | 00ff00050000
18 | 04/22/2010 | 05:24:14 | OS Boot | C: boot completed | Asserted
19 | 04/22/2010 | 05:24:14 | OEM record dc | 000137 | 003addcf4b00
1a | 04/22/2010 | 06:06:26 | OS Stop/Shutdown | OS graceful shutdown | Asserted
1b | 04/22/2010 | 06:06:26 | OEM record dd | 000137 | 00ff00050000
1c | 04/21/2010 | 19:15:25 | OS Stop/Shutdown | OS graceful shutdown | Asserted
1d | 04/21/2010 | 19:15:25 | OEM record dd | 000137 | 00ff00050000
1e | 08/23/2010 | 17:02:56 | OS Boot | C: boot completed | Asserted

9. List Sensor information
• List all the sensor present in the Server
• Sensor readings with threshold values
[root@lcg0954 ~]# ipmitool sensor
CPU Temp 1 | 35.000 | degrees C | ok | na | na | na | 76.000 | 78.000 | 80.000
CPU Temp 4 | na | degrees C | na | na | na | na | 76.000 | 78.000 | 80.000
Sys Temp | 31.000 | degrees C | ok | na | na | na | 76.000 | 78.000 | 80.000
CPU1 Vcore | 1.184 | Volts | ok | 0.680 | 0.688 | 0.696 | 1.624 | 1.632 | 1.640
CPU2 Vcore | 1.192 | Volts | ok | 0.680 | 0.688 | 0.696 | 1.624 | 1.632 | 1.640
3.3V | 3.264 | Volts | ok | 2.912 | 2.928 | 2.944 | 3.648 | 3.664 | 3.680
5V | 4.920 | Volts | ok | 4.416 | 4.440 | 4.464 | 5.520 | 5.544 | 5.568
12V | 11.712 | Volts | ok | 10.464 | 10.560 | 10.656 | 13.344 | 13.440 | 13.536
1.5V | 1.488 | Volts | ok | 1.296 | 1.312 | 1.328 | 1.664 | 1.680 | 1.696
5VSB | 4.896 | Volts | ok | 4.416 | 4.440 | 4.464 | 5.520 | 5.544 | 5.568
VBAT | 3.280 | Volts | ok | 2.912 | 2.928 | 2.944 | 3.648 | 3.664 | 3.680
Fan1 | 10500.000 | RPM | ok | 200.000 | 300.000 | 400.000 | na | na | na
Fan2 | 8700.000 | RPM | ok | 200.000 | 300.000 | 400.000 | na | na | na
Power Supply | 0x0 | discrete | 0x0000| na | na | na | na | na | na
CPU0 Internal E | 0x0 | discrete | 0x0000| na | na | na | na | na | na
Thermal Trip0 | 0x0 | discrete | 0x0000| na | na | na | na | na | na
Thermal Trip1 | 0x0 | discrete | 0x0000| na | na | na | na | na | na

10. Windows OS • Remote debugging of the Windows Server
kernel
Kernel • Remotely monitor the Windows boot
debugging process
using IPMITool • Real-time Windows Driver debugging
Remote Machine With
IPMITOOL
Serial Data to winDBG
Netw Tool
Server OS.
ork
LAN Port
WinDBG/KD Running
BMC Controller

11. SECURITY •
•
Define Users
Define privileges
(IPMI •
•
Encrypt communication with BMC
Version 2.0: RMCP/RMCP+: based on RAKP
messages (HMAC like protocol)
2.0) • Serial-Over-Lan is encrypted with RMCP+ only

12. Dell supported commands
•Powermonitor
•MAC
•Sel
•Windbg
•vFlash
•LCD

13. IPV6 Support
• The current support for the IPMITool is
restricted to the IPV4 address
communication for the out-of-band. Our
plans are there to support he IPV6 protocol
as well. Development is in progress..
• This would be the major contribution to
the open source community as support for
the IPV6 Protocol.

14. Ipmi specification
http://www.intel.com/design/servers/ipmi/index.h
tm
Open source link to ipmitool
http://ipmitool.sourceforge.net/
IPMI Tool Mailing list
https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinf
o/ipmitool-devel

15. ?