Overview

This IPMI management software based on IPMI specification version 1.5 - 2.0. It sends IPMI messages to and from the BMC (Base Management Card) on a remotely managed system. IPMI messages are encapsulated in RMCP (Remote Management Control Protocol) packets called ¡§datagrams¡¨. This method is also referred to as ¡§IPMI over LAN¡¨.

The Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF) has defined RMCP for supporting pre-OS and OS-absent management. RMCP is a simple request-response protocol that can be delivered using UDP (User Datagram Protocol) datagrams. IPMI-over-LAN uses version 1 of the RMCP protocol and packet format. An RMCP packet is transmitted via IP (Internet Protocol) networking. Thus, system managers may manage their IPMI-enabled system over the Internet. (Of course, in a private LAN this is a basic feature.) IPMI uses the same UDP port number (623 in decimal) with ASF (Alert Standard Forum) protocol. If the managed system is protected by a firewall, UDP port 623 must be opened.

In this IPMI solution, a BMC shares the LAN1 NIC on the mainboard. (If there are more than one LAN Ports on the mainboard, LAN1 is the one near Keyboard/Mouse Port.) The NIC will re-route the IPMI packet to the BMC instead of forwarding it to the upper layer network protocol stacks (as other protocol packets do).

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