IPMI

Overview

ATEN's Global BMC Management card provides the easiest solution for platform management. It is essentially your guardian for the internal environment of your OS and hardware, including Power, Temperature and Fan.

Targeted at systems with platforms which require extreme security and stability, the BMC card complies with the stringent IPMI 2.0 compliant management standard.

ATEN is the only brand which supports firmware AES encryption and virtual USB media. With ATEN's Global BMC Management Module, customers can obtain IPMI 2.0 capability with the highest security level, the lowest cost, and easiest integration with your existing hardware.

What is IPMI?

IPMI stands for Intelligent Platform Management Interface. It defines a standardized, message-based interface for easily management of a large number of servers. It also defines standardized records for describing platform management devices and their characteristics.

IPMI provides an intelligent means for extensive monitoring, control, and automatic recovery of servers. The standard is applicable across different server topologies and operating systems, so it doesn't matter if you are using Windows, Linux, Solaris, Mac, or a combination of these systems.

Also, because IPMI runs on different properties, it still functions properly, even if the server itself is running abnormally or out of operation for any reason.

Benefits of IPMI

In System

Provides the foundation for intelligent platform management:
- Autonomous access, monitoring, logging and control features that function independently from the system processors.
Provides scalable support for entry to high-end systems
Supports multi-chassis and modular configuration

In Software

Speeds instrumentation software porting:
- Makes platform management features "self-descriptive"(Plug 'N Play).
- Software automatically configures to platform management hardware
Isolates management software from hardware changes
Enables cross-platform software:
- Standardized platform hardware interface enables management software and driver to work on multiple platforms
Can be used with any management software stack:
Supports localization

In Hardware

Preserves ability to innovate hardware
Provides standardized interface for extending management features:
- IPMB: for intra-chassis extensions and standardized Emergency Management Card Access
Facilitates "out-of-band" secondary access:
- Message based interface supports bridging to secondary management interfaces - NIC, RS-232, etc.
Uses "off-the-shelf" components

In general, ATEN's IPMI solution has the following advantages:

Remote Power Control

ATEN's IPMI Firmware provide your system an onboard chip solution.
ATEN's Global BMC Management card also provides a simple way to control the server's power status remotely. Manage the server's power status with remote IPMI application with no extra cost required. IPMI provides power down, power up, power cycle and power reset power management capabilities. With ATEN's IPMI security algorithm, the power is yours to control.

No Firmware Porting Efforts

ATEN's Global BMC requires no firmware porting overheads; one firmware image fits all platforms. All that the platform vendors need to do is to refer to our design guide, follow the IPMI Global pin definition, then...Presto! Your platforms are properly certified as IPMI enabled.

Server Health Forecast

With ATEN's Global BMC Management card, managing your servers is no longer a difficult task.

The management controller monitors the sensors inside your server and reports any abnormal conditions regarding the health of your machine.

You don't have to wait for your server to crash to realize the CPU Fan inside is broken. Replacing a CPU Fan only costs you a fraction of the price of having a server down for even a day or replacing the whole board.

ATEN's IPMI Solution provides the customer with state-of-the-art total IPMI solution. With the IPMI alert system, MIS would know if the server is going to have a problem before the problem actually occurs.

Comprehensive Security on the Net

ATEN's Global BMC Management card provides the most secure way to manage your server. In order to protect servers from hackers, we provide numerous security algorithms to protect your system, including MD2, MD5, RAKP-HMAC-SHA1, HMAC-SHA1-96, RAKP-HAMC-MD5, HMAC-MD5-128, and AES-CBC-C-128 algorithms.

No Additional Hidden Charges

ATEN's Global BMC doesn't charge any extra costs on platform vendors. No minimal commitment is required. It is simple and easy to calculate your overall costs.

Immediate Alert Messages

IPMI provides MIS an easy way to monitor the servers remotely. MIS just needs to setup the server alert table with ATEN's IPMI software.

Then, you just sit back, relax and the Management controller will routinely check the sensor status every half a second and send error reports to MIS immediately via internet if it detects an abnormal situation.

MIS can receive the alert message through email or SMS. No need to constantly check up on your system, your system is now set up to do that for you, automatically.