Managing BMC-based systems

IBM® Power Systems servers use a baseboard management controller (BMC) and the Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) for system service management, monitoring, maintenance, and control. The BMC also provides access to the system event logs (SEL). The BMC is a specialized service processor that monitors the physical state of the system by using sensors. A system administrator or service representative can communicate with the BMC through an independent connection. The BMC uses IPMI and is contained on the system backplane. IPMI provides one communication method to the BMC, by using a command line interface. IPMItool can be used either from a remote Linux® system, or from the host operating system console window. IPMItool remote connections to the BMC can be done by using either the serial connection to the BMC, or through a configured Ethernet port. The BMC provides a web interface, which provides a graphical user interface (GUI) that can be accessed from a management console or workstation that has network connectivity to the BMC. This connection requires an Ethernet port to be configured for use by the BMC.