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Re: [Freeipmi-devel] [SPAM] - RE: Retrieving BIOS information via IPMI -


From: Vinny Vallarine
Subject: Re: [Freeipmi-devel] [SPAM] - RE: Retrieving BIOS information via IPMI - Email found in subject
Date: Tue, 7 Jan 2014 14:40:57 -0500

Rob, thanks for the info.  I've been able to verify that running:

./bmc-info -h 192.168.123.72 -u ADMIN -p ADMIN returns:

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Device ID             : 32
Device Revision       : 1
Device SDRs           : unsupported
Firmware Revision     : 2.34
Device Available      : yes (normal operation)
IPMI Version          : 2.0
Sensor Device         : supported
SDR Repository Device : supported
SEL Device            : supported
FRU Inventory Device  : supported
IPMB Event Receiver   : supported
IPMB Event Generator  : supported
Bridge                : unsupported
Chassis Device        : supported
Manufacturer ID       : Super Micro Computer Inc. (10876)
Product ID            : 1591
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Unfortunately, "Firmware Revision     : 2.34" is the firmware of the "BMC".  
I've confirmed this logging into the BIOS directly and looking through the 
screens. 

Any additional ideas would be appreciated.  I'll continue to look through 
things...


Thanks,

Vinny

-----Original Message-----
From: Rob Swindell [mailto:address@hidden 
Sent: Monday, January 06, 2014 7:31 PM
To: Al Chu; Vinny Vallarine
Cc: address@hidden
Subject: [SPAM] - RE: [Freeipmi-devel] Retrieving BIOS information via IPMI - 
Email found in subject

The IPMI "Get System Info Parameters" command  (IPMI 2.0, section 22.14b) 
allows a remote management console/utility/library to query the "System 
Firmware version". This version information would be the primary "BIOS" version 
(legacy or UEFI) on a server.

The Free-IPMI "bmc-info" command used with the "--get-system-info" option can 
be used to query the BMC and display this detail if it's available.  While this 
command is not vendor-specific, not all BMC vendors may implement support for 
this IPMI command or this specific "System Info Parameter" (1).

Of course there are underlying Free-IPMI library functions available to 
exercise this command and return the data to an application.

-Rob

-----Original Message-----
From: address@hidden [mailto:address@hidden On Behalf Of Al Chu
Sent: Monday, January 06, 2014 11:38 AM
To: Vinny Vallarine
Cc: address@hidden
Subject: Re: [Freeipmi-devel] Retrieving BIOS information via IPMI

Yes, if you look at the tool bmc-info, you'll see it output various 
firmware/system information.  Underneath the covers, these are calls to various 
IPMI device queries.

Al

On Mon, 2014-01-06 at 14:20 -0500, Vinny Vallarine wrote:
> Ah, interesting.  So if the Vendor(s) we're interfacing with use the same rev 
> number for all their device firmware, I may be able to simply query for the 
> IPMI firmware version number, correct?  Assuming this is part of the IPMI 
> spec?
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Al Chu [mailto:address@hidden
> Sent: Monday, January 06, 2014 12:50 PM
> To: Vinny Vallarine
> Cc: address@hidden
> Subject: RE: [Freeipmi-devel] Retrieving BIOS information via IPMI
> 
> On Mon, 2014-01-06 at 12:41 -0500, Vinny Vallarine wrote:
> > Thanks Al.  
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > I'd be content at the moment to be able to retrieve the BIOS version 
> > number.  Sounds like something as simple as that would be Vendor 
> > specific, correct?
> 
> Yes & no.
> 
> My recollection is that nothing in the IPMI spec allows you to specifically 
> retrieve the "BIOS" version.  However, many vendors flash all of their device 
> firmware (BIOS + IPMI firmware, etc.) with the same image.  So many of the 
> device/system versions retrieved via IPMI may in fact be identical to the 
> BIOS version. 
> 
> >  
> > 
> > We're interfacing with SuperMicro main boards. I know they have 
> > specific tools to do exactly what I need to do so I'm assuming 
> > they've added the needed extensions.
> > 
> 
> You may be in luck.  There is an extensions for Supermicro firmware versions 
> in ipmi-oem.  However, again, it's not necessarily the BIOS version.
> 
> Al
> 
> > 
> > I'll check out your suggestions to see what is configurable and what 
> > the vendors have added.
> > 
> >  
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > Thanks,
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > Vinny
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Al Chu [mailto:address@hidden
> > Sent: Monday, January 06, 2014 12:24 PM
> > To: Vinny Vallarine
> > Cc: address@hidden
> > Subject: Re: [Freeipmi-devel] Retrieving BIOS information via IPMI
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > Hi Vinny,
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > The IPMI specification does not support the ability to 
> > retrieve/modify BIOS options per se.  The IPMI specification does 
> > allow modification of various motherboard parameters, many of which 
> > may happen to be readable/modifiable/managed by the BIOS.
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > So if you are looking to use IPMI for querying the BIOS, it really 
> > depends on what you would like to query.  Not everything in the BIOS 
> > will be queryable.
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > For example, the chassis subsection of IPMI allows the configuration 
> > of a number of boot options.  Many of these configuration options 
> > are likely in the BIOS (see ipmi-chassis-config tool to get an idea 
> > of what is configurable).  General device information is available 
> > through various device queries and that may also be in the BIOS (see 
> > bmc-info tool for examples of info that is available).  I believe 
> > some vendors support reading of the SEL in the BIOS for hardware 
> > analysis (see tool ipmi-sel for example).
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > As an aside, various vendors have added extensions to IPMI to 
> > retrieve/set BIOS settings, but these are on a vendor by vendor 
> > (many times motherboard by motherboard) basis.  If you look through 
> > the tool ipmi-oem, you can see what some vendors have supported.
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > If one of the tools supports what you would like to do, then we can 
> > perhaps dig into the API from that point.
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > Al
> > 
> >  
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > On Mon, 2014-01-06 at 10:20 -0500, Vinny Vallarine wrote:
> > 
> > > My company is looking for an IPMI package that we can interface
> > with.
> > 
> > > I’ve just downloaded your freeIPMI package.  What we need to do is
> > 
> > > query multiple machines and retrieve their BIOS revision numbers 
> > > as
> > 
> > > well as specific BIOS settings.  I’ve looked through your
> > 
> > > documentation but don’t see an API that would allow me to do that
> > via
> > 
> > > your libraries.  Could you let me know how this can be done 
> > > through
> > 
> > > your libraries?  I’m looking for the interface/methods that I can
> > call
> > 
> > > to accomplish this.
> > 
> > > 
> > 
> > >  
> > 
> > > 
> > 
> > > 
> > 
> > > Thanks,
> > 
> > > 
> > 
> > >  
> > 
> > > 
> > 
> > >  
> > 
> > > 
> > 
> > > Vincent Vallarine
> > 
> > > 
> > 
> > > Innovative Defense Technologies, LLC
> > 
> > > 
> > 
> > > 401.741.4571 (Mobile)
> > 
> > > 
> > 
> > > address@hidden
> > 
> > > 
> > 
> > > www.idtus.com
> > 
> > > 
> > 
> > >  
> > 
> > > 
> > 
> > > 
> > 
> > > _______________________________________________
> > 
> > > Freeipmi-devel mailing list
> > 
> > > address@hidden
> > 
> > > https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/freeipmi-devel
> > 
> > --
> > 
> > Albert Chu
> > 
> > address@hidden
> > 
> > Computer Scientist
> > 
> > High Performance Systems Division
> > 
> > Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > 
> --
> Albert Chu
> address@hidden
> Computer Scientist
> High Performance Systems Division
> Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
> 
--
Albert Chu
address@hidden
Computer Scientist
High Performance Systems Division
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory


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