Re: [Freeipmi-users] IPMI questions

[Albert Chu]

Hi Joe,

On Tue, 2011-04-26 at 11:03 -0700, joe mcguckin wrote:
> Albert,
> 
> Thanks for the reply.
> 
> > 
> > As for "remotely mount media", it depends on what exactly you're looking
> > for.  The following are available for configuration via FreeIPMI's
> > ipmi-chassis-config.
> 
> 
> I don't know all the capabilities of FreeIPMI yet, but here's how I 've seen 
> the media redirection work in the past.
> 
> I've used the Sun servers's remote console application, but supposedly 
> Supermicro's work pretty much the same way.
> 
> While you're running the java remote console application, you can select an 
> ISO image file on your local workstation
> to boot from. Somehow, the IPMI server on the remote machine 'mounts' the ISO 
> image across the network (from your workstation) 
> and attaches it to a selected BIOS device.  I guess the java console app is 
> acting as the file server.
> 
> Do you know how this is done? Can FreeIPMI do this? 

I don't know of anything in the IPMI (or related) specs that allow this.
This is probably a proprietary thing that is specific to your vendor.
If they can release the IPMI commands, we can add it to the FreeIPMI
ipmi-oem tool, but otherwise there's not much we can do.

Al

> Thanks,
> 
> Joe
> 
> Joe McGuckin
> ViaNet Communications
> 
> address@hidden
> 650-207-0372 cell
> 650-213-1302 office
> 650-969-2124 fax
> 
> 
> 
> On Apr 26, 2011, at 9:47 AM, Albert Chu wrote:
> 
> > Hi Joe,
> > 
> >> one can open a redirected console session and remotely mount media 
> >> (ISO images) on BIOS devices.
> > 
> > IPMI 2.0 supports serial-over-LAN (SOL), so if they implement their
> > redirected console session via it, FreeIPMI's ipmiconsole tool should be
> > a suitable cmdline tool equivalent.  Depending on the default setup of
> > your motherboard, some additional config via FreeIPMI's bmc-config may
> > be necessary.
> > 
> > As for "remotely mount media", it depends on what exactly you're looking
> > for.  The following are available for configuration via FreeIPMI's
> > ipmi-chassis-config.
> > 
> > #
> > # Section Chassis_Boot_Flags Comments 
> > #
> > # The following configuration options are for configuring chassis boot 
> > behavior. 
> > # Please note that some fields may apply to all future boots while some may 
> > only 
> > # apply to the next system boot. 
> > #
> > # "Boot_Flags_Persistent" determines if flags apply to the next boot only 
> > or all 
> > # future boots. 
> > #
> > # "Boot_Device" allows the user to configure which device the BIOS should 
> > boot 
> > # off of. Most users may wish to select NO-OVERRIDE to select the 
> > configuration 
> > # currently determined by the BIOS. Note that the configuration value 
> > BIOS-SETUP 
> > # refers to booting *into* the BIOS Setup, not from it. FLOPPY may refer to 
> > any 
> > # type of removeable media. "Device_Instance_Selector" may be be used to 
> > select 
> > # a specific device instance for booting. 
> > #
> > Section Chassis_Boot_Flags
> >        ## Possible values: Yes/No (Yes = All Future Boots; No = Next Boot 
> > Only)
> >        Boot_Flags_Persistent                         No
> >        ## Possible values: PC-COMPATIBLE/EFI
> >        BIOS_Boot_Type                                PC-COMPATIBLE
> >        ## Possible values: Yes/No (Only applies to Next Boot)
> >        CMOS_Clear                                    No
> >        ## Possible values: Yes/No (Only applies to Next Boot)
> >        Lock_Keyboard                                 No
> >        ## Possible values: Yes/No (Only applies to Next Boot)
> >        Screen_Blank                                  No
> >        ## Possible values: NO-OVERRIDE/PXE/HARD-DRIVE/HARD-DRIVE-SAFE-MODE/
> >        ##                  
> > DIAGNOSTIC_PARTITION/CD-DVD/BIOS-SETUP/REMOTE-FLOPPY
> >        ##                  
> > PRIMARY-REMOTE-MEDIA/REMOTE-CD-DVD/REMOTE-HARD-DRIVE/FLOPPY
> >        Boot_Device                                   NO-OVERRIDE
> >        ## Possible values: None/Internal-{1-15}/External-{1-15} (e.g. 
> > Internal-5)
> >        Device_Instance_Selector                      None
> >        ## Possible values: Yes/No
> >        Lock_Out_Reset_Button                         No
> >        ## Possible values: Yes/No
> >        Lock_Out_Power_Button                         No
> >        ## Possible values: Yes/No
> >        Lock_Out_Sleep_Button                         No
> >        ## Possible values: DEFAULT/QUIET/VERBOSE
> >        Firmware_Bios_Verbosity                       DEFAULT
> >        ## Possible values: Yes/No
> >        Force_Progress_Event_Traps                    No
> >        ## Possible values: Yes/No
> >        User_Password_Bypass                          No
> >        ## Possible values: BIOS-SETTING/SUPPRESS/ENABLE
> >        Console_Redirection                           BIOS-SETTING
> > EndSection
> > 
> > Beyond this, there isn't much in the IPMI spec mounting media.
> > 
> > Hope this helps,
> > 
> > Al
> > 
> > On Mon, 2011-04-25 at 18:03 -0700, joe mcguckin wrote:
> >> Albert,
> >> 
> >> I recently purchased a Supermicro motherboard that has IPMI support. Using 
> >> the JAVA console app that you can get from 
> >> Supermicro, one can open a redirected console session and remotely mount 
> >> media (ISO images) on BIOS devices.
> >> 
> >> Are these two features proprietary extension of IPMI 2.0 - or - are they 
> >> implemented in the standard? For various reasons, I do not wish to use the 
> >> JAVA app to access the server remotely, I'd prefer a command line utility. 
> >> Supermicro has been less than useful in either making available a suitable 
> >> cmdline application, or protocol descriptions, etc for implementing our 
> >> own.
> >> 
> >> Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.
> >> 
> >> Thanks,
> >> 
> >> Joe
> >> 
> >> 
> >> Joe McGuckin
> >> ViaNet Communications
> >> 
> >> address@hidden
> >> 650-207-0372 cell
> >> 650-213-1302 office
> >> 650-969-2124 fax
> >> 
> >> 
> >> 
> > -- 
> > 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