Server management, 1 baseboard management controller – Intel STL2 User Manual

Page 31

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STL2 Server Board TPS

Server Management

Revision 1.0

3-23

3. Server Management

This section describes the features of the server management subsystem for the STL2 server
board. The server management subsystem consists of the BIOS, hardware, and firmware
features built into the server board. These features provide hardware monitoring, control, and
logging to improve the reliability, availability, and serviceability of the server system.

The server management subsystem conforms to the IPMI (Intelligent Platform Management
Interface) v1.0 specification. IPMI defines a standardized, abstracted, message-based
interface between system management software and the platform management hardware.

The following comprise the major elements of the server management architecture for the
STL2 server board.

Baseboard Management Controller (BMC)

Sensors

Sensor Data Record (SDR) Repository & System Event Log (SEL)

Field Replaceable Unit (FRU) Information

3.1 Baseboard Management Controller

The STL2 server management functionality is concentrated in the Baseboard Management
Controller (BMC). The BMC is comprised of a Dallas* Semiconductor DS80CH11 (or
equivalent) microcontroller and associated circuitry located on the STL2 server board. The
BMC and associated circuits are powered from a 5V DC standby voltage, which remains active
when system power is switched off, but the AC power source is still on and connected.

A major function of the BMC is to autonomously monitor system management events and log
the occurrence in the nonvolatile System Event Log (SEL). The events being monitored
include over/under temperature and over/under voltage conditions, fan failure, or chassis
intrusion. To enable accurate monitoring, the BMC maintains the nonvolatile Sensor Data
Record (SDR) from which sensor information can be retrieved. The BMC provides an ISA host
interface to SDR sensor information, so that software running on the server can poll and
retrieve the server’s current status. The BMC also provides the interface to the monitored
information and SEL that System Management Software, such as Intel® Server Control, uses
to poll and retrieve the platform status.

The BMC performs the following functions:

Monitors server boad temperature and voltage

Monitors processor presence and controls Fault Resilient Boot (FRB)

Detects and indicates baseboard fan failure

Manages the SEL interface

Manages the SDR Repository interface

Monitors the SDR/SEL timestamp clock

Monitors the system management watchdog timer

Monitors the periodic SMI timer

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