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

[Rob Swindell]

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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