BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A baseboard management controller (BMC) is a specialized service processor that monitors the physical state of a computer, network server or other hardware device using sensors and communicating with the system administrator through an independent connection. The BMC is part of the Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) and is usually contained in the motherboard or other main circuit board of the device to be monitored.

The BMC may be used to perform tasks that an administrator would otherwise need to physically visit the device, e.g., a server, to accomplish. Some of the more common use cases are power cycling a server and monitoring fan speeds/component temperatures, and hardware failures.

The sensors of a BMC measure internal physical variables such as temperature, humidity, power-supply voltage, fan speeds, communications parameters and operating system (OS) functions. If any of these variables happens to stray outside specified limits, the administrator is notified. That person can then take corrective action by remote control. The monitored device typically can be power cycled or rebooted as necessary. In this way, a single administrator can remotely manage numerous servers and other devices simultaneously, saving on the overall operating cost of the network and helping to ensure its reliability.

Typically, a motherboard (or other main circuit board) is made by one manufacturer, while the BMC hardware is made by a different manufacturer and the BMC software is written by a provider other than the maker of the motherboard or BMC. As a result, most often a BMC is a generic hardware device (e.g., an ARM-based system on a chip or “SoC”) that is configured relatively statically prior to being installed on a motherboard and usually having limited functionality that is not particularly customized to the particular end system in which the motherboard or other main circuit board is embodied.

