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Fwd: alternative Firmware for BMC's

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  Fwd: alternative Firmware for BMC's Stefan K <shadow_7@gmx.net> - 2019-07-01 10:30 +0200
    Re: Fwd: alternative Firmware for BMC's rhkramer@gmail.com - 2019-07-01 15:50 +0200
      Re: Fwd: alternative Firmware for BMC's Reco <recoverym4n@enotuniq.net> - 2019-07-01 16:20 +0200
      Re: Fwd: alternative Firmware for BMC's Dan Ritter <dsr@randomstring.org> - 2019-07-01 17:20 +0200
      Re: Fwd: alternative Firmware for BMC's Stefan K <shadow_7@gmx.net> - 2019-07-02 09:20 +0200
        Re: Fwd: alternative Firmware for BMC's Richard Hector <richard@walnut.gen.nz> - 2019-07-07 02:40 +0200
    Re: Fwd: alternative Firmware for BMC's "Thomas Schmitt" <scdbackup@gmx.net> - 2019-07-01 17:00 +0200

#210520 — Fwd: alternative Firmware for BMC's

Hello everybody,

So I don't get any answers from the debian-user-german mailinglist I ask you ;)

short question: when I read [1] (sorry just in german), it says that several vendors install their own BMC software up there. So I ask myself which one? OpenBMC doesn't really seem to work yet and I can't think of anything else. I've already written to the author (several times) but without reaction. :(
Do you have any idea what alternatives there are (ideally which ones work)?

[1] https://www.golem.de/news/pantsdown-fehler-in-server-firmware-ermoeglicht-rootkit-1901-138956.html

best regards
Stefan

----------  Forwarded Message  ----------

Subject: alternative Firmware für BMC's
Date: Tuesday, June 25, 2019, 3:21:03 PM CEST
From: Stefan K <shadow_7@gmx.net>
To: debian-user-german@lists.debian.org

Hallo in die Runde,

kurze Frage: wenn ich [1] lese, steht dort dass diverse Anbieter ihre eigene BMC-Software rauf klatschen. Da stellt sich mir die Frage welche denn? OpenBMC scheint noch nicht wirklich zu gehen und ansonsten fällt mir da nichts ein. Ich hab auch schon den Autor angeschrieben (mehrmals) jedoch ohne Reaktion. :(
Habt ihr denn dazu eine Idee was es da denn an Alternativen gibt (idealerweise welche die auch funktionieren)?

[1] https://www.golem.de/news/pantsdown-fehler-in-server-firmware-ermoeglicht-rootkit-1901-138956.html

MfG
Stefan


-----------------------------------------

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#210537

I don't know how many people are aware of what the BMC is / does -- after a 
little googling, my tentative understanding is that this is the "extra" 
miroprocessor that is now included in some (Intel and maybe AMD?) CPUs?

What are you trying to do with it?

If you're setting up a computer that happens to have one of those, can you 
just ignore it, or must it do something to allow the main CPU to run?

On Monday, July 01, 2019 04:27:48 AM Stefan K wrote:
> Hello everybody,
> 
> So I don't get any answers from the debian-user-german mailinglist I ask
> you ;)
> 
> short question: when I read [1] (sorry just in german), it says that
> several vendors install their own BMC software up there. So I ask myself
> which one? OpenBMC doesn't really seem to work yet and I can't think of
> anything else. I've already written to the author (several times) but
> without reaction. :( Do you have any idea what alternatives there are
> (ideally which ones work)?
> 
> [1]
> https://www.golem.de/news/pantsdown-fehler-in-server-firmware-ermoeglicht-
> rootkit-1901-138956.html
> 
> best regards
> Stefan
> 
> ----------  Forwarded Message  ----------
> 
> Subject: alternative Firmware für BMC's
> Date: Tuesday, June 25, 2019, 3:21:03 PM CEST
> From: Stefan K <shadow_7@gmx.net>
> To: debian-user-german@lists.debian.org
> 
> Hallo in die Runde,
> 
> kurze Frage: wenn ich [1] lese, steht dort dass diverse Anbieter ihre
> eigene BMC-Software rauf klatschen. Da stellt sich mir die Frage welche
> denn? OpenBMC scheint noch nicht wirklich zu gehen und ansonsten fällt mir
> da nichts ein. Ich hab auch schon den Autor angeschrieben (mehrmals)
> jedoch ohne Reaktion. :( Habt ihr denn dazu eine Idee was es da denn an
> Alternativen gibt (idealerweise welche die auch funktionieren)?
> 
> [1]
> https://www.golem.de/news/pantsdown-fehler-in-server-firmware-ermoeglicht-
> rootkit-1901-138956.html
> 
> MfG
> Stefan
> 
> 
> -----------------------------------------

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#210543

	Hi.

On Mon, Jul 01, 2019 at 09:48:50AM -0400, rhkramer@gmail.com wrote:
> I don't know how many people are aware of what the BMC is / does -- after a 
> little googling, my tentative understanding is that this is the "extra" 
> miroprocessor that is now included in some (Intel and maybe AMD?) CPUs?

It's an extra *card* (PCI-X based usually) that provides the means of
server's remote control and monitoring via dedicated NIC. Even in the
case if the server's OS is inoperable. Especially in that case,
actually, and that makes it invaluable.

Intel ME and its' AMD PSP provide similar functions, but they're
CPU-based and do not have a dedicated NIC. Both are typical for desktops
and laptops, and are redundant for servers. Also considered evil because
'they are spying on us via ME/PSP'.

AFAIK you cannot replace Intel ME/AMD PSP with your custom OS without
bricking a motherboard/CPU. You can disable it in some cases (requires
physical reflash of BIOS chip), but that's it.

But apparently you can replace BMC's 'firmware' with your own, something
that OpenBMC tries to achieve. Main problem is - there are many
BMC/ILOM/ILO, and OpenBMC targets a few of them. I'd give my hand for a
sensible replacement of Sun's ILOM 'firmware', but I'm not aware of any.

Reco

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#210550

rhkramer@gmail.com wrote: 
> I don't know how many people are aware of what the BMC is / does -- after a 
> little googling, my tentative understanding is that this is the "extra" 
> miroprocessor that is now included in some (Intel and maybe AMD?) CPUs?
> 
> What are you trying to do with it?
> 
> If you're setting up a computer that happens to have one of those, can you 
> just ignore it, or must it do something to allow the main CPU to run?

If you've got a motherboard-integrated BMC, it controls the
power-on and -off functions of the main computer, and has its
own network stack and can function as a console for the main
computer.

If you're lucky, it has a separate NIC port and you can either
isolate that to a private network or keep it unplugged.

If you're unlucky, it implements a local switch to hijack
another motherboard NIC port and you need to take affirmative
control of it, including allocating it an IP address and using
a firewall to prevent access to it.

-dsr-

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#210584

Hello,

a BMC or IPMI interface is a controller which is described here [1]

> But apparently you can replace BMC's 'firmware' with your own, something
> that OpenBMC tries to achieve. Main problem is - there are many
> BMC/ILOM/ILO, and OpenBMC targets a few of them. I'd give my hand for a
> sensible replacement of Sun's ILOM 'firmware', but I'm not aware of any.
Yes, but in this post i talk about Supermicro servers/mainboards and I try to find something for Aspeed AST2500 chips, but there is nothing :-(

But thanks, it looks like that the author made a mistake, maybe..


[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligent_Platform_Management_Interface#IPMI_components



On Monday, July 1, 2019 3:48:50 PM CEST rhkramer@gmail.com wrote:
> I don't know how many people are aware of what the BMC is / does -- after a 
> little googling, my tentative understanding is that this is the "extra" 
> miroprocessor that is now included in some (Intel and maybe AMD?) CPUs?
> 
> What are you trying to do with it?
> 
> If you're setting up a computer that happens to have one of those, can you 
> just ignore it, or must it do something to allow the main CPU to run?
> 
> On Monday, July 01, 2019 04:27:48 AM Stefan K wrote:
> > Hello everybody,
> > 
> > So I don't get any answers from the debian-user-german mailinglist I ask
> > you ;)
> > 
> > short question: when I read [1] (sorry just in german), it says that
> > several vendors install their own BMC software up there. So I ask myself
> > which one? OpenBMC doesn't really seem to work yet and I can't think of
> > anything else. I've already written to the author (several times) but
> > without reaction. :( Do you have any idea what alternatives there are
> > (ideally which ones work)?
> > 
> > [1]
> > https://www.golem.de/news/pantsdown-fehler-in-server-firmware-ermoeglicht-
> > rootkit-1901-138956.html
> > 
> > best regards
> > Stefan
> > 
> > ----------  Forwarded Message  ----------
> > 
> > Subject: alternative Firmware für BMC's
> > Date: Tuesday, June 25, 2019, 3:21:03 PM CEST
> > From: Stefan K <shadow_7@gmx.net>
> > To: debian-user-german@lists.debian.org
> > 
> > Hallo in die Runde,
> > 
> > kurze Frage: wenn ich [1] lese, steht dort dass diverse Anbieter ihre
> > eigene BMC-Software rauf klatschen. Da stellt sich mir die Frage welche
> > denn? OpenBMC scheint noch nicht wirklich zu gehen und ansonsten fällt mir
> > da nichts ein. Ich hab auch schon den Autor angeschrieben (mehrmals)
> > jedoch ohne Reaktion. :( Habt ihr denn dazu eine Idee was es da denn an
> > Alternativen gibt (idealerweise welche die auch funktionieren)?
> > 
> > [1]
> > https://www.golem.de/news/pantsdown-fehler-in-server-firmware-ermoeglicht-
> > rootkit-1901-138956.html
> > 
> > MfG
> > Stefan
> > 
> > 
> > -----------------------------------------
> 

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#210866

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On 2/07/19 7:18 PM, Stefan K wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> a BMC or IPMI interface is a controller which is described here [1]
> 
>> But apparently you can replace BMC's 'firmware' with your own, something
>> that OpenBMC tries to achieve. Main problem is - there are many
>> BMC/ILOM/ILO, and OpenBMC targets a few of them. I'd give my hand for a
>> sensible replacement of Sun's ILOM 'firmware', but I'm not aware of any.
> Yes, but in this post i talk about Supermicro servers/mainboards and I try to find something for Aspeed AST2500 chips, but there is nothing :-(


https://github.com/openbmc/openbmc/tree/master/meta-aspeed ?

Haven't looked more deeply; my Supermicro board is brand new, and I'm
not ready to start messing with it yet :-)

Richard

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#210548

Hi,

> short question: when I read [1] (sorry just in german), it says that several
> vendors install their own BMC software up there. So I ask myself which one?

I guess you will have to find a place where big iron is more on topic.

For us small iron owners there is still AMT if we want it scary:
  https://www.zdnet.com/article/minix-intels-hidden-in-chip-operating-system/
(Rumor has it that my main board's ethernet ports don't support AMT.
 But i would not bet on that.)


Have a nice day :)

Thomas

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