Intel ZT 4901 manual Baseboard Management Controller Firmware Enhancements, Hot Swap API

System Management

The next-generation, high-availability architecture provides this system management infrastructure using IPMI. Through the IPMI API the developer is able to access the status of individual sensors, various management controllers, and to configure the system to initiate switchovers based on events or threshold excursions. See Chapter 8, “IPMI API,” for details.

4.1.2Hot Swap API

A critical feature of any system that claims to be Highly Available is the capability to perform peripheral insertions and extractions without requiring that the system be powered off. In order to provide this functionality a kernel level Hot Swap infrastructure should be integrated into the operating system. This infrastructure allows for dynamic resource allocation for peripheral slot cards. Given the dynamic nature of a Highly Available platform, the system management needs to remain aware of the system’s topology. A PICMG 2.12 compliant Hot Swap API accomplishes this. The Hot Swap API includes functions to return the state and population of the CompactPCI bus, to simulate unlatching a particular board's hot swap extractor, and to permit software connection and disconnection. See Chapter 6, “Redundant Host API,” for more information.

4.1.2.1Slot Control API

Another part of system management is the ability to control individual peripherals cards. Under normal circumstances in which a system is operating properly, little in the way of card control needs to be performed. There are events that require actions to be taken to place the peripheral cards into a known state. It is the responsibility of the slot control driver and the accompanying API to provide this quiescing and peripheral shutdown functionality. This API provides control at the card level, as well as providing several functions that allow reporting the status of the peripheral card’s operational state. See Chapter 9, “Slot Control API,” for more information.

4.2Baseboard Management Controller Firmware Enhancements

The HASDK takes advantage of the system master processor board’s capability for board management provided through its resident Baseboard Management Controller (BMC). The standard capabilities of the BMC provide a high level of system management. To support RH functionality, some extensions for bus segment control are added to IPMI v1.5 specification support. These extensions include:

•Fault Configuration

•Isolation Strategies

•CompactPCI Interface Controller interaction

•Non-Volatile Storage of RH Parameters

•IPMI RH Channel Commands

4.2.1Fault Configuration

The BMC handles the following event triggering mechanisms for each entry in its Sensor Data Record (SDR):

•Upper/Lower non-critical threshold

26 High Availability Software for the Intel® NetStructureTM ZT 4901 Technical Product Specification