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: freeipmi-devel-bounces+swindell=broadcom....@gnu.org [mailto:freeipmi-devel-bounces+swindell=broadcom....@gnu.org] On Behalf Of Al Chu Sent: Monday, January 06, 2014 11:38 AM To: Vinny Vallarine Cc: freeipmi-devel@gnu.org 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:ch...@llnl.gov] > Sent: Monday, January 06, 2014 12:50 PM > To: Vinny Vallarine > Cc: freeipmi-devel@gnu.org > 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:ch...@llnl.gov] > > Sent: Monday, January 06, 2014 12:24 PM > > To: Vinny Vallarine > > Cc: freeipmi-devel@gnu.org > > 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) > > > > > > > > > > vvallar...@idtus.com > > > > > > > > > > www.idtus.com > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > Freeipmi-devel mailing list > > > > > Freeipmi-devel@gnu.org > > > > > https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/freeipmi-devel > > > > -- > > > > Albert Chu > > > > ch...@llnl.gov > > > > Computer Scientist > > > > High Performance Systems Division > > > > Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory > > > > > > > > > -- > Albert Chu > ch...@llnl.gov > Computer Scientist > High Performance Systems Division > Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory > -- Albert Chu ch...@llnl.gov Computer Scientist High Performance Systems Division Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory _______________________________________________ Freeipmi-devel mailing list Freeipmi-devel@gnu.org https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/freeipmi-devel _______________________________________________ Freeipmi-devel mailing list Freeipmi-devel@gnu.org https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/freeipmi-devel