This section explains how to configure the out-of-band management port on platforms that use the Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI).

How the IPMI Port Works

The dedicated out-of-band management port allows functionality such as remote display, control, and power. The port uses the Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) protocol.

The IPMI port is located on the back of your node. For more information, see the documentation from your hardware vendor.

Prerequisites

You must have root user access through SSH on the client-facing network. For example:

sudo -s

You must enter the configuration commands on each node that will be a member of your IPMI maintenance network.

In the examples below, replace <CHANNEL> with the IPMI channel for your platform (commonly 1 or 3). For the correct channel, see the documentation from your hardware vendor.

Verifying IPMI LAN Configuration

To view the current IPMI LAN configuration, run the following command.

ipmitool lan print <CHANNEL>

Configuring IPMI with Static IP Addresses

To configure the IPMI interface with a static IP address, run the following commands. Replace <IP_ADDRESS>, <SUBNET_MASK>, and <GATEWAY_IP_ADDRESS> with values appropriate for your network.

# Set IPMI interface to static IP
ipmitool lan set <CHANNEL> ipsrc static

# Set the IP address of the interface
ipmitool lan set <CHANNEL> ipaddr <IP_ADDRESS>

# Set the subnet mask
ipmitool lan set <CHANNEL> netmask <SUBNET_MASK>

# Set the default gateway
ipmitool lan set <CHANNEL> defgw ipaddr <GATEWAY_IP_ADDRESS>

# (Optional) Enable BMC ARP responses
ipmitool lan set <CHANNEL> arp respond on

Managing IPMI Users

Listing Current Users

To list current IPMI users, run the following command.

ipmitool user list <CHANNEL>

The output shows user IDs, names, and privilege levels. For example:

ID  Name    Callin  Link Auth  IPMI Msg  Channel Priv Limit
1           false   false      true      ADMINISTRATOR
2   root    false   true       true      ADMINISTRATOR

Changing a User Password

To change the password for an existing user, run the following command. Replace <USER_ID> with the user’s ID number.

ipmitool user set password <USER_ID>

The system prompts you to enter and confirm the new password.

Creating a New User

To create a new administrative user, run the following commands. This example creates a user named netadmin in user slot 4.

# Set the username
ipmitool user set name 4 netadmin

# Set the password (you will be prompted)
ipmitool user set password 4

Setting User Access

To configure access permissions for a user, run the following commands. Replace <USER_ID> with the user’s ID number.

# Grant LAN access, IPMI messaging, callin, and administrator privilege
ipmitool channel setaccess <CHANNEL> <USER_ID> link=on ipmi=on callin=on privilege=4

# Enable the user
ipmitool user enable <USER_ID>

Verifying User Access

To verify access settings for a channel, run the following command.

ipmitool channel getaccess <CHANNEL>

Example output:

Maximum User IDs  : 15
Enabled User IDs  : 2

User ID           : 1
User Name         :
Fixed Name        : Yes
Access Available  : callback
Link Authentication : disabled
IPMI Messaging    : enabled
Privilege Level   : ADMINISTRATOR

User ID           : 2
User Name         : root
Fixed Name        : Yes
Access Available  : callback
Link Authentication : enabled
IPMI Messaging    : enabled
Privilege Level   : ADMINISTRATOR

Connecting to Nodes

After you configure the IPMI port, you can access the node by using a web browser and the IP address that you or your DHCP server assigned.

Troubleshooting Connectivity

If you can’t connect to the IPMI management console, make sure that LAN access is turned on for the channel.

ipmitool lan set <CHANNEL> access on

If you still can’t connect and your network configuration is correct, reset the BMC through an SSH or KVM Console session to the node.

ipmitool bmc reset cold