Track - Pre OS

Platform Level Data Model (PLDM): A Technical Overview

Hemal Shah, Broadcom Corporation

The Platform Level Data Model (PLDM) is being designed by the DMTF Platform Management Component Intercommunications (PMCI) sub-team of the DMTF Pre-OS Workgroup to be an effective data and control source for mapping under CIM. PLDM is targeted to provide an efficient access to low-level platform inventory, monitoring, control, eventing, and data/parameters transfer functions such as temperature, fan, voltage, event logging, and boot control. PLDM is defining data representations and commands that abstract the platform management hardware. This talk provides a technical overview of PLDM and PLDM over Management Component Transport Protocol (MCTP) mapping.

Pre-OS WG and PMCI Overview

Hemal Shah, Broadcom Corporation

The Pre-OS WG is chartered to provide specifications and protocols that define interfaces and capabilities for managing a system in the OS-absent environments and communicating OS-absent management hardware configuration and capabilities to the OS-present environment. The work done in Pre-OS WG complements the OS-present and remote management standards and mechanisms that are based on CIM and WBEM. Platform Management Components Intercommunications (PMCI) is a sub-group of the Pre-OS working group within DMTF. PMCI defines specifications to address “inside the box” communication and functional interfaces between the  components of the platform management subsystem. This talk provides an overview of the Pre-OS WG and PMCI scope/work areas.

Management Component Transport Protocol (MCTP)

Tom Slaight, Intel Corporation

The Management Component Transport Protocol (MCTP) is a protocol defined by the DMTF Platform Management Component Intercommunications sub-team of the DMTF Pre-OS Workgroup. MCTP is designed to support communications between different intelligent hardware components that make up a platform management subsystem that provides monitoring and control functions inside a managed system. This protocol is independent of the underlying physical bus properties, as well as the "data-link" layer messaging used on the bus. The MCTP communication model includes a message format, transport description, message exchange patterns, and operational endpoint characteristics. This talk provides a technical overview of the architectural goals and general operation of MCTP and how MCTP is used over SMBus/I2C and PCIe media.

Network Controller-Sideband Interface (NC-SI)

Tom Slaight, Intel Corporation

In out-of-band management environments, the interface between the out-of-band Management Controller (MC) and the Network Controller (NC) is critical. In many implementations, it is desirable to accomplish the out-of-band network connection using a standalone network controller device. Proprietary solutions exist, but they are not interoperable across vendors. The Network Controller - Sideband Interface (NC-SI) specification defines a standardized interface that enables a network controller to provide network access for a Management Controller, while allowing the network controller to simultaneously and transparently provide network access for the host system. This talk provides a technical overview of the NC-SI architecture, operation, and physical transport.