Users Guide

Terminal Mode Commands 79
Character Support
Terminal mode messages are composed of standard printable ASCII characters. All other characters are
treated as illegal characters.
Special Character Handling — <ESC> character
The <ESC> character deletes an entire message prior to submission to the BMC for processing. If line
editing is enabled, and the <ESC> key is followed by an input newline sequence, the BMC responds by
outputting an output newline sequence. Otherwise, the BMC looks for the next start character.
Special Character Handling — <DEL> or <BKSP> character
The <BKSP> or <DEL> key deletes the last character entered if the message has not been submitted
to the BMC yet.
Special Character Handling — Line Continuation character
Long IPMI messages can be split across multiple lines by using the line continuation <BACKSLASH>
character followed immediately by an input newline sequence. Line continuation character usage is
supported for both text and hex-ASCII commands.
Special Character Handling — Illegal characters
Any illegal characters received by the BMC clear the message in progress and the BMC looks for the next
start character.
Hex-ASCII Command Format
Binary IPMI commands are sent and received as a series of case-insensitive hex-ASCII pairs, where each
is separated from the preceding pair by a single <space> character. Table B-1 lists the terminal mode
requests to BMC and Table B-2 lists the terminal mode responses from BMC. The following is an
example of a binary IPMI request message:
[18 00 22]<newline sequence>
Table B-1. Terminal Mode Request to BMC
Byte Explanation
1 [7:2] – Net Function (even)
[1:0] – Responder’s LUN
2 [7:2] – Requester’s Sequence Number
[1:0] – Bridge field
3 Command Number
4:N Data