Data Sheet

User manual Rev. 6 — 4 April 2014 34 of 64

NXP Semiconductors

UM10204

C-bus specification and user manual

4.3 PMBus - Power Management Bus

PMBus is a standard way to communicate between power converters and a system host

over the SMBus to provide more intelligent control of the power converters. The PMBus

specification defines a standard set of device commands so that devices from multiple

sources function identically. PMBus devices use the SMBus Version 1.1 plus extensions

for transport.

For more information, refer to: www.pmbus.org/

4.4 Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI)

Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) defines a standardized, abstracted,

message-based interface for intelligent platform management hardware. IPMI also

defines standardized records for describing platform management devices and their

characteristics. IPMI increases reliability of systems by monitoring parameters such as

temperatures, voltages, fans and chassis intrusion.

IPMI provides general system management functions such as automatic alerting,

automatic system shutdown and restart, remote restart and power control. The

standardized interface to intelligent platform management hardware aids in prediction and

early monitoring of hardware failures as well as diagnosis of hardware problems.

This standardized bus and protocol for extending management control, monitoring, and

event delivery within the chassis:

• I

C based

• Multi-master

• Simple Request/Response Protocol

• Uses IPMI Command sets

• Supports non-IPMI devices

• Physically I

C but write-only (master capable devices); hot swap not required

• Enables the Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) to accept IPMI request

messages from other management controllers in the system

• Allows non-intelligent devices as well as management controllers on the bus

• BMC serves as a controller to give system software access to IPMB.

Hardware implementation is isolated from software implementation so that new sensors

and events can then be added without any software changes.

For more information, refer to: www.intel.com/design/servers/ipmi/ipmi.htm