science

Intel Active Management Technology

Intel Active Management Technology is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Intel Active Management Technology rather than just read about it. In short: Intel Active Management Technology (AMT) is hardware and firmware for remote out-of-band management of select business computers, running on the Intel Management Engine, a microprocessor subsystem not exposed to the user, intended for monitoring, maintenance, updating, and repairing systems. Out-of-band (OOB) or hardware-based management is different from software-based (or in-band) management and software managemen…

Key takeaways

Intel Active Management Technology belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Intel Active Management Technology to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Intel Active Management Technology from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Intel Active Management Technology (AMT) is hardware and firmware for remote out-of-band management of select business computers, running on the Intel Management Engine, a microprocessor subsystem not exposed to the user, intended for monitoring, maintenance, updating, and repairing systems. Out-of-band (OOB) or hardware-based management is different from software-based (or in-band) management and software management agents. Hardware-based management works at a different level from software applications and uses a communication channel (through the TCP/IP stack) that is different from software-based communication (which is through the software stack in the operating system). Hardware-based management does not depend on the presence of an OS or a locally installed management agent. Hardware-based management has been available on Intel/AMD-based computers in the past, but it has largely been limited to auto-configuration using DHCP or BOOTP for dynamic IP address allocation and diskless workstations, as well as wake-on-LAN (WOL) for remotely powering on systems. AMT is not intended to be used by itself; it is intended to be used alongside a software management application. It gives a management application (and thus, the system administrator who uses it) access to the PC down the wire, to remotely do tasks that are difficult or sometimes impossible when working on a PC that does not have remote functionalities built into it. AMT is designed into a service processor located on the motherboard and uses TLS-secured communication and strong encryption to provide additional security. AMT is built into PCs with Intel vPro technology and is based on the Intel Management Engine (ME). AMT has moved towards increasing support for DMTF Desktop and mobile Architecture for System Hardware (DASH) standards and AMT Release 5.1 and later releases are an implementation of DASH version 1.0/1.1 standards for out-of-band management. AMT provides similar functionality to IPMI, although AMT is designed for client computing systems as compared with the typically server-based IPMI. Currently, AMT is available in desktops, servers, ultrabooks, tablets, and laptops with Intel Core vPro processor family, including Intel Core i5, Core i7, Core i9, and Intel Xeon E3-1000, Xeon E, Xeon W-1000 product family. AMT also requires an Intel networking card and the corporate version of the Intel Management Engine binary. Intel confirmed a Remote Elevation of Privilege bug (CVE-2017-5689, SA-00075) in its Management Technology on May 1, 2017. Every Intel platform with either Intel Standard Manageability, Active Management Technology, or Small Business Technology, from Nehalem in 2008 to Kaby Lake in 2017 has a remotely exploitable security hole in the ME. Some manufacturers, like Purism and System76 are already selling hardware with Intel Management Engine disabled to prevent the remote exploit. Additional major security flaws in the ME affecting a very large number of computers incorporating Management Engine, Trusted Execution Engine, and Server Platform Services firmware, from Skylake in 2015 to Coffee Lake in 2017, were confirmed by Intel on November 20, 2017 (SA-00086).

Non-free service access Although iAMT may be included for free in devices sold to the public and to small businesses, the full capabilities of iAMT, including encrypted remote access via a public key certificate and automatic remote device provisioning of unconfigured iAMT clients, are not accessible for free to the general public or to the direct owners of iAMT equipped devices. iAMT cannot be fully utilized to its maximum potential without purchasing additional software or management services from Intel or a 3rd party independent software vendor (ISV) or value added reseller (VAR). Intel itself provides a developer's toolkit software package that allows basic access to iAMT, but is not intended to be normally used to access the technology. Only basic modes of access are supported, without full access to the encrypted communications of the complete purchased management system.

Features Intel AMT includes hardware-based remote management, security, power management, and remote configuration features that enable independent remote access to AMT-enabled PCs. Intel AMT is security and management technology that is built into PCs with Intel vPro technology. Intel AMT uses a hardware-based out-of-band (OOB) communication channel that operates regardless of the presence of a working operating system. The communication channel is independent of the PC's power state, the presence of a management agent, and the state of many hardware components such as hard disk drives and memory. Most AMT features are available OOB, regardless of PC power state. Other features require the PC to be powered up (such as console redirection via serial over LAN (SOL), agent presence checking, and network traffic filtering). Intel AMT has remote power-up capability. Hardware-based features can be combined with scripting to automate maintenance and service. Hardware-based AMT features on laptop and desktop PCs include:

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Intel Active Management Technology

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Intel Active Management Technology claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Intel Active Management Technology before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Intel Active Management Technology ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Intel Active Management Technology

In research: Intel Active Management Technology appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Intel Active Management Technology in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Intel Active Management Technology is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Intel products, Out-of-band management, System administration, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Intel Active Management Technology outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Intel Active Management Technology” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Intel Active Management Technology in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Intel Active Management Technology means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Intel Active Management Technology out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Intel Active Management Technology in simple terms?

Why does Intel Active Management Technology matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Intel Active Management Technology?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Intel Active Management Technology.