computer science

OpenBMC

OpenBMC is a computer 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 OpenBMC rather than just read about it. In short: The OpenBMC project is a Linux Foundation collaborative open-source project that produces an open source implementation of the baseboard management controllers (BMC) firmware stack. OpenBMC is a Linux distribution for BMCs meant to work across heterogeneous systems that include enterprise, high-performance computing (HPC), telecommunications, and cloud-scale data centers.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

The OpenBMC project is a Linux Foundation collaborative open-source project that produces an open source implementation of the baseboard management controllers (BMC) firmware stack. OpenBMC is a Linux distribution for BMCs meant to work across heterogeneous systems that include enterprise, high-performance computing (HPC), telecommunications, and cloud-scale data centers.

History In 2014, four Facebook programmers at a Facebook hackathon event created a prototype open-source BMC firmware stack named OpenBMC. In 2015, IBM collaborated with Rackspace on an open-source BMC firmware stack also named OpenBMC. These projects were similar in name and concept only. In March 2018, OpenBMC became a Linux Foundation project and converged on the IBM stack. Founding organizations of the OpenBMC project are Microsoft, Intel, IBM, Google, and Facebook. A technical steering committee was formed to guide the project with representation from the five founding companies. Brad Bishop from IBM was elected chair of the technical steering committee. In April 2019, Arm Holdings joined as the 6th member of the OpenBMC technical steering committee.

Features OpenBMC uses the Yocto Project as the underlying building and distribution generation framework. The firmware itself is based on U-Boot. OpenBMC uses D-Bus as an inter-process communication (IPC). OpenBMC includes a web application for interacting with the firmware stack. OpenBMC added Redfish support for hardware management.

Systems Google/Rackspace partnership Barreleye G2 / Zaius—two-socket server platform using POWER9 processors. IBM Power Systems AC922 also "Witherspoon" or "Newell"—two-socket, 2U Accelerated Computing (AC) node using POWER9 processors with up to 6 Nvidia Volta GPUs. AC922 was used in the U.S. Department of Energy's Sierra and Summit supercomputers. Power System's S1024, L1024, S1022, L1022, S1022, S1014, and E1050 – 1–4 socket Power10 systems Raptor Computing Systems / Raptor Engineering Talos II—two-socket workstation and development platform; available as 4U server, tower, or EATX mainboard. Talos II Lite – single-socket version of the Talos II mainboard, made using the same PCB. Blackbird – single-socket microATX platform using SMT4 Sforza POWER9 processors, 4–8 cores, 2 RAM slots (supporting up to 256 GiB total)

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with OpenBMC

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what OpenBMC claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer 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 OpenBMC 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 OpenBMC 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 OpenBMC

In research: OpenBMC appears in computer 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 OpenBMC 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: OpenBMC is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2014 software, Embedded Linux, Linux Foundation projects, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for OpenBMC 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.

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How to study OpenBMC in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what OpenBMC 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 OpenBMC out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is OpenBMC in simple terms?

Why does OpenBMC matter?

Because it connects several computer 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 OpenBMC?

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 OpenBMC.