IPMI

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* IPMI
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IPMI top-level message handler (IPMI_HANDLER) [N/m/y/?] (NEW) ?

This enables the central IPMI message handler, required for IPMI to work. Note that you must have this enabled to do any other IPMI things. See IPMI.txt for more details.

IPMI top-level message handler (IPMI_HANDLER) [N/m/y/?] (NEW)

Telling me what IPMI is, and why I might need it, would be a good thing... Please, Corey, I'm feeling generation-gapped by the acronyms...

Thanks!
Rusty.
--
Anyone who quotes me in their sig is an idiot. -- Rusty Russell.

There is a Documentation/IPMI.txt, which would serve as an excellent example of how _not_ to write a documentation file, should you ever decide to write a "Rusty's Unreliable Guide to Writing Kernel Documentation" and need an example to pillory. I quote:

Maybe it can't all be covered here, but some basic explanation of what IPMI is and does is essential, even if just so that people who don't need IPMI can work that out.

Paul.

I don't want to start a license flamewar, by any means, but while looking through that page I noticed this:

"Adopters Agreement:

Before implementing the IPMI, IPMB or ICMB specifications, a royalty-free reciprocal patent license must be signed."

The agreement itself (at http://www.intel.com/design/servers/ipmi/adopterslicense.pdf)
seems benign (where 'seems' means 'I am not a lawyer and I don't even play one on TV'),
but this bit looks a little iffy:

| Adopter hereby grants to the Promoters and to Fellow Adopters, and the
| Promoters hereby grant to Adopter, a nonexclusive, royalty-free,
| nontransferable, nonsublicenseable, worldwide
| license under its Necessary Claims to make, have made, use, import,
| offer to sell and sell products which comply with the Specification

How does the "nontransferable, nonsublicensable" bit affect Linux? I presume somebody signed this thing and sent it to Intel, but wouldn't it only apply to the individual who signed it, as Linux developers aren't exactly a legal entity? The way I read it, it would mean that everybody who wants to distribute a kernel containing IPMI would each need to sign the agreement...

Much as I hate to say it, have you had a GPL-aware lawyer look at this?

Sorry for the noise,

Bruce

since intel also seems to ship a GPL ipmi driver I think they give explicit permission for this ;)

Ah, OK ;)

I added the following to the top of the document. Do you have any other comments on the document or this text?

The Intelligent Peripheral Management Interface, or IPMI, is a standard for controlling intelligent devices that monitor a system. It provides for dynamic discovery of sensors in the system and the ability to monitor the sensors and be informed when the sensor's values change or go outside certain boundaries. It also has a standardized database for field-replacable units (FRUs) and a watchdog timer.

To use this, you need an interface to an IPMI controller in your system (called a Baseboard Management Controller, or BMC) and management software that can use the IPMI system.

-Corey

Much better, thank you. Is IPMI used only on x86, or only x86 and ia64? If so that would be worth mentioning too. Other than that, the paragraph you propose is exactly the sort of brief background that is needed.

Thanks,
Paul.

Thanks, I will add that. It's generic, BTW, not just x86 and ia64.

-Corey

Does this work, or would you like more detail?

config IPMI_HANDLER
tristate 'IPMI top-level message handler'
help
This enables the central IPMI message handler, required for IPMI to work. Note that you must have this enabled to enable any other IPMI things. IPMI is a standard for managing sensors (temperature, voltage, etc.) in a system. If you don't know what it is, your system probably doesn't have it and you can ignore this option. See Documentation/IPMI.txt for more details on the driver.

-Corey

What about the following?

config IPMI_HANDLER
tristate 'IPMI top-level message handler'
help
This enables the central IPMI message handler, required for IPMI to work.

IPMI (Intelligent Platform Management Interface) is one standard for managing sensors (temperature, voltage, etc.) in a system.

See Documentation/IPMI.txt for more details.

If unsure, say N.

cu
Adrian

       "Is there not promise of rain?" Ling Tan asked suddenly out
        of the darkness. There had been need of rain for many days.
       "Only a promise," Lao Er said.
                                       Pearl S. Buck - Dragon Seed

With modern systems it is quite likely that the system does have IPMI but the user has no idea wat IPMI is.

Wichert.

Wichert Akkerman <[email protected]>           http://www.wiggy.net/
A random hacker

In message <[email protected]> you write:

I don't mean to nitpick, but I want to know whether I need it or not.

Now, if I read this correctly, CONFIG_IPMI would be a more appropriate name. But changing the message at least would make it clearer:

config IPMI_HANDLER
tristate 'IPMI support'

Now, the message. How about this:
help
Intelligent Peripheral Management Interface (IPMI) is a standard for managing sensors (temperature, voltage, etc.) in a system. Most IA64 and x86 servers shipped since 2002 have support for it. See Documentation/IPMI.txt for more details. Say "N" unless configuring for a recent x86 or IA64 machine.

Tweak details to suit: maybe IPMI goes furthur back, maybe it's also on desktops, maybe it's so widespread that the suggested default should be "Y" for all IA64 and x86.

But the "what to do if you know nothing" is important: people who know what IPMI is don't need the help message.

Hope that clarifies?
Rusty.
--
Anyone who quotes me in their sig is an idiot. -- Rusty Russell.

Rusty Russell <[email protected]> said:

[...]

Perhaps 'Say "Y" when configuring for a recent...' is clearer? --
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