Accessing Supermicro IPMI via SSH

Question

When you deal with Supermicro IPMI/BMC, you could access it via:

• HTTP(S) in your browser - seeing web pages with sensors/configs and java applet to run redirection console
• IPMI protocol (using ipmitool-like CLI or IPMIView-like GUI apps)

Once I discovered I could just ssh [email protected] and get into the BMC - there is Linux-like shell, ifconfig (not with server's, but with BMC's network settings), and - the greatest thing! - ability to tape reboot to reset BMC when IPMI starts glitching.

But now, having access to numerous Supermicro boxes with IPMI, I discover that SSH access works differently: about a half of boxes runs "normal" shell on IPMI's 22 port, other runs the "ATEN SMASH-CLP System Management Shell". It is not Linux-like, not supports standard commands like ls, and I can't reset BMC with it.

Google mainly says of SMASH-CLP in source-of-security-breaches way. Is there any user documentation for it? Or could I make my IPMI/BMC run "normal" shell via SSH, not SMASH-CLP?

I deal with X9DRW-iF, X9DRi-F and X9SCL-F motherboards.

Solution

On all my Super Micro BMCs there is a hidden SMASH command to drop out of the default environment and into a BusyBox shell.

Try typing "shell sh" in the SMASH shell and see if that works.

Comments

[TomTom]

Tried reading the documentation of them?

[AntonioK]

Supermicro gives only motherboard manuals: X9DRW, X9DRi, X9SCL - and there are no SSH/SMASH mentions on it. I guess BCM vendor is not connected to motherboard vendor, Supermicro just built 3rd-party hardware (BMC) and firmware for it into their motherboards.

[HBruijn]

4 different IPMI user guides are found on the main Supermicro documentation page including the SMT IPMI Manual which includes SMASH in appendix B.

[Stefan Lasiewski]

Note that you can reboot the BMC remotely using $ ipmitool -H 1.2.3.4 -U ADMIN -E -I lanplus bmc reset warm (or cold). I haven't found the SMASH-CLP useful at all. Supermicro provides different BMCs from different vendors, each with a different implementation of a CLP, learning what is possible is a serious pain and doesn't apply to all nodes.

[Stefan Lasiewski]

This doesn't work on all of my Supermicro boxes, sadly. It is even inconsistant in X9 mobos as well.

[maxschlepzig]

some context to why it was removed - with 2017 produced Supermicro boards a shell sh yields 'shell command not support now.'.