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Avocent Announces IPMI Windows Drivers Now Digitally Signed By MicrosoftOSA IPMI Drivers Pass WHQL Tests - Together with IPMI Firmware, OSA Provides Unparalleled Reliability, Performance and Now, Windows Compatibility for IPMI These drivers will be demonstrated at the upcoming Intel Developer Forum (IDF) in San Francisco September 7-9 in the OSA and Avocent booth #410. OSA 32-bit IPMI drivers for Windows are available today as well as 32-bit and 64-bit drivers for Linux. Pricing varies by OS platform and implementation. "By passing the WHQL tests, vendors and users are assured of a high level of quality and performance when integrating these drivers within their IPMI-based servers, management applications and appliances," said Mark Lee, CEO, OSA Technologies. "Extensive testing using specialised stress testing tools and methodologies against both old and new generations of servers, together with OSA’s experience, places OSA at the forefront of quality IPMI driver development. Testing is also performed together with our IPMI firmware and other management products - OSA Command Line Interface (CLI), Serial-over-LAN (SOL) and OSA Server Manager products. No other vendor offers such a robust, complete and Windows compatible IPMI management stack." . Importance of Digital Signing to Vendors and Users WHQL supports the Microsoft Windows Logo Program for hardware with the Hardware Compatibility Test (HCT) kits, test information, and data for hardware testing driver signing. To participate in testing for Windows compatibility, OSA used the relevant HCT kit. After the OSA driver passed the HCT tests, OSA sent the log file package to Windows Quality Online Services. The drivers were then digitally signed. A driver’s digital signature indicates that the driver was tested with Windows for compatibility and has not been altered since testing. Windows uses the presence or absence of a driver’s digital signature to evaluate the quality of the drivers it attempts to install. Windows will warn users if they attempt to install drivers that don’t have signatures. System administrators and individual computer owners can also choose to set operating-system policies that will prevent the installation of drivers that do not have digital signatures. OSA drivers conform to IPMI v1.5 and IPMI v2.0. They provide in-band (OS-present) and out of band (OOB – OS-unresponsive or OS-absent) services. One example of an OOB service is accessing the OS console and server boot screens over the LAN, commonly referred to as SOL Currently, OSA is the only vendor who provides this IPMI driver capability, interoperating with the latest servers. OSA’s IPMI firmware and software solutions are designed to be easily integrated into system vendors’ products. In addition to supporting IPMI mandatory and optional features, products can also be tailored to meet individual customer needs for differentiation. Examples include integration with DMTF standards like Web Based Enterprise Management (WBEM)/Common Information Model (CIM) and the latest Server Management Architecture (SMA), Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI), System Management Basic Input/Output System (SMBIOS) and the Hardware Platform Interface (HPI). More about IPMI IPMI is an embedded management specification that defines a common and secure interface to how vendors monitor their system hardware and sensors (temperature, voltage, fan, etc.), control system components (power supplies, blades, etc.), log important system events (chassis intrusion, system reset, etc.) and allow administrators to remotely manage and recover failed systems. It is typically implemented at the silicon level, and is independent of the CPU, OS, BIOS and backplane. Promoted by Dell (NASDAQ: DELL), Hewlett Packard (NYSE:HPQ), Intel and NEC (NASDAQ:NIPNY), IPMI standardises the way embedded management subsystems communicate with systems such as, the CPU, other embedded management subsystems and remote management applications. IPMI also offers enhanced manageability for products that support the AdvancedTCA initiative. RHK, an industry research firm, recently valued the AdvancedTCA market at $3.7B by 2007 (RHK study: www.advancedtca.org). IPMI v2.0 was announced February 2004 and adds new features beyond IPMI v1.5 including enhanced security, console redirection, enhanced support for modular systems like blades and backward compatibility. The specification is available at http://developer.intel.com/design/servers/ipmi/spec.htm. Since 1998, more than 165 vendors have adopted IPMI, making it a market-proven standard. About OSA Technologies OSA Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Avocent Corporation (NASDAQ: AVCT), provides embedded platform management solutions to the server, blade, telecommunications, networking, and storage marketplaces worldwide. OSA's market leading solutions, including IPMI software and firmware, are well entrenched through partnerships with major silicon vendors, system and design manufacturers, and branded OEMs. Building on its first mover advantage, OSA has strategically located sales, support and development centres in San Jose, Taipei and Shanghai to more closely meet the embedded management needs of system vendors shipping OSA-enabled products worldwide. More information about OSA can be found at www.osatechnologies.com. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries. |