MegaRAC

The MegaRAC from American Megatrends is a successful product line of Service Processors providing complete out-of-band, or Lights-out remote management of computer systems. MegaRAC Service Processors come in various formats - PCI cards, embedded modules, software-only. All these have one thing in common: they enable accessing a computer irrespective of system status or where the administrator is, being it 20 feet or a thousand mile distance. Service Processors are utilized to provide complete Out-of-band access to computer systems independently of the Operating System status or location to troubleshoot computers and assure continuity of service.

History

The MegaRAC remote management controller was introduced in 1998 for Dell, that later developed the DRAC. The second generation card, MegaRACG2 (2002), provided efficient console and KVM graphical redirection, firewall and battery backup, but was rather expensive. Successive MegaRAC generations, the G3 and G4, provide incremental performance at a better price point.

The server industry is increasingly relying on the Intelligent Platform Management Interface IPMI, an open standard technology. AMI launched the MegaRAC PM Firmware Solution in 2002. The code is completely AMIBIOS independent.

With the development of powerful chip-based integrated baseboard management controllers, the focus of AMI shifted to providing firmware-based service processor solutions. Called MegaRAC SP and launched in 2007, the firmware implements IPMI 2.0 complete KVM console redirection, and remote media for System-on-Chip. An SoC subsystem powered MegaRAC SP has a definite cost advantage over bulky card-based alternatives.

MegaRAC SP Firmware

The MegaRAC SP firmware is composed of four major functionality groups:

• Complete IPMI 2.0 implementation, providing sensor and health monitoring, alerting, event logging Serial over LAN etcetera. This firmware utilizes Linux 2.6 instead of an RTOS to leverage the advantage of open source, aims to be fast with a relatively small footprint
• Virtual KVM for redirection of Video, Keyboard and Mouse signals. This leverages AMI’s proprietary compression technology to avoid common pitfalls in the quality of image transmission
• Virtual Media for redirection of CD/DVD. This is used to utilize a local CD/DVD to install Operating system or software on a host situated at thousand miles distance
• DMTF compliant management infrastructure, implementing CIM, SMASH and WS-MAN.

The MegaRAC SP firmware is marketed to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), not end-users. For this reason the software is conceived and developed as a set of firmware building blocks easy to customize, enrich and transform. We may say that AMI’s MegaRAC group has a “tools first” methodology. The tools for customization are developed before the firmware itself – which means the firmware is designed from the ground up to be customized and enhanced.

References

• "American Megatrends Offers MegaRAC Remote Assistance Card to Channel Market". encyclopedia.com. Cengage Learning. http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-54713815.html. Retrieved 1999-05-25. 
• "MegaRAC G2". scmagazineus.com. Haymarket. http://www.scmagazineus.com/megarac-g2/printreview/915/. Retrieved 2003-02-01. 
• "AMI MegaRAC: An almost perfect product". theinquirer.net. Register. http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1001912/ami-megarac-an-perfect-product. Retrieved 2004-09-20. 
• "AMI Debuts MegaRAC SP Service Processor Firmware Stack for AST2000". edageek.com 2007. Online Destiny LTD. http://edageek.com/2007/05/23/ami-megarac/. Retrieved 2007-05-23. 
• "AMI announces MegaRAC® SP Software Support for ServerEngines Pilot Server Management Controller". serverengines.com. Server Engines. http://www.serverengines.com/news/press/2007/pr070807c.html. Retrieved 2007-08-07. 
• "AMI introduces MegaRAC® SP for Winbond WPCM450". Nuvoton 2008. http://www.nuvoton-usa.com/en/component/option,com_staticxt/Itemid,2190/staticfile,news~getRelease.php/file,04-02-2008.shtml. Retrieved 2007-08-07. 
• "American Megatrends introduces MegaRAC® PM for the Renesas H8S/2462 Baseboard Management Controller". AMI 2009. http://www.ami.com/news/pressshow.cfm?PrID=315. Retrieved 2009-06-20. 
• "American Megatrends Celebrates Twelve Years of Success with MegaRAC®". ami.com. AMI 2009. http://www.megatrends.com/news/pressshow.cfm?PrID=312. Retrieved 2009-05-11.