Resetting the BMC Using ipmitool on Linux

Alexander Hill
Alexander Hill
  • Updated

Document Scope

Purpose:
This document provides instructions for resetting the Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) on a Linux system using the ipmitool utility.

 


Background

The BMC (Baseboard Management Controller) is a specialized microcontroller embedded in most server-grade motherboards. It manages system monitoring (temperature, voltage, fan speeds) and enables remote management features like IPMI, KVM-over-IP, and remote power control.

Occasionally, the BMC may become unresponsive or require a reset after configuration changes, firmware updates, or system faults. Resetting the BMC clears temporary issues without rebooting the main server.


Requirements

  • ipmitool package installed on the server
  • Root or sudo access to execute IPMI commands
  • Access to the local BMC (over ipmitool's local interface)

Installation of ipmitool (if needed)

On RHEL/CentOS/Rocky Linux systems:

sudo yum install ipmitool

 

On Ubuntu/Debian systems:

sudo apt install ipmitool


Resetting the BMC

1. Verify Access to the BMC

First, ensure you can communicate with the BMC:

 

sudo ipmitool mc info

You should see output containing BMC firmware revision, manufacturer ID, etc. If this fails, verify your system’s IPMI driver is loaded  (moprobe ipmi_si)

 

2. Issue the BMC Reset Command

Run the following command to perform a soft reset:

sudo ipmitool mc reset warm
  • warm reset will restart the BMC controller without interrupting or rebooting the host server.

If a warm reset doesn't clear your problem, you can attempt a cold reset (harder reset, more disruptive):

sudo ipmitool mc reset cold
  • Cold reset will reinitialize the BMC hardware more aggressively but still does not reboot the server itself.

 

⚠️ Important Notes

  • Some BMC resets may cause temporary disconnection from remote management interfaces (IPMI/iKVM/Redfish sessions).

  • Network interfaces controlled by the BMC (e.g., dedicated IPMI LAN ports) may briefly reset.

  • Always prefer a warm reset first unless otherwise instructed by your hardware vendor.

Verifying BMC Reset

After about 30–60 seconds, recheck the BMC status:

sudo ipmitool mc info
 

If you see a response, the BMC has restarted successfully.

Example Session

root@benchmark-svr:# ipmitool mc info
Device ID : 32
Device Revision : 1
Firmware Revision : 1.01
IPMI Version : 2.0
Manufacturer ID : 2623
Manufacturer Name : Unknown (0xA3F)
Product ID : 4499 (0x1193)
Product Name : Unknown (0x1193)
Device Available : yes
Provides Device SDRs : yes

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues:

  • Check that ipmi_si and ipmi_devintf kernel modules are loaded.

  • Check dmesg or journalctl -xe for IPMI-related error logs.

  • Verify no firewall or network configuration is blocking local IPMI communication.


✅ Conclusion

Resetting the BMC with ipmitool is a safe and effective way to resolve many remote management problems without disrupting server operations. Always try a warm reset first, and escalate to a cold reset only if necessary.

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