Advanced Topics

Dive into advanced protocols, security features, logging, and debug capabilities.

What You’ll Learn

MCTP and PLDM for platform management (sensors, firmware update, BIOS config)
SPDM for device attestation and security
Secure boot and image signing
Logging, diagnostics, and debug tools
POST code monitoring and debug dump collection
Firmware update mechanisms (BMC and BIOS/host firmware)
Linux kernel and application debugging (sanitizers, Valgrind)
eSPI communication (virtual wires, console, eDAF)
Unit testing with GTest/GMock
Integration testing with Robot Framework
Linux kernel patching for driver development
Multi-host BMC management
Performance optimization for constrained BMC environments

Topics

Protocols & Security

Modern platform management relies on standardized protocols for component communication and security.

Guide	Description	Difficulty
MCTP/PLDM	Platform management protocols	Advanced
PLDM Platform Monitoring	Type 2 sensors, PDRs, effecters, events	Advanced
SPDM	Device attestation, security	Advanced
Secure Boot & Signing	Image signing, hardware root of trust	Advanced
DICE Security	Hardware root-of-trust for device identity and firmware attestation	Advanced

Firmware Management

Guide	Description
Firmware Update	BMC/PNOR updates, signing
PLDM Firmware Update	Type 5 device firmware update via PLDM
BIOS Firmware Management	Host firmware update via BMC, BIOS config

Debug Features

Vendor-specific tools for deep system debugging.

Guide	Description	Platform
Intel ASD/ACD	At-Scale Debug, Crash Dump, Error Injection	Intel
AMD Debug & Management	APML, HDT, EPYC system management	AMD

Logging & Diagnostics

Capture events, errors, and diagnostic data for troubleshooting.

Guide	Description
Logging	Event logs, SEL, POST codes, debug dumps
SDR	Sensor Data Records for IPMI
Linux Debug Tools	ASan, UBSan, TSan, Valgrind, KASAN
Debug Dump Collection	phosphor-debug-collector, dreport plugins
POST Code Monitoring	BIOS POST codes, boot progress tracking

Host Communication

Low-level interfaces for BMC-to-host communication.

Guide	Description	Platform
eSPI	Virtual wires, console, eDAF boot	Intel/AMD

Testing

Validate code correctness with unit tests and system behavior with integration tests.

Guide	Description	Scope
Unit Testing	GTest/GMock for C++ unit tests	Single function/class
Robot Framework	Integration testing with openbmc-test-automation	Full system behavior

Kernel & Driver Development

Develop and debug Linux kernel drivers for BMC hardware.

Guide	Description	Difficulty
Linux Kernel Driver Development	Kernel patching, out-of-tree modules, userspace drivers, debugging, I2C/SPI binding	Advanced

Multi-Host & Platform Scaling

Manage multiple hosts from a single BMC and optimize for resource-constrained environments.

Guide	Description	Difficulty
Multi-Host Support	Multi-host BMC management, instance routing	Advanced
Performance Optimization	Memory, startup, and I/O optimization	Advanced

Protocol Stack

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    Application Layer                        │
│  ┌─────────────┐  ┌──────────────┐  ┌─────────────────────┐ │
│  │    PLDM     │  │    SPDM      │  │   Vendor Specific   │ │
│  │  (Type 0-5) │  │ (Attestation)│  │   (ASD, APML)       │ │
│  └─────────────┘  └──────────────┘  └─────────────────────┘ │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                    Transport Layer                          │
│  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐│
│  │                       MCTP                              ││
│  │            (Management Component Transport)             ││
│  └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘│
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                    Physical Layer                           │
│  ┌───────────┐  ┌───────────┐  ┌───────────┐  ┌──────────┐  │
│  │  SMBus    │  │   PCIe    │  │    I3C    │  │   USB    │  │
│  └───────────┘  └───────────┘  └───────────┘  └──────────┘  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Prerequisites

Strong understanding of Architecture
Familiarity with Core Services
Experience with Interfaces
Knowledge of low-level hardware interfaces (I2C, PCIe)

Advanced features often require specific hardware support. Check your platform capabilities before implementing.