Open Source Firmware Conference 2025

Hands-On Workshop: Running OpenBMC and Validating Server Manageability on Virtual Arm Servers

This hands-on workshop guides attendees through running OpenBMC on a virtual Arm server using the Neoverse FVP. Participants will explore server manageability workflows—including telemetry, RAS logging, Redfish, and IPMI—via side-band, in-band, and out-of-band interfaces. Live demonstrations include sending telemetry over MCTP/PLDM and transferring binary logs using PLDM File I/O. The session also features execution of the SBMR Architecture Compliance Suite (SBMR-ACS) to validate manageability conformance in both virtual and hybrid environments.


This 60-minute workshop provides hands-on experience with OpenBMC running in a fully virtual Arm server environment using the Neoverse Fixed Virtual Platform (FVP). Co-developed by Arm and 9elements, the platform enables firmware development and standards validation well before physical hardware is available.

The session walks attendees through building and launching OpenBMC on a Base FVP (acting as the BMC) that communicates with a separate Neoverse FVP (representing the server host). The host platform includes a Manageability Control Processor (MCP), which acts as the Arm SBMR Satellite Management Controller (SatMC). These virtual systems communicate via simulated side-band and in-band channels using industry-standard interfaces.

This workshop focuses on developer workflows and testing, with minimal architectural deep dive.

Attendees will:
- Launch OpenBMC in a dual-FVP environment
- Explore telemetry and RAS logging over MCTP/PLDM
- Send live telemetry data to a Redfish client
- Use PLDM File I/O to transfer binary crash logs
- Exercise Redfish and IPMI interfaces from Linux and UEFI
- Run the SBMR-ACS to verify manageability compliance

Participants will leave with instructions and open source tools from gitlab.arm.com/server_management/PoCs/fvp-poc and github.com/ARM-software/sbmr-acs, ready to apply them in CI, bring-up, or testing pipelines.