[LinuxBIOS] KVM over IP, fully embedded in LinuxBIOS?

[Adam Talbot]

An idea that I wanted to bounce around.  KVM over IP, fully embedded in 
LinuxBIOS?  In a production class server room, there are mainly two ways 
to gain video console on a server.  Crash cart, or a KVM over IP 
solution.  It has been proven that LinuxBIOS can do console over IP... 
How much of a stretch would it be to implant something like VNC server 
into LinuxBIOS?
Just a crazy idea, what up/downs do you see?
-Adam

[Peter Stuge]

On Thu, Aug 09, 2007 at 01:56:45PM -0700, Adam Talbot wrote:
> An idea that I wanted to bounce around.  KVM over IP, fully
> embedded in LinuxBIOS?

LB is removed/forgotten by design once the payload is started.

SSH on management VLAN instead?

//Peter

[Adam Talbot]

Fork at the payload?  VNC server for one payload and the boot loader for 
a different payload, run both?   SSH on privet VLAN only works if the 
computer is running.  What happens in the case of a kernel panic? How do 
you recover?
-Adam

Peter Stuge wrote:
> On Thu, Aug 09, 2007 at 01:56:45PM -0700, Adam Talbot wrote:
> > An idea that I wanted to bounce around.  KVM over IP, fully
> > embedded in LinuxBIOS?
>
> LB is removed/forgotten by design once the payload is started.
>
> SSH on management VLAN instead?
>
> //Peter

[Peter Stuge]

On Thu, Aug 09, 2007 at 02:08:01PM -0700, Adam Talbot wrote:
> Fork at the payload?

There is no multitasking.
> VNC server for one payload and the boot loader for a different
> payload, run both?

Then LB would be an operating system, which it is designed not to be.
> SSH on privet VLAN only works if the computer is running.  What
> happens in the case of a kernel panic? How do you recover?

To make it reliable I would say with dedicated hardware.
The RSA in IBM e330 e.g. Or a watchdog, that's much simpler, but it
also gets the job done.

That said, if you use Linux as the payload you could run the "system"
with KVM or XEN or some other virtualization, and have the hypervisor
be remotely accessible for management.

Of course, that can still blow up.

Bottom line; it's impossible to have software recover from a fatal
machine error caused by some other software running on the same
machine.

//Peter