ipmitool

Start the IPMI driver for local connections

$ systemctl start ipmidrv

$ sudo ipmitool shell

$ ipmitool -H [ip_address] -U [username] shell

ipmitool [options] command

ipmitool provides a command-line interface to the Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI). IPMI enables out-of-band management of servers through a dedicated Baseboard Management Controller (BMC), operating independently of the main operating system and CPU.
Common operations include checking sensor readings (temperatures, voltages, fan speeds), controlling power state (on, off, cycle, reset), configuring boot devices, and accessing the serial console over the network via Serial-over-LAN (SOL). These operations work even when the server's OS is unresponsive or not installed.
Remote access uses the lanplus interface for encrypted IPMI v2.0 communication over the network. Local access goes through the kernel's IPMI device driver without network overhead.

-H HOST

Remote host IP address or hostname

Remote username

Remote password (or use -E to read from environment)

Interface type: open, lan, lanplus

Interactive IPMI shell

Display sensor information

Chassis commands (power, status, identify)

Configure LAN settings

User management commands

Serial-over-LAN commands

IPMI_PASSWORD

Environment variable for the BMC password (use with -E flag instead of -P to avoid exposing the password on the command line).

IPMI access requires proper BMC configuration. Network access uses UDP port 623 and may require firewall rules. The lanplus interface provides encrypted communication. Local access requires the ipmi kernel modules to be loaded.

IPMI was developed by Intel, HP, NEC, and Dell starting in 1998. ipmitool became the standard open-source tool for IPMI management on Linux systems, supporting both local and remote operations.

ipmi-sensors(8), ipmi-chassis(8), bmc-info(8)