Out-of-band management, firmware and safe server part replacement
Running and servicing server hardware safely: what a baseboard management controller (BMC) can do and why access to it is as powerful as being in front of the server; keeping BMCs on a management network with named accounts and current firmware; updating BIOS/UEFI, BMC and component firmware through a planned change; and replacing parts with ESD control and the right checks before and after.
- Level
- Intermediate
- Length
- About 65 minutes
- Contents
- 3 lessons · 1 video · final exam
- Status
- Published · updated 3 Oct 2026
Skills you'll practise
- Explain what a BMC can do (power control, remote console, virtual media, sensors and logs) and treat its access as privileged
- Secure BMCs: management network only, defaults changed, named accounts with the least role, current firmware
- Plan a firmware update with vendor-signed packages, release notes, a pilot server and a recorded before-and-after inventory
- Read BMC events to identify the failed part and confirm it before touching hardware
- Replace a part with ESD control, matching part numbers and post-replacement checks
Course outline
- 1.Out-of-band management, firmware and safe part replacementVideo · 2 min
- 2.The BMC: powerful, so protect itLesson · 22 min
- 3.Firmware updates as planned changesLesson · 20 min
- 4.Replacing parts safelyLesson · 23 min
- 5.Out-of-band management, firmware and safe server part replacement: knowledge checkKnowledge check · 18 questions
- 6.Final exam10 questions · passing it completes the course, so people who already know the material can test out
Sources it draws on
The lessons and questions are written from these references, so learners can go back to the original.
- Wikipedia: Intelligent Platform Management Interface (BMC functions, security history, management LAN/VLAN, IPMI privilege levels)
- Wikipedia: Redfish (specification), the DMTF RESTful management standard
- NIST SP 800-193: Platform Firmware Resiliency Guidelines (protect, detect, recover)
- NIST SP 800-147B: BIOS Protection Guidelines for Servers (authenticated BIOS updates)
- EOS/ESD Association: ESD Fundamentals Part 3, basic ESD control procedures and materials (grounding, wrist straps, common point ground)
- Your server vendor's BMC user and security guide, firmware release notes and parts replacement procedures (these govern on the job)
See it with your own jobs and topics
Tell us about your team and we'll walk you through setup, from choosing jobs to your first skills check.