what is bmc baseboard management controller

A baseboard management controller (BMC) 
	is a specialized service processor 
		that remotely monitors the physical state of a host system, 
			such as a computer, network server or other hardware devices.

A BMC is used for remote monitoring and management of a host system. 
It uses sensors and communicates with the system administrator (sysadmin) through an independent connection. 
These sensors measure the host system's internal physical variables 
	such as temperature, humidity, power supply voltage, fan speeds, communications parameters, and operating system (OS) functions. 
If any of these variables stray outside specified limits, 
	the BMC notifies the administrator who can take corrective action by remote control.

The monitored device can be power cycled or rebooted as necessary. 
This enables a single administrator to manage numerous servers and other devices simultaneously and remotely, 
	reducing the operating cost of the network and helping to ensure its reliability.

The BMC is part of the Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI). 
It is usually an Arm processor,
	meaning it is based on a reduced instruction set computer architecture. 
In addition, it is a system-on-a-chip, 
	which is an integrated circuit that combines many elements on a single chip -- 
		such as graphics and control logic -- 
		instead of using multiple components.

The BMC is usually contained in the motherboard or main circuit board of the device to be monitored. 
	This device might be a computer, server, network device or storage device. 

The BMC has multiple connections to the device, 
	which allows it to not only monitor hardware, 
	but also do the following:
		Monitor flash BIOS and Unified Extensible Firmware Interface firmware.
		Provide console access via a serial or physical/virtual keyboard, video, mouse (KVM).
		Create event logs for failure analyses.
		Provide LED-guided diagnostics.
		Perform blade inventory.
		Monitor sensors for voltages, temperature, fans, etc..
		Power cycle servers and other host systems.