1.6 Node, DPU and switch networking

Key points

1. A BMC (baseboard management controller) is the out-of-band management chip in each server. BCM manages it through an interface object of type bmc on the BMC network.

   What NVIDIA says (1)

   “Once the network has been created, all nodes must be assigned a BMC interface, of type bmc, on this network.”

   — NVIDIA Base Command Manager 11 Administrator Manual (PDF)

2. cmsh is organized into modes. Network interfaces belong to a device, so you enter device mode, select the node and open interfaces.

   What NVIDIA says (1)

   “The interfaces submode is accessible from the device mode.”

   — NVIDIA Base Command Manager 11 Administrator Manual (PDF)

3. A DPU (data processing unit) is a BlueField card with its own Arm cores. BCM categories have a dpusettings submode next to BIOS, BMC and GPU settings.

   What NVIDIA says (1)

   “dpusettings ................... Enter DPU settings setup mode”

   — NVIDIA Mission Control Administration Guide: Node and Category Management

Key terms

• cmsh: The BCM cluster management shell, a command line with modes such as device, category and user; changes take effect on commit.
• Baseboard management controller: A small computer on the server board for remote power, monitoring and console access over the out-of-band network.
• Data processing unit: A BlueField network card with its own Arm cores that can run infrastructure services apart from the host.

Sample question

After creating a BMC network in BCM, what must you do for every node?