Emulex Introduces New Pilot 4 Integrated Backplane Management Controller

RF cable can be customized for other specifications

Emulex , a leader in network connectivity, monitoring and management, today announced the availability of the latest Emulex PilotTM Integrated Baseboard Management Controller (iBMC) solution. The Pilot 4 iBMC is optimized for next-generation Intel server platforms with dramatically enhanced features, including a new high-speed interface between its unique BMC and Intel processors. Emulex also announced the initial Pilot 4 prototype for server and storage OEMs and plans to be fully available in 2016.

Shaun Walsh, senior vice president of marketing at Emulex, said: "Emulex and Intel have been working closely together to develop new features and capabilities for the upcoming Pilot 4 iBMC chip, including the new Enhanced Serial Peripheral Interface (eSPI) bus. Interface Implementation Pilot 4 is optimized for next-generation Intel server platforms and will provide comprehensive and powerful features such as upgraded processing power, memory performance, security, and graphics processing capabilities for management controllers designed for high-performance enterprise environments. "

Emulex Pilot 4 will offer a range of feature upgrades to help enterprise data center customers improve their performance and flexibility in remote management environments. To support the next-generation Intel server platform, Pilot 4 offers an upgraded BMC processor group, security and graphics processing capabilities, and a four-generation memory interface (DDR4) that doubles memory speed to enhance memory performance. Emulex Pilot 4 will remain firmware compatible with Pilot 3 so that customers can utilize the original firmware in Pilot 4.

Jim Pappas, Intel's Director of Technology Programs, said: "The Enhanced Serial Peripheral Interface (eSPI) will replace the LPC bus in future CPUs. Intel is pleased to see BMC vendors such as Emulex launch next-generation components and make comprehensive eSPI Support, this will help us complete the transition smoothly and in a timely manner."

When embedded in server systems, storage platforms, or devices, Emulex Pilot iBMC simplifies management of remote server systems and devices, reducing operational costs for data center administrators. Emulex Pilot integrates BMC, super I/O, graphics controllers, and remote keyboard, video, mouse, and storage (KVMS) capabilities into a single application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) to help data center administrators achieve significant cost savings. Emulex Pilot iBMC features Emulex ClearKVMTM technology that gives remote administrators a management experience as if they were on the server.