Intel® vPro™ Technology

Configuring Intel® Active Management Technology

Dori Eldar, Digital Enterprise Group, Intel Corporation

Arvind Kumar, Digital Enterprise Group, Intel Corporation

Purushottam Goel, Digital Enterprise Group, Intel Corporation

Keywords: Intel® AMT, computer system deployment, down-the-wire configuration, TLS, x509 certificates, bare-metal configuration, management console suite, hardware-based manageability, DMTF’s DASH initiative

Citations for this paper: Eldar, D.; Kumar, A.; Goel, P. "Configuring Intel® Active Management Technology." Intel Technology Journal. http://www.intel.com/technology/itj/2008/v12i4/
6-paper/1-abstract.htm (December 2008).

Abstract

Security and manageability are two primary pillars of Intel® Active Management Technology (Intel® AMT). The hardware-based manageability aspects of Intel AMT provide unprecedented capabilities to information technology (IT) administrators to effectively manage the thousands of platforms in their enterprises. A huge ecosystem of independent software vendors (ISVs) and system vendors has built up over the last few years to enable these use models. Each customer has different needs. Intel AMT therefore provides building blocks for a wide range of configuration settings with regard to security levels and integration, and ISVs have built their mechanisms on top of these building blocks.

In this article, we explain the configuration process for Intel AMT. We start with an overview of the general configuration needs and the challenges involved, such as security of the configuration process and ease of configuration. We go on to explain the various configuration scenarios and use models that are supported, such as where the system will be configured (system manufacturer, IT, end-user), time of configuration (before installing the operating system (OS), or post-OS configuration), and automated versus manual configuration.

We then move on to elaborate on the three primary configuration mechanisms for Intel AMT: Web-based quick configuration; pre-shared, key-based configuration; and remote configuration. Web-based configuration is primarily for small businesses and requires no additional infrastructure. Pre-shared key and remote configuration are options for large and medium-sized businesses, and we explain the protocols for these configurations in detail.