Simulate OpenBMC and UEFI pre-silicon on Neoverse RD-V3
Introduction
What are OpenBMC and UEFI?
Set up the development environment for OpenBMC and UEFI
Run OpenBMC and host UEFI simulation on RD-V3 FVP
Monitor and control the host CPU using OpenBMC SOL and web UI
Customize IPMI commands in OpenBMC
Next Steps

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Access the host console via OpenBMC SOL

OpenBMC provides Serial oOer LAN (SOL) so you can access the host console (RD-V3 FVP) remotely through the BMC without a physical serial cable. In this section, you create a virtual UART bridge with socat, verify the port mappings, and open the host console from the BMC web UI.

Step 1: Connect the BMC and host consoles

Run this command on the Linux machine where the simulation is running to bridge the BMC and host UART ports:

    

        
        
socat -x tcp:localhost:5005 tcp:localhost:5067

This command connects the host-side UART port 5005 to the BMC-side port 5067 to enable bidirectional serial communication.

Note

If you see a Connection refused error, check the FVP logs to verify the port numbers:

  • In fvp_boot.log, look for a line like: terminal_ns_uart0: Listening for serial connection on port 5005
  • In obmc_boot.log, confirm the corresponding line: terminal_3: Listening for serial connection on port 5067

Ensure both ports are active and match the socat command arguments.

Step 2: Manually set the host power state

After the SOL bridge is established, run the following command from the OpenBMC console shell to simulate the host as powered on:

    

        
        
busctl set-property xyz.openbmc_project.State.Host /xyz/openbmc_project/state/host0 xyz.openbmc_project.State.Host CurrentHostState s xyz.openbmc_project.State.Host.HostState.Running

This command updates the BMC internal host state so UEFI can begin execution.

Step 3: Access the host console from the web UI

  • From your simulation host, launch a browser and open the BMC Web UI at: https://127.0.0.1:4223 Image Alt Text:BMC web UI login page with username and password fields alt-textBMC web UI login

  • Login using the default credentials:

    • Username: root
    • Password: 0penBmc Note

      As a reminder, the first character of the password is the number 0, not a capital O.

      After login, you should see the Web UI dashboard:

  • From the Overview page, click the SOL Console button. Image Alt Text:BMC web UI overview dashboard showing system status and SOL Console button alt-textWeb UI overview

  • The SOL terminal in the Web UI will display the host console output (UEFI shell or Linux login). You can type commands directly as if you were connected over a physical serial line. Image Alt Text:BMC web UI SOL terminal showing host console output and input prompt alt-textWeb UI SOL console

When you are connected to the SOL terminal, you can monitor the UEFI boot sequence, interact with the host shell, and run diagnostic or recovery workflows just as you would over a physical serial port.

This process confirms that OpenBMC manages host power and console access in your simulated environment.

In the next section, you extend this control by sending IPMI commands to the BMC to test low-level system interactions and implement custom OEM command handlers.

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