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This sounds partilularly weird though, if I am reading it right. Are you saying the BMC will bridge IPMI over multiple NICs in default configuration? And that there is no setup that safely and consistently binds the IPMI to a single NIC?

By default, their servers have a 'failover' mode for the main NIC. This means that when the server gets power, and IPMI boots, if the IPMI NIC doesn't have a link it will then share connectivity with the main NIC.

# To get LAN mode:

ipmitool raw 0x30 0x70 0x0c 0

# 00 = dedicated, 01 = share, 02 = failover

# To set, use 0|1|2:

ipmitool raw 0x30 0x70 0x0c 1 <value>

You can set it to 'dedicated', but sometimes that's buggy and the setting can get lost. I've had it happen. And it defaults to failover on most servers I've bought, so a dead bios battery means the same outcome.

And if you're not aware, and leave it at failover, your dedicated IPMI LAN switch dies, then next boot all your stuff is exposed.

From what I've read, this is still the same in 2025.

I'd really have preferred a jumper for something this insanely unsecure.

Thanks for the FYI on AsRockRACK.

Have you had any firmware updates for IPMI with them, however?

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