Overview
The Broadcom ASF Configuration Utility can be used to configure the Alert Standard
Format (ASF)-related operating parameters of Broadcom network adapters in workstations
and servers running Microsoft Windows. A system with an ASF-enabled network
adapter is called an ASF managed client. An ASF managed client can communicate
with and be remotely controlled from an ASF management console.
To start the utility, click Start, and then click the Broadcom
ASF Configuration shortcut.
Network Adapter Configuration
General Settings
The utility detects and lists all Broadcom ASF-capable network adapters in
your computer. To inspect or configure the basic ASF operating parameters for
a listed network adapter, click the name of the network adapter you want to
configure, and then click the Settings tab.
 |
To update the list of network adapters, press F5 or right-click anywhere
in the list area, and then click Refresh. |
ASF Enabled
To enable or disable the ASF functionality in the selected network adapter,
click the ASF Enabled check box. If there is more than one
network adapter in your computer, be sure that you enable ASF functionality
in only one network adapter at a time.
 |
CAUTION: Enabling ASF functionality in more than one network adapter
in a system results in unpredictable behavior. |
Remote Management
To enable or disable the receipt and handling of Remote Management Control
Protocol (RMCP) messages by the selected network adapter, click the Remote
Management check box.
An ASF management console uses RMCP messages to communicate with an ASF managed
client. When remote management is enabled, the network adapter acknowledges
and responds to the following RMCP message types:
- Presence Ping
- Capabilities Request
- System State Request
If secure management is also enabled, the
network adapter acknowledges and responds to the following secure RMCP message
types:
- Open Session Request
- RAKP Message 1
- RAKP Message 3
- Close Session Request
If allowed by the remote control capabilities and security profile for the
network adapter, the following operations can be performed remotely:
- Reset
- Power-up
- Power-down
- Power-reset
When remote management is disabled, the network adapter does not acknowledge
or respond to RMCP messages.
|
Note: These features are not supported on this release: Reset, Power-up, Power-down, Power-reset. |
Wake
on ARP or RMCP Traffic
To configure the network adapter to wake the computer upon receiving ARP or
RMCP traffic while the computer is in low-power mode, click the Wake
on ARP or RMCP Traffic check box.
Most Windows PCs today have the capability to conserve power by entering a
low-power mode (stand-by, hibernate, or sleep). These computers also have the
capability to wake up when an external event occurs. One such external event
is when a network adapter receives an interesting packet. Typically,
the computer wakes up if a network adapter receives one of the following types
of interesting packets:
Direct-IP
Unicast
NetBEUI name query
This Wake on LAN (WOL) behavior conflicts with the way an ASF-enabled network
adapter operates. When the computer enters low-power mode, an ASF-enabled network
adapter is still operational, sending PET messages and receiving and responding
to RMCP messages and ARP requests. Received ARP and RMCP packets are direct-IP
packets and would normally wake up the system, but this is not desirable behavior
for most ASF managed clients. By enabling or disabling wake on ARP or RMCP traffic,
you can choose whether or not to wake-up the system when the network adapter
receives an ARP or RMCP packet. When wake on ARP or RMCP traffic is
enabled, the ASF-enabled network adapter attempts to wake up the computer if
the network adapter receives an ASF or RMCP packet.
Management
Console IP Address
To specify the IP address of the remote ASF management console, type the
IP address of the remote ASF management console in the Management
Console IP Address box. An ASF-enabled network adapter sends all PET
messages to this IP address.
The management console IP address is usually statically assigned and is seldom
changed. If the management console IP address is changed, type the
new IP address in the Management Console IP Address box.
IP
Address, Subnet Mask, and Default Gateway
The IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway of the network adapter are
displayed in the Adapter IP Address box, Subnet Mask
box, and Default Gateway box, respectively. The displayed values
are automatically updated whenever the network adapter IP address, subnet mask,
or default gateway is changed via DHCP or manual configuration. The Broadcom
ASF IP Monitor, which is a process that runs in the background as a Windows
NT service and has no user interface, automatically detects these changes and
updates the properties in the ASF Configuration Table in the network adapter
nonvolatile memory.
When the ASF management console is located on a different subnet and is connected
via a gateway router, the network adapter uses the subnet mask and default gateway
values in the ASF Configuration Table to communicate with the ASF management
console.
Events (PET)
The controls on the Events tab are used to configure the settings related to
SNMP platform event trap (PET) messages.
Transmit Platform Event Trap (PET) Messages
When the Transmit Platform Event Trap (PET) Messages
check box is not checked, the network adapter does not transmit PET messages.
Transmit System Heartbeat
Messages
To have the network adapter transmit periodic system heartbeat or
entity presence messages to the ASF management console, click the Transmit
System Heartbeat Messages check box. System heartbeat messages indicate
to the ASF management console that the managed client is “alive.”
Heartbeat Transmit Interval
To specify the time interval (in seconds) at which system heartbeat messages
are sent, type the desired time interval in the Heartbeat Transmit
Interval box.
SNMP Community Name
To specify the SNMP community name that is included in transmitted
PET messages, type the desired community name in the SNMP Community
Name box. The default SNMP community name is public.
PET
Retransmission Interval
To specify the time interval (in seconds) between retransmissions of a PET
message, type the desired time interval in the PET Retransmission
Interval box.
According to the ASF standard, each PET message (except the system heartbeat
message) must be retransmitted 3 times to ensure successful delivery to the
ASF management console. The default PET retransmission interval is 10 seconds.
System Management Bus (SMBus)
The controls on the SMBus tab are used to configure the settings related to
the System Management Bus (SMBus).
Legacy Poll Interval
To specify the interval (in seconds) at which the network adapter monitors
legacy SMBus devices, such as the chassis intrusion sensor, type the desired
time interval in the Legacy Poll Interval box. The default
legacy poll interval is 4 seconds.
Legacy Poll Delay
To specify the time delay (in seconds) before the first legacy SMBus device
poll is made, type the desired time delay period in the Legacy
Poll Delay box.
Adapter Address
The SMBus address (in hexadecimal notation) used by the network adapter is
displayed in the Adapter Address box. This address is set by
the manufacturer.
Security
The properties on the Security tab are used to configure the settings related
to secure remote management (introduced in ASF 2.0).
Secure Management (ASF 2.0)
To configure the network adapter to receive and respond to secure RMCP (ASF
2.0) messages on UDP port 298h (664 decimal), click the Secure Management
(ASF 2.0) check box.
ASF 1.0 Compatibility
To configure the network adapter to receive and respond to insecure RMCP (ASF
1.0) messages on UDP port 26Fh (623 decimal), click the ASF 1.0 Compatibility
check box. If Secure Management (ASF 2.0) is disabled, the network adapter automatically
operates in ASF 1.0 compatibility mode, regardless of this check box setting.
Session
Timeout Interval
To specify the amount of a time (in seconds) that a secure session must be
inactive before it times out, type the desired timeout period in the
Session Timeout box. The network adapter supports a maximum
of 2 simultaneous secure sessions, so it is important that inactive secure sessions
time out after a reasonable period of time. The default secure session timeout
period is 300 seconds (5 minutes).
Generation Key
The value in the Generation Key box is the shared secret key used for key generation
operations (KG). Type the generation key in the Generation
Key box. If the generation key is in hexadecimal notation, click the
Hex check box.
Operator
and Administrator Authentication Keys and Rights (Security Policy)
There are 2 types of authenticated user roles, Operator and
Administrator. Each role has an associated authentication key,
KO and KA, respectively. Each role also has an associated
set of rights that determines which RMCP Remote Control commands it has the
right to execute on the managed client. These Remote Control commands include
Reset, Power-Up, Power-Down, and Power-Reset. The set of configured operator
and administrator rights determines the managed client security policy.
To assign rights to an authenticated operator or administrator, click the appropriate
check boxes on the Operator and Administrator
tabs.
Type the authentication key in the Authentication Key
box. If the authentication key is in hexadecimal notation, click the Hex
check box.
|
Note: Each security key (generation key,
authentication key) may be typed as a set of up to 20 ASCII characters or
as a set of hexadecimal bytes with each byte represented by 2 hexadecimal
digits (0–F), with a maximum total length of 40 hexadecimal digits
(20 bytes). |
Network Adapter Diagnostics
The buttons on the Diagnostics tab provide ASF-related diagnostic
testing of the selected network adapter.
- SMBus Test — The SMBus test checks the network adapter
functions that are required to support ASF, such as SMBus signaling, hardware
timers, and control registers.
- EEPROM Test — The EEPROM test checks the integrity
of the ASF Configuration Table and the ASF firmware code that is stored in
the network adapter nonvolatile memory.
Network Adapter Information
Detailed information about the selected network adapter is
displayed on the Information tab.
- ASF Firmware — The version label of the ASF firmware
code that is programmed in the network adapter nonvolatile memory is displayed
in the ASF Firmware box.
- ASF Configuration Table — The version and size of
the ASF Configuration Table that is stored in the network adapter nonvolatile
memory is displayed in the ASF Configuration Table box.
- Driver Interface — The type of device driver interface
for the network adapter is displayed in the Driver Interface box.
- NDIS Driver — The file name and version of the
network adapter device driver are displayed in the NDIS Driver box.
System ASF! Description Table
The System ASF! Description Table defines the ASF-related capabilities
and operating parameters of the computer, as defined by the computer manufacturer.
This table is stored as an ACPI System Description Table in the computer firmware
nonvolatile memory. The Broadcom ASF Configuration Utility automatically imports
this table into the nonvolatile memory of each ASF-enabled network adapter.
To view the System ASF! Description Table, click View
ASF!.
Configuration Utility Version Information
To view the version information for the Broadcom ASF Configuration Utility,
click About.
ASF-Help101-R March 2005
