ASRock Rack IPMI Fan Controller

A simple and robust solution to control fan speeds on certain ASRock Rack server motherboards via IPMI, designed to run automatically at boot.

Features

• Sets custom fan speeds using raw IPMI commands.
• Configuration is managed in a simple .ini file, separate from the code.
• Installs as a systemd service for reliable execution on boot.
• Installation script for easy setup and updates.

Prerequisites

• A Linux server with systemd.
• python3 installed.
• git installed.
• ipmitool installed (sudo apt install ipmitool).
• Root or sudo privileges.

Installation

1. Clone the Repository Clone this repository to your server, for example in your home directory.

   git clone https://your-git-repo-url/fan-control.git
   cd fan-control

2. Run the Installer The installer script will copy the necessary files to system locations and set permissions.

   sudo ./install.sh

Configuration

After installation, a new configuration file will be created at /etc/ipmi-fan-control/config.ini (if it didn't already exist).

1. Edit the Configuration File: Open the file with a text editor to set your desired fan speeds and IPMI interface.

   sudo nano /etc/ipmi-fan-control/config.ini

2. Configure [Settings]:

   • interface: Use open for local access (recommended) or lanplus for network access.

3. Configure [FanSpeeds]:

   • Set fan_1 through fan_8 to your desired percentage (0-100).

Service Management

Once configured, you can manage the service using standard systemctl commands.

• Enable the service (to start on boot):

  sudo systemctl enable ipmi-fan-control.service

• Start the service immediately:

  sudo systemctl start ipmi-fan-control.service

• Check the service status:

  sudo systemctl status ipmi-fan-control.service

• View service logs:

  journalctl -u ipmi-fan-control.service

• Restart the service (after changing config):

  sudo systemctl restart ipmi-fan-control.service

Updating the Script

To update to the latest version from your Git repository:

1. Navigate to your cloned repository directory.

   cd ~/fan-control

2. Pull the latest changes.

   git pull

3. Re-run the installer to copy the new files. Your configuration file will be preserved.

   sudo ./install.sh

4. Restart the service to apply the new script.

   sudo systemctl restart ipmi-fan-control.service