RMCP

RMCP stands for Remote Management Control Protocol. It is a lightweight network transport used by the Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) to exchange management commands and data between a host and a baseboard management controller (BMC). RMCP provides the basic framing and encapsulation that allows IPMI payloads to be transmitted over a network, typically using UDP.

In practice, IPMI messages are sent as RMCP-encapsulated datagrams. A common configuration places RMCP traffic on UDP port 623, though implementations and network configurations may vary or be tunneled through other protocols. RMCP defines the structural elements needed to frame IPMI messages so that receivers can recognize, route, and process them correctly.

RMCP has an extension known as RMCP+, or RMCP Plus, which adds security features. RMCP+ provides authentication and data integrity, and in some configurations, privacy through encryption. It relies on algorithms such as HMAC-SHA1 for message authentication and AES-128-CBC for encryption, aligning with IPMI’s 2.0 security model. Without RMCP+, RMCP traffic is unauthenticated and unauthenticated, which is a consideration for deployments requiring secure remote management.

RMCP is a component of IPMI standards that enabled remote hardware management in servers, storage systems, and other enterprise equipment. It supports tasks such as reading sensor data, monitoring events, controlling power states, and conducting remote management operations, making it foundational for BMC-based remote administration.

See also: IPMI, IPMI 2.0, BMC, RMCP+.