Intel announced the Intel® Active Management Technology (Intel AMT) in 2005 to reduce the complexity and cost of platform management. Figure 3 shows a conceptual model of Intel AMT. It provides platform management services through standard Web services interfaces, and can operate in both in-band (IB) and OOB modes. The OOB mode is particularly useful when the OS is not available either because it has not yet been provisioned (bare metal state), or because it has crashed. In this scenario, Intel AMT continues to provide basic platform management functions accessible through a management console. When the OS is running, Intel AMT can interact with both the OS and management console to perform requested platform management functions. In effect, Intel AMT is the first incarnation of Intel's platform support and container for AC.

Figure 3: Intel® AMT conceptual model
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Due to its OS-independence and availability regardless of systems state, Intel AMT is uniquely positioned to provide basic platform housekeeping functions needed for AC such as asset tracking and management, platform provisioning and re-provisioning, remote diagnosis, and repair. As indicated in Figure 3, Intel AMT services are implemented through a combination of hardware and firmware hooks built into a platform. Such services are persistent, always on, and interact with the OS and management consoles seamlessly as part of the overall platform service framework. Intel AMT also provides integrated security mechanisms that protect services from unintended use. It forms an integral yet autonomous part of the computing platform. In the coming years, Intel will continue to enhance Intel AMT to include more comprehensive platform management functions for self-managed infrastructure support.

Features of Intel® AMT

Using built-in platform capabilities and popular third-party management and security applications, Intel AMT allows IT managers to better discover, heal, and protect their networked computing assets [13].

Discover–Platform resource inventory

Accurate platform, software, and hardware inventories are necessary for regulatory compliance as well as for closely managing maintenance contracts and software licenses. Asset tracking is also needed for proper monitoring and operation of the computing environment. Current software tools available for remote asset inventory may not track platforms that are powered down since they rely on software agents integrated into the OS. Such OS agents can easily be disabled or accidentally removed. As a result, lengthy and expensive manual inventory surveys are often needed to ensure complete and accurate results. By contrast, built-in manageability features of Intel AMT can help eliminate manual inventory costs by allowing asset management tools to remotely access systems regardless of their power state to read their hardware and software asset information. (Such information is usually stored in nonvolatile memory.) This requires that assets must be plugged into active power and active network sockets.

Heal–Addressing failures in compute environments

An inoperable OS, corrupted applications, or hard drive failures often require one or more desk-side visits to diagnose and fix the problem. Proactive alerting and remote recovery capabilities of Intel AMT can reduce the number of desk-side visits by allowing IT managers to recover control of a failed PC, diagnose the problem, and potentially fix it remotely [14].

Protect–Protect IT infrastructure from network threats

Security threats are present in today's compute environment. The damage they inflict on a network can result in significant downtime and loss of productivity for an organization. Intel AMT allows security patching of systems regardless of system power state. One can push patches so that systems are protected from vulnerability exploits before a virus hits. If a system is infected, the Intel® System Defense capability can help to contain the threat before it spreads to other PCs and affects the larger network. Intel AMT also has components that prevent tampering with critical software agents such as virus protection applications. This helps maintain the integrity of the system.

The advantage of Intel AMT over traditional agent-based solutions is that it is not just simply the addition of technology capabilities at the hardware and firmware level. It is an integrated end-to-end solution that delivers value directly to the end users. Intel has focused on enabling a platform manageability ecosystem through working with management console Independent Software Vendors (ISV) and IT end-users to make sure that Intel AMT delivers the value customers need and in the way they need it. Such end-user orientation at the platform solution level makes Intel AMT more appealing to IT customers at large.

In assessing IT value in a real environment, we have had many proofs of concept and studies of Intel AMT applications in Intel's own IT organization, as well as with many end-users worldwide. Based on extensive analysis, Intel IT estimates significant cost savings as presented in Reducing Enterprise Management Costs with Intel® Active Management Technology.