When working with Supermicro's IPMI/BMC systems, you'll typically encounter two distinct SSH access modes:

• Linux-like shell (preferred): Offers familiar commands like ifconfig, reboot, and standard Unix utilities
• SMASH-CLP shell: A restricted management shell with proprietary syntax (ATEN implementation)

Run this simple test after SSH login:

echo $SHELL
which ls

Linux shells typically respond with /bin/sh or similar, while SMASH-CLP either errors or returns empty.

The shell type depends on both hardware generation and firmware version. For the mentioned motherboards:

Model	Default Shell	Switchable?
X9DRW-iF	Varies by FW	Yes (v3.50+)
X9DRi-F	Mostly SMASH	Possible with mod
X9SCL-F	Linux	N/A

Method 1: Firmware Update (Recommended)

Download the latest BMC firmware from Supermicro and update via web UI:

# Check current version first
ipmitool bmc info

Method 2: Configuration Override

For some X9 models, edit the BMC configuration:

# If you currently have Linux shell access
vi /etc/ssh/sshd_config
# Add or modify:
Subsystem sftp /usr/libexec/sftp-server
Subsystem smash /bin/sh

Method 3: IPMITOOL Command

For remote configuration when SSH isn't available:

ipmitool -I lanplus -H [BMC_IP] -U [USER] -P [PASS] raw 0x32 0x6a 0x20 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x01 0x46 0x46 0x46 0x46 0x46 0x46 0x46 0x46 0x01

When stuck with SMASH-CLP, these equivalents may help:

Linux	SMASH-CLP
ifconfig	show /system1/network1
reboot	power /system1/reset
ps	show /system1/processors

Create this bash script to detect and handle both shell types:

#!/bin/bash
BMC_IP="your.ipmi.ip"
USER="ADMIN"
PASS="yourpassword"

output=$(sshpass -p "$PASS" ssh -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no $USER@$BMC_IP "echo $SHELL" 2>&1)

if [[ $output == *"/bin/sh"* ]]; then
  echo "Linux shell detected"
  sshpass -p "$PASS" ssh $USER@$BMC_IP "reboot"
elif [[ $output == *"SMASH"* ]] || [[ $output == *"ATEN"* ]]; then
  echo "SMASH-CLP detected"
  sshpass -p "$PASS" ssh $USER@$BMC_IP "power /system1/reset"
else
  echo "Unknown shell type"
  exit 1
fi

• Some newer firmware versions remove Linux shell entirely for security
• SMASH-CLP may be the only option on certain security-hardened deployments
• Always backup BMC configuration before making changes

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While administering multiple Supermicro servers (X9DRW-iF, X9DRi-F, X9SCL-F), I've encountered inconsistent SSH behavior when accessing IPMI/BMC interfaces. Some systems provide a Linux-like shell with standard utilities (ifconfig, reboot), while others deploy the restricted ATEN SMASH-CLP shell lacking essential commands.

First, determine which shell your BMC implements. After SSH login, try these diagnostic commands:

# For Linux shell:
ls /bin
ifconfig bmc0

# For SMASH-CLP:
show /system1/network1

Supermicro's documentation scarcely mentions SSH access methods. The SMASH-CLP reference exists but lacks practical administration guidance.

On firmware versions supporting both shells, try forcing the Linux shell via:

ssh ADMIN@bmc_ip -t "/bin/sh -i"

Alternatively, modify the SSH daemon configuration if you have write access:

# Edit /etc/ssh/sshd_config
ForceCommand /bin/sh

When SMASH-CLP prevents direct reboots, alternative methods exist:

# IPMI tool method:
ipmitool -H bmc_ip -U ADMIN -P password mc reset cold

# Web API alternative:
curl -k "https://ADMIN:password@bmc_ip/cgi/ipmi.cgi" \
  -d "op=bmc_reset&_="

Shell behavior often correlates with BMC firmware versions. Before upgrading:

# Check current version:
ipmitool mc info | grep "Firmware Revision"

Note that newer firmware doesn't guarantee Linux shell availability - test in staging first.

SMASH-CLP's limited functionality ironically reduces attack surface. If requiring Linux shell access:

• Implement strict firewall rules for BMC interfaces
• Rotate credentials after shell configuration changes
• Monitor SSH access logs via /var/log/messages

For X9DRW-iF systems running SMASH-CLP, network configuration becomes:

set /system1/network1/nic1/ipv4/address1 ip=192.168.1.100
set /system1/network1/nic1/ipv4/gateway1 gateway=192.168.1.1
commit /system1/network1

The same configuration via Linux shell would be:

ifconfig bmc0 192.168.1.100 netmask 255.255.255.0 up
route add default gw 192.168.1.1