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IPMI Fan Control

A modern web-based application for controlling fan speeds on Dell T710 and compatible servers using IPMI. Features a clean web UI, automatic fan curves, panic mode for safety, and support for multiple servers.

Features

🖥️ Multiple Server Support - Manage multiple servers from a single interface
🌡️ Temperature-Based Fan Curves - Automatically adjust fan speeds based on CPU temperatures
⚡ Panic Mode - Automatically sets fans to 100% if sensor data is lost
🎛️ Manual Fan Control - Direct control over individual fans or all fans at once
📊 Real-time Monitoring - View temperatures, fan speeds, and power consumption
🔒 Secure Authentication - JWT-based authentication with encrypted passwords
🐳 Docker Support - Easy deployment with Docker Compose
🔄 Persistent Storage - Settings and credentials survive container restarts

Supported Servers

Dell PowerEdge T710 (tested)
Dell PowerEdge R710/R720/R730 (should work)
Dell PowerEdge R810/R820/R910/R920 (should work)
HPE servers with iLO (partial support)

Quick Start

Prerequisites

Docker and Docker Compose installed
IPMI enabled on your server(s) with network access

Installation

Clone the repository:

git clone https://git.lemonlink.eu/impulsivefps/ipmi-fan-control.git
cd ipmi-fan-control

Copy the example environment file and edit it:

cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env and set a secure SECRET_KEY

Create the data directory:

mkdir -p data

Start the application:

docker-compose up -d

Access the web interface at http://your-server-ip:8000
Complete the setup wizard to create your admin account

First Time Setup

When you first access the web UI, you'll be guided through a setup wizard
Create an administrator account
Add your first server by providing:
- Server name
- IP address/hostname
- IPMI username and password
- Vendor (Dell, HPE, etc.)

Usage

Manual Fan Control

Go to a server's detail page
Click on the "Fan Control" tab
Enable "Manual Fan Control"
Use the slider to set the desired fan speed
Click "Apply" to send the command

Automatic Fan Curves

Go to the "Fan Curves" page for your server
Create a new fan curve with temperature/speed points
Select the curve and click "Start Auto Control"
The system will automatically adjust fan speeds based on temperatures

Panic Mode

Panic mode is enabled by default. If the application loses connection to a server and cannot retrieve sensor data for the configured timeout period (default: 60 seconds), it will automatically set all fans to 100% speed for safety.

IPMI Commands Used

This application uses the following IPMI raw commands:

Dell Servers

Enable Manual Control: raw 0x30 0x30 0x01 0x00
Disable Manual Control: raw 0x30 0x30 0x01 0x01
Set Fan Speed: raw 0x30 0x30 0x02 <fan_id> <speed_hex>
Get 3rd Party PCIe Status: raw 0x30 0xce 0x01 0x16 0x05 0x00 0x00 0x00
Enable 3rd Party PCIe Response: raw 0x30 0xce 0x00 0x16 0x05 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x05 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00
Disable 3rd Party PCIe Response: raw 0x30 0xce 0x00 0x16 0x05 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x05 0x00 0x01 0x00 0x00

Standard IPMI

Get Temperatures: sdr type temperature
Get All Sensors: sdr elist full
Get Power Supply Status: sdr type 'Power Supply'
Dell Power Monitor: delloem powermonitor

Fan Mapping

For Dell servers, the fan mapping is:

IPMI ID	Physical Fan
0x00	Fan 1
0x01	Fan 2
0x02	Fan 3
0x03	Fan 4
0x04	Fan 5
0x05	Fan 6
0x06	Fan 7
0xff	All Fans

Configuration

Environment Variables

Variable	Default	Description
`SECRET_KEY`	(required)	Secret key for JWT tokens
`DATA_DIR`	/app/data	Directory for persistent data
`PANIC_TIMEOUT_SECONDS`	60	Seconds before panic mode activates
`PANIC_FAN_SPEED`	100	Fan speed during panic mode (%)
`DATABASE_URL`	sqlite:///app/data/...	Database connection string
`DEBUG`	false	Enable debug mode

Docker Compose

version: '3.8'

services:
  ipmi-fan-control:
    image: ipmi-fan-control:latest
    container_name: ipmi-fan-control
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "8000:8000"
    environment:
      - SECRET_KEY=your-secure-secret-key
      - PANIC_TIMEOUT_SECONDS=60
    volumes:
      - ./data:/app/data

Building from Source

Backend

cd backend
pip install -r requirements.txt
python -m uvicorn main:app --reload

Frontend

cd frontend
npm install
npm run dev

Development

The application consists of:

Backend: Python FastAPI with SQLAlchemy ORM
Frontend: React with TypeScript, Material-UI, and Recharts
Database: SQLite (default) or PostgreSQL
IPMI: Direct integration with ipmitool

Security Considerations

Change the default SECRET_KEY in production
Use HTTPS when accessing over the internet
Place behind a reverse proxy (nginx, traefik) for SSL termination
Use strong passwords for the admin account
Server passwords are encrypted at rest using Fernet encryption
Regularly update the Docker image for security patches

Troubleshooting

Cannot connect to server

Verify IPMI is enabled in the server's BIOS/iDRAC settings
Check network connectivity: ping <server-ip>
Test IPMI manually: ipmitool -I lanplus -H <ip> -U <user> -P <pass> mc info
Check firewall rules allow IPMI traffic (port 623)

Fan control not working

Ensure manual fan control is enabled first
Check that the server supports the IPMI raw commands
Verify you have admin/root IPMI privileges
Some servers require 3rd party PCIe card response to be disabled

Container won't start

Check logs: docker-compose logs -f
Verify data directory has correct permissions
Ensure port 8000 is not already in use

License

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please:

Fork the repository
Create a feature branch
Make your changes
Submit a pull request

Support

For issues and feature requests, please use the GitHub issue tracker.

Acknowledgments

Dell for the IPMI command documentation
The ipmitool project
FastAPI and React communities

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