Intel® AMT 9.5: New Features for 2013

Description:

Intel has recently launched the latest Intel AMT 9.x processors:

• 2-Chip processors supporting the 9.0 version of the Firmware
• 1-Chip processors supporting the 9.5 version of the Firmware.

In my last blog, Intel® vPro Technology™ Release 9.0: Platform Requirements,  I covered what platorm components to look for when shopping for a system supporting Intel AMT 9.0. Here, I will cover what is new with Intel AMT 9.0 and Intel AMT 9.5.

Note that the main difference with the 9.5 version of the firmware is that it runs on the Y and U Series of Intel's Core roadmap (Extreme-Low Power and Ultra-Low Power Ultrabooks and Tablets.)  The 9.0 version of the firmware will run on the M and H Series of Intel's Core Processor Roadmap (Notebooks and Desktops.)

The Intel AMT SDK supporting Intel AMT 9.0 and Intel AMT 9.5 can be downloaded from the Busineness Client Community.  The Implementation and Reference Guide can be viewed on-line here.

What is new with Intel AMT 9.0 and Intel AMT 9.5: 

• Now Microsoft Windows 8 Compliant
• The Intel AMT release 9.x addesses support for Windows* SSPI secure sessions in the Redirection and KVM libraries. This option is provided in addition to Open SSL.
• Any configuration software can now synchronize the Intel AMT network time to coordinate with UTC. See the section called “Enable Local Time Sync” in the Intel^® AMT Implementation and Reference Guide.
• The Intel AMT network can now be enabled and disabled. See the section called “Enable/Disable Intel AMT Network” in the Intel^® AMT Implementation and Reference Guide.
• The User Notification Service and Local Manageability Service capabilities have been unified into a single group of capabilities now referred to collectively as the Local Manageability Service. See the section called “Local Manageability Service” in the Intel^® AMT Implementation and Reference Guide.
• The ability to configure a headless platform remotely without the need for local user-consent has been added.
• Intel AMT 9.x supports 5 new power states in order to support the added Graceful Shutdown feature. See the section called “Change System Power State” in the Intel® AMT Implementation and Reference Guide. The new power states are:
• 4: Sleep-Deep, corresponding to ACPI state G1, S3, or D2
• 7: Hibernate (Off Soft), corresponding to ACPI state S4, where the state of the managed element is preserved and will be recovered upon powering on
• 11: Diagnostic Interrupt (NMI) corresponding to the system reaching ACPI state S5 followed by ACPI state S0. This is used to represent system non-maskable interrupt.
• 12: Off – Soft Graceful, equivalent to Off Soft but preceded by a request to the managed element to perform an orderly shutdown.

What is new with the Intel AMT 9.5 SDK:

• As of the Intel AMT 9.0 SDK, the SOAP interface has been replaced by WS-Man.
• Ubuntu support for Linux added.  (Libraries included for RH5, SuSE11, Ubuntu: both 32 bit and 64 bit.)
• ISO images can now be used with Redirection on Linux
• Introduction of wireless only platforms.  Those features which are dependent on a wired LAN connection are not supported on the wireless only platforms.  For example:  Heuristic Policies , Automatic Synchronization of IP Addresses , Local Setup Directly to Admin Control Mode , 802.1x Profile Configuration   
• Udated the PuTTY Terminal Emulator with the Aljex client.  Aljex client is a terminal emulator fork of PuTTY with Several enhancements for vertical/VAR integration.