How to configure KVM - Got it!

[Jay_Libove]

I've just purchased a Dell OptiPlex 7420 with vPro. I successfully enabled MEBX, and can manage power via the Web UI (http://IP_address:16993). I enabled KVM in MEBX, and I disabled User Consent for KVM.

Update! Woo hoo! Got it!

The problem had been that KVM didn't seem to have been enabled, despite what I Saw in MEBX.

I found, on MajorGeeks, a v12 of Intel's discontinued AMT SCS, with which I created a Delta Profile.xml containing nothing more than KVM, and applied it. I still got connection errors, until I tried MeshCommander, which helpfully told me that KVM wouldn't work until I also enabled Redirection, which it also helpfully directly gave me the option to enable. (I also had to recognize that although MeshCommander will successfully scan for and find the system, I did have to manually select the authentication type as "Digest / TLS" in order for MeshCommander to be able to connect to the AMT host at all).

Old text:

What I'm unable to figure out, now, is how to actually access KVM.

TightVNC to host::5900 times out, as does host::16994 and host::16995. (The :: notation seems to be a TightVNC weirdity; for good measure I also tried host:5900, host:16994, and host:16995 in TightVNC. All time out).

From the massive, confusing documentation (much of it outdated, for obsoleted Intel products), I'm getting the feeling that I have to set up EMA in order to build a configuration for this system to tell it to really turn on KVM ("enable the listener state"). One of the obsoleted tools looks to have been a simpler configuration builder, but EMA seems to require a server (or a cloud virtual machine running a server platform), along with a database engine and some other prerequisites - an awful lot of work to just turn on KVM on one single host.

I'm sure that what I'm asking is a FAQ, but I haven't found the answer in some hours of searching and trial-and-error.

So, for just one single host, on which I do already have MEBX working, and for which I can control power, and in which BIOS MEBX configuration KVM is enabled and without requiring user consent, ¿how do I get KVM actually working (without setting up a whole server)?

thank you,

[vij1]

Hello Jay_Libove,

Greetings!

Thank you for your continued interest.

I understand your concerns regarding system requirements. Please note that Intel® Endpoint Management Assistant (EMA) is an enterprise-grade software and, as such, requires certain hardware and infrastructure specifications to function reliably and securely in large-scale environments.

However, to better support different use cases and infrastructure limitations, Intel also provides an open-source tool known as the Device Management Toolkit. This tool requires fewer hardware resources and may be a more suitable alternative depending on your environment.

You can review the documentation and capabilities of the Device Management Toolkit at the following link:

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/developer/topic-technology/edge-5g/tools/device-management-toolkit.html 

Please keep in mind that, just like Intel EMA, this toolkit also requires a valid AMT provisioning certificate for secure out-of-band management functionality.

Regards,
Vijay N
Intel Customer Support.

[Jay_Libove]

This (Devie Management Toolkit) remains hopelessly, unnecessarily complex, where straightforward command line tools from older AMT versions (specifically, SCS) were the correct solution for very small deployments.

Today, the best option for very small deployments is MeshCommander and its meshcmd.exe command line tool, not anything at all from Intel.

[vij1]

Hello Jay_Libove,

Thank you for sharing your feedback.

We truly appreciate your perspective, especially given your experience with earlier Intel AMT solutions like SCS. We understand that simplicity and flexibility are key for smaller deployments, and we recognize that the Device Management Toolkit may feel more complex than necessary in such scenarios.

Intel® EMA and related toolkits were primarily designed with enterprise environments in mind, where robust features and scalability are essential. That said, for small-scale deployments, you are absolutely right — MeshCommander and its meshcmd.exe utility remain excellent community-supported tools that many customers find lightweight and efficient.

Best regards,

Vijay N

Intel Customer Support Technician

intel.com/vPro