This IPMI FRU decoder reads a FRU image laid out as in the IPMI Platform Management FRU Information Storage Definition v1.0 rev 1.3. It decodes the common header, the internal use, chassis, board and product info areas and the MultiRecord area, and it checks every checksum. Your data stays on this page.
The example is the default FRU image of the IronKernel VITA 46.11 IPMC (Tier-3 build), with its manufacturing date set to 2026-11-13.
How to get FRU data to decode
On a system with an IPMI controller, ipmitool fru print lists the FRU IDs, and ipmitool fru read 0 fru.bin writes the binary FRU data of FRU 0 to fru.bin. Open that file with the file button above.
The text box takes plain hex with or without spaces, 0x prefixes and commas, and the output of xxd, hexdump -C and i2cdump. Offsets and ASCII columns are removed, and the * lines of hexdump -C are expanded.
What the IPMI FRU decoder checks
- The common header checksum, each info area checksum, and the header and data checksums of each MultiRecord.
- Area offsets that point past the end of the data, areas that overlap, and areas cut short.
- Fields that run past the end of their area, and areas without the C1h end-of-fields marker.
- All four field encodings: binary, BCD plus, 6-bit packed ASCII and 8-bit ASCII.
The 2027 limit of the board manufacturing date
The board info area stores its manufacturing date as a 3-byte count of minutes since 1996-01-01 00:00 UTC. The largest count, FFFFFFh or 16,777,215 minutes, is 2027-11-24 20:15 UTC. The IronKernel IPMC writes 000000h (unspecified) in that field and stores the date in the VITA 46.11 Alternate Manufacturing Date/Time record, which holds a 32-bit minute count. The decoder shows both.