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> The underlying reason why ME became popular ... ... is also because it provides management features that are wanted by enterprise customers. If you're runnin

> The underlying reason why ME became popular ... ... is also because it provides management features that are wanted by enterprise customers. If you're running hundreds of servers in a data center, the more management you can do remotely, without visiting the machine room and preferably automated as much as possible, the better. This is quite irrelevant and even undesirable for an individual's personal computer.

codedokode 9y ago
While enterprise customers might want remote control they also would like to be able to disable it.
rekado 9y ago
I read statements like this often on HN, but not once during my years of work as a sysadmin in enterprise IT in different countries did I meet anyone who used ME/AMT for employee laptops. Also not at conferences. Admins use the ILOM/IPMI for servers, so you don't really need it for server CPUs. For laptops all management happens at the operating system level, not below it.
- cyphar 9y ago
  Admins used the "Intel System Defense Utility"[1] back in the vPro/AMT days. It allowed for "nice" BMC-like features for normal desktops and laptops. I know about it from "The Website is Down"[2], but I find it hard to believe that nobody used it. [1]: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/15362/index.htm?iid=go+isdu https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/15362/index.htm?ii... [2]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0mwT3DkG4w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0mwT3DkG4w
  - arca_vorago 9y ago
    I hadn't seen that episode of TWiD. So hilarious, with a mix of sad how true it is.
pdkl95 9y ago
Are there any enterprise-useful features provided by ME that couldn't be provided external to the CPU? Since the boot process already involves some amount of hand holding from outside the CPU, any of those features could have been provided by a designed-for-enterprise motherboard with ME-like features in the BIOS/UEFI or even some sort of peripheral in the PCH (or wherever).

codedokode 9y ago

While enterprise customers might want remote control they also would like to be able to disable it.

rekado 9y ago

I read statements like this often on HN, but not once during my years of work as a sysadmin in enterprise IT in different countries did I meet anyone who used ME/AMT for employee laptops. Also not at conferences. Admins use the ILOM/IPMI for servers, so you don't really need it for server CPUs. For laptops all management happens at the operating system level, not below it.

cyphar 9y ago
Admins used the "Intel System Defense Utility"[1] back in the vPro/AMT days. It allowed for "nice" BMC-like features for normal desktops and laptops. I know about it from "The Website is Down"[2], but I find it hard to believe that nobody used it. [1]: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/15362/index.htm?iid=go+isdu https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/15362/index.htm?ii... [2]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0mwT3DkG4w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0mwT3DkG4w
- arca_vorago 9y ago
  I hadn't seen that episode of TWiD. So hilarious, with a mix of sad how true it is.

pdkl95 9y ago

Are there any enterprise-useful features provided by ME that couldn't be provided external to the CPU? Since the boot process already involves some amount of hand holding from outside the CPU, any of those features could have been provided by a designed-for-enterprise motherboard with ME-like features in the BIOS/UEFI or even some sort of peripheral in the PCH (or wherever).