The forthcoming launch of UEFI or United Extensible Firmware Interface standard, which takes over much of the work done by today's BIOS software, marks the first time the PC industry is willing to reconsider on how it goes about writing firmware's.
In a move that experts say promises to lead to fewer headaches for IT staff by creating more stable and manageable desktops and notebooks, the PC industry has begun transitioning to the United Extensible Firmware Interface.
What is UEFI ?
The interface offers a standardized way for a PC's firmware, the underlying software that controls its hardware, to interact with its operating system. The new interface offers a standard method for loading an operating system, as well as running preboot applications.
Under UEFI, each piece of hardware used in a PC is expected to be provided with its own driverlike software, allowing changes related to that bit to be made while the remainder of the firmware goes unchanged.
Benefits of UEFI :
UEFI's promised stability comes from taking a standard approach to handling firmware.
Promises to cut software conflicts, which affect system stability, and to open doors for new types of management and security software, all of which could make life easier for corporate IT departments.
The EFI and UEFI interfaces provide for a boot manager, normally a third-party application, which will make it easier for PCs to toggle between operating systems or boot from numerous devices, such as SANs (storage area networks), in addition to their on-board drives. A network stack included in the interface also will allow PCs to access a network before loading their operating systems.
To combat potential security threats, the UEFI 2.0 specification adds driver signing in an effort to ensure that only the proper hardware drivers get installed on a computer, Wise said. A proposed UEFI 2.1 specification would add advanced cryptography, network authentication and IPv6 support.
Implementation and Support :
What will begin as a trickle of machines in the second half of this year is expected to pick up steam in 2007 as UEFI-specification firmware, the first UEFI specification, Version 2.0, was approved Jan. 31.
Microsoft's forthcoming Windows Vista operating system is expected to lead that charge. Vista was designed to work with either EFI- or BIOS-based firmware, Microsoft has indicated.
Given that UEFI 2.0 firmware is said to boot only 64-bit EFI operating systems, the move there isn't expected to gain momentum until 2007, when Windows Vista and 64-bit hardware come together.
The new specification springs from the United EFI Forum, an industry working group backed by Intel, Advanced Micro Devices, Microsoft, Dell and several BIOS makers. It builds on Intel's Extensible Firmware Interface 1.1 specification.
Dell, which creates its PC firmware in-house, intends to make the switch to UEFI, according to Holmberg. The standardized approach of UEFI appeals to Dell, which has traditionally favored standardized hardware, he said. However, he declined to detail the company's transition plans.
Phoenix Technologies, as well as American Megatrends and Insyde Technologyâ€â€which were early backers of Intel's EFI work before it became UEFIâ€â€will pick up and run with many of UEFI's new features.
UEFI 2.0 specification features :
In a move that experts say promises to lead to fewer headaches for IT staff by creating more stable and manageable desktops and notebooks, the PC industry has begun transitioning to the United Extensible Firmware Interface.
What is UEFI ?
The interface offers a standardized way for a PC's firmware, the underlying software that controls its hardware, to interact with its operating system. The new interface offers a standard method for loading an operating system, as well as running preboot applications.
Under UEFI, each piece of hardware used in a PC is expected to be provided with its own driverlike software, allowing changes related to that bit to be made while the remainder of the firmware goes unchanged.
Benefits of UEFI :
UEFI's promised stability comes from taking a standard approach to handling firmware.
Promises to cut software conflicts, which affect system stability, and to open doors for new types of management and security software, all of which could make life easier for corporate IT departments.
The EFI and UEFI interfaces provide for a boot manager, normally a third-party application, which will make it easier for PCs to toggle between operating systems or boot from numerous devices, such as SANs (storage area networks), in addition to their on-board drives. A network stack included in the interface also will allow PCs to access a network before loading their operating systems.
To combat potential security threats, the UEFI 2.0 specification adds driver signing in an effort to ensure that only the proper hardware drivers get installed on a computer, Wise said. A proposed UEFI 2.1 specification would add advanced cryptography, network authentication and IPv6 support.
Implementation and Support :
What will begin as a trickle of machines in the second half of this year is expected to pick up steam in 2007 as UEFI-specification firmware, the first UEFI specification, Version 2.0, was approved Jan. 31.
Microsoft's forthcoming Windows Vista operating system is expected to lead that charge. Vista was designed to work with either EFI- or BIOS-based firmware, Microsoft has indicated.
Given that UEFI 2.0 firmware is said to boot only 64-bit EFI operating systems, the move there isn't expected to gain momentum until 2007, when Windows Vista and 64-bit hardware come together.
The new specification springs from the United EFI Forum, an industry working group backed by Intel, Advanced Micro Devices, Microsoft, Dell and several BIOS makers. It builds on Intel's Extensible Firmware Interface 1.1 specification.
Dell, which creates its PC firmware in-house, intends to make the switch to UEFI, according to Holmberg. The standardized approach of UEFI appeals to Dell, which has traditionally favored standardized hardware, he said. However, he declined to detail the company's transition plans.
Phoenix Technologies, as well as American Megatrends and Insyde Technologyâ€â€which were early backers of Intel's EFI work before it became UEFIâ€â€will pick up and run with many of UEFI's new features.
UEFI 2.0 specification features :
- Support for x86-64 or 64-bit chips
- Support for SATA (Serial ATA) and SAS (serial-attached SCSI) drives
- USB 2.0
- Pre-operating-system graphics
- Network specifications, including DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol), TCP/IP, UDP (User Datagram Protocol), ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) and TFTP (Trivial File Transfer Protocol)
- Driver signing and hashing for security
- Addition of advanced cryptography, including signatures, encryption and key management
- A user interface
- Remote configuration management and network authentication
- Support for the IPv6 network standard