IEEE standard for boot (initialization configuration) firmware :
[Book]
core requirements and practices /
sponsor, Bus Architecture Standards Committee of the IEEE Computer Society
New York, N.Y., USA :
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers,
1994
vi, 262 p. :
ill. ;
28 cm
IEEE standards collection
"Approved March 17, 1994, IEEE Standards Board; approved August 23, 1994, American National Standards Institute."
"IEEE Std 1275-1994."
"October 28, 1994"--Cover
"Recognized as an American National Standard (ANSI)."
Includes bibliographical references and index
Firmware is the read-only-memory (ROM)-based software that controls a computer between the time it is turned on and the time the primary operating system takes control of the machine. Open Firmware provides the following: a mechanism for loading and executing programs (such as operating systems) from disks, tapes, network interfaces, and other devices; an ISA-independent method for identifying devices "plugged in" to expansion buses and for providing firmware and diagnostics drivers for these devices; an extensible and programmable command language based on the Forth programming language; methods for managing user-configurable options stored in nonvolatile memory; a "call back" interface allowing other programs to make use of Open Firmware services; and debugging tools for hardware, firmware, firmware drivers, and system software
Computer firmware-- Standards
American National Standards Institute
IEEE Computer Society., Bus Architecture Standards Committee