Chapter 5 Firmware Vocabulary

Question 1

Chipset

Answer 1

electronic chips handling all of the low-level functions of a PC. Chipsets usually consisted of one, two, or three separate chips embedded into a motherboard.

Question 2

Southbridge

Answer 2

a chip that handled all the inputs and outputs to the many devices in the PC.

Question 3

Northbridge

Answer 3

a chip that connects a CPU to memory, the PCI bus, Level 2 cache, and high-speed graphics. Communicates witht the CPU through the frontside bus.

Question 4

Platform Controller Hub (PCH)

Answer 4

Intel’s name for the chip that collects functions once performed by multiple chips known as chipset.

Question 5

Scan code

Answer 5

one and zeros

Question 6

Basic Input/Output Services (BIOS)

Answer 6

communicates to peripheral devices (keyboard, USB, etc)

Question 7

Services

Answer 7

programs dedicated to enabling the CPU to communicate withn

Question 8

Read-Only Memory (ROM)

Answer 8

code and data stored in ROM cannot be corrupted by accidental erasure. Makes it the perfect medium for storing BIOS data or information such as scientific constants.

Question 9

Nonvolatile

Answer 9

describe storage that retains data even if power is removed

Question 10

Flash ROM

Answer 10

ROM technology that can be electrically reprogrammed while still in the PC. Overwhelmingly the most common storage medium of BIOS in computers.

Question 11

System ROM

Answer 11

Flash ROM chip that stores the system BIOS.

Question 12

System BIOS

Answer 12

primary set of BIOS stored on a flash ROM chip on the motherboard. Defines the BIOS for all the assumed hardware on the motherboard, such as keyboard controller, basic video, and RAM.

Question 13

Firmware

Answer 13

embedded programs or code stored on a ROM chip.

Question 14

Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI)

Answer 14

modern 32- or 64-bit firmware programming interface. Replaced the original 16-bit PC BIOS. UEFI supports large capacity storage drives, additional features, and a more direct booting process.

Question 15

CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor)

Answer 15

Computer systems had a standalone CMOS chip - a tiny bit RAM hooked up to a small battery that enabled it to hold system settings for the BIOS firmware even with the computer off. CMOS is often informally used to refer to the CMOS setup program or system setup utility.

Question 15

RTC (Real-Time Clock)

Answer 15

Device within the CMOS memory chip that provides data and time information to the computer and operating system.

Question 16

System Setup Utility

Answer 16

Program enabling you to access and update CMOS data. Also referred to as the system setup utility, BIOS setup,and UEFI/BIOS setup.

Question 17

Administrator password

Answer 17

Credentials for the system administrator account

Question 18

User password

Answer 18

Credentials assigned to a login account that does not have administrative capabilities.

Question 19

Secure boot

Answer 19

UEFI features that secures the boot process by requiring properly signed software. This includes boot software and software that supports specific, essential components.

Question 20

Chassis Intrusion Detection

Answer 20

Features offered in some chassis that trips a switch when the chassis is opened.

Question 21

LoJack

Answer 21

Security feature included in some BIOS/UEFI that enables a user to track the location of a stolen PC, install a keylogger, or remotely shut down the stolen computer.

Question 22

TPM (Trusted Platform Module)

Answer 22

A hardware platform for the acceleration of cryptographic functions and the secure storage of associated information. BitLocker, for example, requires a TPM chip on the motherboard to validate on boot that the computer has not changed.

Question 23

Option ROM

Answer 23

Alternative way of telling the system how to talk to a piece of hardware. Option ROM stores BIOS for the card in a chip on the card itself.

Question 24

Device driver

Answer 24

Program used by the operating system to control communications between the computer and peripherals.

Question 25

POST (Power-On Self Test)

Answer 25

Basic diagnostic routine completed by a system at the beginning of the boot process to make sure a display adapter and the system’s memory are installed; it then searches for an operating system.

Question 26

Beep Codes

Answer 26

Series of audible tones produced by a motherboard during the POST. These tones identify whether the POST has completed successfully or
whether some piece of system hardware is not working properly. Consult the manual for your particular motherboard for a specific list of beep codes.

Question 27

POST card

Answer 27

Device installed into a motherboard expansion slot that assists in troubleshooting boot problems by providing a two-digit code indicating the stop of the boot process where the problem is occurring.

Question 28

Power Good Wire

Answer 28

Used to wake up the CPU after the power supply has tested for proper voltage.

Question 29

Bootstrap Loader

Answer 29

Segment of code in a system’s BIOS that scans for an operating system, looks specifically for a valid boot sector, and, when one is found, hands control over to the boot sector; then the bootstrap loader removes itself from memory.

Question 30

Boot sequence

Answer 30

List containing information telling the bootstrap loader in which order to check the available storage devices for an OS. Configurable in CMOS setup.

Question 31

System disk

Answer 31

Any storage device with a self-starting operating system.

Question 32

PXE (Preboot Executable Environment)

Answer 32

Technology that enables a PC to boot without any local storage by retrieving an OS from a server over a network.

Question 33

CLRTC (Clear RTC)

Answer 33

Motherboard jumper to restart the real-time clock.

Question 34

CMOS battery

Answer 34

A coin cell lithium-ion battery that maintains power to the CMOS memory chip when the computer is otherwise unpowered. The usual battery size is CR2032.

Question 35

Firmware updates

Answer 35

Process by which the BIOS of a motherboard can be updated to reflect patched bugs and added features. Performed, usually, through CMOS, though some motherboard manufacturers provide a Windows program for performing a firmware update.