Abstract: Methods and apparatus for providing a firmware defined radio are disclosed. In an example, a machine readable medium includes instructions that are adapted to be read by a machine to enable the machine to receive data via wireless communications in a pre-boot environment.

Abstract: Techniques for using a controlling computer to control another computer with special instruction package prior to launch of the operating system in the controlled computer. For example, a method includes operating the package prior to running the OS in the controlled computer, using the package to cause the controlled computer to respond to a command from the controlling computer, using the package to generate a video frame to represent the received command and the generated response in two separate fields, and sending data for the video frame to the controlling computer. The package may be a special BIOS instruction set. The two separate fields have different coordinates and data bits representing the command are in the designated command field. In operation, the special BIOS set extracts a command from the data bits in the designated command field for execution according to the coordinates of the data bits.

Abstract: Redirection of accesses to non-existent memory is instead sent to a virtual buffer. The virtual buffer may be implemented in headless systems which include no video buffer. Console redirection may use the virtual buffer to display information about the headless system. Accesses to the non-existent video hardware, either directly or using the BIOS API, are redirected to the virtual buffer before being retrieved by a remote console. The headless system is cheaper and may support additional add-in cards because the system includes no video controller.

Abstract: A technique for providing communication between two computers through a network in a way to allow one computer to control the other.

Abstract: The present invention provides a mechanism for independently developed firmware modules to be executed in an ordered sequence such that the services required by each module will be available when the module executes. Upon execution, each of the firmware modules provides one or more services that may be used by various components in the computer platform. In one embodiment, one or more firmware modules are stored on one or more firmware devices (FD), such as a flash memory component or other types of non-volatile storage mediums. The mechanism examines header information pertaining to each of the firmware modules in each FD and determines services that are required to be available prior to the execution of that module. Firmware modules are then executed in an order that is a function of the services each module requires (i.e., is dependent on) and the services each module produces using an iterative algorithm.

Abstract: A technique for providing communication between two computers through a network in a way to allow one computer to control the other.

Abstract: A method comprises reading a remote boot signal and a program type signal from a memory of a computer system. The remote boot signal and program type signal are written by way of an external channel. A program identified by the program type signal is booted.

Abstract: A BIOS system and method to initialize the platform hardware components of a computer system. An object oriented abstraction of each hardware component, the features of the hardware component to be initialized, and the initialization setting for each feature according to a common syntax is input into a BIOS database. An order of initialization is determined based on the initialization dependencies of each component. At initialization, the abstraction for each component is passed to the driver of the component wherein it is interpreted by the driver.

Abstract: A method for representing root busses and their subordinate bus configurations using an object oriented abstraction scheme that enables various system components to communication with peripheral devices attached to the root busses and their subordinate busses without requiring specific knowledge of the access mechanisms of those devices. During the initialization process of a platform, a core dispatcher loads a PCI bus plug-in (PPI) for each entity that can create a root bus. When the plug-in for an entity is loaded, it produces a GUIDed object called a GRB (GUID of PPI for Root Bus) that provides an abstracted representation of the root buss's configuration and resources. The GRB includes a plurality of components including driver methods that are registered with the core authority, which then publishes the GRB to enable access to the methods and resources. An enumeration process is performed on each root bus in a system to determine its configuration and resources through use of the methods.

Abstract: A method and system for accessing devices through use of an abstraction layer interface that “hides” the access methods from components accessing the devices, such as device drivers and OPROMs. The abstraction layer interface includes a set of resource access methods and a database containing bus, device, function and resource information for various devices in a system. During an initialization process, bus and device configuration information is determined and stored in the database. When an application or operating system requests access to a device, the application or OS uses the device's device driver or OPROM to pass identification information, resource information and one or more resource access commands to the abstraction layer interface, which then verifies the identification information against the database, and converts the resource access request into appropriate resource access methods that are used to access the device.