Fastboot Techniques for the x86 Architecture

May 2009
6 pages

Fastboot Techniques for the x86 Architecture

Embedded developers whose systems must boot quickly need a way to bypass the x86 BIOS, which can be the cause of unacceptably long boot times. This paper explores factors that affect boot time, and discusses the dramatic boot-time and performance gains that result from replacing the BIOS with customized early initialization of peripherals.

Contents

Introduction — BIOS Boot Time — Fastboot Time — Customized Boot — Fastboot and BIOS Commonalities — Fastboot BIOS — Conclusion [+]

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Author
Ben Biron
bbiron@qnx.com

Ben Biron

Ben Biron is presently a software developer on the QNX Core/OS Tools group, specializing in BSP development. Before joining QNX, Ben was at IBM, where he worked on real-time garbage collection for the J9 Java Virtual Machine; at RIM, where he used the RIM Blackberry Connect platform for software develpment on Symbian mobile phones; and at Ross Video, where he worked on graphics applications on the PPC 405 processor embedded in a Xilinx FPGA.

Ben holds a B.Eng. from Carleton University.

See Also...
Meeting Early Boot Requirements with the QNX Neutrino RTOS