Clear DefinitionsBIOS/UEFI
1 min read
Pronunciation
[bye-oh-ess/you-ee-eff-eye]
Analogy
BIOS/UEFI is like a ship’s captain running pre‑departure checks on all systems before setting sail.
Definition
Firmware interfaces that initialize hardware and boot an operating system or hypervisor before handing control to higher‑level software.
Key Points Intro
BIOS and UEFI perform hardware initialization, security checks, and OS loading.
Key Points
POST: Power‑On Self‑Test validates CPU, memory, and devices.
Bootloader loading: Locates and launches OS bootloader from storage.
Driver support: UEFI can load drivers for complex hardware pre‑boot.
Secure Boot: UEFI feature that cryptographically verifies boot components.
Example
Enabling Secure Boot in UEFI settings ensures only signed OS kernels can boot on a blockchain node server.
Technical Deep Dive
UEFI replaces legacy BIOS with a modular, OS‑independent environment. It uses the GUID Partition Table (GPT), offers a FAT‑based EFI System Partition for drivers and applications, and provides runtime services via EFI boot services. Secure Boot leverages PKI to verify PE/COFF binaries against allowed signature databases.
Security Warning
Malicious firmware implants or rootkits at BIOS/UEFI level can persist below OS detection; always update from trusted vendors and enable Secure Boot.
Caveat
Proprietary UEFI implementations vary; misconfiguration can brick devices or open attack vectors.
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