PCA1003 Praktikum Siskom

WHAT IS BIOS????

A BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) is an electronic set of instructions that a computer  uses to successfully start operating. The BIOS is located on a chip inside of the computer and is designed in a way that protects it from disk failure.

A main function of the BIOS is to give instructions for the power-on self test (POST). This self test ensures that the computer has all of the necessary parts and functionality needed to successfully start itself, such as use of memory, a keyboard and other parts. If errors are detected during the test, the BIOS instructs the computer to give a code that reveals the problem. Error codes are typically a series of beeps heard shortly after startup.

The BIOS also works to give the computer basic information about how to interact with some critical components, such as drives and memory, that it will need to load the operating system. Once the basic instructions have been loaded and the self-test has been passed, the computer can proceed with loading the operating system from one of the attached drives.

Computer users can often make certain adjustments to the BIOS through a configuration screen on the computer. The setup screen is typically accessed with a special key sequence during the first moments of startup. This setup screen often allows users to change the order in which drives are accessed during startup and control the functionality of a number of critical devices. Features vary among individual BIOS versions.

Many PC manufacturers  today use flash-memory cards to hold BIOS information. This allows users to update the BIOS version on computers after a vendor releases an update. This system was designed to solve problems with the original BIOS or to add new functionality. Users can periodically check for updated BIOS versions, as some vendors release a dozen or more updates over the course of a product's lifetime. To check for an updated BIOS, users can check the website of the specific hardware vendor.

www.wisegeek.com/what-is-bios.htm

And main function of Bios

The BIOS (basic input output system) provides the processor with the information required to boot the system from a non volatile storage unit (HDD, FDD, CF or other). It provides the system with the settings and resources that are available on the system.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Main_function_of_the_bios

COMMUNICATION TOOLS IN MOTHERBOARD

In motherboard there are a 2 communication tools

1. northbridge

The northbridge typically handles communications among the CPU, RAM, BIOS ROM, and PCI Express (or AGP) video cards, and the southbridge.[1][2] Some northbridges also contain integrated video controllers, also known as a Graphics and Memory Controller Hub  (GMCH) in Intel systems. Because different processors and RAM require different signaling, a northbridge will typically work with only one or two classes of CPUs and generally only one type of RAM.

There are a few chipsets that support two types of RAM (generally these are available when there is a shift to a new standard). For example, the northbridge from the Nvidia nForce2 chipset will only work with Socket A processors combined with DDR SDRAM, the Intel i875 chipset will only work with systems using Pentium 4 processors or Celeron processors that have a clock speed greater than 1.3 GHz and utilize DDR SDRAM, and the Intel i915g chipset only works with the Intel Pentium 4 and the Celeron, but it can use DDR or DDR2 memory.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northbridge_%28computing%29

2. southbridge

The southbridge, also known as an I/O controller hub (ICH) in Intel systems (AMD, VIA, SiS and others usually use 'southbridge'), is a chip that implements the "slower" capabilities of the motherboard in a northbridge/southbridge chipset computer architecture.

The southbridge can usually be distinguished from the northbridge by not being directly connected to the CPU. Rather, the northbridge ties the southbridge to the CPU. Through the use of controller integrated channel circuitry, the northbridge can directly link signals from the I/O units to the CPU for data control and access.

Because the southbridge is further removed from the CPU, it is given responsibility for the slower devices on a typical microcomputer. A southbridge usually works with several different northbridges, but these two kinds of chip must be designed to work together; there is no industry-wide standard for interoperability between different core logic chipset designs. Traditionally the interface between a northbridge and southbridge was simply the PCI bus, but because this created a performance bottleneck, most current chipsets use a different (often proprietary) interface with higher performance

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southbridge_%28computing%29

KIND OF BIOS

In my knowladge there is 2 famous vendor of Bios 

1.American Megatrends, Inc -- a BIOS vendor to PC manufacturers and home of the AMI BIOS.

http://www.ami.com/

the advantage from AMI is AMIBIOS8 Selected by congatec AG for use in Embedded Computers

Wednesday: February 23, 2005

Editorial Summary:

    * American Megatrends will provide congatec AG, an embedded computer manufacturer, with AMIBIOS8 system software that will be integrated into all of its products

NUREMBERG, GERMANY - American Megatrends Inc. (AMI), a leading provider of computer technologies, today announced that congatec AG, a vendor of embedded computer boards & modules with extended BIOS features, selected AMIBIOS®8 as the core firmware system for its entire product line. Congatec will announce the first product at Embedded World 2005 in Nuremberg, Germany.

AMI’s long history as a provider of AMIBIOS® will support congatec’s leap into the fast growing embedded computer technology market. Congatec will take advantage of AMIBIOS technologies and support to offer extended BIOS features.

"We are impressed by the extremely stable AMIBIOS firmware, which will enable congatec to offer a robust platform for its embedded products," said Christian Riesinger, Congatec Software Manager. "By selecting AMIBIOS as our core firmware, we are guaranteed a stable, well tested and known solution that supports all industry standards and will be a great fit for our embedded modular boards. AMI is much more than just an excellent partner – with AMI’s recovery and pre-boot applications (PBAs), congatec is able to offer the most complete firmware solution to our customers."

"AMI is committed to serving with leading embedded board manufacturer congatec and is dedicated to providing increased ROI by reducing time to market and giving outstanding support" said Imran Ahmad, AMI software sales manager for the East Coast and EMEA.

The modular structure of AMIBIOS8 will make porting and customization a straightforward task. The modular structure is ideal for embedded products as developers can utilize only those BIOS modules that are necessary to their specific design, which saves space in the BIOS footprint as well as the EPROM chip. Congatec will also be using VeB development environment enhance BIOS development and help to shorten time to market. The modular design of AMIBIOS8, superior development tools and system management features make AMIBIOS8 a great choice for embedded devices.

About congatec AG - Congatec AG is a newly created enterprise in the fast growing Embedded computer technology market. The product portfolio includes embedded computer boards & modules with extended BIOS features, professional product support packages and extensive design support. For more information visit www.congatec.com.

About AMI : Founded in 1985 and known worldwide for AMIBIOS®, American Megatrends Inc. (AMI) supplies state-of-the-art hardware, software, and utilities to today's high-tech manufacturers. AMI's innovative Aptio® solution for UEFI, modular AMIBIOS8, high quality StorTrends® IP Storage Area Networks (IP-SAN), Network Attached Storage (NAS), and Storage Management software solutions, along with MegaRAC® remote server management, KVM over IP, IPMI 2.0 firmware and high-density motherboards continue to garner industry acclaim and awards around the world. In line with the diversity of its technology and product line, AMI is a member of a number of industry associations and standards groups, such as the Unified EFI Forum (UEFI), the Intel® Embedded Alliance and the Trusted Computing Group (TCG). Headquartered in Atlanta, AMI has locations in the U.S., China, Germany, India, Japan, Korea and Taiwan to better serve its customers.

For more information on AMI, its products or services, call 1-800-U-BUY-AMI or visit www.ami.com.

2.Microid Research -- a BIOS vendor to PC manufacturers and home of the MR BIOS, Award, Phonenix, FirstBIOS, and others. http://www.mrbios.com/

the advantage for using Microid Reseach is the update from this bios is simple, and the upadate website already using windows server so can use pararel download. can reach until 100Mb.

And the price from this bios more cheap then the other bios vendor like AMI.

My Analyze from motherboard that i have research hold many esessential hardware, example like processor, RAM, VGA, IDE Cable, Floppy Cable, and etc. And to connect processor with each other motherboard use northbridge and southbridge, like i tell above.