IPC/NETIPCFW-1A: User Documentation
DOC/NETIPCFW-E; V3.0
4 Embedded BIOS
4.1.
General Information
4.1.1.
Introduction
The Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) is a standard application programmers interface (API)
that hides the details of the hardware on a PC-AT compatible processor system behind a well
defined software interface. The NETIPC boards are delivered with Embedded BIOS (General
Software, Inc. USA) a BIOS implementation that is specially designed for embedded target
platforms, such as the NETIPC. Embedded BIOS comes with an easy to use configuration tool
(Binary Configuration Program „BCP“) that allows the system integrator to fine tune the BIOS
to his application. In addition to the standard BIOS functions (Power On Self Test,
console/keyboard control, COM port control, etc.) it provides support for WindowsCE booting,
for a ROM disk (as boot drive A:) accessible from any operating system through the standard
BIOS int13 calls, and it allows to redirect the standard console/keyboard output/input over one
of the four serial COM ports replacing the expensive video output by a simple serial
connection. The full description of the standard BIOS API calls is not repeated here but may be
found in standard PC-AT literature.
4.1.2.
Console
The „console“ is the system device, through which the operating system and the BIOS (and also
the applications programs) handle input/output. The „console device“ is the physical device
displaying and accepting information, e.g. the VGA-screen/keyboard or a terminal connected
via the serial port.
The console can be assigned to the console device according to the user’s need. The linking of
the console to the desired console device is called „console redirection“ or „redirection“. The
console can be redirected in the BIOS and in the DOS and care must be taken, not to mix or to
select contradictory settings.
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