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Technical Information 1-5
Secondary Cache
The 16-KB primary cache (8 KB data and 8 KB instruction) is integrated into the
processor. The system board also provides 256 KB of secondary cache, external to the
processor. Cache memory improves read performance by holding copies of code and data
that are frequently requested from the system memory by the processor. Cache memory
is not considered part of the expansion memory.
The cache is connected directly to the processor address bus and uses physical addresses. A
bus feature known as burst enables fast cache fills. Memory areas (pages) can be designated
as cacheable or non-cacheable by software. The cache can also be enabled and disabled
by software.
The write strategy of the cache secondary is write-through. If the write is a cache hit, an
external bus cycle is generated and information is written to the cache. Any area of memory
can be cached in the system. Non-cacheable portions of memory are defined by software.
The cache can be cleared by software instructions.
Flash ROM
Machine language programs are stored in a 28F001 Flash ROM known as the system's
ROM BIOS. The system BIOS and video BIOS are contained in the ROM. The Flash ROM
is 128 KB, which consists of 64 KB of system BIOS, and 32 KB of video BIOS.
The Flash ROM allows the BIOS to be upgraded with the BIOS Update utility without
removing the ROM (see Section 4, Maintenance and Troubleshooting). The BIOS can only
be reprogrammed by powering on the system with the BIOS Update utility diskette in
drive A.
The BIOS programs execute the Power-On Self-Test (POST), update recovery code,
initialize processor controllers, and interact with the display, diskette drives, hard disks,
communication devices, and peripherals. The system BIOS also contains the Setup program
and provides VGA controller support. The hardware setup default copies the ROM BIOS
into RAM (shadowing) for maximum performance.
System BIOS is located in the upper portion of the Flash ROM and video BIOS in the
lower portion. System BIOS is located between F0000h-FFFFFh and supports shadowing
and shadowed memory. System BIOS is write protected and automatically enabled.
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