Alpha 1000A Instruction Manual download pdf (Page 25)

AlphaServer 1000/1000A Supplement 3-1

Introduction to the AlphaBIOS Console

Introduction

This chapter describes the AlphaBIOS interface and includes the following topics:

The AlphaBIOS Console

Windows NT System Startup

The Firmware Menus

Help in Navigating AlphaBIOS

Primary Operating System and the Auto Start Option

The AlphaBIOS Console

AlphaBIOS is a program used to initialize and set up the I/O system of the

computer, which includes the PCI bus and connected devices such as

SCSI disk controllers, the video display, the diskette drive, and the

keyboard. The AlphaBIOS program instructions are contained within

computer chips called flash ROMs (read-only memory) that are located on

your system board. The chips can be electronically reprogrammed,

allowing you to upgrade your AlphaBIOS firmware without removing and

installing chips.

AlphaBIOS provides a menu-based interface to the console subsystem that supports

the Microsoft Windows NT operating system for hardware based on the Alpha

processor. The console subsystem contains special software, called firmware, that

interacts directly with the hardware components and facilitates interaction between

the system hardware and the operating system.

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Alpha 1000A Instruction Manual Page 25