Artesyn COMX-CORE Series Installation and Use (August 2014) - Manual (Page 79)

Chapter 5
COMX-CORE Series Installation and Use (6806800K11F) 79
BIOS
5.1 POST
After power-up or reset, the BIOS performs a self-test, POST, that attempts to determine if
further operation is possible and that the detected configuration is expected. This process can
complete normally or result in a warning or an error. The boot process does not stop after a
warning but displays a message on the primary display device. If an error is detected, the boot
process is halted. If possible, a message will be displayed but failures early on in the test can
only be indicated in POST codes.
The POST process display depends on the Quiet Boot option.
Viewing all checkpoints generated by Aptio firmware requires a checkpoint card, which is
also named "POST Card" or "POST Diagnostic Card". They are PCI or LPC add-in cards that
show the value of I/O port 80h on a LED display. These cards are available at the electronic
or computer market around the world.
5.2 Boot Process
While performing the functions of the traditional BIOS, Aptio 4.x core follows the firmware
model described by the Intel Platform Innovation Framework for EFI ("the Framework"). The
framework is associated to the following "boot phases", which can be described by various state
code.
 Security (SEC) - initial low-level initialization
 Pre-EFI Initialization (PEI) - memory initialization1
 Driver Execution Environment (DXE) - main hardware initialization2
 Boot Device Selection (BDS) - system setup, pre-OS user interface & selecting a bootable
device (CD/DVD, HDD, USB, Network, Shell, etc.)
5.3 Initiating Setup
During the boot, pressing the 'F2' key on the keyboard requests the Setup utility be launched
once the self-test is complete and before searching for a boot device. See the Setup description
later in this document to describe the operation of this utility. If you exit Setup without saving
any changes, the boot process continues with the search for a boot device. If the changes are
saved, the motherboard loads the new settings and resets - re-starting the entire boot process.