PhoenixBIOS™ 4.0 Release 6.1

PhoenixBIOS™ 4.0 Release 6.1 is the world's most successful PC firmware.The first to incorporate a modular architecture with isolated components, PhoenixBIOS 4.0 made possible a new range of advantages for increasing product differentiation and reducing costs and time-to-market.

Because of the leadership of Phoenix in developing industry standards, PC makers worldwide rely on PhoenixBIOS to bring to market tomorrow's technologies and devices. As the backbone of all Phoenix desktop, notebook, server, and industrial-PC products, PhoenixBIOS4.0 gives OEMs the ability to satisfy all these different market segments.

For a more complete description of the PhoenixBIOS features, see PhoenixBIOS Feature Descriptions. 

Standards-Compliant

PhoenixBIOS 4.0 Release 6 is compliant with all the major standards, including Universal Serial Bus (USB), PCI, Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI), Wired for Management (WfM) and PC2001.

Among other standard features that ensure rapid configuration are:

QuickBoot

Substantially reduces the configuration time required before booting the operating system. End users can enable or disable QuickBoot in Setup. It automatically disables itself on detecting an error.

Motherboard Configurable Devices™ (MCD)

A central resource manager of configurable motherboard devices such as Super I/O and sound controllers. MCD includes full device registration and configuration for the widest degree of flexibility in assigning system resources.

Graphical Boot and Setup

Uses VGA for including OEM bitmaps for Quietboot screens and for POST and Setup messages.

Ease of Deployment

PhoenixBIOS uses the following features to enhance differentiation and accelerate the deployment of new products:

• String Manager. Text and Setup strings are managed in a database and accessed by token name. The isolation of strings from the code ensures portability and transferring the same look-and-feel from one system to another.
• POST Error Manager. Holds error messages in a separate database for easy customization without having to rebuild the rest of the platformware code.
• CMOS Mapping. New CMOS mapping tools make it easy for OEMs to efficiently use CMS bits and to preserve certain bit locations from one platform to another.
• Configurable POST. Manufacturers can develop multiple boot paths based on specific market requirements or on errors or other conditions encountered during POST.

Expanded List of Silicon Components

PhoenixBIOS also supports the latest silicon, featuring the newest technologies. The influential position of Phoenix in the marketplace gives its engineers access to first-hand information on silicon developments. That information gives manufacturers a unique advantage in bringing the latest silicon to market in the broadest range of configurations.

The dedicated Phoenix team works closely with the producers of core chipsets, CPUs, I/O, and audio components to deliver the most compatible solutions to market.

Quality First

Each implementation goes through an engineering test followed by a more comprehensive QA test performed by the Phoenix Quality Assurance Department. The result is a high quality and fully tested platformware for each CPU, chipset, or other silicon.

Power Management Leadership

Based on its years of leadership in developing modular power management, PhoenixBIOS supports precise power control for servers, desktops, notebooks, and Industrial PCs. Platform support for Advanced Power Management (APM) Version 1.2 includes the highest degree of system power management available.

Phoenix ACPI

Phoenix developed the first platformware with ACPI (Advanced configuration and Power Interface), demonstrated by Microsoft in August, 1996. Since then, Phoenix has continued in its development. It has added new features to support logo certification and to allow for greater product differentiation.

The ACPI architecture of PhoenixBIOS greatly reduces the effort required to support ACPI on a new platform. It features a Windows-based utility for solving the most common issues, a strong set of routines in the platformware, and tight integration with Motherboard Configurable Devices (MCD).

Phoenix Service and Support

With development offices worldwide, Phoenix provides local support to manufacturers, and system integrators and designers. In addition to providing standard support for PCI, Plug and Play, and Power Management systems, Phoenix also provides highly customized solutions.

For those manufacturers implementing PhoenixBIOS without the assistance of our worldwide deployment team, we offer a wide range of classes from BIOS basics to courses in advanced development. These classes cover new technologies, new features, and manufacturer-specific solutions.

Today's manufacturers require more from their firmware supplier. Phoenix not only meets the demands for current firmware, but also helps them deploy new technologies quickly and get their products to market faster. Successful PC suppliers depend on Phoenix Technologies as their technology partner.

New PhoenixBIOS Features

• UDMA 100
• PC 133
• LPC (Low Pin Count) Bus Designs
• Above 1 Megabyte SMI
• New support for AMD, CYRIX, and Intel processors

Standard Features

• QuickBoot
• Support for hard drives greater than 8 GB
• Ultra DMA support
• Support for ATAPI removable media
• PnP support for AGP
• Phoenix Card Manager

Phoenix MultiKey/xL

• Internal Scan-Code Controller
• Hot Plug and Port Swapping
• Simultaneous operation of Internal and External devices

Standards Compliance

• PC 2001
• ACPI
• USB
• Wired for Management
• PCI
• Legacy-Free PC
• VUMA
• IPMI

PhoenixBIOS Options

Advanced ACPI 

The Advanced ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) provides ASL (ACPI Source Language) code for power management and device configuration capabilities as defined in the ACPI specification developed by Microsoft, Intel and Toshiba. Advanced ACPI  provides support for all ACPI features enabled by the hardware and the operating system including the features required for Microsoft Windows logo certification.

Phoenix NoteBIOS USB Floppy Boot

The Phoenix NoteBIOS USB Floppy Boot provides enumeration and configuration of USB floppy device during POST that enables the ability to boot to DOS from USB floppy drive that is connected to a system either directly or through a hub(s). Additionally USB floppy support enables the use of an USB floppy drive while in a DOS environment.

Advanced USB Boot

The Advanced USB Boot  provides enumeration and configuration of an USB CD-ROM, Zip, and Hard Disk drive during POST that enables the ability to boot to DOS from an USB CD-ROM, Zip, or Hard Disk drive that is connected to a system either directly or through a hub(s). Additionally USB CD-ROM, Zip, or Hard Disk drive support enables the use of an USB CD-ROM, Zip, or Hard Disk drive while in a DOS environment.

USB 2.0 "High-Speed" Boot

USB 2.0 "High-Speed" Boot provides enumeration and configuration of an USB CD-ROM, CD-ROM/RW, DVD, combination CD-ROM/RW - DVD, and Hard Disk drives during POST.  It enables the ability to boot DOS from an USB mass storage device in "high-speed" mode when directly connected to USB 2.0 ROOT hub; when a "high-speed" USB 2.0 device is attached to an USB 2.0 external HUB, this device will be supported in USB 1.1 speed ( 12 Mbit/Sec).  Additionally USB 2.0 "High-Speed" Boot support enables the use of one of the above stated USB devices while in a DOS environment.

IEEE 1394 Boot

IEEE 1394 Boot provides enumeration and configuration of a 1394 DVD, CD-ROM, Zip, and Hard Disk drives during POST that enables the ability to boot DOS or Windows 2000 from a 1394 mass storage device that is connected to a system either directly or through a hub(s).  Additionally 1394 DVD, CD-ROM, Zip, Hard Drive support enables the use of the particular 1394 device while in a DOS or Windows 2000 environment.

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PhoenixBIOS MultiKey Keyboard Platformware

MultiKey/42™

The MultiKey/42 is code for keyboard controllers and Super I/Os (SIOs) used as keyboard controllers. MultiKey/42 supports multiple input devices and password security.

Enhanced MultiKey/42x™

The Enhanced MultiKey/42x is code for keyboard controllers and SIOs used as keyboard controllers. Enhanced MultiKey/42x supports multiple input devices and password security. Port swapping, inactivity timers, Hot Keys and USB support for legacy devices are included.

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PhoenixBIOS Applications and Development Tools

Phoenix WinPhlash™

Phoenix WinPhlash is a Windows-based application for re-programming Flash memory device that contains a PhoenixBIOS with Flash2000™. The utility works with all Windows operating systems and works in: Advanced and User modes. Advanced Mode is for engineers and provides full access to the DMI strings and all WinPhlash options. User Mode is for PC users who need to save or update their platformware safely without corrupting the code or causing system failures. Phlash16 comes with WinPhlash as well as documentation for support technicians, end users, and developers of platformware.

Phoenix Phlash16™

Phoenix Phlash16 is a DOS-based utility for reprogramming a Flash device that contains NoteBIOS with FlashPro functionality. It works with MS-DOS or a compatible operating system. It works in command-line or automated batch mode using a script file.

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Desktop Hardware

Phoenix Amber Debug Card

The Amber Debug Card is a PCI-compatible hardware diagnostic add-in card that allows PhDebug code to be available outside of the ROM Unit Under Test (UUT). The card allows debug code to be mapped directly into memory space with minimal code requirements in the UUT. This capability gives deployment engineers a more realistic test environment for their ROM UUT and greatly simplifies setup of PhDebug. A program that loads the debugger interface onto the Amber Debug Module is included with the product. The product also requires PhDebug (included with PhoenixBIOS products) to operate.

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