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It performs just a little bit of hardware initialization and then executes a so-called [[Payloads|payload]].
It performs just a little bit of hardware initialization and then executes a so-called [[Payloads|payload]].


Some of the many possible payloads are: a [[Linux]] kernel, [[FILO]], [[GRUB2]], [http://www.openbios.org/ OpenBIOS], [http://www.openbios.org/Open_Firmware Open Firmware], [http://www.openbios.org/SmartFirmware SmartFirmware],[http://www.gnu.org/software/gnufi/ GNUFI] (UEFI), [[Etherboot]], [[ADLO]] (for booting [[Windows|Windows 2000]] and [[OpenBSD]]), [[Plan 9]], [[memtest86]] and many more.
Some of the many possible payloads are: a [[Linux]] kernel, [[FILO]], [[GRUB2]], [http://www.openbios.org/ OpenBIOS], [http://www.openbios.org/Open_Firmware Open Firmware], [http://www.openbios.org/SmartFirmware SmartFirmware],[http://www.gnu.org/software/gnufi/ GNUFI] (UEFI), [[Etherboot]], [[ADLO]] (for booting [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_2000 Windows 2000] and [http://openbsd.org/ OpenBSD]), [[Plan 9]], [[memtest86]] and many more.
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<!--a compressed Linux kernel that can be booted from a cold start.  -->
<!--a compressed Linux kernel that can be booted from a cold start.  -->

Revision as of 20:09, 29 January 2007

LinuxBIOS is a Free Software project aimed at replacing the proprietary BIOS (firmware) you can find in most of today's computers.

It performs just a little bit of hardware initialization and then executes a so-called payload.

Some of the many possible payloads are: a Linux kernel, FILO, GRUB2, OpenBIOS, Open Firmware, SmartFirmware,GNUFI (UEFI), Etherboot, ADLO (for booting Windows 2000 and OpenBSD), Plan 9, memtest86 and many more.

Benefits

There are many reasons for using LinuxBIOS.

  • 100% Free Software BIOS (GPL)
  • No royalties or license fees!
  • Fast boot times (3 seconds from power-on to Linux console)
  • Avoids the need for a slow, buggy, proprietary BIOS
  • Runs in 32-Bit protected mode almost from the start
  • Written in C, contains virtually no assembly code
  • Supports a wide variety of hardware and payloads
  • Further features: netboot, serial console, remote flashing, ...

Use Cases & Deployments

LinuxBIOS can be (and is) deployed in a wide range of scenarios.

  • Standard desktop computers
  • Clusters, high-performance computing
  • Embedded solutions, appliances, terminals
  • Small form factor computers, Home-theater PCs (HTPC)
  • Servers (serial console, remote flashing, fast boot times)
  • No-moving-parts solutions (except for CPU fan & power supply)
  • Various non-standard scenarios (e.g. FPGA in Opteron socket)
  • One Laptop per Child (OLPC)

Quick Links

 About
Find out more about LinuxBIOS.
News | Press | History | Documentation | Screenshots | Contributors | Sponsors

Developers
Get involved! Help us make LinuxBIOS better!
Development Guidelines | Issue Tracker | Doxygen | Browse Source | JTAG | EHCI Debug Port

Status
Find out whether your hardware is already supported.
Supported Motherboards | Supported Chipsets & Devices | Build Status

Vendors & Products
Do you want to deploy LinuxBIOS? Buy LinuxBIOS solutions?
Products | Clusters | Laptop | Desktops

Getting Started
Download LinuxBIOS and get started!
Downloads | Payloads | Build Tutorials | Confirmed Working SVN Revisions | Flashrom | Misc

Support
Learn how to contact us and find help and support.
Mailinglist | FAQ | Glossary | LinuxBIOS Options
More than a million devices already run on LinuxBIOS!


News


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