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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]], [[OpenBIOS]], [[Open Firmware]], [[SmartFirmware]], [[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], [[Etherboot]], [[ADLO]] (for booting [[Windows|Windows 2000]] and [[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 10:24, 11 December 2006

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, 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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