As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Initialization, operation, and administration of information handling systems have historically been managed using proprietary software and devices. For example, when an information handling system is turned on, a processor device may execute program instructions associated with a basic input/output system (BIOS). These instructions may incrementally activate hardware and software subsystems that collectively make up the information handling system, and ultimately pass control of the information handling system to an operating system (OS). These subsystems may include internal communication channels, network interface controllers, memory devices, and the like. Subsystems may incorporate embedded firmware that can be executed to facilitate initialization of the respective subsystem. The combination of proprietary and ad-hoc subsystem architectures and protocols can make configuration and administration of the information handling system difficult. For example, administration procedures associated with a particular information handling system may vary based on the model, the manufacturer, and the individual configuration of the system.
Manufacturers and industry consortiums promulgate system architectures and protocol specifications to standardize the operation and interaction of system devices. For example, the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) specification defines a collection of procedures and protocols in an attempt to standardize the interface and interoperability of devices that together make up an information handling system. These specifications can be revised periodically.
The use of the same reference symbols in different drawings indicates similar or identical items.