HP ISS Technology Update Volume 9, Number 5

Understanding UEFI

UEFI (Unified Enhanced Firmware Interface) is a specification that defines a new interface and architecture for the system firmware that initializes server hardware subsystems before starting the OS boot process. It is now touted as a long-term successor to the BIOS system, which has been part of the x86 system architecture since its inception. Keep reading to understand more about its strengths and challenges.

Origins of UEFI

UEFI began as EFI, or the Enhanced Firmware Interface, and it was first proposed for the development of the Intel Itanium-based systems in the late 1990s. Because the Itanium architecture was essentially starting from scratch, there wasn’t much downside to defining a new firmware architecture for it. UEFI has grown out of a desire to extend this new firmware architecture to x86-based systems.

Download Full Whitepaper: HP ISS Technology Update Volume 9, Number 5