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Motherboard BIOS and Setup Utility
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PCI specification 2.1 for add-in card auto-configuration is also a part of the Plug and Play BIOS.
Peer-to-peer hierarchical PCI Bridge 1.0 is supported, and by using an OEM supplied option ROM
or TSR, a PCI-to-PCMCIA bridge capability is possible as well.
3.6 ISA Plug and Play
The BIOS incorporates ISA Plug and Play capabilities as delivered by Plug and Play Release 1.0A
(Plug and Play BIOS V.. 1.0A, ESCD V.. 1.03). When used in conjunction with the ISA
Configuration Utility (ICU) for DOS or Windows 3.x, the computer allows auto-configuration of
Plug and Play ISA cards, PCI cards, and resource management for legacy ISA cards. Because the
BIOS supports configuring devices across PCI bridges, release 1.41 or greater of the ICU must be
used with the motherboard to properly view and change settings. Configuration information is
stored in ESCD format. The ESCD data may be cleared (i.e., “write protection” is removed) by
setting the CMOS clear jumper to the DOWN (CLR) position.
The BIOS also has a setup option to support the Windows 95 run time Plug and Play utilities.
When this option is selected, only devices critical to booting are assigned resources by the BIOS.
Device Node information is available for all devices to ensure compatibility with Windows 95.
Copies of the Intel Architecture Laboratory (IAL) Plug and Play specification may be obtained
from the Intel World Wide Web site at http://www.intel.com/IAL/plugplay/.
3.7 Desktop Management Interface (DMI)
DMI is a method of managing computers in an enterprise. The main component of DMI is the
Management Information Format Database (MIF), which contains information about the computer
and its components. Using DMI, a system administrator can obtain the types, capabilities,
operational status, installation date and other information about the computer’s components. The
DMI specification requires that certain information about the motherboard be made available to an
applications program. This user-defined information is located in a series of data structures which
are accessed in various ways by means of the DMI service layer. Component instrumentation
allows the service layer to gain access to the information stored in the GPNV. The included MIF
database defines the data and provides the method for accessing the information.
The AP440FX BIOS provides the first stage of DMI v. 2.0 support, including static system
configuration information, including motherboard and peripheral data. Future AP440FX product
releases will provide event detection and error logging, achieving the maximum benefit of DMI
with applications such as LANDesk Client Manager from Intel.