System Bios - NEC POWERMATE PRO2180 - SERVICE MANUAL 1997 Service Manual

1-6 Technical Information
The processor is an advanced pipelined 32-bit addressing, 64-bit data processor designed to
optimize multitasking operating systems. The 64-bit registers and data paths support 64-bit
addresses and data types.
To use the Pentium Pro processor's power, the system features an optimized 64-bit memory
interface and 256 KB of secondary write-back cache incorporated into the processor.
The processor is compatible with 8-, 16-, and 32-bit software written for the Intel386™,
Intel486™, and Pentium Pro processors. The Pentium Pro processor is mounted into a
socket-8 zero insertion force (ZIF) socket. The socket provides an upgrade path to the next
generation processor.

System BIOS

The system BIOS is from American Megatrends Incorporated (AMI), which provides ISA
and PCI compatibility. The BIOS is contained in a flash memory device on the system board
(2-MB Intel PA28FB200BX). The BIOS provides the power-on self test (POST), the
system Setup program, a PCI and IDE auto-configuration utility, and BIOS recovery code.
The system BIOS is always shadowed. Shadowing allows any BIOS routine to be executed
from fast 32-bit onboard DRAM instead of from the slower 8-bit flash device.
NECCSD's Flash ROM allows fast, economical BIOS upgrades. NEC Flash ROMs are
reprogrammable system and video EPROMs. With NECCSD's Flash ROM, a ROM BIOS
change:
T
is fast and easily done using a Flash utility
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eliminates the expensive replacement of ROM BIOS chips, and reduces system
maintenance costs
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reduces inadvertent system board damage that can take place when replacing
ROMs
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facilitates adopting new technology while maintaining corporate standards
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gives network administrators company-wide control of BIOS revisions.
The BIOS programs execute the Power-On Self-Test, initialize processor controllers, and
interact with the display, diskette drives, hard disks, communication devices, and
peripherals. The system BIOS also contains the Setup utility. The hardware setup default
copies the ROM BIOS into RAM (shadowing) for maximum performance.
The Flash ROM allows the system and video BIOS to be upgraded with the BIOS Update
utility, without removing the ROM (see Section 2 of the PowerMate Pro2200/2180 Service
and Reference Manual for further information on the BIOS Update utility). The Flash
ROM supports the reprogramming of the system BIOS and the video BIOS.