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Firmware, OS and Security FAQs

Firmware and the operating system decide how a system boots, updates and stays secure in the field. These FAQs explain UEFI and BIOS, Secure Boot, TPM, BitLocker, board support packages, Linux and Windows IoT, and remote management.

34 answers Search all FAQs
Topics 12
FIRMWARE · BOOT AND SECURITY

What Is Secure Boot?

Secure Boot is a UEFI firmware feature that lets a computer start only bootloaders, drivers and operating systems signed with a trusted key. It blocks bootkits and tampered boot files before the operating system loads. Windows 11 requires a Secure Boot capable system, and major Linux distributions also support it.

6 MIN
FIRMWARE · UPDATES AND LIFECYCLE

What Is Firmware?

Firmware is software stored permanently on a hardware device, in flash memory, that controls how that device works at the lowest level. It starts the hardware and runs it before, and alongside, any operating system. Examples include a PC’s UEFI, an SSD’s controller code and the program inside a router. Firmware updates fix bugs and security flaws.

6 MIN
FIRMWARE · BOOT AND SECURITY

What Is UEFI?

UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) is the firmware standard that starts a computer and hands control to its operating system. It replaced the legacy BIOS on x86 PCs and is now used on many Arm systems too. UEFI boots from GPT disks, loads bootloaders as files and adds Secure Boot.

6 MIN
STORAGE · BOOT AND PARTITIONING

MBR vs GPT: What Is the Difference?

MBR (master boot record) and GPT (GUID partition table) are two ways of recording how a disk is divided into partitions. MBR is the older scheme, limited to about 2 TiB and four primary partitions, and pairs with legacy BIOS. GPT is part of UEFI, supports far larger disks, keeps a backup copy and is required to boot Windows 11.

5 MIN
STANDARDS · INDUSTRIAL CYBERSECURITY

What Is IEC 62443?

IEC 62443 is the international series of standards for the cybersecurity of industrial automation and control systems. Developed by ISA and the IEC, it sets requirements for asset owners, system integrators and product suppliers, and defines zones and conduits, seven foundational requirements and four security levels.

6 MIN
STANDARDS · CYBERSECURITY REGULATION

What Is the Cyber Resilience Act?

The Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) is EU Regulation 2024/2847. It sets cybersecurity requirements for hardware and software “products with digital elements” sold in the EU, from design through support. Vulnerability reporting duties apply from 11 September 2026 and most obligations from 11 December 2027.

6 MIN
SECURITY · NETWORK ARCHITECTURE

What Is the Purdue Model?

The Purdue model is a reference architecture that divides an industrial network into levels, from sensors and actuators at Level 0 up to business IT and the internet at Levels 4 and 5, with an industrial DMZ between them. It is widely used to plan network segmentation for industrial control systems.

6 MIN
SECURITY · INDUSTRIAL NETWORKS

What Is OT Security?

OT security is the protection of the operational technology that monitors and controls physical processes: PLCs, SCADA, HMIs, industrial PCs and the networks that join them. Safety and availability come first, so controls are chosen to keep the process running, guided by standards such as IEC 62443 and NIST SP 800-82.

6 MIN
NETWORKING · SWITCH SECURITY

What Is DHCP Snooping?

DHCP snooping is a managed switch feature that blocks rogue DHCP servers. The switch only accepts DHCP offers on ports you mark as trusted, drops them everywhere else, and records which IP address each device was given on which port. That binding table also feeds IP source guard and dynamic ARP inspection.

6 MIN
NETWORKING · ACCESS CONTROL

What Is 802.1X Authentication?

802.1X is the IEEE standard for port-based network access control. A switch or wireless access point keeps a port closed until the connected device proves its identity, usually with a certificate or password checked by a RADIUS server. Only then does the port pass normal traffic, so an unknown device plugged into a wall socket gets no network access.

7 MIN
NETWORKING · MONITORING

What Is Port Mirroring?

Port mirroring is a managed switch feature that copies the traffic on one or more ports or VLANs to a separate monitoring port. A packet analyzer, intrusion detection sensor or recorder on that port sees the traffic without sitting in its path. Cisco calls it SPAN; remote versions such as RSPAN carry the copy across the network.

6 MIN
FIRMWARE · RELIABILITY

What Is a Watchdog Timer?

A watchdog timer (WDT) is a hardware countdown that resets a computer or microcontroller if its software stops responding. Healthy software restarts the countdown at regular intervals. If the software hangs and the timer reaches zero, the watchdog triggers a reset, so an unattended system recovers by itself instead of waiting for someone to restart it.

6 MIN
ROBOTICS · SOFTWARE

What Is ROS (Robot Operating System)?

ROS (Robot Operating System) is a free, open-source set of software libraries and tools for building robot applications. Despite the name, it is not an operating system: it runs on Linux and handles communication between the parts of a robot, such as sensors, navigation and motor control. ROS 2 is the current version.

6 MIN
GPUS AND AI · GPU SHARING

What Is NVIDIA MIG?

NVIDIA MIG (Multi-Instance GPU) splits one data centre GPU into as many as seven smaller GPUs, each with its own compute cores, cache and memory. Each instance runs its own workload in isolation with predictable performance, so one physical GPU can serve several users, models or inference services at once.

6 MIN
NETWORKING · NETWORK MANAGEMENT

What Is SNMP?

SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) is the standard way to monitor and manage networked devices. A manager polls agents on switches, routers, UPSs and computers for values held in a MIB, such as port status, traffic and temperature, and agents send traps when something changes. It runs over UDP: port 161 for polling, 162 for traps.

7 MIN
SOFTWARE · DEVICE LOCKDOWN

What Is Android Kiosk Mode?

Android kiosk mode locks an Android device to one app, or a small set of approved apps, so users cannot reach the home screen, settings or notifications. It is set up with screen pinning for simple cases, or with lock task mode through a device management app for dedicated devices such as self-service kiosks, HMIs and rugged tablets.

6 MIN
PROCESSORS · EMBEDDED DESIGN

What Is an Embedded System?

An embedded system is a combination of a processor, memory, input/output and software built into a larger device to do one dedicated job, such as controlling a washing machine, a car’s brakes or a factory machine. Unlike a general-purpose PC, it runs fixed software, often in real time, and is designed around the device it serves.

6 MIN
OPERATING SYSTEMS · EMBEDDED LINUX

What Is Embedded Linux?

Embedded Linux is the Linux kernel and a trimmed set of software built to run one dedicated device, such as an industrial controller, gateway, camera or edge AI computer, rather than a general-purpose PC. It is assembled for specific hardware, often an Arm processor, and usually boots straight into the device’s application.

6 MIN
OPERATING SYSTEMS · EMBEDDED LINUX

What Is the Yocto Project?

The Yocto Project is an open-source set of tools for building a custom Linux operating system for one embedded device. Instead of installing a ready-made distribution, you describe the hardware, software and settings you need in layers and recipes, and the BitBake build engine produces a small, repeatable image for that device.

6 MIN
FIRMWARE · SECURITY

What Is fTPM?

fTPM (firmware TPM) is a Trusted Platform Module that runs as firmware inside the processor instead of on a separate chip. On AMD systems it runs in the AMD Secure Processor and provides TPM 2.0 for Windows 11, BitLocker and measured boot. Intel’s equivalent is called PTT.

6 MIN
FIRMWARE · BOOT

What Is a BIOS?

A BIOS (basic input/output system) is the firmware stored on a chip on the motherboard that runs first when a computer powers on. It tests the hardware, sets up the processor, memory and devices, then hands over to the operating system. On current computers the BIOS is UEFI firmware, but the name has stuck.

6 MIN
OPERATING SYSTEMS · WINDOWS

What Is Windows IoT Enterprise?

Windows IoT Enterprise is the edition of Windows for fixed-purpose devices such as industrial PCs, kiosks, HMIs and signage players. It is the full Windows Enterprise operating system, licensed to device builders and preinstalled on the hardware, with lockdown features for single-purpose use and an LTSC option that receives security updates for 10 years.

9 MIN
FIRMWARE · SECURITY

What Is Intel Platform Trust Technology (PTT)?

Intel Platform Trust Technology (PTT) is Intel’s firmware TPM. It provides TPM 2.0 functions from firmware running in the processor’s security engine instead of a separate chip, so Windows 11, BitLocker and measured boot work without a discrete TPM. AMD’s equivalent is fTPM.

6 MIN
FIRMWARE · REMOTE MANAGEMENT

What Is a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC)?

A baseboard management controller (BMC) is a small, separate processor on a server or industrial motherboard that runs independently of the main CPU and operating system. Through its own network connection it lets administrators power-cycle, monitor, update and reinstall a computer remotely, even when the system has crashed or is switched off.

6 MIN
INDUSTRIAL NETWORKS · IT AND OT

IT vs OT: What Is the Difference?

IT (information technology) manages data: servers, PCs, networks and business software. OT (operational technology) monitors and controls physical equipment: PLCs, SCADA, robots and building controls. IT puts data confidentiality first and changes fast; OT puts safety and uptime first, runs for decades and changes only in planned outages.

10 MIN
STANDARDS · EMISSION SECURITY

What Is TEMPEST Certification?

TEMPEST certification shows that a computer, display or other device has been tested to limit compromising emanations: stray electromagnetic signals that could let an eavesdropper reconstruct the data it handles. NATO equipment is tested to SDIP-27 Level A, B or C and US equipment to NSA TEMPEST standards, in accredited laboratories.

7 MIN
SECURITY · DISK ENCRYPTION

What Is BitLocker?

BitLocker is the full-volume disk encryption built into Windows Pro, Enterprise, Education and IoT Enterprise. It encrypts a whole drive with AES, so the data cannot be read if the drive is removed or the computer is stolen. It usually stores its key in a TPM 2.0 chip and asks for a 48-digit recovery key when the boot chain changes.

6 MIN
POWER · RELIABILITY AND RECOVERY

What Is a Power Cycle?

A power cycle is switching a device fully off, removing its power for a short time and switching it back on. Unlike a restart, it cuts power to every component, which clears memory and resets hardware that has locked up. Industrial computers can power cycle themselves through a watchdog timer or be power cycled remotely.

6 MIN
FIRMWARE · BOOT AND START-UP

UEFI vs BIOS: What Is the Difference?

BIOS is the original PC firmware from 1981: it starts in 16-bit mode, boots from an MBR disk and cannot check what it loads. UEFI is its replacement, published by the UEFI Forum: it runs in 32 or 64-bit mode, boots from GPT disks and supports Secure Boot. Most current PCs use UEFI, and Windows 11 requires it.

6 MIN
SECURITY · ISOLATED SYSTEMS

What Is an Air-Gapped Computer?

An air-gapped computer is physically isolated from the internet and from any unsecured network, with no wired, wireless or cellular connection. Data only moves on and off it by hand, on removable media. Air gaps protect classified systems, industrial safety controllers and offline backups from network attacks, though infected media and insiders remain risks.

6 MIN
SECURITY · PLATFORM

What Is TPM 2.0, and Why Do Industrial PCs Need It?

A TPM, or Trusted Platform Module, is a security chip or processor function that stores encryption keys and records whether a computer started with untampered firmware. TPM 2.0 is the current version. Windows 11 requires it, and it underpins disk encryption, measured boot and device identity on industrial PCs.

6 MIN
PROCESSORS · MANAGEMENT

What Is Intel vPro?

Intel vPro is a platform for business and edge processors that adds hardware-based remote management, through Intel Active Management Technology (AMT), plus security and stability features for fleets of computers. With AMT, an administrator can power on, restart, reach the BIOS or reinstall a computer over the network, even when its operating system has stopped responding.

6 MIN
EDGE · REMOTE MANAGEMENT

What Is Out-of-Band Management?

Out-of-band (OOB) management is a way to control a device remotely through a separate channel that does not depend on its main operating system or network. It lets administrators power-cycle, monitor and recover a computer even when it has crashed or gone offline, without a site visit.

6 MIN
EMBEDDED · SOFTWARE

What Is a Board Support Package (BSP)?

A board support package (BSP) is the low-level software that lets an operating system run on a particular board: the bootloader, kernel, device drivers and hardware description such as the device tree. For NVIDIA Jetson, the BSP is Jetson Linux, delivered as part of JetPack, and custom carrier boards need it adapted to their hardware.

6 MIN
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