Tag Archives: LAN

LAN Boot ROM – The BIOS Optimization Guide

1 Reply

LAN Boot ROM

Common Options : Enabled, Disabled

 

Quick Review of LAN Boot ROM

Newer motherboards has Gigabit LAN controllers that boast throughputs of up to 1 Gbps (1000 Mbps). However, the newer Gigabit LAN controllers are only supported by newer operating systems. If you use older operating systems like MS-DOS or operating systems that do not have driver support , the Gigabit LAN controller will only operate in the 10/100 Mbps mode.

This is where the LAN Boot ROM BIOS option comes in.

When enabled, the motherboard will load the Gigabit LAN controller’s boot ROM when it boots up. This allows the LAN controller to operate at its full 1000 Mbps speed with operating systems that do not have proper driver support.

When disabled, the Gigabit LAN controller’s boot ROM will not be loaded when the motherboard boots up. The LAN controller will only operate at its full 1000 Mbps speed with proper driver support. Otherwise, it reverts to the 10/100 Mbps mode.

If you have multiple operating systems installed (and at least one do not have driver support for the LAN controller), enable this BIOS option to ensure the Gigabit LAN operates in its full 1000 Mbps mode in all operating systems.

If you are using only operating systems that have driver support for the Gigabit LAN controller, then you should disable the LAN Boot ROM BIOS option. This reduces the boot time (slightly) and frees up memory that would have been taken up by the boot ROM.

 

Details of LAN Boot ROM

Many motherboards have integrated LAN controllers with 1 or 2 LAN ports. Older motherboards come with 10/100 LAN controllers but newer motherboards has Gigabit LAN controllers that boast throughputs of up to 1 Gbps (1000 Mbps). However, the newer Gigabit LAN controllers are only supported by newer operating systems, using either a native (built-in) driver or a driver provided by the Gigabit LAN controller’s manufacturer.

Older operating systems like MS-DOS or operating systems that do not have driver support will not be able to utilize the Gigabit LAN controller’s full capabilities. If you use such operating systems, the Gigabit LAN controller will only operate in the 10/100 Mbps mode. This is where the LAN Boot ROM BIOS option comes in.

When enabled, the motherboard will load the Gigabit LAN controller’s boot ROM when it boots up. This allows the LAN controller to operate at its full 1000 Mbps speed with operating systems that do not have proper driver support.

When disabled, the Gigabit LAN controller’s boot ROM will not be loaded when the motherboard boots up. The LAN controller will only operate at its full 1000 Mbps speed with proper driver support. Otherwise, it reverts to the 10/100 Mbps mode.

Note that even if the LAN controller’s boot ROM is loaded, the driver will take over when you boot into an operating system with proper driver support. So, if you have multiple operating systems installed (and at least one do not have driver support for the LAN controller), enable this BIOS option to ensure the Gigabit LAN operates in its full 1000 Mbps mode in all operating systems.

If you are using only operating systems that have driver support for the Gigabit LAN controller, then you should disable the LAN Boot ROM BIOS option. This reduces the boot time (slightly) and frees up memory that would have been taken up by the boot ROM. The LAN boot ROM only uses 16 KB to 256 KB of memory, but why waste it if you won’t use it?

[adrotate banner=”5″]

 

Support Tech ARP!

If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!

I/O Interface Security from The Tech ARP BIOS Guide

1 Reply

I/O Interface Security

Common Options : Locked, Unlocked

 

Quick Review of I/O Interface Security

The I/O Interface Security BIOS feature is mainly found in mobile PCs like laptops and netbooks. It gives you direct control over the availability of various interfaces in the computer.

The interfaces you can control with this BIOS feature include :

  • Audio Interface – when locked, it disables the onboard audio interface and prevents the use of microphones or earphones.
  • Modem Interface – enables or disables the onboard modem
  • LAN Network Interface – enables or disables the onboard LAN functionality
  • Wireless Network Interface – enables or disables the onboard WLAN functionality
  • SATA ODD – when locked, prevents data from being burned into CD/DVD (using a CD/DVD writer)
  • eSATA Port – when locked, prevents data from being copied out to an external eSATA hard disk drive or an external CD/DVD writer.
  • Express Card Interface – enables or disables the built-in Express Card interface
  • Card Reader Interface – enables or disables the built-in flash memory card reader
  • 1394 Interface – enables or disables the built-in IEEE1394a (Firewire) interface
  • USB Interface – enables or disables the built-in USB ports

To enable or disable those interfaces, you can select between the Locked or Unlocked options. By default, all available interfaces are unlocked. Of course, the BIOS must be secured using a password for the locks to work. Otherwise, anyone can simply unlock these interfaces using the same BIOS feature.

In addition, the I/O Interface Security BIOS feature can only lock onboard devices. It cannot lock external devices. In the case of a desktop PC, this BIOS feature cannot be used to lock extra interfaces provided by add-on cards.

 

Details of I/O Interface Security

The I/O Interface Security BIOS feature is mainly found in mobile PCs like laptops and netbooks. It gives you direct control over the availability of various interfaces in the computer. The interfaces you can control with this BIOS feature include :

  • Audio Interface – when locked, it disables the onboard audio interface and prevents the use of microphones or earphones.
  • Modem Interface – enables or disables the onboard modem
  • LAN Network Interface – enables or disables the onboard LAN functionality
  • Wireless Network Interface – enables or disables the onboard WLAN functionality
  • SATA ODD – when locked, prevents data from being burned into CD/DVD (using a CD/DVD writer)
  • eSATA Port – when locked, prevents data from being copied out to an external eSATA hard disk drive or an external CD/DVD writer.
  • Express Card Interface – enables or disables the built-in Express Card interface
  • Card Reader Interface – enables or disables the built-in flash memory card reader
  • 1394 Interface – enables or disables the built-in IEEE1394a (Firewire) interface
  • USB Interface – enables or disables the built-in USB ports

To enable or disable those interfaces, you can select between the Locked or Unlocked options. By default, all available interfaces are unlocked.

[adrotate group=”1″]

The I/O Interface Security BIOS feature is useful in many ways. For example, the USB, SATA ODD, eSATA, Express Card and card reader interfaces can be locked to prevent users from copying out any data from the notebook. Companies that wish to prevent their employees from surfing the Internet can use this BIOS feature to lock the WLAN, LAN and modem interfaces.

Of course, the BIOS must be secured using a password for the locks to work. Otherwise, anyone can simply unlock these interfaces using the same BIOS feature.

In addition, the I/O Interface Security BIOS feature can only lock onboard devices. It cannot lock external devices. For example, if you do not lock the Express Card interface, it would be possible to insert a flash card reader into the Express Card slot and use it to copy out data even if you had already disabled the card reader interface.

In the case of a desktop PC, this BIOS feature cannot be used to lock extra interfaces provided by add-on cards. For example, locking the USB interface will not disable the USB ports provided by an add-on PCI USB card. It will only disable the motherboard’s built-in USB ports and headers.

For those who are wondering what SATA ODD means, ODD is short for Optical Disk Drive. It refers to any SATA optical disk drives that uses the ATAPI command set. This includes both read-only and writeable optical disk drives.

 

Support Tech ARP!

If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!