On Fri, 23 Feb 2007 10:25:56 -0600
John Hasler <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Celejar writes:
> > Some firmware, such as that typically found on wireless cards, is just
> > stored in regular volatile memory (like the main RAM on your computer),
> > and must be loaded each time the device is activated.
>
> That isn't firmware. It's just software that runs on the cpu on the card.
While you are certainly correct about the original meaning of the term,
it is commonly used these days in the broader sense. From wikipedia [0]:
Evolved firmware uses
Firmware has evolved to mean the programmable content of a hardware
device, which can consist of machine language instructions for a
processor, or configuration settings for a fixed-function device, gate
array or programmable logic device.
A typical common feature of firmware is that it can be updated
post-manufacturing, either electronically, or by replacing a storage
media such as a socketed memory chip.
Firmware can — but is not required to — expose an externally accessible
interface. For example, in some modem implementations the firmware is
not directly accessible, but is part of a combination of hardware and
firmware that responds to commands from the host system.
Firmware has traditionally been stored in ROM, however cost and
performance requirements have driven component vendors to adopt various
replacements, including non-volatile media such as EEPROM and Flash, or
SRAM solutions, such as the firmware loaded by an operating system
device driver, as described below.
Firmware and device drivers
Most devices attached to modern systems are special-purpose computers
in their own right, running their own software. Some of these devices
store that software ("firmware") in a ROM within the device itself.
Over the years, however, manufacturers have found that loading the
firmware from the host system is both cheaper and more flexible. As a
result, much current hardware is unable to function in any useful way
until the host computer has fed it the requisite firmware. This
firmware load is handled by the device driver.
The contrib section of the archive contains 'bcm43xx-fwcutter', the
firmware cutter for Broadcom firmware, which as you point out is really
just software for the wireless hardware.
Celejar
[0] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firmware
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