Common Firmware Environment (CFE), sometimes pronounced as 'cafe', is a

firmware In computing, firmware is a specific class of computer software that provides the low-level control for a device's specific hardware. Firmware, such as the BIOS of a personal computer, may contain basic functions of a device, and may provide h ...

interface and

bootloader A bootloader, also spelled as boot loader or called boot manager and bootstrap loader, is a computer program that is responsible for booting a computer. When a computer is turned off, its softwareincluding operating systems, application code, an ...

developed by

Broadcom Broadcom Inc. is an American designer, developer, manufacturer and global supplier of a wide range of semiconductor and infrastructure software products. Broadcom's product offerings serve the data center, networking, software, broadband, wirel ...

for 32-bit and 64-bit

system-on-a-chip A system on a chip or system-on-chip (SoC ; pl. ''SoCs'' ) is an integrated circuit that integrates most or all components of a computer or other electronic system. These components almost always include a central processing unit (CPU), memory ...

systems. It is intended to be a flexible toolkit of CPU initialization and bootstrap code for use on embedded processors (typically running on MIPS32/64 instruction set CPUs found in Broadcom SoCs). It is roughly analogous to the

BIOS In computing, BIOS (, ; Basic Input/Output System, also known as the System BIOS, ROM BIOS, BIOS ROM or PC BIOS) is firmware used to provide runtime services for operating systems and programs and to perform hardware initialization during the ...

on the IBM PC platform. Its source-code is available on Open source license from Broadcom. Common embedded system alternatives include

Das U-Boot Das U-Boot (subtitled "the Universal Boot Loader" and often shortened to U-Boot; see ''History'' for more about the name) is an open-source, primary boot loader used in embedded devices to package the instructions to boot the device's operating ...

. Its main responsibility is to initialize

CPUs A central processing unit (CPU), also called a central processor, main processor or just processor, is the electronic circuitry that executes instructions comprising a computer program. The CPU performs basic arithmetic, logic, controlling, and ...

, caches,

memory controller The memory controller is a digital circuit that manages the flow of data going to and from the computer's main memory. A memory controller can be a separate chip or integrated into another chip, such as being placed on the same die or as an int ...

s, and peripherals required early on in the power on stage. It typically incorporates several built-in device drivers for SoC peripherals, it has several console choices, including serial ports, ROM emulators,

JTAG JTAG (named after the Joint Test Action Group which codified it) is an Technical standard, industry standard for verifying designs and testing printed circuit boards after manufacture. JTAG implements standards for on-chip instrumentation in ele ...

, etc. Just like in other boot loaders environment, variables are commonly configured in persistent storage to create auto boot options. It also has support for network bootstrap.

Platforms

CFE is used in at least some of the following

wireless router A wireless router is a device that performs the functions of a router and also includes the functions of a wireless access point. It is used to provide access to the Internet or a private computer network. Depending on the manufacturer and mode ...

platforms: * Apple Airport *

Asus routers ASUSTeK Computer Incorporated (Asus) manufactures a series of network routers directly competing with Linksys routers from Belkin. The Asus series of routers usually ship with Broadcom chipsets, faster processors and more memory than average, ...

Buffalo AirStation Buffalo AirStation is the name given to a series of wireless LAN equipment sold by Buffalo Technology. Products * Residential gateways * Wireless LAN cards Use with third party firmware Many of Buffalo's residential gateways use Broadcom ...

Linksys WRT54G series The Linksys WRT54G Wi-Fi series is a series of Wi-Fi–capable residential gateways marketed by Linksys, a subsidiary of Cisco from 2003 until acquired by Belkin in 2013. A ''residential gateway'' connects a local area network (such as a home netwo ...

* Netgear CFE is used in the following home entertainment platforms: *

LG Smart TV LG Electronics Inc. () is a South Korean multinational electronics company headquartered in Yeouido-dong, Seoul, South Korea. LG Electronics is a part of LG Corporation, the fourth largest ''chaebol'' in South Korea, and often considered as ...

* LG Smart Blu-ray Players *

Samsung Smart TV Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (, sometimes shortened to SEC and stylized as SΛMSUNG) is a South Korean multinational electronics corporation headquartered in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, South Korea. It is the pinnacle of the Samsung chaebol, acco ...

* Samsung Blu-ray Players CFE is also used in the Amiga NG platform

AmigaOne X1000 AmigaOne X1000 is a PowerPC-based personal computer intended as a high-end platform for AmigaOS 4. It was announced by A-Eon Technology CVBA in partnership with Hyperion Entertainment and released in 2011. Its name pays homage to the Amiga 100 ...

References

External links

* https://docs.broadcom.com/docs/1211168562172 * http://www.broadcom.com/support/license.php?file=cfe-1.4.2-src.tar.bz2 * http://wiki.openwrt.org/doc/techref/bootloader/cfe Firmware Boot loaders Software related to embedded Linux {{Computer-stub

Platforms

See also

References

External links