DEPLOYING AN OS RUN-TIME IMAGE
Although the Compact 7 OS provides a Windows shell similar to the Windows OS for the desktop PC, the Compact 7 OS is not intended for use as a general-purpose computer like the PC. A typical Compact 7 device is designed to deliver a specific function and configured to launch one or more applications during startup to perform the intended functions. Often, other than the required license sticker, Compact 7 devices distributed to their intended end user do not provide any indication that the devices are based on the Compact 7 OS.
When a target device is properly configured with a Compact 7 OS run-time image for distribution, it should behave as follows when powered on during normal operation:
1. The device’s firmware, BIOS, or bootloader initializes the hardware.
2. The bootloader loads the OS run-time image into system memory. Optionally, the bootloader displays a splash screen as it loads the image to the system memory.
3. As the Compact 7 OS run-time boots up, it launches the application configured to run during startup.
The preceding steps need to be executed without any user interaction.
Image Deployment on RISC Platforms
The presence of some firmware responsible for the system boot is mandatory on any computer, but the size and the functionalities of this firmware vary widely from one system to another. The IBM-PC BIOS is a sophisticated piece of firmware that serves several purposes:
- Hardware initialization (IDE, PCI, USB, and so on)
- User ...
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