Explore the fundamentals of UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) and PI specifications through this comprehensive 3-hour 20-minute course designed for newcomers to firmware development. Begin with firmware fundamentals and boot firmware history, progressing from basic I/O systems to understanding the evolution from BIOS to UEFI. Master essential UEFI terminology and jargon while examining the initial and current goals of UEFI, along with common criticisms and various implementations. Dive into the EDK2 codebase, source tree structure, and build system, learning key design principles and utilizing tools like UEFITool for firmware analysis. Understand the complete UEFI boot sequence including SEC (Security), PEI (Pre-EFI Initialization), DXE (Driver Execution Environment), BDS (Boot Device Selection), and UEFI Shell phases. Gain practical knowledge of UEFI protocols, the driver model, calling conventions, and firmware core architecture. Focus extensively on UEFI variables, including protection mechanisms, attributes, authentication methods, and accessing variables from Linux environments. Explore real-world use cases for UEFI variables, boot options configuration, and other critical variables used in modern firmware systems. Perfect for those taking initial steps in firmware development or seeking foundational understanding of UEFI architecture and implementation.

Syllabus

Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 01 01 Goals of this lecture
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 02 01 What Is Firmware
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 02 02 Boot Firmware History
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 02 03 Basic IO System
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 02 04 From BIOS To UEFI
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 02 05 Jargon
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 03 01 Initial UEFI Goals
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 03 02 Current UEFI Goals
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 03 03 Criticism
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 03 04 EFI UEFI EDK2
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 03 05 EFI Vs UEFI
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 03 06 Architecture Overview
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 03 07 Implementations
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 03 08 EDK2 Code Base
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 03 09 EDK2 Source Tree
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 03 10 EDK2 Build System Cheat Sheet
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 03 11 Design Principles
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 03 12 UEFITool introduction
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 03 13 UEFITool
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 03 14 Boot Sequence Overview
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 03 15 Boot Manager
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 03 16 Firmware Core
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 03 17 Calling Convention
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 03 18 Protocols
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 03 19 UEFI Driver Model
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 04 01 UEFI Boot Flow SEC
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 04 02 UEFI Boot Flow PEI
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 04 03 UEFI Boot Flow DXE
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 04 04 UEFI BDS
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 04 05 UEFI Shell
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 05 01 Introduction
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 05 02 UEFI variables protection mechanism
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 05 03 Variables Attributes
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 05 04 Accessing Variables from Linux
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 05 05 Data with EFI VARIABLE AUTHENTICATION 2
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 05 06 Data with EFI VARIABLE AUTHENTICATION 3 v2
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 05 07 SetVariable for Authenticated Variables
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 05 08 Practical use cases
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 05 09 Use Cases for UEFI Variables
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 05 10 Boot Options variables
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 05 11 Other variables
Arch4021: Introductory UEFI 06 01 Conclusion