System and method for virtualizing basic input/output system (BIOS) including BIOS run time services

A method of virtualizing basic input/output system (BIOS) run time service routines that include service routines for a predefined set of peripheral devices, comprising:

• retrieving the BIOS image from a storage medium, the BIOS image including at least some run time service logic and wherein the BIOS run time service logic includes logic for emulating at least one peripheral device from the predefined set of peripherals, said emulating logic using a communication medium;
• and
• loading the BIOS image into RAM memory such that at least a pre-specified portion of the BIOS image is loaded into a specified memory space of RAM.

A method of booting a processor having no local boot devices, comprising:

• executing a first phase of booting instructions to download a BIOS image into RAM in predefined processor memory space reserved for the BIOS image and in which the BIOS image includes service routines for a predefined set of peripheral devices and includes at least one BIOS run time service having handler logic to emulate access to a local boot device and wherein BIOS run time service logic includes logic for emulating at least one peripheral device from the predefined set of peripherals, said emulating logic using a communication medium;
• after the BIOS image is loaded into RAM, executing a subsequent phase of booting instructions that load an operating system into processor memory in which the subsequent phase of booting instructions use the at least one BIOS run time service having handler logic to emulate access to a local boot device.

A processing system having a processor, a memory system, and a communication medium being one of a packet-based, cell-based, frame-based or TDM-based medium, and wherein the processing system is operable in a pre-execution environment in which a specified portion of the physical address space is used to map at least a portion of the basic input/output system (BIOS) and wherein the BIOS includes run time service routines that include service routines for a predefined set of peripheral devices, a BIOS emulation system comprising:

• wherein BIOS run time service routines include logic for emulating at least one peripheral device from the predefined set of peripherals, said emulating logic using said communication medium;
• and
• at least one BIOS run-time service that includes emulation logic that is responsive to BIOS calls from the processor and that conveys the BIOS call over the communication medium to be serviced remotely.