Importance of Firmware

Firmware is the software built into devices that provides fundamental control over hardware. As the performance of digital devices becomes higher, so does the importance of firmware. Firmware is also a relative term, as most embedded devices contain firmware at more than one level.Firmware is a software upgrade used to fix or patch programs and data structures that internally control various electronic devices like computers, game consoles and mobile phones. Firmware Development Process brings true accuracy and performance to the front end of the design cycle. Firmware development can be at the block, subsystem and system level - and it can even begin with the model of a new IP block.

Maintenance problems are a driving force behind re-engineering, but a new business strategy now challenges software organizations. Software was originally developed to support business functions within the traditional organizational structure. Thus, we are left with legacy systems that are marketing-oriented, or manufacturing-oriented, etc. Software re-engineering captures the design behind the software. In some respects, the various firmware components are as important as the operating system in a working computer. However, unlike most modern operating systems, firmware rarely has a well-evolved automatic mechanism of updating itself to fix any functionality issues detected after shipping the unit. Thus, this leads to the necessity of a firmware development process. Until the mid 1990s, updating firmware to a new version typically involved replacing a storage-medium containing firmware, usually a socketed ROM. As of 2009 firmware-upgrades have largely abandoned this approach in favor of using firmware's capability to overwrite itself in a convenient, purely electronic operation.

Technically, hardware is the base electronics of a device, any changes to the way the hardware works requires physical changes to the electronics itself.

Software is digital information that is loaded from a storage device (usually a magnetic medium such as tape or disk drive) and contains instructions for a processor to use.

Firmware is a software package that is stored in permanent memory such as a Read Only Memory (ROM) or Programmable ROM (PROM). For computers, the firmware contains the information required to interface the computers hardware components with a software operating system. In other electronic systems, the firmware may contain the entire operating system for the device.

If the firmware is contained on a ROM, then the only way to change it is to remove and replace the ROM. If it is on a type of PROM, such as an Electrically Eraseable PROM (EEPROM), then it may be possible to replace the firmware while the PROM is still installed in the device.

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