Firmware
termnetworkingIT support
Software that ships as part of a device and is expected to be there before anything else runs.
The distinction from ordinary software is not what it is made of - it is compiled code either way - but what it is responsible for and how it fails. Firmware runs before there is an operating system to complain to, it usually cannot be restarted without restarting the device, and a bad update can leave hardware that will not boot far enough to accept a good one. That is why firmware upgrades get change windows and application upgrades often do not, and why “have you tried the latest firmware” is a heavier request than it sounds.
Also known as: fw, device firmware, image