Updates in a Multiprocessor System
A multiprocessor system incorporates two or more processors. The system designers may choose to enforce a policy wherein all of the processors must be of the same type and stepping. In this case, it would only be necessary for the BIOS to incorporate a single update image appropriate to the supported processor stepping. The loader program must be executed by each processor and must verify, via the CPUID instruction, that the update is appropriate to the processor stepping before loading it. It must then load the update into the processor, after which it must authenticate that the load was successful (by checking the signature).
On the other hand, the system designers may allow the processors to be of different ...
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