Chapter 5. Setting BIOS parameters for system tuning

Firmware power management options help save power by changing the system clock frequency or by putting the CPU into one of various sleep states. These actions are likely to affect how quickly the system responds to external events.

To improve response times, disable all power management options in the firmware.

Error Detection and Correction (EDAC) units are devices for detecting and correcting errors signaled from Error Correcting Code (ECC) memory. Usually EDAC options range from no ECC checking to a periodic scan of all memory nodes for errors. The higher the EDAC level, the more time the firmware uses. This might result in missing crucial event deadlines.

To improve response times, turn off EDAC. If this is not possible, configure EDAC to the lowest functional level.

System Management Interrupts (SMIs) are a hardware vendors facility to ensure that the system is operating correctly. The firmware code usually services the SMI interrupt. SMIs are typically used for thermal management, remote console management (IPMI), EDAC checks, and various other housekeeping tasks.

If the firmware contains SMI options, check with the vendor and any relevant documentation to determine the extent to which it is safe to disable them.