Firmware Configuration - Past, Present, and Future

One of the most pervasive actions for firmware necessitates configuration for various boot flows without rebuilding the firmware. Configuration spans from venerable local setup screens through scripted out-of-band management, automated configuration, and provisioning. Since the early UEFI specification and its adoption of circa 2001 Intel HII with IFR and VFR, the industry has evolved in configuration practice. These evolutions include out-of-band standards like RedFish, FDT, USF YAML, FSP UPD, and UFFAF. This talk will review common classes of configuration workflows, survey of present practices, challenges, and open up the discussion to align these practices going forward.