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In embedded devices such as printer, switches, I am confused what the difference between the firmware and the operating system is. Are embedded devices operating systems similar to PCs (Linux and Windows)?
For example, I have a printer which has an embedded web server that allows me to manage the printer remotely. When I open the manufacturer website, I find that the OS is: OS 9.86. What kind of OS is this? See: Phaser 8560 Support & Drivers
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Firmware is in a way an operating system, but much more restrictive and single-purposed because it is only for controlling that device, whereas an OS is a general-purpose system that allows any kind of software to be run on multiple hardware devices.
What is the difference between firmware and kernel? Firmware is usually a minimal piece of functional code, that focuses on performing the basic functions of the intended device. A kernel, is a much larger entity, one which involves multiple layers like memory management, process management, filesystems and so on.
Firmware is the software that runs on the device. A driver is the software that tells your operating system how to communicate with the device. Not all devices have firmware--only devices with some level of intelligence.
Firmware is the foundation of the software stack that computer hardware uses for basic operations and to run applications. Hardware makers use embedded firmware to control the functions of various hardware devices and systems, much like a computer's operating system (OS) controls the function of software applications.
Firmware refers to a small piece of code that resides in non-volatile memory. In hardware peripherals that are commonly found in offices these days (e.g. printers, VoIP phones, etc.), firmware is usually responsible for loading (e.g. OS code signature verification) and managing (e.g. flashing OS in recovery mode) the operating system that is installed on the machine. It's the operating system's job to carry out the actual task (e.g. printing).
Hardware vendors commonly use a derivative of Linux (e.g. Cisco IOS), or a real-time operating system (e.g. VxWorks).
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