Firmware.scap

chrismurphy · #1 25th November 2011, 11:17 AM

I have done a google search and really can't find a definitive description of what this file is.

The location is on the EFI System Partition in /EFI/APPLE/EXTENSIONS. It's not present either after creating a new GPT and partitioning scheme, nor after installing Mac OS. It appears to be downloaded and installed within a couple of minutes of first boot and login. I haven't zero'd in on the exact moment or what service is doing this. But if there is no network connection, the file does not appear after 1/2 hour.

The file is byte for byte identical on two different models of Macbook Pros (2008 and 2011) with two different EFI firmware versions, with two different versions of Mac OS (10.6.7 and 10.7.0).

Any ideas?

chrismurphy · #2 25th November 2011, 11:25 AM

Screen shot of the file opened in a hex editor. Looks like it's related to BIOS? File size is 15.7MB, so not so small.

chrismurphy · #3 25th November 2011, 11:43 AM

Found this. Looks like it might very well be a BIOS file. My understanding is the CSM is an EFI module that bridges EFI to/from BIOS so that BIOS can effectively be emulated (or supported). But even without this scap file present on the drive, I can boot off the F16 Live CD, which would be a CSM/BIOS boot. So there must be a BIOS in firmware somewhere. So is this scap file a replacement for that? Or a supplement?