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bootstrapping

bootstrapping

7.2
Starting a computer by loading basic code that makes the system run
  • noun
  • /ˈbuːtstræpɪŋ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : arranque
  • The bootstrapping process allows a computer to start up by loading its core components first.

Examples

  • Set up the S/390 processor(s) for the transfer of bootstrapping code by the service element.

    Academic text (1997)
  • The key bootstrapping mechanism we're going to use is that edge switches are not going to hear LDMS from end hosts.

  • The bootstrapping process is essential for initializing the operating system from a basic set of instructions.

  • During bootstrapping, the system loads basic firmware to prepare for further operations.

Synonyms

startup
vsbootstrapping
22 3.4

The act of starting a machine, process, or system

focuses on building computer systems from a minimal state by loading basic code first

Surface Forms

bootstrapping singular

Morphology

bootstrapping = bootstrap (transparent) = bootstrap + ing

The computing sense (initializing from a minimal state) is a direct application of the 'bootstrap' metaphor and is readily inferable from the base.

Etymology

Bootstrapping comes from the picture of pulling yourself up by your bootstrap, a phrase that meant 'to lift yourself up'. In computing, bootstrapping is the process where a small program starts a computer and then loads the full system, which is why we also say a computer 'boots'.