Building BIOS Architecture

Configuration Drift is any difference between the approved Configuration Baseline and the current physical, digital, operational, or observed condition.

Drift may result from:

unauthorized component replacement;

component relocation;

unrecorded Interface connection;

missing component;

firmware or software change;

parameter modification;

expired certification;

changed capability;

failed or bypassed safety function;

disabled communication;

manual override;

undocumented repair;

Digital Twin inconsistency;

damaged or unreadable identity.

Drift detection may use:

component discovery;

registry comparison;

Interface-state comparison;

software inventory;

configuration hashes;

physical inspection;

robotic scanning;

sensor evidence;

maintenance records;

network observations;

Digital Twin reconciliation.

Each drift finding shall include:

affected entity;

baseline condition;

observed condition;

detection method;

confidence;

timestamp;

severity;

affected dependencies;

required response.

Drift shall be classified as:

expected temporary drift;

authorized but not yet baselined;

administrative drift;

operational drift;

safety-relevant drift;

security-relevant drift;

unknown physical drift.

The BIOS shall not automatically update the approved baseline to match observed drift. Drift shall be investigated, reversed, temporarily accepted, or formally incorporated through Configuration Change Management.

Safety-critical drift shall trigger restriction, isolation, inspection, or emergency action according to the applicable policy.