Manual Pages  — ICHWD

Alternatively, to load the driver as a module at boot time, place the following line in loader.conf(5):

ichwd_load="YES"

The ICH WDT counts down in ticks of approximately 0.6 seconds; the exact value depends on hardware quality and environmental factors. Supported watchdog intervals range from 2 to 63 ticks.

Note that on some ICH-based systems, the WDT may be present but disabled, either in hardware or by the BIOS. The ichwd driver attempts to detect this condition and will refuse to attach if it believes the WDT is disabled.

Document Number 292273-001, Intel Application Note AP-725, Using the Intel ICH Family Watchdog Timer (WDT),