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HISTORY.DOC
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1992-08-13
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REVISION HISTORY
V1.20
This release contains new versions of CAPTURE and WATCHCD. The
older versions will not work with this (and future) release of
X00.
Anyone attempting to share a single IRQ on multiple comm ports
should read SHARE.IRQ
Extensive changes to improve multiasking performance.
Many changes have been made to allow shared IRQs with
mulitaskers. Eight RBBSs all sharing IRQ 3 using DESQview has
been successfully tested with this version of X00. The 8 port
RBBS system was set up and tested by Dan Fox at:
Defence Logistics Services Center
74 North Washington
Battle Creek, Mi. 49021
Through a coding error, when the transmit buffer size being
specified, a random memory location was being changed. This
error has been corrected.
The NASTY option is now nastier. Remember, the NASTY option will
cause some systems to hang (and some to work).
Status structure returned by function 1BH (27) now returns the
actual transmit and receive buffer size. Previously the default
buffer size was returned.
Code was streamlined for faster execution.
1.20a
This is not a beta, in retrospect possibly 1.20 should have been
a beta. V1.20 introduced code that can cause X00 to interfere
with other communication programs. This problems shows itself
when an application program exits and leaves the FOSSIL active on
a given port. If another program uses the comm port that was
left active, X00 will interfere with the program. Most
noticeably, it will miss received characters. One way this
problem could come up is using Binkley with SHARE in the command
line. There appears to be several programs out there that leave
the FOSSIL hot when they exit. Application programmers should
always disable any ports they may have activated when they exit
or implement the equivalent of the Binkley SHARE option which is
the correct way to exit with the FOSSIL still active.
The default buffer size has been changed from 4k to 1k. I really
don't think buffers as large as 4k are necessary on most systems.
However, you can set them back to 4k by using the R and T option
in the DEVICE = command line.
This version corrects a problem that made some Trailblazers
practically unusable. Additionally, users of other modems that
use RTS/CTS handshaking will see improved performance.
A problem with mapping ports was corrected.
Added the quick and dirty C HLLAPI routines to the distribution
file. See CHLLAPI.DOC in the CHLLAPI.ARC archive.
I did not add it to the semi-formal command line documentation
above. However, a new command line option has been added. This
command allows the user to specify the transmit FIFO size that
X00 is to use when a 16550 is installed. The command line option
is F{IFO}=n where n is 1 to 16. The default transmit FIFO size
is 8. For reasons I do not understand, some systems have
problems if the FIFO size is set to the maximum of 16. However,
15 seems to work on all tested systems. The F=n statement will
be ignored if a 16550 is not installed. Through a programming
error, X00 previously has never used more than one byte of the
16550 transmit FIFO. Users with 16550s installed will probably
see increased transmit speeds with this version of X00. Setting
the transmit FIFO to a value larger than the default value of 8
may yield marginally better transmit speeds. However, setting it
to the maximum of 16 may cause some connections and/or programs
to miss characters.
1.20b
Version 1.20a lasted only about 4 hours. I apologize. The
correction of the port assignment problem in V1.20a caused
another problem when only one comm port was used and that port
was not COM1. That problem is corrected (with a single
instruction) in this version. Again, I apologize.
1.20b, second release
No changes in X00.SYS itself from 1.20b's initial release.
Included more HLLAPIs in the distribution file (Turbo Pascal and
Quick Basic). Cleaned up the documentation. Changed
distribution file from ARC to ZIP (V1.01) format. Changed the
X00 license to a modified version of the BinkleyTerm License.
1.20c
Corrected a problem in processing IRQs 8 through 15. The FOSSIL
boot function and BOOT.COM will now boot under DesqView 386. My
thanks to Don Carroll of Quarterdeck for checking out the use of
IRQs 8 through 15 with BinlkeyTerm. HLLAPIs for C, Turbo Pascal
and Quick Basic are now included in the distribution file.
1.22
Added hooks that allow the line monitoring Break Out Box (BOB) to
do its thing. No real documentation is available for BOB yet.
If you can figure out how to use it, have fun.
Added additional code to the booting code to insure booting under
DesqView. BOOT.COM received the same additional code.
Added DesqView Pause functions at strategically selected places.
This should cause systems operating under DesqView to operate
better. Use the DV option flag to enable the DesqView calls.
Users of the DEFER option should note that a lone D no longer
specifies the DEFER option. With the addition of the DV option,
DE must be specified to enable the DEFER option.
Rearranged memory to make it easier for X00 to be loaded into
high memory using utilities like LOADHI.SYS from Quarterdeck.
Using the STACKS command in CONFIG.SYS to specify a DOS stack
smaller than the DOS default may cause a problem with this
version of X00. If you have problems, try removing the STACKS
command from the CONFIG.SYS file.
Corrected a problem in function 1BH (27). IBUFR - IFREE will now
yield (always) the number of bytes in the receive buffer.
I wish to thank John Bierrie for testing the BIOS emulator, a
major addition of this version described below.
A BIOS emulator for INT 14h was added. This BIOS emulator will
allow many programs that are not FOSSIL aware, such as BBS DOORS
programs, to operate. The addition of this feature also changes
the way that X00 passes on INT 14h calls for serial I/O ports
that are not currently active (FOSSIL active).
In previous versions of X00, all INT 14h calls to inactive ports
were passed on to BIOS's INT 14h routine. If you wish X00 to
continue to operate as it has with previous versions, add USEBIOS
to the DEVICE=X00.SYS command line.
USEBIOS is sort of a halfway CAPTURE OFF. Most users will NOT
want to use this directive. If USEBIOS is in effect and X00 can
not figure out what to do with an INT 14h call, the call will be
passed on to BIOS. If USEBIOS is specified, many DOORS programs
will have problems (especially under DESQview).
Unless overridden with the USEBIOS directive or XU CAPTURE:OFF,
this version of X00 will process all INT 14h calls. If the port
is FOSSIL active then the FOSSIL specification will be followed.
If the port is not FOSSIL active than the BIOS INT 14h rules will
be followed except as follows:
1 - The port address mapping will remain in effect. That is, if
you have mapped port 0 (COM1) to 0280h then the BIOS emulator
will use 0280h for the address of COM1.
2 - 16550 support is maintained.
3 - Locked baud rates are maintained.
4 - BIOS functions 1 and 2 (transmit and receive character)
specify a timeout. However, I could not find any documentation
on what the timeout is supposed to be. I have set a 30 second
timeout for both functions 1 and 2. As the BIOS specification
requires, a timeout is indicated by the high bit of AH being set
to 1 upon return from function 1 or 2. If function 1 or 2 return
with the high bit of AH set, the remainder of the returned status
is not valid. Use function 3 for accurate status in this case.
5 - The BIOS emulator will support up to 8 ports while a real
BIOS only supports 2 (4 on some).
By default, X00 will now update BIOS ram to reflect the existence
of up to 4 SIO ports at initialization. Previously, the program
POSTPORT was needed for this function. Additionally, X00 will
put the port addresses in BIOS ram in the same order and with the
same port addresses that have been assigned (or defaulted) by the
user. This means that programs that use COM1 via DOS or BIOS
will address the same port as X00's port 0 etc. This feature
will allow many programs to work when non standard port addresses
are used. A new command line option NOPOST has been added to
override this feature.
If you wish this version of X00 to handle BIOS ram and BIOS INT
14h calls as previous versions, you must add USEBIOS and NOPOST
to the command line in your CONFIG.SYS file.
A new utility (XU.EXE) has been added in the distribution file
and several utilities have been eliminated. XU allows the user
to change most operational characteristics of X00 such as baud
rate locking and unlocking. If you use XU to change the
operational characteristics of a FOSSIL active port within X00,
the change will not take effect until the port is deactivated and
re-activated. Note that you can deactivate and re-activate a
port with XU itself.
I wish to thank Bob Juge and Bob Davis for testing a rats nest of
doors programs with this version of X00.
A point about FOSSIL function 1Bh (27). The FOSSIL specification
states that the baud rate returned by this call reflects the
computer to modem baud rate. X00 supports baud rates that are
not allowed by the FOSSIL specification and cannot correctly
reflect the computer to modem baud rate. When function 1Bh (27)
is called, X00 returns the baud rate that the application program
last attempted to set using FOSSIL function 0.
A point about programs that have their own interrupt drivers
(like DSZ). The port that the program is to use should NOT be
FOSSIL active. If the port is left FOSSIL active, X00 will cause
interference.
Additional locked baud rates of 115200, 28400 and 57600 (58kb)
have been added. The total list of lockable baud rates is in
X00.DOC.
Starting with version 1.21g of X00, FOSSIL functions 1 and 2 have
a 30 second timeout. Normally these functions will return status
in AX. The status returned is the same as returned by FOSSIL
function 3. Under normal conditions, the high bit will never be
on in the returned status. However, if a timeout occurs, the
high bit of AX will be set and the remaining status bits are
undefined. This is not something I dreamed up, it is the way
that (IBM and most other) BIOS INT 14h works. I discovered this
when I added the BIOS INT 14h emulator. I could not determine a
value (defacto standard) for the timeout. I arbitrarily set the
timeout to 30 seconds.
********NOTICE****** The default port addresses and IRQ
assignments for COM3 and COM4 have been changed to match COM3 and
COM4 on the PS/2. If you were depending on the old defaults, you
must change your X00 command line to provide the port address.
The previous defaults were COM3 at 3E8h using IRQ 4 and COM4 at
2E8h using IRQ 3. You can execute XU S to see the new defaults.
X00 now acknowledges the existence of COM5 through COM8. The
PS/2 address and IRQ assignments are used for those ports.
The file size of X00 is larger however, the amount remaining
resident after initialization is smaller.
X00 now detects the existence of the Intel 82510 chip which is a
FIFOed version of the 8250 etc. The code the use the FIFOs has
not been added. I believe the 16550A is still the best choice.
The 82510 is used by a lot of lap tops.
Previous versions of X00 monitored the comm port too much when
WATCHCD was in effect for a port. This caused problems with
other interrupt driven programs like DSZ. The problem has been
corrected in this version.
This version of X00 will load either as a TSR or a device driver.
To use X00 as a TSR, rename X00.SYS to X00.EXE and execute it
with the same command line parameters. If you wish to have it
both ways, you can leave X00 named X00.EXE and still load it as a
device driver using DEVICE=X00.EXE in the config.sys file.
If X00 is loaded as a TSR, it can be un-installed by simply
executing X00 with no parameters. If you want to make sure that
you do not accidently un-install X00, execute it with a harmless
parameter. For example X00 E. If a copy of X00 is already
resident, another copy will not be loaded and the parameters
specified have no effect on the previously loaded X00. XU
commands are the only method of changing the operational
characteristics of a previously loaded X00. In the near future
XU will be able to change any of the operational characteristics
of X00.
X00 will refuse to un-install under certain conditions. Usually,
this is because another program has been loaded after X00 and the
interrupt vectors cannot be restored without the possibility of a
system crash. However, X00 will un-install with hot FOSSIL
ports. So, all of your FOSSIL comm programs should be shut down
prior to un-installing.
Loading of multiple copies of X00 inside different DESQview
windows is allowed. The method I used should work on any multi-
tasking system. However, I have only tested under DESQview.
The TSRing of X00 has not had a lot of testing. Please provide
feedback if you have problems. Before providing the feed back,
please attempt to insure that it is not pilot error. Think
through what you are attempting to do. If you are using a multi-
tasker, look over the configuration for the window and think it
through.
The HLLAPI routines have NOT been updated to recognize a TSRed
X00.
BOB version 0.04 (released with this version) will work with a
TSRed X00. A problem in BOB with monitoring of ports other than
0 has been corrected.
Earlier versions of XU refused to work on DOS versions below 3.1.
This was a code left over from a previous program. XU will now
work on any DOS version above 2.00.
X00 will refuses to load high as a TSR. I have not yet found a
foolproof way to locate a TRSed X00 when it is loaded high. If
X00 is allowed to load high as a TSR, XU may not be able to
locate it. Worse, X00 may install itself twice.
A comment to those that are attempting to get a CTTY command to
work in DESQview. I have had some success by configuring the
window to enable Printer Management.
A comment to those that use GATEWAY. On my system, I got GATEWAY
to work by adding XU PORT:n:ON. Note that n for XU is 1 less
than the n in GATEn. You may have to issue an XU PORT:n:OFF at
the end of the redirection.
Revision history prior to V1.20 has been deleted from this file.
V1.22A
X00 V1.22 would not un-install from the OS/2 compatibility box
gracefully. V1.22A corrects this problem.
The HLLAPI routines are not in the V1.22A distribution file. I
will add them back to the distribution file when they are
upgraded to work with a TSRed X00.
V1.24
It seems the change to use the PS/2 defaults for COM3 and COM4
has caused many problems. Simply checking for the existence of
the ports using the PS/2 addresses caused problems on non PS/2
systems. Those that read the documentation and tried NOPOST
probably did not have a problem.
X00 now detects that it is working on a PS/2 or compatible. If
the host system is a PS/2, then the PS/2 port address for COM3
and COM4 are used as the defaults port addresses. If the host
system is not a PS/2, then the defacto standard port addresses
for COM3 and COM4 are used as the default port addresses.
V1.22n of X00 enabled the FIFOs of the 16550a (et al) at load
time. This was done at the request of several users. At load
time, X00 does not know which comm ports will be used so all
16550's FIFOs were enabled. However, some (dumb) communications
programs will not recognize the existence of a comm port that has
a 16550a installed with the FIFOs enables. X00 no longer enables
the 16550's FIFOs at load time. However, the FIFOs are left
enabled when X00 shuts down a FOSSIL active port.
The HLLAPI routines are now back in the distribution file but are
largely untested. They should now correctly find and use a TSRed
X00. Please report any problems that you find. Future additions
will include selective tracing with BOB.
BOB will now write the trapped communications data to a disk
file. A program written by Bob Hartman called ANALYZER.EXE will
convert the BOB files to text. ANALYZER.EXE is included in the
BOB.ZIP file. See the HISTORY.TXT file in BOB.ZIP for more
information.
I am somewhat dismayed to note that the X00 distribution file is
now over 100k.
A FidoNet echomail conference tagged X00_USER is now available
from the FidoNet Backbone. This conference is intended for users
of X00 to exchange solutions to problems. Additionally, the
conference should eliminate the need for me to answer the same
questions from several users via net-mail.
An embarrassing problem in flow control has been corrected. The
lower end threshold was not being checked correctly. The net
effect was that receiver was being enabled after only a few bytes
were taken from the buffer. This problem has been in X00 for a
long time and explains some speed comparisons reports that I have
received.
X00 now detects the processor types 808x, V20/V30, 8018x, 80286,
80386 and 80486. Based on the processor type, X00 selects one of
three routines to service communications interrupts. 808x
processors have there own interrupt routine. 8018x and V20/V30s
share a second routine. 80286, 80386 and 80486 share the third
interrupt routine. The use of three different routines allow
processor specific instructions to be used, which result in
faster execution. The manner that I implemented the three
individual interrupt service routines requires approximately 100
bytes of additional code.
Strangely enough, users of 808x and V20/V30s will see the most
dramatic increase in speed of serial communications when using
high speed modems.
Users of other processors will probably not notice any increase
in speed. However, the overhead caused by communications
interrupts will be reduced.
Some correction have been made to the HLLAPI routines. The C and
Quick Basic HLLAPIs are no longer X00 specific.
For those that believe that larger buffers mean faster I/O, you
will be glad to know that X00 is no longer limited to a total
size of 64k. The sum total of the buffer sizes for a single port
can be up to 48k. If you are using a slow computer, be sure to
try a small buffer (256 bytes or so). Many times, a small buffer
on a slower computer will yield better throughput.
Two problems were corrected in BOB. One problem would cause some
systems to crash. The other problem was that BOB would stop
monitoring a port if an active port was re-activated. Both have
been corrected.
V1.49
I jumped the version numbers from 1.24 to 1.49a to skip over the
bogus 1.30.
Changes were made so that OS2 would not get upset when X00 is
loaded in a DOS partition.
An error in the HLLAPI routines was corrected. The first call to
X00 was previously lost.
The routines that detect SIO chip type(s) were changed so as not
to screw up some 8250 emulation parts on some chip sets.
IRQ2 is now handled somewhat diffreently. Some may now be able
to use IRQ2 for serial ports.
-------------------------------
Ray Gwinn
