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- FILE: OSDA1000.FAX - 5/11/94
-
- TITLE: 940504 INTERRUPT RATE GREATER THAN 1000/SEC FOR A
- VIRTUAL DOS MACHINE (VDM) - OS/2 2.x
-
-
- DESCRIPTION OF SYMPTONS:
- I/O Problems running DOS emulation, fax,
- telecommunication real-time interrupt driven, and
- other timing sensitive programs.
-
-
- SUMMARY OF RESOLUTION:
-
- 1) We have found that customers using higher speed CPUs tend
- not to have these problems because VDMs are running more
- often, and thus receive the virtualized interrupts more
- frequently. Slower CPUs are more likely to experience
- problems with DOS I/O bound applications running in VDMs.
- The most common applications experiencing these problems
- are: DOS Emulation software products such as IBM PC 3270,
- IBM Enhanced 5250, Attachmate Extra for DOS and Windows,
- etc. DOS Fax programs, DOS telecommunciation programs, DOS
- programs that rely on real-time interrupt driven I/O
- processing and other highly timing sensitive I/O bound DOS
- applications. These applications are most likely to fail
- with dropped connections, communication data-loss, time-out
- errors, etc.
-
-
- 2) IBM Management has approved closure of APAR PJ03990 as a
- SUG.
-
-
- 3) Closure of this APAR as SUG (suggestion) means that this
- issue will go on to the OS/2 Planners for consideration in
- future versions of the operating system. OS/2 v2.x is
- working as designed. IBM Marketing Representatives may
- submit Design Change Requests (DCRs) in order to request
- changes to the design of OS/2 to allow for better
- performance concerning the handling Virtual DOS Machine
- (VDM) interrupts.
-
-
- 4) For more information concerning the design of OS/2 and
- Virtual DOS Machine interrupt handling, please consult the
- book entitled "The Design of OS/2" by H.M. Deitel and M.S.
- Kogan. ISBN #0-201-54889-5. Pages 290-291, Section 10.4,
- and Page 299, Section 10.4.5.
-
-
- 5) While changes to the design of future versions of
- OS/2 are being considered by the OS/2 Planners,
- customers should try to obtain an OS/2 version of the
- application that is not working as they would like
- it to. For example, there are many OS/2 3270 and
- 5250 products on the market, such as IBM's own
- Communications Manager. There are many OS/2-based
- FAX and telecommunication programs to choose from also.
- Check for listings of OS/2 applications along with the
-
-
-
-
- vendors names and phone numbers on Compuserve (a great
- source of this information exists in a file called
- APPOS2.ZIP in IBM's IBMOS2 section). Otherwise contact the
- vendor of the application and request an OS/2-specific
- version. Most vendors are very receptive to new market
- opportunities! Give them a call!
-
-
- 6) OS/2 2.x's current design restricts the number of VDM-bound
- interrupts that can be handled efficiently due to the
- virtualized nature of the interrupt delivery system.
- However, this does provide for better system security and
- allows for other advantages as well (please see the book
- referenced above). OS/2's Planners must now decide whether
- to change the design of OS/2 and have a change implemented
- in a future release of the operating system. Again, OS/2
- v2.x is working as designed.
-
-
-
-
- Report by: OS/2 Dosap Analyst Team - 05/94
- IBM - Boca Raton, Florida
-