PC97 Software/SOFTWARE_97.iso/QEMM.97/DISK3/TECHNOTE.QIP/STLTECH.TEC

Text File | 1997-05-15 | 22KB | 390 lines

             An Overview of QEMM's StealthROM Technology

 Quarterdeck Technical Note #168              Filename: STLTECH.TEC
 by Michael Bolton                          CompuServe: STTECH.ZIP
 Last revised: 12/14/94                       Category: QEMM

 Subject: An overview of QEMM's Stealth ROM technology -- how it
           works, why it works so well, and what can cause
           complications for it.

 Q: What is StealthROM?
 Q: How does StealthROM work?
 Q: What is the difference between ST:M and ST:F?
 Q: Which StealthROM strategy is preferable?
 Q: Does StealthROM slow down my system?
 Q: How can StealthROM fail?
 Q: If I'm having problems with StealthROM, what should I do?

 Note: for the purposes of this note, "386" refers to any processor
 in the 80386 family -- the Intel 80386 SX and DX; the i486 SX and
 DX in all their flavors; the Pentium processor, and all processors
 compatible with these chips.

 Traditionally, 386 memory managers such as QEMM have been able to
 create extra memory for DOS by associating physical extended
 memory (memory above the 1MB line, which is outside of DOS'
 address space) with unused addresses between 640K and 1MB.  This
 extra memory is called High RAM. Quarterdeck's StealthROM
 technology (which is included with QEMM versions 6.00 and higher)
 is QEMM's method of creating more High RAM than previously thought
 possible, by mapping memory to addresses that are used by system,
 video, disk, and other ROMs.

 Q. How does StealthROM work?

 To understand how StealthROM works, it is useful to understand the
 concept of MAPPING.  When a program needs more memory than what is
 normally available to it under DOS, it can request that some
 expanded memory be allocated from either an EMS board, or from the
 EMS memory created by a 386 expanded memory manager. MAPPING is
 the process by which memory management hardware and software can
 make memory appear in appropriate places at appropriate times; it
 is the process of associating memory with an address other than
 its actual one.  A convenient place to make memory appear is a 64K
 window of addresses above the 640K line; this window is called the
 EMS page frame.  The expanded memory specification (EMS) uses
 mapping to make portions of expanded memory appear inside the EMS
 page frame when that memory is requested by a program.

 Expanded memory has no addresses of its own, but can be made to
 appear at a valid address -- "mapped in".  Expanded memory pages
 can be filled with code or data by a program; when that code or
 data is not needed, the pages can  may be "mapped out" -- relieved
 of their addresses and put back into the expanded memory pool,
 with the code and data still intact. When the application needs
 these pages, they are "mapped in" to the EMS page frame again.  It
 is therefore possible for a program that uses expanded memory to
 have access to much more memory than DOS itself can see of its own
 accord.  You may know this technology as "bank switching," which
 is one of the techniques used to extend and add power to
 everything from mainframe computers to high-end UNIX systems... to
 DOS machines!

 Mapping is also useful for creating High RAM; in addition the the
 page frame, memory can be associated with other unused addresses
 between 640K and 1MB.  The 386 hardware and QEMM cooperate to make
 memory appear where there is otherwise none.

 StealthROM uses mapping for a new purpose.  The 386 chip can be
 made to map memory in or out of DOS' address space at any time.
 StealthROM uses 386 mapping to map system, disk, or video ROMs in
 and out of DOS' address space when appropriate, using one of two
 strategies -- Mapping mode or Frame mode.  These two features are
 activated by parameters on the QEMM line -- ST:M, for Stealth
 Mapping, or ST:F, for Stealth Frame.

 Q. What is the difference between ST:M and ST:F?

 "BIOS" stands for "Basic Input Output Services", programs that are
 built right into the hardware of your system in a form called
 "Read-Only Memory".  Your system communicates with various parts
 of itself and with its peripherals via the ROM-BIOS, often
 referred to as "ROMs".  The ROMs on your system are accessed via
 interrupts -- which are conceptually similar to BASIC subroutines.
 When your system boots up, it sets up something called an
 interrupt vector table.  This is a list of addresses where
 specific ROM subroutines can be found. When a program on your
 system needs a certain ROM function (for example, writing colored
 text to the screen), it sets up some data in appropriate places,
 and then calls the interrupt with a processor INT instruction. The
 processor then looks at the interrupt vector table to find out the
 address where the ROM function can be found.  The processor
 transfers control to that address, the ROM subroutine gets run,
 and then control is returned to the calling program.

 When you use StealthROM, as your system boots QEMM takes control
 of interrupts that are in use by the ROMs on your system and
 points those interrupts into QEMM itself.  This way, QEMM can
 monitor exactly when a ROM interrupt occurs, and can manage the
 interrupt appropriately.

 When you use ST:M ("Mapping Method"), QEMM maps system, video, and
 disk ROMs and any other "Stealthable" ROMs out of the first
 megabyte. (For information on what is "Stealthable," see "How can
 StealthROM fail?" below.)  When the ROM is needed by the system,
 QEMM maps the appropriate ROM code into the expanded memory page
 frame.  The ROM code now has a valid address at which it can
 execute, and it does so normally.  When the ROM routine is
 finished, QEMM then remaps the ROM elsewhere out of the address
 space.

 When you use ST:F ("Frame Method"), QEMM leaves the system, video,
 and disk ROMs where they are normally found.  QEMM then places the
 EMS page frame at the same address as -- or "on top of" -- a ROM.
 Expanded memory can then be mapped into the EMS page frame.  When
 the ROM that has been hidden by the page frame is needed, QEMM
 maps the page frame away, and maps ROM back into the addresses
 that were occupied by the page frame.  The ROM code then executes
 normally. When the ROM routine is finished, QEMM can then restore
 the contents of the page frame, and the ROM is effectively hidden
 again.

 Q. Which StealthROM strategy is preferable?

 Since ST:M is capable of mapping almost all ROMs out of DOS'
 address space, and thus provides much more High RAM, it is the
 better of the two options.  ST:F should only be needed on a very
 small number of systems; its object is to ensure compatibility
 with machines that have ROMs that jump to each other without using
 an interrupt to do so, or with ROMs that need to execute at their
 original addresses.

 Q. I have to have a special version of QEMM so that StealthROM
 will work on my system, right?  My system has to be one that
 StealthROM knows about, right?  I have to disable some of QEMM's
 memory management features to take advantage of StealthROM, right?

 No to all three questions!  StealthROM is designed to work on ANY
 system, regardless of brand, model, or ROM BIOS revision.  You do
 not need a special version of QEMM or StealthROM that has been
 customized for your machine, because StealthROM's strategy merely
 relocates your ROMs instead of replacing them.  StealthROM does
 not modify, compress or replace your ROM BIOS, and it does not
 depend on being aware of the brand or revision of your ROMs.
 Additionally, StealthROM will typically create more High RAM on
 your system than any other memory management technique.  You do
 not have to disable any of QEMM's features -- EMS, XMS, DPMI, or
 VCPI memory management.  Other memory managers force you to
 sacrifice features or compatibility as they try to match QEMM's
 prowess in squeezing every last byte of High RAM from your system.

 Q. Does StealthROM slow my system down?

 StealthROM does add some tiny amount of overhead to ROM BIOS
 interrupts.  Since most application programs spend very little
 time calling ROM code, the slowdowns are usually imperceptible or
 insignificant to the user. Ironically, since benchmark programs
 often call ROM interrupts repeatedly  (some do almost nothing but
 this), the greatest slowdown will be seen in some benchmark
 results; these results rarely have much to do with the actual
 speed of useful programs, however. Since your application programs
 typically have much more conventional memory to deal with when
 StealthROM is invoked, you are more likely to observe faster --
 not slower -- performance. Furthermore, QEMM optimizes some ROM
 video functions with its own faster techniques when StealthROM is
 active, and QEMM's ROM parameter (see the QEMM documentation) can
 provide additional performance increases. Using StealthROM with
 the ROM parameter is typically significantly faster than not using
 QEMM at all.

 Q.   How can StealthROM fail?

 StealthROM is a robust and proven technology.  However, it is
 possible for programs or system ROM implementations to interfere
 with StealthROM's strategies. Note that the problems described
 here are infrequent and/or system-specific, and that most users
 will experience no difficulty at all with StealthROM.

 In the above description of how StealthROM works, each strategy
 depends on a processor interrupt being referenced.  This is the
 normal way of accessing ROM code; processor registers are loaded
 with data and with information which denotes exactly which ROM
 service is being requested, and then a processor INT instruction
 is called.  BASIC programmers will recognize that this is similar
 to the process of initializing a few variables with data, and then
 calling a subroutine with a GOSUB instruction; most good texts
 favor this method of programming.  However, it is possible (though
 relatively uncommon) for a piece of code to JUMP to a specific ROM
 address, without branching via an interrupt.  This is analogous to
 a BASIC GOTO, rather than a GOSUB; dependencies on GOTOs are
 generally frowned upon by expert programmers, since a GOTO
 presumes that the address to which the code is jumping will remain
 constant and unchanging. This is less of a problem if one person
 writes all the code, since it is easier for one person to keep
 track of the proper destination addresses; when more than one
 person is involved, it's more difficult to determine why and where
 the code should branch.

 A few addresses in the interrupt vector table are used to point to
 tables of BIOS data, rather than to executable code.  StealthROM
 is designed to account for these sorts of addreses as well; as
 with program code, QEMM points the processor to appropriate data
 if an address in the interrupt vector table points to system
 configuration information, rather than to BIOS program routines.

 If an application or utility jumps directly to a ROM address when
 StealthROM is invoked, QEMM will not be able to intercept an
 interrupt, and thus may not have a chance to make sure that the
 appropriate portion of the ROM code is mapped into the page frame.
 If QEMM's Optimize program detects this behavior, it can make the
 application work properly with StealthROM by applying the
 STEALTHTHUNK parameter, sacrificing a small amount of High RAM
 (usually 4K) in order to intercept the direct jump, map the
 appropriate ROM into the page frame, and divert the direct jump to
 the proper address.  If the behavior does not occur during the
 Optimize process, it will probably be necessary to EXCLUDE a
 portion of the ROM on the QEMM386.SYS line in the CONFIG.SYS. More
 information on STEALTTHUNK parameter can be found in the QEMM
 Reference Manual (or in the README file in some releases).

 In the case of system setup programs and installation routines for
 video cards (many of which access ROM addresses directly), it is
 far better to disable QEMM temporarily than to use EXCLUDEs or
 sacrifice the large amounts of extra High RAM that ST:M can
 provide.  Setup programs should need to be run infrequently, and
 typically require a reboot before the modified settings take
 effect. High RAM is generally much more useful. It is worth
 weighing the benefits of instant access to your setup program
 against the extra High RAM that StealthROM can provide; the
 decision should not be a difficult one.

 The easiest way to deal with this is to disable QEMM, run your
 Setup program, and reboot with QEMM active again.  To disable QEMM
 temporarily, hold down the <Alt> key immediately after you hear a
 beep on bootup.  QEMM will post a message telling you to press
 <Escape> to unload QEMM, or any other key to continue with QEMM.
 Press <Escape>, and run your Setup program.  (If you are using the
 DOS-UP feature from QEMM version 7.0 or later, you will first see
 a message asking if you want to unload DOSDATA.  Press <Escape> to
 unload DOSDATA, then hold down the <Alt> key again until you see
 the message telling you to press <Escape> to unload QEMM.  After
 unloading QEMM, run your Setup program, then reboot the machine
 normally (without holding down <Alt>); your revised Setup will be
 in effect, and so will QEMM.

 * Some ROMs are written in such a way that they jump internally to
   addresses that are "hard-wired" into the ROM code.  For
   instance, a ROM that lives at address C000 may jump within
   itself using a full address like C000:AD91, where a jump to
   offset AD91 would have had the same effect.  Jumps to explicit
   addresses can confound StealthROM, as the ROM does not always
   execute at its original address. The best way of getting around
   this problem is often to use ST:M, and to place the EMS page
   frame to be placed on top of the ROM in question; this means
   that the ROM will execute at its original location without any
   sacrifice of High RAM. If you cannot put the page frame over the
   offending ROM, the ST:F option is another method of guaranteeing
   that all ROMs will execute at their original addresses.

 * Sometimes one ROM will jump directly into another ROM's code
   instead of accessing the other ROM through interrupts.  In such
   circumstances, ST:F may be helpful, since the ROMs will all
   execute at their original addresses, making both inter-ROM and
   intra-ROM jumps safe.

 * Some programs find the address of a given piece of ROM at
   startup, and then jump directly to that address later on, at a
   time when the ROM may not be mapped into memory.  Programs like
   these will often require that a portion of the ROM be EXCLUDEd
   on the QEMM386.SYS line in CONFIG.SYS.  Quarterdeck Technical
   Note #205, Troubleshooting Stealth ROM (STEALTH.TEC) can assist
   in finding the appropriate EXCLUDE quickly.

 * Some ROMs do not have any interrupts pointing to them at
   startup. If this is the case, QEMM will not be able to detect
   where a given interrupt should point, and thus may not invoke
   StealthROM for that ROM.  Again, Quarterdeck Technical Note
   #205, Troubleshooting Stealth ROM (STEALTH.TEC) may help to
   determine which addresses within this ROM must be EXCLUDEd (for
   compatiblity) or can be INCLUDEd (for more High RAM).

 * Some device drivers refuse to load unless they see an interrupt
   pointing to its normal location. Quarterdeck Technical Note
   #233, "QEMM and the XSTI parameter", XSTI.TEC, explains another
   way to resolve this problem which usually results in more
   conventional memory saved than if the driver is loaded before
   QEMM.  The DEVICE= lines that refer to these programs may also
   be loaded before the QEMM386.SYS line in CONFIG.SYS (though
   after DOSDATA.SYS) if necessary.

 * Some programs make invalid assumptions about the EMS page frame.
   In some cases, programs assume that the state of the EMS page
   frame will remain unchanged even after they decide to release
   their claim to a page of expanded memory; this is akin to
   assuming that you can get your property back after leaving it at
   the end of the driveway on garbage pick-up day.  This fails with
   Stealth ROM because, by default, the page frame is immediately
   un-mapped after a handle has been abandoned -- as if, in the
   above example, the city picks up the garbage pretty much
   immediately -- as soon as you get back into your house.  The
   UFP:N parameter suppresses this feature and can make such
   careless programs work with StealthROM, perhaps at the expense
   of some speed.

 * Some applications assume that the contents of the page frame
   will be the same at hardware interrupt time as they are when the
   main body of the application is executing -- like assuming that
   your coat will never get moved from the place in which you saw
   the cloakroom attendant put it.  This is an invalid assumption,
   and can cause problems not only with StealthROM, but with
   EMS-using TSRs as well. This ignores the guidelines in the
   Expanded Memory Specification, which governs the proper use of
   expanded there.

 * Other programs outright violate the Expanded Memory
   Specification by placing their interrupt stacks -- effectively
   the program's means of keeping track of its current state -- in
   the page frame.  This is not simply a problem for StealthROM or
   for QEMM; this can cause a conflict with any using expanded
   memory and ANY expanded memory manager.

 Fortunately, the programs that exhibit these problems are rare. If
 you experience difficulty that is found to be Stealth-related, you
 might wish to encourage the developer of the faulting program to
 make the program more compatible with StealthROM.  Quarterdeck is
 very happy to assist the developer of any commercial hardware or
 software who wishes added compatibility with our products.

 Q. What does the ROM parameter have to do with StealthROM?

 ROM code is normally read 8 or 16 bits at a time, and 32-bit RAM
 is therefore much faster.  (You can see this in action by looking
 at Manifest First Meg / Timings, first without the ROM parameter
 on the QEMM386.SYS line in CONFIG.SYS, and then with ROM added to
 the end of that line.)  Some video ROM speed-up drivers work by
 copying the contents of video ROM to conventional RAM.  These
 programs (such as TVGABIO.SYS, RAMBIOS.SYS, FASTBIOS.SYS, and
 SPEED_UP.SYS, typically shipped on the utilities diskette provided
 with your video card) will often conflict with StealthROM.  If
 loaded after QEMM, such programs may refuse to load because they
 detect that a program loaded before them (QEMM) is intercepting
 the video interrupt, INT 10.  Conversely, if loaded before QEMM,
 these programs may divert interrupts into RAM, so that QEMM cannot
 locate the ROM handler for those interrupts.  In these cases, the
 video speed-up program will function properly, but Stealth ROM
 will be disabled. XSTI.TEC explains how to resolve this problem if
 you really want to load the video enhancement program.  However,
 QEMM's ROM parameter generally provides the same feature these
 drivers do, with three important advantages.  First, QEMM copies
 the video ROM into 32-bit RAM and then write-protects the RAM so
 that some errant program does not overwrite the ROM code.  Second,
 QEMM's ROM parameter costs neither conventional memory nor High
 RAM to provide this feature -- the video drivers mentioned above
 will typically take 32K of one or the other.  Finally, the ROM
 parameter is fully compatible with StealthROM.

 Q. If I'm having problems with StealthROM, what should I do?

 StealthROM problems can be resolved by consulting Quarterdeck
 Technical Note #205, "Troubleshooting StealthROM" (STEALTH.TEC).
 If you are using QEMM version 7.0 or later, this technote was
 installed in your \QEMM\TECHNOTE directory.  This and other
 Quarterdeck Technical Notes are also available on the Quarterdeck
 BBS at [phone], CompuServe (!GO QUARTERDECK), or large
 local BBS systems, and also via our Q/FAX fax retrieval service;
 from the handset of your fax machine, call [phone].

 Summary

 StealthROM is a robust and proven technology.  It is an
 easy-to-use, safe, and efficient way of creating more High RAM on
 your system, providing more memory for your TSRs, your device
 drivers, DESQview 386, MS Windows, and your application programs.
 It is likely to speed up your system rather than slowing it down.
 It is designed to be effective on any 386 or higher processor,
 regardless of the ROM's manufacturer or version.  Many programs
 that cause conflicts with StealthROM can cause problems with other
 programs and memory managers. Stealth conflicts are rare, and
 troubleshooting is straightforward. StealthROM is the easiest way
 to provide the optimal amount of High RAM on your system.

 ******************************************************************
 *      Trademarks are property of their respective owners.       *
 *   This and other technical notes may be available in updated   *
 *     forms through Quarterdeck's standard support channels.     *
 *          Copyright (C) 1996 Quarterdeck Corporation            *
 ******************** E N D   O F   F I L E ***********************