Stars of Shareware: Programmierung/SOURCE.mdf/programm/msdos/c/ct22d/read.me

Text File | 1993-07-04 | 15.9 KB | 421 lines

CTask - A Multitasking Kernel for C.
Version 2.2d, Released 93-06-08.

Public Domain Software written by Thomas Wagner

Internet:    [e-mail]
BIX:         twagner
Compuserve:  100023,2042

*** NOTE: ADDRESS CHANGE! ***

Business Address:

        Ferrari electronic GmbH
        Ruhlsdorfer Strasse 138
        D-14513 Teltow
        Germany

        Phone: [phone]
        Fax:   [phone]

        BBS:   (49-3328) 438 04-8 (from 8/15/93)
               please don't try to call before 8/15!

Home Address:

        Thomas Wagner
        Patschkauer Weg 31
        D-14195 Berlin
        Germany

This software is in the Public Domain. No registration is required,
and no license fees or royalties must be paid.

You are using this software at your own risk. There is no warranty on
fitness for any purpose, and the author can not be held liable for
any damages whatsoever.

Re-distribution by any media, disk or BBS, is expressly encouraged.
Please distribute freely, but please leave the archives intact when
re-posting. If there is a technical need to split up the archives,
please include this read.me with all parts, and tell the user where
to find the other parts.


Versions released so far:
   0.1 (Beta)  88-03-01
   1.1         88-07-01
   1.1a        88-12-29
   1.1b        89-05-30
   2.0            89-12-24
   2.1         90-07-23
   2.1a        90-08-13
   2.1b        90-08-14
   2.2         90-10-12
   2.2a        90-11-22
   2.2b        91-05-28
   2.2c        92-09-02
   2.2d (this) 93-06-08

If you want to receive future updates, I recommend joining BIX. You
will not only have access to the newest version of CTask, you will
also get direct support from me through E-mail or the CTask support
topic in the ibm.other conference. Please see the manual for
more information on BIX, and for the complete support policy.

For those without easy access to BIX, there will be a Ferrari BBS in
the near future. Our BBS will provide the same level of support as BIX,
i.e. you will be able to download the most current version, and discuss
CTask in messages and E-mail. The BBS (single line for now) is scheduled
to be operational August 15th, 1993.

Please use either BIX or our BBS whenever possible to obtain new
versions.  Although I've offered to send update disks in the past,
I'd like to reduce disk mailings to an absolute minimum. Mailing
disks free is too costly for us, and payment has proven to be a
problem (caching foreign cheques for small amounts often costs more
in bank fees than the cheque is good for). Also, since new CTask
releases have been sparse, it's frustrating for both me and you when
you send in money, and don't receive anything for a long time.
(Naturally, all those who sent money *will* receive a disk with the
next major release once it's issued.) Our BBS will offer access at
14.400 bps, with V.42bis and MNP5 compression, so even transatlantic
downloads will not cost you an arm and a leg. BIX offers access at
9600 bps direct dial, various speeds through Tymnet, and access
through TELNET over the Internet at very moderate cost.

                ----------------------------

Version 2.2 was released mainly to correct a number of known bugs in
2.1. The fixes a through d correct minor bugs, and adapt to new
compiler versions. CTask development will continue, but a firm date
for a new major release can not yet be given. The new release will
probably appear late '93, and will address at least one major problem:

Version 2.2 will not work correctly with Windows 3.0 or 3.1 in
enhanced 386 mode if CTask is installed as TSR before starting
Windows. The reason (communication between virtual machines) is
known, but a solution would be rather complex. I will try to solve
this problem in the next release. CTask will work fine with Windows
3.0/3.1 if started in a DOS-window, or if used with the real-mode
version.

                ----------------------------

Version 2.2a fixes three bugs:

  - Timeouts during an event wait caused an incorrect value to be
    returned (-3 instead of -1).

  - The tsk_install_dos initialization routine clobbered register SI.

  - Linking with shared code caused duplicate entry point errors, because
    some entries were missing in the stub table. Adding the entries to
    the table required changing them from "Localfunc" to "Globalfunc".

Version 2.2b fixes several bugs, including:

 - Register SI was clobbered in tsk_install_dos. This caused the
   speedup parameter in tsk_install_main to cease working when compiled
   with MSC 6.0 /Ox.

 - An incorrect value (-3, TWATCH) was returned for timeouts on event
   waits.

 - The tsk_sprintf and tsk_vsprintf routines did not terminate the
   resulting strings with a zero.

 - If CLOCK_MSEC was enabled, two routines used an incorrect timeout.

 - Function stubs for code sharing were incomplete/incorrect.

 - Turbo C Huge model produced fixup errors due to an incorrect placement
   of an "extern" directive in TSKINT17.ASM.

This release also corrects a problem with Borland C++ 2.0 Huge model.
BC++ uses a slightly different data segment structure, which has to
be accounted for in the Assembler modules. TSK.MAC was changed, and
you have to define BC_HUGE instead of TC_HUGE when compiling for BC++
2.0 Huge model.

Make files for BC++ Huge model are included as a sample.

Typecasts were added in several modules to allow compilation in C++
"native" mode, which does not support some ANSI C type coercions.

Version 2.2c fixes minor problems:

 - The distributed TSKCONF.H was *not* configured according to the
   defaults. I had tested some features, and then forgot to switch
   back to the default version. The precompiled libraries included
   wouldn't work when linked with a default configuration.

 - If CLOCK_MSEC was enabled, most timeouts were not translated. The
   tsk_timeout translation call was missing from both t_delay and
   the tsk_wait function.

 - Borlands TASM 3.0 is incompatible with previous versions in some
   areas. The ".BC" make files were changed to include the "M510"
   switch instead of the old "MASM51", and the TSK.MAC file was slightly
   modified to account for the changes.

 - Borland C++ 3.1 complains about the duplicate definitions of inportb
   and outportb in TSK.H. Since those definitions were included only to
   account for a problem in Turbo C++ 1.0, which probably no one still
   uses, the definitions were disabled.

Version 2.2d fixes minor problems, and adds more debug support:

 - When spawning, the DOS save area was initialised when the task was first
   scheduled in. This could lead to tasks using incorrect PSPs, depending
   on the order of events. In 2.2d, the save area is initialised on task
   creation.

 - New debug options (in TSKDEB.H) allow tracing DOS calls, either buffered
   or on-line.

 - A new serial option allows task snapshot output through a COM-port. The
   printf routines were expanded to support (polled) COM-port I/O. Simple
   input routines are also provided to aid in debugging:

                        Serial snapshot

   To output a snapshot dump to a COM port, you have to first initialise
   the port somewhere (preferably during program initialisation):

        tsk_cprint_init (int port, int baud)

   The "port" parameter may either be 1..4 to use the "relative"
   COM port number COM1..COM4, or an absolute port address.
   The "baud" parameter may be 24, 96, 192, 384, or 1150.
      Example:
        tsk_cprint_init (1, 96);

   The snapshot is invoked with

        comsnapshot ();


   After the port is initialised, you can also get input characters, for
   example to trigger the snapshot dump using the remote terminal. There
   are two routines:

        tsk_cprint_getc ()
           Reads a character from the comm port if one is available.
           The upper byte contains the line status on return, the lower
           byte the received character or 0. The zero flag is set if
           there is no character.

        tsk_cprint_waitc ()
           Waits for and reads a character from the comm port.
           The upper byte contains the line status on return, the lower
           byte the received character.


   Note: The port should not be used for other, especially interrupt
   driven, activities. The tsk_cprint... routines use polling to allow a
   snapshot to be output even when the system is unstable.


                ----------------------------

When compiling some of the files, you will get warnings about
unreferenced formal parameters. This is normal, and should be
ignored. The Turbo C pragma for turning off those warnings is not
compatible with Microsoft, so it is not used in the current version.

Please inspect the sample sources before trying them out. Some samples
use serial output, and may hang if no terminal is connected to the serial
port. Other samples may directly access video memory on mono or color
cards without checking for their existance, which may crash your system.
The samples are provided only as a test base, not as ready-to-use code.

                ----------------------------

Note that the Turbo C batch and make files refer to "lib" and
"tmake", where Turbo users would normally use "tlib" and "make". This
is to resolve naming conflicts in my own configuration. To use the
files in a "standard" Turbo configuration, you may have to edit the
files, or provide suitable alias definitions.

The huge model make files are not yet up to date with new versions of BC.
If you should need huge model support, you may have to edit the make files,
please use the standard make files as an example.

                ----------------------------

Don't use TASM 1.0 to assemble the CTask routines. Version 1.0 of
Borland's TASM has severe problems with the extended model
directives, which will cause Assembly time errors, and, if you get
past them, run time crashes. Versions 1.01 and later of TASM are safe
to use.

You can also use MASM 5.1 for the TC version, just edit the make
files to change the assembler name.

You will probably NOT be successfull trying to assemble the CTask
routines with MASM 6.0. Microsoft managed to make their new version
so totally incompatible with the old one that it's quite a feat to
adapt sources to the new version while still staying compatible with
the other assemblers. On top of this, MASM 6.0 is extremely buggy.
Therefore, I will not adapt CTask to 6.0. If you don't have access to
MASM 5.1, please get Borlands TASM.

From what I have heard, Microsoft MASM 6.1 is supposed to be more
useable than 6.0, especially regarding 5.1 compatibility. I don't have
a copy of 6.1 yet, so you'd have to check it out yourself.

                ----------------------------

The manual included is ready for printing. No fancy formatting
was used, and the page length was chosen to fit the short
American sized paper. The only control character your printer
must understand is the formfeed.

                ----------------------------

Files in the archives:

Compiled CTask kernel and support routines

   CTASKMS.LIB  CTask kernel, Microsoft C (any model)
   CTSUPMSL.LIB CTask support routines, MS-C (large model)

        The files were compiled with MSC 8.0 (MS Visual C++ 1.0).

   CTASKTC.LIB  CTask kernel, Turbo C (any model except Tiny & Huge)
   CTSUPTCL.LIB CTask support routines, Turbo C (large model)

        The files were compiled with Borland C++ 3.1.

Documentation

   READ.ME      This file
   CTASK.DOC    Documentation for CTask, ready for printing
   FERRARI.DOC  Commercial advertising, required reading

   CTASK.DEF    Periscope debugger record definition file

Include Files

   KBD.H        Keyboard scan code and flag definitions for Hotkeys
   PRT.H        Include file required for printer driver
   SIO.H        Include file required for serial driver
   TSK.H        Include file required for CTask kernel
   TSKCONF.H    CTask configuration options (C and Assembler)
   TSKDEB.H     Debug mode configuration (C and Assembler)
   TSKLOCAL.H   Include file for internal CTask use
   TSKPRF.H     Function prototypes for printf replacement routines
   TSKSUP.H     Include file required for support routines

   TSK.MAC      Assembler include file

Source files for the CTask kernel

   TSKASM.ASM   Scheduler and miscellaneous ASM routines
   TSKBIOS.ASM  AT BIOS wait/post handler (INT 15)
   TSKDOS.ASM   DOS multiplex interface for CTask
   TSKEMS.ASM   EMS support routines
   TSKINT17.ASM BIOS printer interface (INT 17)
   TSKKBD.ASM   Keyboard interface and hotkey handler
   TSKNDP.ASM   Numerioc coprocessor support routines
   TSKPRTI.ASM  Printer driver interrupt stack switcher
   TSKQUE.ASM   Queue handling
   TSKRES.ASM   CTask residency check
   TSKSEC.ASM   DOS and Keyboard interface routines
   TSKSIOI.ASM  Serial driver interrupt stack switcher
   TSKSTCK.ASM  Stack switch routine
   TSKSTUB.ASM  Code sharing function stubs/entry table
   TSKTIM.ASM   Timer tick interface (INT 8)

   TSKBUF.C     Buffer events
   TSKCNT.C     Counter events
   TSKFLG.C     Flag events
   TSKGRP.C     Group creation/removal
   TSKHOT.C     Hotkey creation
   TSKINST.C    Main kernel installation/removal
   TSKMAIN.C    Main CTask installation routines
   TSKMEMW.C    Memory watches
   TSKMSG.C     Mailbox events
   TSKNAME.C    Name searching
   TSKPORW.C    Port watches
   TSKPIP.C     Pipe events
   TSKPRT.C     Printer driver
   TSKRSC.C     Resource events
   TSKSIO.C     Serial I/O driver
   TSKSUB.C     Subroutines for internal CTask use
   TSKTASK.C    Main task related routines
   TSKTICK.C    Ticker handling
   TSKTOPS.C    Timeout and watch routines
   TSKTSUB.C    Timer/watch helper subroutines
   TSKTTSK.C    Timer task
   TSKTUTL.C    Task utility subroutines
   TSKUTIL.C    Miscellaneous utilitiy routines
   TSKWPIP.C    Word pipe events

Support routine source files

   CONOUT.C     Console output support
   TSKALLOC.C   Memory allocation RTL interface
   TSKSNAP.C    Snapshot dump utility
   TSKPRF.ASM   Printf replacement routines

Sample application sources

   MINRES.ASM   Minimal resident CTask
   TESTMOD.ASM  Check for model independence

   RES.C        CTask TSR
   SNAP.C       Snapshot dump
   SPAWN.C      Spawn DOS
   TEST.C       General Test
   TPRT.C       Test printer driver
   TSIO.C       Test serial driver

Batch files to make kernel and samples

   MS.BAT       Make Kernel and support routines, MS-C
   SAMPMS.BAT   Make Sample applications, MS-C
   CTC.BAT      Make Kernel and support routines, Turbo C
   SAMPTC.BAT   Make Sample applications, Turbo C
   TCH.BAT      Make Kernel and support routines, Turbo C Huge model
   BC.CFG       Compiler configuration file, BC++ 3.1
   CBC.BAT      Make Kernel and support routines, BC++

Microsoft Make files for Microsoft C 6.0/MASM 5.1

   CTASK.MS     Make Kernel
   CTSUP.MS     Make Support Routines

   MINRES.MS    Make MINRES.ASM
   RES.MS       Make RES.C
   SNAP.MS      Make SNAP.C
   SPAWN.MS     Make SPAWN.C
   TEST.MS      Make TEST.C
   TESTMOD.MS   Make TESTMOD.ASM
   TPRT.MS      Make TPRT.C
   TSIO.MS      Make TSIO.C

Borland Make files for Turbo C/TASM

   CTASK.TC     Make Kernel
   CTASK.BC     Make Kernel, BC++
   CTSUP.TC     Make Support Routines
   CTSUP.BC     Make Support Routines, BC++

   CTASKH.TC    Make Kernel, Huge model
   CTASKH.BC    Make Kernel, Huge model, BC++
   CTSUPH.TC    Make Support Routines, Huge model
   CTSUPH.BC    Make Support Routines, Huge model, BC++

   MINRES.TC/BC Make MINRES.ASM
   RES.TC/BC    Make RES.C
   SNAP.TC/BC   Make SNAP.C
   SPAWN.TC/BC  Make SPAWN.C
   TEST.TC/BC   Make TEST.C
   TESTMOD.TC/BC Make TESTMOD.ASM
   TPRT.TC/BC   Make TPRT.C
   TSIO.TC/BC   Make TSIO.C