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Text File | 1994-08-03 | 47.7 KB | 965 lines

DiskQwik v2.11 Shareware version Released August 4th, 1994 DiskQwik v2.31 Registered version Released August 4th, 1994 ╒═╡ DiskQwik v2.11 │ 32-bit Windows version available September '94! │ ┌────────────────┐ ┌────────────────┐ │ DUSTBOWL DESIGNS, INC. │ 0 SPB │ │ 0 SPB │ │ -=≡ NOT REGISTERED ≡=- │ ≡■≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ │ │ ≡■≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ │ │ (405) 741-4705 VOX └────────────────┘ └────────────────┘ │ (405) 741-3913 FAX Drive 0 Drive 1 │ (405) 741-2721 BBS ├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │The makers of 3_Drives, 4_Drives, C_Prime, 4_Speed, Drive Primer and more.│ │ Copyright 1993-1994 by Dustbowl Designs, Inc. All rights reserved. │ │ 12600 S.E. 38th Street, Choctaw, Oklahoma USA 73020-6107 │ │ $25 (credit card) registration and IMMEDIATE download from our BBS. │ └──────────────┤ Outstanding shareware for Hard Disk Drives! ├─────────────┘ The premiere DOS block device driver for AT/IDE interface hard disk drives that enables MULTIPLE SECTOR Block Transfer Mode. ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │▒▒▒ What's New: v2.11 ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒│ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Happy Birthday, DiskQwik! One full year in Shareware! A very special thanks to all of our registered friends!! And in the Dustbowl Designs tradition, we've added new features, optimized routines, updated and upgraded the shareware release to include some of the registered version's features. * Both drives now supported in the shareware release. * Automatic Multiple Sector Block sizing * Block Size of 1 now supports older IDE drives. * Two new speed modes. A slightly slower one for compatibility issues and a really fast mode for systems that can handle it! * Windows "friendly", no more hang if 32-bit disk access enabled. ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │▒▒▒ Introduction ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒│ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ DiskQwik is a block device driver that is designed exclusively for AT/IDE Hard Disk Drives. Many newer IDE drives have the built in capability to significantly increase their Data Transfer Rates by activating the MULTIPLE SECTOR Block Transfer Mode. In a typical scenario, the transfer rate can be increased by up to 45% over the rate offered by the motherboard bios. Some of the newest motherboards and high-end Host Adapters are beginning to offer this MULTIPLE Mode, but this great feature of our new IDE drives has essentially remained untapped.... until now, thanks to DiskQwik! DiskQwik now supports older IDE drives that were designed without the Multiple Sector Block Mode. By setting a block size of 1, we can effectively replace the native INT13 bios routines with more efficient and highly optimized ones. The Data Transfer Rates are given a boost that is worth considering. Included in this ZIP file are TST500MB.PCX and TST-40MB.PCX, in a standard graphics file format used by most paint programs and picture viewers, that shows examples of two drives' performance results. TST500MB.PCX shows in clear detail the remarkable increase in Data Transfer Rate that one can expect from an IDE drive that has activated MULTIPLE SECTOR Block Transfers. With the Sectors per Block (SPB) set to 2, we immediately see an increase of 15% over the system motherboard bios int13 routines. This is the capability of DiskQwik's Shareware release. With the SPB set to 32 (only Registered versions of DiskQwik can set values greater than 2), the Data Transfer Rate of our test drive jumps to 43% higher than the native system motherboard bios int13 routines. TST-40MB.PCX shows the results of an older IDE drive that never had the ability to support Multiple Sector Block Mode. In this case, DiskQwik acts as a single sector replacement for the Int13 disk drive routines. because of its optimization, an increase of 100 kbytes/sec is realized. This shareware release of DiskQwik is designed to give you the opportunity to test for yourself if your IDE drive can be motivated into MULTIPLE SECTOR Block Transfer Mode. It is VERY important to note here that while a large percentage of IDE drives can use this mode, some cannot (some say they can, but actually don't... more on this later), therefore, shareware provides a perfect opportunity for "try before you buy" software evaluation. ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │▒▒▒ Upgrade Offer ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒│ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ As noted in the screen representation and at the beginning of this document, DiskQwik v2.11 is shareware and supports two hard disk drives (unit 0 and 1) in the MULTIPLE SECTOR Block Transfer Mode. Additionally, The shareware version is "hard coded" to a 2 Sectors per Block maximum in the READ Multiple mode. In the event that you want to activate the higher Data Transfer Rates gained by increasing the Sectors per Block value, use the Fastest Speed Mode or desire to have WRITE Multiple, we offer the program: Registered DiskQwik v2.31. Registered version benefits and features: * Custom control of the values used for setting Sector per Block (SPB). * WRITE Multiple companion to the READ Multiple routine. * Fastest Speed Mode. * Ultra-fast program loading without delays or required user intervention. (If you're getting tired of the random character starter and prolonged registration reminder, then it is probably time to register <grin>.) * Postscript version of the documentation. * Advanced technical support and continuous upgradability to all future registered versions via our support BBS. ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │▒▒▒ System Requirements ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒│ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ A few simple conditions must be met in order to utilize the DiskQwik device driver. They are: 1. Computer system MUST be either a 286, 386sx, 386dx, 486sx or 486dx (and Pentium, probably...). 2. The hard disk drive must be of the AT/IDE interface type. ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │▒▒▒ Preparing the Disk Drives ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒│ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ No special preparation or formatting of the hard disk drives is required. If the two minimum hardware requirements are met, then proceed through the following tests to determine if the drive's microcode is up to the job: 1. Run 4DRVUTIL.EXE (included in this zip file) on the Primary port address, unit 0 or 1 (Master or Slave). 2. Does 4DRVUTIL show that Multiple Sectors per Interrupt are available? NO: The DiskQwik driver will initial to a block size of 1. Got to 4. YES: Go to 3. 3. Does 4DRVUTIL show that the drive's buffer size is larger than the Maximum number of Multiple Sectors per Interrupt? NO: Stop ...maybe. If they are the same size, then the chances are that the drive's microcode is giving a false positive on Multiple Sectors. Given that the drive has a finite "memory pool" available to support both the Read/Write caching and the drive memory requirement for the Multiple sectors, it makes no sense that these two should be the same. If the entire buffer were given to the task of Multiple Sector support, the drive's performance will degrade to an all time low! Nonetheless, you still might continue on as long as you configure DiskQwik to a block size that is half the size, at most, of the buffer. This happens automatically with the shareware release, since it is hard coded to 2 Sectors Per Block (SPB). YES: Things are looking good. Go to 4. 4. Run 4_SPEED.EXE (included in this zip file) on drive C: and save the test results to a Log file for comparison later and be sure to attach an appropriate comment to the test. 4_Speed has two testing modes: Repeat and Sequential. It's a good idea to run both. (Note: 4_SPEED will quickly be picked up by drive caching software like SmartDrive etc. Therefore, if you are seeing a Data Transfer Rate for the drive that is higher than 3 or 4 MBytes per second, then you will need to REM out the drive cache software in order to collect data on the drive's true unassisted transfer rate.) 5. Add to your config.sys file the line DEVICE=DQWIK211.HDD, save and reboot your computer. 6. Did DiskQwik load OK without error? NO: Stop. One of the few error messages is simply "Error setting Multiple Mode, DiskQwik NOT LOADED". This means that the drive's microcode is configured to reject attempts to set the Multiple feature. This is too bad and means that a block size of 1 may need to be set via the command line switches. It is important to note that this DOES NOT mean that the drive is defective, poorly designed, or any such implication that the drive manufacturer has failed in any way. It merely means that the feature was never available in the first place. The development of Multiple Sector per Interrupt features in various drives amongst the drive manufacturers is still maturing. YES: Almost home. Go to 7. 7. Run 4_SPEED again on drive C: and save the test results to the same Log file that was prepared during the first test run. 8. Using 4_SPEED, select the "Analyze" feature, and graph the two test runs. This is the moment of truth. 9. Does the graph show that there has been an increase in the drive's Data Transfer Rate? NO: Stop. Oh well... @#$%!!. So close, and yet we've hit a stopping point. At least you have the satisfaction of knowing that through shareware, you are able to "try before your buy," and that you have in your possession two very fine and no-obligation-to-register Freeware utilities (4DRVUTIL and 4_SPEED) as consolation prizes. Thanks for trying. In a more serious vein, again it is very important to recognize the points made in step number 6. In general, the drives that seem to have the multiple capability are usually larger than 150 MBytes and have drive buffers at least 32 KBytes in size. YES: How a_bout that! If everything has gone according to plan, you should be looking at an increase in the Data Transfer Rate of around 15%; with ONLY 2 Sectors Per Block. You can expect to see a substantial increase in the DTR by increasing the SPB value, which is the prime feature of the Registered version of DiskQwik (as well as activating WRITE MULTIPLE). Go to 10. 10. Next, read to the section below titled "App Notes" and pick out the points that apply to your system setup. Please consider registering this fine shareware product, upload the shareware zip file to as many BBS as you can afford, and tell you friends! Congratulations. ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │▒▒▒ Command Line Switches ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒│ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ No Command Line Switches - DiskQwik will automatically determine the optimum block size (beginning with a block size of 16) and sets both READ Multiple and WRITE Multiple. The shareware release is restricted to a block size of 2 and READ Multiple with writes handled by the native INT13 bios. Both drives are included in two drive systems. A block size of 1 is set for older, non-multiple drives. F - Fast Mode. This mode duplicates the original v1.10 algorithms. The current v2.11 default algorithm (no speed switches on the command line) is just a little bit more conservative and is more compatible with other interrupt intensive applications. NF - No Windows 32-bit FastDisk Access. DiskQwik will, by default, transfer control back to Windows' own disk management software. This is to insure that 32-bit protected mode disk access systems can remain in place. The 'NF' switch specifically tells DiskQwik to stay loaded and operate within Windows because the user knows that 32-bit disk access is NOT set. See the section in App Notes for further discussion on this topic. Example: DISKQWIK NF F Registered means: block size of 16 for units 0 and 1 with READ and WRITE MULTIPLE enabled. Shareware means: block size of 2 for units 0 and 1 with READ MULTIPLE enabled. Both versions: Block size of 1 if the drive does not support multiple mode. The "Fast" speed mode is enabled. The Windows 'NF' No FastDisk switch tells DiskQwik to remain active because Fastdisk 32-bit disk access in Windows is disabled. The Registered version switches can be set up in the CONFIG.SYS file after the complete driver name and should be separated by spaces for clarity. The following command line switches have been put into place for the Registered version: + - "plus" symbol. This activates the Fastest possible speed algorithms. P - Pause the progress of the config.sys after loading DiskQwik. Press C to continue. This is handy when confirming the status of the driver. The following switches are generally not required because the driver auto-detects the settings. However, you have complete manual control of the initialization parameters with these switches: B(?)xx - Block Size of xx for Unit ?. Where (?) is replaced by either 0 or 1 and xx is replaced by a value (typically an even number) indicating the number of Sectors Per Block (SPB). The SPB value cannot exceed the maximum number of sectors per interrupt defined in the drive's own microcode. Any use of the 'B' switch will deactivate the auto-detect and set routines. RM(?) - Activate READ MULTIPLE for unit ?= 0 or 1. WM(?) - Activate WRITE MULTIPLE for unit ?= 0 or 1. (Registered only) When setting the parameters manually, you need to build up the switches to the level of support desired. If a drive is not included in the switches, it is not supported by the driver. If either READ or WRITE switches are omitted, that function is handled by the native INT13 bios. - - "minus" symbol. After DiskQwik has been loaded, the "minus" symbol can be used to turn off an active mode. For example, if the program had been loaded with RM0 WM0, running DISKQWIK WM0- will turn off the write multiple rountines. (this option requires that DQWIK211.HDD be renamed to DQWIK211.EXE). Example: DQWIK231.HDD B016 RM0 WM0 B132 RM1 + P means: block size of 16 for unit 0 with READ and WRITE MULTIPLE, block size of 32 for unit 1 with READ MULTIPLE only, fastest possible speed mode, with a "Press C to Continue" pause after loading. CONFIRMATION of Device options: Visual confirmation of the I/O option combinations will be indicated by the COLOR of the "led" indicator on the DiskQwik banner screen drive icon.... ┌────────────────┐ │ 32 SPB │ │ ≡*≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ │ └──^─────────────┘ | | RM(?) & WM(?) - will be denoted by a RED * (led) indicator for the drive selected. RM(?) - will be denoted by a BLUE * (led) indicator for the drive selected. (This is the default color you should see with the shareware version of DiskQwik.) WM(?) - will be denoted by a YELLOW * (led) indicator for the drive selected. F - The colored * is replaced by an ascii character ƒ. + - The colored * is replaced by a '+' symbol. P - The "Press c to continue", message will be displayed in the bottom left corner of the yellow text box and the 'c' key must be pressed before the driver's init code is terminated. ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │▒▒▒ Background ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒│ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ MULTIPLE SECTOR Block Transfer Mode has its origins in the ESDI hard disk drive interface. Just prior to the development of the AT/IDE interface, the ESDI controllers were about ready to institute this very interesting ability. Similar to the IDE inquiry command, ESDI drives will report 512 bytes of information about themselves where word 47 is a yes/no variable about Multiple Sector capability. If the byte is "yes" then the following bytes will tell how many maximum sectors per interrupt may be used. In fact, 4DRVUTIL, and other IDE inquiry utilities, will easily receive this information from the ESDI drive controllers. The rapid pace of hard drive technology, however, has since made the ESDI interface obsolete. This is lamentable from the standpoint that the interface has a sterling reputation for quality and the drives for ruggedness. ESDI drives were typically large capacity units (of the time) that found homes in file servers and other environments that demanded critical performance from their drives. Most network managers will speak highly of the interface. Drive manufacturers soon found that the cost per megabyte could be drastically reduced by building the controllers directly onto the drive. This concept holds true for the AT/IDE interface (as well as SCSI, but that's a whole different ball game). This integrated controller also allowed the drive manufacturers to use Zone Bit Recording methods (variable sectors per track) and drive geometry translation schemes to exceed the DOS limitation of 1024 cylinders max. By building RAM buffers into the drives we finally begin to reach the point in hard drive technology where MULTIPLE SECTOR Block Transfer Mode begins to be a reality. A discussion about the microcode which manages the drive RAM buffer is worthwhile. Just like the RAM memory in our systems, the RAM buffers on an AT/IDE drive should be thought of as a "memory pool". Today's modern drives have buffers that range from simple to sophisticated. The simplest buffer schemes employ basic Read Look Ahead techniques that operate on the assumption that the next data you will request will be contiguously after the data you just got. These Look Ahead buffers generally are FIFO types (first in, first out) that either read a pre defined number of sectors, or read through to the end of the physical cylinder. It is easy to imagine that the transfer rate and speed of the data delivery to the host system is greatly increased when it is dumped from RAM to RAM (nanoseconds) instead of physically picking it up off of the drive (milliseconds). The early AT/IDE drives had buffers of only 2 to 8 KiloBytes. In terms of sectors, that is 4 to 16 (2 512 byte sectors equal 1 KiloByte). This is enough to Read Ahead the rest of a track of a 17 sector per track drive (typical of the day). Reading Ahead to the end of the cylinder requires a much larger amount of memory. Also, basic competition amongst the drive manufacturers to be faster "than the other guy" has caused the buffer sizes to increase. Other factors like spindle speeds, recording densities, and access times combine together to be part of the overall improvements that have increased drive performance. When the RAM buffer reaches a certain point in size, either the Read Look Ahead must cross a physical cylinder boundary or something else more desirable; this moves us into Segmented Buffers. From here we see Adaptive Segmented Buffers, and so on. A typical modern drive may describe its buffer as Read Look Ahead Multi-Segmented Adaptive, combining all types. Write caching is the current newcomer to drive buffer techniques. These are interesting in that the drive reports that a write has completed as soon as the data arrives in the buffer, thereby freeing up the interrupt hold on the CPU, allowing it to move on to more processing. Then the drive, under its own control, attends to laying down the data on the spinning magnetic media. This happens very quickly and does not carry with it the same negative implications that some report about write caching software. The balance between RAM allotted to write cache and read cache is usually preset to around 40/60 and may someday actually dynamically adjust to true system usage. You can begin to see that these models employ sophisticated microcode and algorithms working with a memory pool which is subdivided into various areas. The size of this total buffer memory is climbing continuously, with state-of-the-art models offering 1 megabyte of RAM. (Why do I get the feeling that this will be old news in a few months.... <grin>?) So, what about MULTIPLE SECTOR Block Transfer? Simple, really... whatever Block Size is set, is deducted from the memory pool. For example, if a 32 sector block is set, then 16 KiloBytes of RAM are removed from the Read/Write caching on the drive. While this sounds like a setback, an actual increase in the Data Transfer Rate results from the way this can interact with DOS. ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │▒▒▒ Outline ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒│ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Fortunately for all of us, the convenience of personal computers is due, in large part, to the simplification of the User Interface. We have the advantage today, over the early pioneers, of being able to simply sit down and create within our applications. We "suspect" that low level hardware operations are taking place as we work, because the equipment tends to respond to our commands. We see the hard drive activity light flicker when we open and close our files. This is as it should be for the popular acceptance of personal computers in our society. User Interfaces have become friendlier each day, and will continue to do so. We can all look forward to the near future when systems interact with more than just our fingers. In some respects, interface is synonymous with translator. As we work within our high level applications, layers of translations are taking place to convert our commands into machine language. We enjoy the benefit of not needing to know how these clever manipulations are done and can count ourselves lucky in the process. A typical read translation sequence might be as follows: 1. Application Command Open File This level has its own layers of simplification, but roughly boils down to the fact that as a programmer's source code is prepared for use, a compiler translates the file handling components into the standard DOS level software interrupts, notably Interrupt 21. source code: assign DataFile the name mydata.dat open (DataFile) read (DataFile, DataWeNeed) : Int 21, Fn 3Fh so many sectors... close (DataFile) use (DataWeNeed) These DOS interrupts provide even the programmer with the ability of being able to avoid low level interaction with the system and allows an application to operate on many types of machines. Once an application issues a DOS file command, the programmer can count on a trustworthy sequence of events and can just let it happen while waiting for a confirmation of success from the operating system. (Some say that a REAL programmer always begins with COPY CON PROGRAM.EXE <groan>.) 2. DOS File Allocation Table (FAT) The resident portion of our operating system, that part which always stays in memory, is triggered into action by the DOS read file interrupt. The first order of business is to determine if the file already exists, and if it does... where? The DOS file directories are used to make this determination and give the operating system a starting point. DOS uses a method of ordering our data into clusters, or groups of sectors, that begins with zero and numbers on up to the end of a drive's partition. This might be thought of as a kind of linear, two dimensional map and is sometimes call logical block address. Since most files are larger than a single cluster, the location of the next cluster after the start is required. This location of the next portion of the file is determined by inspecting the File Allocation Table. This table tells DOS the logical whereabouts of the next data; which does not necessarily contiguously follow the location of the last data. With DOS reading the data into memory as it goes along, these steps are repeated until the end of the file is reached. The link from location to location create a virtual chain of connections that insure that data is not lost. 3. DOS Kernel Resident Block Device Driver To this point the data is logically ordered in the two dimensional manner described above. Yet, we need to translate this into a specifically located sector on the drive, itself. Disk drives order their data by Cylinders, Heads and Sectors which is a kind of spacial three dimensional coordinate. The transition from the logical linear location to the physical spacial location is the job of DOS's own Resident Block Device Driver (Block a.k.a Disk). This requires a straight forward calculation whose result depends on the individual geometry of the drive being accessed; this geometry is stored in the Boot Records and things called Bios Parameter Blocks and is read into memory when the operating system loads. If an imaginary drive had 10 sectors per track, 10 heads, and 10 cylinders, the drive would have a total of 1000 sectors. If we were to count up through the sectors, the Heads digit (10's) would increment after the ninth sector and the Cylinders digit (100's) would increment after the ninth head. With this model, it is easy to see the relationship between the logical and physical locations. For example, the 123rd logical sector might physically be located at Cyl=1, Hd=2 and Sect=3. Aside from the fact that DOS doesn't recognize a zero in the sectors digit, this is the oversimplified way things are. Disk drives, however, come in many different capacities and make calculating a physical location more interesting. A drive with 17 Sectors per track, 6 Heads and 820 Cylinders would find the 123rd sector at Cyl=1, Hd=1 and Sect=3 (right?). 4. Interrupt 13 Call Fun and games aside, the DOS Block Device Driver then builds a hardware interrupt command that says something like "unit 0, at cylinder 1, head 1, sector 4... read it." Things start to look just like assembly language programming at this point: mov ah, 02h ; read function mov al, 1 ; number of sectors mov ch, 1 ; cylinder number mov cl, 4 ; sector number mov dh, 1 ; head number mov dl, 0 ; unit number int 13 ; disk interrupt Believe it or not, the fact is we still are looking at a language designed to provide a user friendly interface, really. Many programmers actually write their programs at this level because the finished and compiled code ends up being smaller and faster than the code produced by higher level programming languages like Basic, Pascal and C. 5. AT BIOS Port Address Command Interrupt 13 Function 02h is a program, too, in a way. Its routines are provided on a chip we all have someplace in our system, called a BIOS (Basic Input Output Services). When we power on the computer the contents of the BIOS are stored in memory and everything we do flows through these routines. All the hardware components of the computer - video, disk, keyboard, etc. - have complicated little routines which handle communicating with the hardware device. Repetition is the name of the game at this level. In the case of our read a file example, every involved sector is seeked to (sought?), read from and checked out for success, individually. What is simplified for convenience as Int 13 Fn 02h ends up being a near endless stream of machine language Port Address commands. Hard disk drives have a specific port address at 1F0h for the Primary port address and 170h for the Secondary port address. While Int 13 serves both hard and floppy disk drives, the port addresses for these two different types of drives are split apart and managed by separate BIOS routines. 6. Enter DiskQwik We've finally reached the level where it is time to consider how DiskQwik figures into the scheme of things. First, it is important to look at the challenge faced by the BIOS programmer. The hard disk drive to be used in the computer system will be one of many hundreds of types across several interfaces that range from old to new, all needing to be supported by the one BIOS routine. Given this obligation, the routines that are written are understandably generic with the same code that runs our older MFM drive also running our new AT/IDE drive. The need for general compatibility creates a situation where the special enhancements of the modern AT/IDE disk drive are left unsupported. The phrase "Multiple Sectors Per Interrupt" correctly implies the notion that normally we have only one sector per interrupt. This is the case with the standard BIOS service and is the default start up configuration of the drive. The following diagram shows that a large amount of time is spent in overhead checking the interrupt after every sector read from the port: Interrupt Confirmation (overhead) │ ┌i┐ ┌i┐ ┌i┐ ┌i┐ ┌i┐ ┌i┐ ┌i┐ ┌i┐ ┌i┐ ┌i┐ ┌i┐ s──┘ └s──┘ └s──┘ └s──┘ └s──┘ └s──┘ └s──┘ └s──┘ └s──┘ └s──┘ └s──┘ └s─ │ Sector Read With Multiple Sector Block Transfer Mode enabled on the drive, block size equals to 8, a flow of data like this results: Interrupt Confirmation (overhead) │ ┌i┐ ┌i┐ s───s───s───s───s───s───s───s──┘ └s───s───s───s───s───s───s───s──┘ └ │ Sector Read A new routine is required to pass this type of data flow back to DOS; software of this type is called an Interrupt Service Routine (ISR). DiskQwik is an ISR replacement for the native BIOS Int 13 read and/or write hard disk drive service routines. DiskQwik resides in memory, monitoring all Int 13 requests. When a Read and/or Write request comes along, it intercepts the command and manages it directly, "hand carrying" it through to the port addresses, and the drive. The turn around time on the delivery of the data is significantly improved because much of the overhead from the interrupt confirmations has been eliminated. This causes the Data Transfer Rate to increase significantly. DiskQwik is loaded as a device driver through the Configure System CONFIG.SYS file. Since DiskQwik operates at such a low level, it remains compatible with virtually all applications. A few noteworthy exceptions do exist and are noted in the App Notes section, below. ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │▒▒▒ App Notes ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒│ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Some Application Notes: 1. We've seen a few programs which provide an interesting "public safety" feature, namely that they block attempts to write to track 0 (i.e. cylinder 0, head 0). The purpose is to provide a layer of defense against boot sector viruses. Since this is such a good idea, we decided to join in and provide the same protection. After all, our device driver is custom tailored to reading and writing to the hard disk drive and this capability only added a byte or two of additional code. DiskQwik provides this general safety precaution because no legitimate applications have any business, whatsoever, writing changes to sectors on this track without your knowledge. Reading data on track 0 is allowed, however writing to track 0 will produce a write protect error. If you need to modify data on these "hidden" sectors, then you will need to REM out the device=dqwik211.hdd statement in the config.sys, and reboot. 2. Drive compression software programs like DoubleSpace and Stacker work perfectly well with DiskQwik. 3. Concerning drive caching software: SmartDrive works because it creates phantom block devices for each of the drives being cached and operates in the DOS interrupt arena. INT13 style cache programs like HyperDisk and PCKwik also work well and need to be loaded after DiskQwik. 4. Concerning Windows Swap Files: Most modern systems with IDE drives prefer to operate with 32-bit Disk Access enabled, in less efficient 1 sector blocks (aka Windows "FastDisk"). This allows the system to stay engaged in the Protected memory mode. With regards to Swap Files, a permanent swap file locks itself into an area on the drive and never moves, and since it never moves, DOS and FAT updates are no longer required. A permanent swap file, with 32-bit single sector disk access enabled, is read and written with direct port access, bypassing the Real mode 16-bit Interrupt 13, and cannot handle multiple sector mode block transfers. By default without the 'NF' switch, DiskQwik will cooperate and give disk control back to Windows. This is because DiskQwik is a 16-bit device driver. Windows, with 32-bit disk access enabled, should refuse to load if it sees a port/Int13 interrupt service routine, like DiskQwik. DiskQwik will remain active in Windows with the 'NF' No FastDisk switch and can be used with either a Temporary swap file or a Permanent swap file (through BIOS, i.e. Int13). We'd like to point out that the net gain in data transfer rate, while in Windows, from using multiple sector block transfer mode access to a Permanent swap file (through BIOS) far exceeds the gain of using to a permanent swap file with 32-bit single-sector disk access . Windows Swap File Methods Temporary Permanent Permanent (FAT) (BIOS) (32-bit disk access) │ │ │ │ ┌─────┘ ┌─────┘ DOS Ints. │ DOS Ints. │ DOS Ints. │ └─────┐ │ │ │ │ DiskQwik DiskQwik │ DiskQwik │ │ │ ┌─────┘ ┌─────┘ │ │ BIOS Int13 │ BIOS Int13 │ BIOS Int13 └─────┐ └─────┐ └─────┐ │ │ │ HDD Ports HDD Ports HDD Ports Dustbowl Designs is committed to producing a true 32-bit protected mode Windows Multiple Sector Block Mode driver. We expect to release this as a separate Windows product in September '94. 5. DOS version levels and OEM versions of DOS work because they all follow the same standards accessing Int13. 6. When determining the value for Sectors Per Block (SPB) in the registered version, it is worth noting that the rate of change in the Data Transfer Rate tends to level out around 16 sectors per block. Even if your drive says it can handle a higher amount, you'll probably find the increase is fairly small and not really worth it, considering the RAM requirement is removed from the drive's buffer memory pool (i.e. read/write caching on the drive). 7. The Sector Per Block value can be odd or even values, however setting values to 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32 seem to make better sense as they are more adapted to the math routines involved. 8. File defragmentation and optimization utilities will generally work well with DiskQwik, however it is a good practice to simplify one's system before running this type of utility by disabling programs like drive caching software and DiskQwik. Always make sure you have a current backup before optimizing a hard disk drive. 9. DiskQwik can be moved into upper memory with the DEVICEHIGH command in the CONFIG.SYS file. ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │▒▒▒ Error Messages ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒│ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ The device driver may display a single of error message during the loading process of the CONFIG.SYS file. It is "Error Loading DiskQwik". ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │▒▒▒ Legal Disclaimer ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒│ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ LICENSE AGREEMENT DiskQwik, 4_Drive Utilities, 4_Speed All versions. Dustbowl Designs, Inc. provides the accompanying object code software ("Software") and nonexclusively licenses its use on the following terms and conditions. The Software is copyrighted by Dustbowl Designs, Inc. with all rights reserved. YOU ASSUME FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE SELECTION OF THE SOFTWARE TO ACHIEVE YOUR INTENDED PURPOSES, FOR THE PROPER INSTALLATION AND USE. Dustbowl Designs, Inc. DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE SOFTWARE WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS, THAT THE SOFTWARE IS FIT FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR THAT THE USE OF THE SOFTWARE WILL BE ERROR FREE. Dustbowl Designs, Inc. EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, WHETHER ORAL OR WRITTEN, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT WILL Dustbowl Designs, Inc. BE LIABLE TO YOU, YOUR CUSTOMERS OR OTHER USERS FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE SOFTWARE. DiskQwik is a trademark of Dustbowl Designs, Inc. The DiskQwik software and documentation are Copyright 1993-1994 by Dustbowl Designs with all rights reserved. The Registered DiskQwik v1.2 and v2.3 software programs ARE NOT shareware or freeware and unauthorized redistribution is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. End of License agreement. ***************************************************************** ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │▒▒▒ Revision History ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒│ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ v1.10 08/93 - public release of DiskQwik SHAREWARE v1.1. v1.20 08/93 - public release of DiskQwik REGISTERED v1.2. v2.10 07/94 - public release of DiskQwik SHAREWARE v2.1. Support added for the second hard drive in the shareware version. New speed modes added. Now non-multiple capable drives can be set to a block size of 1 for an improvement over the native INT13. Registration reminder delay shortened. v2.11 08/94 - public release of DiskQwik SHAREWARE v2.11. Quick bug fix to solve an obscure problem with other INT13 ISR's. Since less than 20 copies of v2.10 were downloaded, v2.11 assumes the role of main release. v2.30 07/94 - public release of DiskQwik REGISTERED v2.3. v2.31 08/94 - public release of DiskQwik REGISTERED v2.31. Same fix that applied to v2.11. Contents of the DiskQwik Distribution Set. DQWIK211.ZIP (DQWIK.ZIP on CompuServe (tm) go IBMHW forum Lib 1) DQWIK211.HDD Device driver file. Compiled 08-04-94 02:11:00. DISKQWIK.DOC Documentation file with installation instructions. 4DRVUTIL.EXE An AT/IDE Identify Drive inquiry utility that shows which 3_Drive/4_Drive and DiskQwik command line switches work best. Designed to work on both Primary and Secondary Port Addresses. Freeware. 4DRVUTIL.DOC Auxiliary documentation. 4_SPEED.EXE Our Data Transfer Rate Test utility. Freeware. 4_SPEED.DOC Auxiliary documentation. DBOWLDEM.EXE Simple demo that gives a look at registered 4_Drives v3.01 and 4_Park v1.1, and our new DiskQwik programs. TST-40MB.PCX Graphics picture files showing Data Transfer Rates with TST500MB.PCX various command line options. Test and graphics file created by our new Freeware 4_Speed Data Transfer Rate Test utility. ORDERDQ.FRM Mail-in registration form READMEDQ.TXT User shareware policy VENDORDQ.DOC Shareware vendor's distribution policy ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │▒▒▒ Other Dustbowl Designs Software ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒│ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ 3_Drives v2.8: Universal Device Driver that allows you to add a 2nd 16-bit Hard Disk Drive Interface to your DOS AT (286+) system. Shareware now includes READ FAST routines. Add up to two more MFM, RLL, ESDI, IDE AT Interface drives for a total of THREE drives. Windows compatible. Fully functional. Registration info on our 4_Drives version. Replaces v2.6. Req: 286+CPU. Dustbowl Designs, Inc. (Date 7/94) -AV C_Prime v1.10 - Duplex/Mirror utility for DOS based systems using AT-IDE disk drives. Data is written to two drives creating a "real time" backup (RAID-1 level style fault tolerance). Disk compression software compatible. IDE block modes supported. Lite and Pro registered versions avail. Req: 286+CPU, Dustbowl Designs, Inc. (Date 7/94) -AV ***************************************************************** Dustbowl Designs, Inc. | 12600 S.E. 38th Street | Choctaw, Oklahoma 73020-6107 | U.S.A. | CIS: 71062,2542 phone: (405) 741-4705 VOX (ordering, tech support, general information) (405) 741-3913 FAX (preferred for tech support) (405) 741-2721 BBS (9600 HST/v.everything) Tech Support, Hard disk drive shareware, drive specs, Online Shareware Registration/Download for VISA or MasterCard orders! NAME : ___________________________________Password:_________________ ADDRESS : _____________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ZIP :____________ TELEPHONE: ___________________________________________ (Day & Night) COMMENTS : _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ Qty Description Each Total ____ Special Upgrade for Registered users $0.00 THANKS!! to v2.31 DiskQwik ____ DiskQwik v2.31 Registration $25.00 ________ Subtotal ________ (Oklahoma residents add 6.5% sales tax) Tax ________ U.S. diskette orders add $3 shipping & handling, Foreign diskette orders add $5 U.S. shipping. This also applies to Special Upgrade for Registered users (If you want to download from our BBS put $0.00 dollars for shipping and write the password you'll be using next to your name above. Allow 7 days for Postal transit.) Shipping ________ DATE : ______________________________ TOTAL $________ PAYMENT: [ ] Visa/MasterCard [ ] Check (number ____________) (see below) (make checks payable to Dustbowl Designs, Inc.) [ ] Cash US$ [ ] US$ Money Order (No foreign currency) Total amount enclosed or authorized: $________________ _______________________________________________________________________ If Payment by Visa or MasterCard: We can only accept Visa or MasterCards (no American Express, please.) We will need the following information: Credit card number: ______________________________________________________ Expiration date: _________________________________________________________ Bank the card's drawn on: ________________________________________________ The name as it appears on the card: ______________________________________ The signature of its owner authorizing us to debit it for the amount indicated above: ______________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS REQUIRED FOR REGISTRATION: HARD DISK #1 MAKE ____________________MODEL_________________SIZE________ HARD DISK #2 MAKE ____________________MODEL_________________SIZE________ CONTROLLER #1 MAKE_____________________MODEL_________________ COMPUTER 286 ( ) 386 ( ) 486 ( ) OTHER ( ) ______________________ SX ( ) DX ( ) DX2 ( ) OverDrive ( ) OPERATING SYSTEM / DOS VERSION ___________________ VIDEO CARD Standard VGA ( ) Super VGA ( ) Coproccessed/Accelerator ( ) MOUSE YES ( ) NO ( ) JOYSTICK YES ( ) NO ( ) MEMORY 640 ( ) 1 meg ( ) 2 meg ( ) 4 meg ( ) more ( ) ______ MODEM YES ( ) NO ( ) .... BAUD RATE ___________________________ HOW DID YOU ACQUIRE THIS PROGRAM: bbs name &#__________________________ Fold the pages at the break below with print facing out. Fold letter style with mailing address exposed. Tape/staple edges, enclosing payment. ___________________________ .-----. |Place| ___________________________ |Stamp| |Here | ___________________________ `-----' Dustbowl Designs, Inc. 12600 S.E. 38th Street Choctaw, OK 73020-6107 U.S.A. DiskQwik v2.11 -=EOF: DISKQWIK.DOC=-