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PROGRAM: COMPORT V2.5 -- Manipulate and Display COM and LPT Port Info For COM ports, displays UART type, IRQ used. Allows addition or removal of COM and LPT ports from DOS at any address. Netware, LANtastic, and LAN Manager aware. AUTHOR: OSR Open Systems Resources, Inc. 105 Route 101A, #19 Amherst, New Hampshire 03031-2244 EMAIL: osr@world.std.com \ CIS: 71477,2703 COST: Shareware registration fee of $14.75 (payable as check or money order, and mailed to the above address) required after evaluation period, not to exceed 30 days. SUPPORT: 90 days, included in cost of registration, available only to REGISTERED USERS via Compuserve mail (user id above), Internet mail (see above) and US Mail. UPDATES: REGISTERED USERS will be informed of available major updates and important bug fixes. REGISTERED USERS are eligible for free updates during the support period. CHANGES: From V2.0: - Major bug-fixes and enhancements to IRQ identification (/I option), based on wide-spread testing and user feedback. Now identified IRQ2/9 devices, and avoids hanging at all costs! - UART identification code now avoids changing IE bits in UART. - Made LANtastic aware. 1.0 Introduction COMPORT is a utility that enables the easy and flexible management of serial (COM) and parallel (LPT) ports under DOS. COMPORT has 4 major functions: o Adds support to DOS (including DOS V6.0) for COM3, COM4, and LPT3, including optionally searching for these devices at their default addresses. Many older BIOSes support only COM1, COM2, LPT1 and LPT2. COMPORT overcomes these limitations; o Allows specification of any port address for any COM or LPT port. This allows DOS to support both non-standard port addresses for any device, as well as the altering of COM and LPT port numbering (COM4 can be changed to COM1, for example); o ACCURATELY identifies the type of UART chip used or emulated by each serial port; o ACCURATELY identifies the IRQ used by each serial port; These functions provide the following benefits: o COM3, COM4, and LPT3 are made available for use with standard DOS utilities and programs on all systems, since COMPORT makes their existence known to DOS; o DOS programs which include support for only 1 or 2 COM or LPT ports (of which there are many) can use the devices attached to the other ports in the system (COM3, COM4, or LPT3, for example) since COMPORT allows the user complete control over which device (i.e. which port address) is associated with which COM or LPT number; o Knowing which type of UART is used in each serial port allows users to better predict the maximum communications throughput of their systems. o Knowing which IRQ is used by each serial port helps identify and avoid IRQ conflicts, one of the most frequent causes of problems when adding new hardware options to a PC-compatible system. All this, and COMPORT is SHAREWARE! This software is very easy to use. To get started and display the addresses of the serial and parallel ports in your system, just UNZIP it and type COMPORT, or type COMPORT /I on a quiescent system (with no network loaded) to get a display of your port addresses and the IRQs used by the serial ports. In the interest of clarity and completeness, full documentation is provided regarding COMPORT's operation. Some tutorial material is also included on how DOS maps COM or LPT port names to physical addresses using the BIOS Data Area, the different types of serial ports, and why anybody would care. This manual is approximately 15 pages long, and contains the following sections. We do, of course, suggest you read it thoroughly at some point: Section 1.0 Introduction -- What you're reading now; Section 2.0 About Shareware -- An intro to the Shareware concept, in case you're new to all this; Section 3.0 License -- The legally binding terms under which COMPORT is made available for your use and the use of others; Section 4.0 Registration -- Why you have to, and why you want to, pay for and register your copy of COMPORT; Section 5.0 Installation -- How to install COMPORT; Section 6.0 Tutorial -- Background on the BDA, UARTs, etc. Section 7.0 Usage -- Full details on all COMPORT options, defaults, and how they work; Section 8.0 Support -- When you get it, how to get it; Section 9.0 Legal Minutae -- Leagal minutia; Section 10.0 Registration -- How to send us your money to register your copy of COMPORT' This is a professionally developed piece of software, created and maintained by OSR Open Systems Resources, Inc. one of the top network software development and consulting companies. We're most interested in hearing feedback, comments, and input from all registered users. 2.0 About Shareware in General Shareware distribution gives users a chance to try software before buying it. If you try a Shareware program and continue using it, you are expected to register. Individual programs differ on details -- some request registration while others require it, some specify a maximum trial period. With registration, you get anything from the simple right to continue using the software to an updated program with printed manual. Copyright laws apply to both Shareware and commercial software, and the copyright holder retains all rights, with a few specific exceptions as stated below. Shareware authors are accomplished programmers, just like commercial authors, and the programs are of comparable quality. (In both cases, there are good programs and bad ones!) The main difference is in the method of distribution. The author specifically grants the right to copy and distribute the software, either to all and sundry or to a specific group. For example, some authors require written permission before a commercial disk vendor may copy their Shareware. Shareware is a distribution method, not a type of software. You should find software that suits your needs and pocketbook, whether it's commercial or Shareware. The Shareware system makes fitting your needs easier, because you can try before you buy. And because the overhead is low, prices are low also. Shareware has the ultimate money-back guarantee -- if you don't use the product, you don't pay for it. 3.0 Disclaimer and License Agreement By using COMPORT V2.5 on a computer system, users make the knowing decision to accept and agree to this disclaimer of warranty. These are meant to be binding terms and conditions, and not a mere recital: "COMPORT V2.5 is supplied as is. The author disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, including, without limitation, the warranties of merchantability and of fitness for any purpose. The author assumes no liability for damages, direct or consequential, which may result from the use of COMPORT V2.5." COMPORT V2.5 is a "shareware program" and is provided at no charge to the user for evaluation for a period not to exceed 30 days. Feel free to share it with your friends, but you may not give it away altered or as part of another system. The essence of "user-supported" software is to provide personal computer users with quality software without high prices, and yet to provide incentive for programmers to continue to develop new products. If you find this program useful and find that you are using COMPORT V2.5 and continue to use COMPORT V2.5 after a reasonable trial period not exceeding 30 days, you must make a registration payment of $14.75 to the author (OSR Open Systems Resources, Inc., 105 Route 101A #19, Amherst, NH 03031-2244). The $14.75 registration fee will license one copy for use on any one computer at any one time. You must treat this software just like a book. An example is that this software may be used by any number of people and may be freely moved from one computer location to another, so long as there is NO POSSIBILITY of it being used at one location while it's being used at another, just as a book cannot be read by two different persons at the same time. Commercial users of COMPORT V2.5 must register and pay for their copies of COMPORT V2.5 within 30 days of first use or their license is withdrawn. Site-License arrangements may be made by contacting OSR Open Systems Resources, Inc. Anyone distributing COMPORT V2.5 for any kind of remuneration must first contact OSR Open Systems Resources, Inc. at the address above for authorization. This authorization will be automatically granted to distributors recognized by the ASP as adhering to its guidelines for shareware distributors, and such distributors may begin offering COMPORT V2.5 immediately (However OSR Open Systems Resources, Inc. must still be advised so that the distributor can be kept up-to-date with the latest version of COMPORT). You are encouraged to pass a copy of COMPORT V2.5 along to your friends for evaluation. Please encourage them to register their copy if they find that they can use it. 4.0 Why You Want to Register This Software COMPORT V2.0 was OSR's first shareware product. Several hundred people (really!) people have downloaded and tried COMPORT. Based on their feedback and (sometime) support, we're able to upgrade COMPORT and fix a number of bugs that were discovered as a result of running COMPORT on a vast array of computer systems. We hope to be able to do many more shareware programs of similar quality and utility to COMPORT V2.5. COMPORT took over 200 person hours to write, test, and document. We trust you. Please show your appreciation by playing by the rules. Since you've got a fully functional copy of COMPORT now, why should you bother to register it? There are several important reasons: o Registered users receive free support for 90 days from date of registration... o Registered users receive notices of major updates and bug fixes to this program... o Registration removes the (annoying?) "registration reminder" that says "Type <CR> to continue" that you see every time you invoke a shareware copy of COMPORT... o Continued success of the Shareware principle depends on YOU, the user! Shareware makes software available on a "try before you buy" basis, at the lowest possible cost. Doesn't that sound like something worth continuing? o This is a Copyrighted program made available under the specific terms of a license as stated in section 3.0 of this document. If you try COMPORT V2.5 and find it to be useful, you are legally obliged to register it after a trial period of no longer than 30 days. If you try this program and find it useful, please do register it. No kidding, we really depend on you sending us your money if you use this product. We've gotta register many hundreds of copies of COMPORT V2.5 in order to make back our investment. So please, help out. How else can Shareware authors pay bills and continue to write Shareware programs? 5.0 Installation COMPORT V2.5 is distributed as a compressed library (archive) file named COMPRT25.ZIP. This file contains: README.1ST A basic overview of COMPORT, a list of the files in the archive, and quick start instructions. COMPORT.DOC This file - User documentation for COMPORT REGISTER.FRM COMPORT registration form. Please use it if you find COMPORT useful. COMPORT.EXE The executable COMPORT program. Installation simply involves unpacking the library file, and placing COMPORT.EXE where it can be conveniently executed, typically in a utility directory on your PATH. For example, if you path statement is: PATH=C:\DOS;C:\UTILS You might wish to copy COMPORT.EXE to the UTILS directory so that it may be conveniently executed from any directory. 6.0 DOS Communications Background (and tutorial) Tbis section comprises tutorial and background information about how DOS configures serial (COM) and parallel (LPT) ports, and how COMPORT modifies the BDA to make previously inaccessible ports available. It also describes the different types of Universal Asynchronous Receiver and Transmitter (UART) chips used in different serial port implementations. If you're already familiar with how DOS uses the BIOS Data Area (BDA) to map COM and LPT numbers to port addresses, and know (or don't care about!) the differences between a 16540 and 16550AFN you can initially ignore this section and skip ahead to section 7.0 "Instructions for Using COMPORT". Since this section does contain information on precisely how COMPORT works with the BDA, it will probably be useful for you to read the section fully at some point, however. 6.1 COM and LPT Name to Port Address Mapping Like the BIOS in the original IBM PC, many BIOSes support only 2 serial ports. Some support only 1 parallel port. However, well known default addresses for COM1-COM4 and LPT1-LPT3 have evolved over the years since the original IBM PC was built. To understand how COM and LPT port names are associated with addresses it's important to realize that the names COM1, COM2, COM3, COM4, LPT1, LPT2, LPT3 are really just LOGICAL names. There are no set physical port addresses associated with these names. The name to port address mapping is done using a table called the BIOS Data Area (BDA). The BDA is stored in memory (RAM), and is built by the BIOS each time the system is booted. The BIOS uses its own pseudo-proprietary algorithm to search for serial and parallel devices at some small number of expected addresses. Logical COM ports names are associated with addresses by checking to see if serial ports exist at various addresses. As ports are found, they are assigned in turn to the next available logical COM device name. Logical LPT ports are assigned addresses the exact same way, using a separate list of addresses. So, for example, if the first serial port found in the system is discovered at address 03F8h, the address 03F8h is placed in the BDA in the slot corresponding to COM1. Note that A zero is placed in each entry of the BDA that has no associated port. So, for example, if there's no LPT3 in the system, the BDA entry for LPT3 will have a zero in it. COMPORT searches for COM and LPT ports precisely like the latest BIOSes do during their boot sequences. As ports are found that had NOT been found by the host PC's BIOS during its boot sequence, these previously undiscovered ports are added to the BDA. This addition is NOT permanent, and is in effect only until the PC is rebooted. Hence COMPORT will have to be run each time the system is booted to add the new ports to the system. The serial port addresses that COMPORT searches, in order, are: 03F8h, 02F8h, 03E8h, 02E8h The parallel port addresses that COMPORT searches, in order, are: 03BCh, 0378h, 0278h When a DOS utility (such as a communications program) wants to access COM1, for example, the port address presently associated with COM1 in the BDA is retreived. Likewise, when attempting to access one of the LPT ports. It is precisely this logical to physical port address mapping that allows COMPORT to add COM and LPT ports to the system, or change the association between a particular COM or LPT port name (like, COM1) and a particular physical port address (like, 03F8h). Ostensibily so that utilities know which of the entries in the BDA are valid, DOS also maintains a data structure called the Equipment List Word. This structure contains, among other things, a count of the number of serial and parallel ports found by the BIOS during its boot sequence search of the system. In practice, this Equipment List Word is inconsistently maintained and almost never consulted (except by programs which display how many parallel and serial ports exist in the system!). After all, as it says above, any entry in the BDA that doesn't have a corresponding physical port associated with it has a zero it in. Hence, there are a small number of BIOSes that always indicate 4 serial and 3 parallel ports in the Equipment List Word (irrespective of how many COM and LPT ports were actual located during boot). Finally, there are inconsistencies as to how this word (and other parts of the BDA) are interpretted between the original PC and the PS/2. Just for completeness, COMPORT ensures that any changes it makes to the BIOS Data Area are reflected in the Equipment List Word. However, in actual practice, no utility that accesses COM or LPT ports using the BDA really cares anymore what's in the Equipment List Word. Also, if a host PC's BIOS places arbitrary numbers in the Equipment List Word (as in the example above, where 4 COM and 3 LPT ports are always indicated) COMPORT won't bother to "straighten this out". 6.2 Types of Serial Port Chips (UARTS) The original IBM PC used a particular type of chip, identified as an NS8250 (NS = Manufactured by the National Semiconductor Company), to implement its serial ports. To create "100% compatible" clones, many PC and board makers use either this precise chip or a work-alike chip to implement their serial ports. The 8250 has some limitations however. It couldn't run very fast, and was never intended to be used above 9600 bps (the original PC's software enforced this limit). A whole series of backward compatible upgrades to this original chip have been created, which allow the PC to theoreticaly communicate at speeds in excess of 690K bps. Using the appropriate option, COMPORT examines the UARTs used by each of the serial ports on the host PC and CORRECTLY identifies its type. Note that many well know, major vendor supplied, diagnostic and utility programs have algorithmic errors which cause them to mis-identify some specific types of UARTs. When COMPORT scans the serial (COM) ports in a system, it displays the type of each UART as one of the following types. Note that "work alike" chips (i.e. chips that work precisely like, for example, a NS16550AFN but built by a different vendor) are identified as the original chip. Types of UARTs that COMPORT identifies: o "8250" -- An 8250 or compatible chip has been identified. The 8250 is the original, basic, serial port chip used in the IBM PC and many compatibles. o "16450" -- An NS16450, NS16550, or 8250A or compatible chip has been identified. These chips are all functionally identical. They are faster than the 8250, and are identified by the existence of a "scratch register." As a point of trivia: The 16550 chip actually has a UART, but a serious bug in most versions of the chip prevents the FIFO from functioning properly. 16550 chips with non-working FIFOs are identified as 16450/16550s. 16550 chips with WORKING FIFOs are identified as 16550AFNs. o "16550AFN" -- An NS16550A, 16550AF, 16550AFN, or compatible chip has been identified. These chips offer significant improvement over the 16450 series, as they provide input and output buffers (known as silos, or FIFOs) with programmable interrupt levels. Chips of these types are identified by the existence of such FIFOs. FIFOs allow support for higher speed communications, since interrupts can be reduced from one for every character sent or received, to as little as one for every 16 characters sent or received. Many communications programs, as well as Microsoft Windows V3.1 and later, take advantage of the FIFO in these UARTS. As mentioned above, NS16550 chips with properly working FIFOs are identified by COMPORT as 16550AFNs. o "Type 3" -- An IBM Type 3 Serial port chip or compatible has been identified. These chips are the most sophisticated, fastest, and provide support for the highest communications speeds of any of the present UARTs. Found in some IBM PS/2s, these chips support Direct Memory Access (DMA) transfers, thus freeing the CPU of the task of moving data from the serial port to a buffer in memory. Serial port speeds in excess of 690K bps are, at least theoretically, possible with these enhanced serial ports. Note that most people who want "the fast serial port chip" in their systems incorrectly request boards with "16550 chips". The 16550 doesn't work right, and hasn't been produced by National Semiconductor for years. The right chip is the 16550AFN. While this may sound like semantics, the chips workings are really different. 7.0 Instructions for Using COMPORT COMPORT is invoked as follows: COMPORT [option[-]] [option=add] To invoke COMPORT with its default options, just type COMPORT followed by a carriage return. Each option is preceded by a slash ("/") or a dash ("-") character, which are treated identically. Options must be separated from one another by at least one space on the command line. Case is not significant to COMPORT, thus the options "/a" and "/A" are equivalent. Some options may be disabled by following the option by a minus sign. Thus, "/A-" specifically disables the "/A" option. This section contains a brief overview of the COMPORT options. A complete discussion of each option follows this section. There are two classes of COMPORT options, "Display" options and "Configuration" options. Display options allow control of what COMPORT displays when it is invoked. These options are: /A[-] Display addresses of parallel and serial ports known to DOS, as well as types of serial port UARTS. DEFAULT = /A (enabled) /E[-] Displays number of COM and LPT ports known to DOS according to the BIOS Data Area Equipment List Word, as COMPORT STARTS to run. Therefore, any ports found by COMPORT Configuration options are not included in these counts. DEFAULT = /E (enabled) /I[-] Displays the IRQ (Interrupt Request Queue) number associated with each COM port. DEFAULT = /I- (disabled) /? or /H Displays a short screen of help information. Configuration options give control of how COM and LPT ports are configured by DOS, and allow you to register your copy of COMPORT. Configuration options are: /S[-] Requests COMPORT to scan for additional COM and LPT ports at their typical default addresses and if any are found, add them to DOS. DEFAULT = /S- (disabled) /Cn=x Requests COMPORT to configure COM (serial) port n (n=1-4) in DOS at port address x (x = hex address without trailing "h" or leading "0x"). DEFAULT = none. /Ln=x Requests COMPORT to configure LPT (parallel) port n (n=1-3) in DOS at port address x (x = hex address, without trailing "h" or leading "0x"). DEFAULT = none. /R=k Allows you to REGISTER your version of COMPORT, using the registration key ("k") provided to you by the author. Registering your copy of COMPORT removes the gentle, but annoying, registration reminder that requires that you type <CR> to continue COMPORT's execution. This option supersedes any others on the command line. The following sections provide complete details on each option above, in alphabetical order. 7.1 /A -- Show Address This option causes COMPORT to display a list of the COM and LPT ports present in the system, AFTER any COMPORT Configuration changes have been completed. This list is taken directly from the BIOS Data Area in DOS, and hence is the actual information that will be available to DOS when COMPORT exits. The output generated by /A looks something like the following: COMPORT V2.5 Copyright (c) 1993 - OSR Open Systems Resources, Inc. Current Port Addresses and Types: COM1: 03F8h, Type=16450 COM2: 02F8h, Type=16450 COM3: 03E8h, Type=16450 COM4: 02E8h, Type=16550AFN LPT1: 0378h LPT2: 0278h LPT3: (Not present -- Redirected by LAN Mgr) For each COM port configured in the system, COMPORT displays the port address and UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver and Transmitter) type. This is done non-destructively, i.e. the baud rate and setup information for each port is saved and restored by COMPORT. Also, please note that UART type is determined CORRECTLY, unlike several other programs the author has tried in his frustration. For each LPT port configured, COMPORT displays the port address. For LPT ports which are not physically present but have been redirected COMPORT displays a description of who's doing the redirecting (see below). Serial (COM) ports are identified as one of the following types. Refer to section 6.2, above, for a complete description of the differences between these UART types. o "8250" -- An 8250 or compatible chip has been identified. o "16450" -- An NS16450, NS16550, or 8250A or compatible chip has been identified. o "16550AFN" -- An NS16550A, 16550AF, 16550AFN, or compatible chip has been identified. o "Type 3" -- An IBM Type 3 Serial port chip or compatible Parallel (LPT) ports which are not physically present in the system (i.e. there is no parallel port hardware), but whose logical names have been redirected to some other device, or are under the control of a network redirector, receive the following designations: o "Not present -- Redirected by LAN Mgr" -- This LPT port has no hardware associated with it, and is hence not physically present. Instead, it has been redirected by MS net, Microsoft LAN Manager, or Digital's Pathworks networking product. o "Not present -- Redirected by MODE" -- This LPT port has no hardware associated with it, and is hence not physically present. Instead, it has been redirected by the DOS MODE command, as in the following: C:\> MODE LPT3=COM2 In the above example, the output from LPT3 has been redirected to point to COM2. o "Not present -- Netware or LANtastic loaded" -- For LPT2 and LPT3 only, Novell's Netware or Artisoft's LANtastic networking products place a special address in the BIOS Data Area when they are loaded. The indicated LPT port is redirected by Netware or LANtastic, and is not physically present on this system. 7.2 /Cn=x -- Configure COM Port at Specified Address The /Cn=x option allows the user to specify the address of any serial port, as well the COM number that address is associated with. This information is stored in the DOS BIOS Data Area, and the total number of ports of each type are updated in the BIOS Equipment List Word. For this option, "n" is the number of the COM port (1-4) and x is the hexadecimal address of the associated serial port. This hex address may be specified in one to four hex digits, and must not include any "hex identifying" bytes such as a trailing "h" or leading "0x". Therefore, the hex address "02E8" is valid, but "0x02E8" is not and neither is "02E8h". Hex address "FFFF" is used to request COMPORT to REMOVE the indicated serial port from the DOS BIOS Data Area tables (see below for this special use of /Cn=FFFF). Specifying an address of zero (as in /C2=0) is not valid). When a user specified a serial port address using the /Cn=x option, COMPORT examines the provided hex port address to see if a valid COM port can be identified at that address. Thus, if COMPORT is invoked with the command: COMPORT /C1=0278 this requests that COMPORT associate address 0278 (hex) with COM1, and place this information in the DOS BIOS Data Area. If a valid serial port is found at this address (i.e. if one of the four types of serial port UARTS listed above in section 7.1 can be found at the given address), COMPORT displays a message such as the following: COMPORT V2.5 Copyright (c) 1993 - OSR Open Systems Resources, Inc. ...Processing manual port address options... Verified COM1 at specified address 0278h (added to DOS) If no valid serial port can be found at the indicated location, COMPORT will not add the address you provide to the DOS BIOS Data Area. COMPORT informs you of this by displaying a message such as the following: COMPORT V2.5 Copyright (c) 1993 - OSR Open Systems Resources, Inc. ...Processing manual port address options... ***ERROR: Did not find COM1 at specified address 0278h (DOS not changed) It is important to note that in either case (valid port found, or no valid port found) COMPORT informs the user of whether or not the COM port was added to DOS. The /Cn=x option can also be used to request COMPORT to remove the indicated COM port number from the DOS internal BIOS Data Area tables, though we can't honestly think of a reason that anyone would need to do this in "real life". The entry for the port in the BDA is set to zero by COMPORT. This is done by specifying hex address "FFFF", as in: COMPORT /C3=FFFF In this case, a message similar to the following is displayed: COMPORT V2.5 Copyright (c) 1993 - OSR Open Systems Resources, Inc. ...Processing manual port address options... Removed COM3 from DOS COMPORT places no restriction on the number of times a single serial port address can be configured into the DOS tables. Therefore, if, for example, a particular piece of software that you use prints to COM3 and another piece of software that you use prints to COM1, and neither allows you to change these specifications, and you wish to use the same printer for both (but, obviously not at the same time), you may specify: COMPORT /C3=03F8 Where 03F8 is the default address for COM1, and a valid serial port UART exists at this location. COMPORT will display something like the following: COMPORT V2.5 Copyright (c) 1993 - OSR Open Systems Resources, Inc. Current Port Addresses and Types: COM1: 03F8h, Type=16450/16550 COM2: 02F8h, Type=16450/16550 COM3: 03F8h, Type=16450/16550 Thereby allowing the serial port at address 03F8 to be accessed as either COM1 or COM3. Finally, note that when all COM port changes are complete, the BIOS Data Area Equipment List Word (see /E, below) is updated with the new count of the ports configured in the system. In the example directly above, the equipment list word would indicate 3 COM ports (even though COM1 and COM3 share the same address). 7.3 /E -- Display Counts from BIOS Equipment List The /E option displays the numbers of serial and parallel ports as indicated by the DOS BIOS Equipment List word, PRIOR to COMPORTs taking any actions (such as manually configuring any ports or automatically scanning for additional ports at their default addresses). The output from this option looks like the following: COMPORT V2.5 Copyright (c) 1993 - OSR Open Systems Resources, Inc. DOS Equipment List Initially Indicates: 4 serial ports 2 parallel ports Users should note that the DOS Equipment List Word is notoriously inaccurate, and rather than rely on it, most programs simply interrogate the BIOS Data Area directly. 7.4 /I -- List Associated IRQs for COM Ports The /I option does the same thing as /A, but adds to the Address List the IRQ number associated with each COM port. The IRQ is determined empirically, by actually generating an interrupt on each serial port and determining at which address the interrupt occurs. This is another area in which COMPORT differs from other programs, which often display the DEFAULT IRQ most often associated with the indicated device, which is typically pretty useless. Conflicting IRQs are the single most common cause of problems in industry standard PC systems, when adding new hardware options. Typically, each device that needs to be simultaneously active needs to have its own IRQ. So, devices can share IRQs, but such devices may not be used at the same time. Hence, it's fine to have a mouse attached to COM1 at IRQ 4, a modem to COM2 at IRQ3, and a printer to COM3 also at IRQ3. It just will NOT be possible to use the modem on COM2 and the printer on COM3 at the same time (since they share IRQ3). The /I option to COMPORT results in a display similar to the following: COMPORT V2.5 Copyright (c) 1993 - OSR Open Systems Resources, Inc. Current Port Addresses and Types: COM1: 03F8h, Type=16450, IRQ=4 COM2: 02F8h, Type=16450, IRQ=3 COM3: 03E8h, Type=16450, IRQ=5 LPT1: 0378h LPT2: 0278h Note that the /I option causes COMPORT to "take control" of specific interrupt vectors in your system during its testing. For the few milliseconds that this test is running, COMPORT assumes that nothing else (mouse movement, floppy disk I/O, or network adapter activity for example) is happening on the system. Hence, it is advised to run COMPORT with the /I option only on a "quiet" system, and not (for example) with your network loaded. This will ensure accuracy of results. Also, if network activity is in progress when COMPORT's /I option is executed, interrupts could possibly be lost or disabled from your network interface card. None of these things will likely cause any damage to your system or software, they just might limit the cases in which you get an accurate COMPORT display of IRQs. While COMPORT attempts to leave all the serial port registers just as it found them this is not always completely possible, and minor register changes may occur. In most cases these will be unnoticed, but this is another reason to not have any other software simultaneously accessing the COM ports while COMPORT is! Note that COMPORT assumes a system with a PC-AT compatible bus structure. Hence, if you've got an XT we give you no guarantee that the /I option won't hang your system. However, if /I should work with all other ISA/EISA architecture machines. We'd like to hear from you if it doesn't. To keep your system as safe as possible during its checks, COMPORT's /I option does NOT check for serial port activity at the following IRQs: IRQ0 Used by the system timer IRQ1 Used by the keyboard IRQ8 Used by the real-time clock IRQ13 Used by Floating Point Co-Processor (sometimes) IRQ14 Used by the hard disk Hence, if you have a VERY unusual system configuration, and one of your serial ports uses one of the above IRQs, COMPORT will not properly identify the IRQ used by that port. Also, if you have an even MORE unusual system configuration, and one of the above devices is set to an IRQ NOT listed above, COMPORT may get confused and report THAT as the serial port's IRQ. Again, you'd have to have a pretty unusual system for that to happen... and if you have such a system you'd already have to know what your IRQ assignments are! IRQs 2 and 9: COMPORT does not attempt to distinguish between interrupts physically generated on IRQ9 and those generated on IRQ2. If COMPORT sees an interrupt on either IRQ 2 or IRQ9 it reports it as being on IRQ 9. Note that this is because of the vaguaries of the AT interrupt structure (If you must know: Hardware-wise, IRQ 2 is used to support the slave 8259A, and any IRQ 2 requests result in IRQ 9 interrupt assertions. That's OK, however, because IRQ 9 is software redirected to IRQ 2. Now do you understand why we really can't tell IRQ 2 for IRQ 9?). Lastly, if COMPORT can't identify the IRQ a particular serial port is connected to, it will report that the IRQ is unknown, as in the following: COMPORT V2.5 Copyright (c) 1993 - OSR Open Systems Resources, Inc. Current Port Addresses and Types: COM1: 03F8h, Type=16450, IRQ=4 COM2: 02F8h, Type=16450, IRQ=UNKNOWN! COM3: 03E8h, Type=16450, IRQ=5 LPT1: 0378h LPT2: 0278h We'd like to hear from REGISTERED USERS who see this message, including the details of their system configurations. This is especially true of your IRQ is not one of those listed above as being "not checked by COMPORT." 7.5 /Ln=x -- Configure LPT Port at Specified Address The /Ln=x option allows the user to specify the address of any parallel port, as well as the LPT number that address is associated with. This information is stored in the DOS BIOS Data Area, and the total number of ports of each type are updated in the BIOS Equipment List Word. The /Ln=x option functions very similarly to the /Cn=x option. For this option, "n" is the number of the LPT port (1-3) and x is the hexadecimal address of the associated serial port. This hex address may be specified in one to four hex digits, and must not include any "hex identifying" bytes such as "h" or "0x". Therefore, the hex address "02E8" is valid, but "0x02E8" is not and neither is "02E8h". Hex address "FFFF" is used to request COMPORT to REMOVE the indicated parallel port from the DOS BIOS Data Area tables (see below for this special use of /Ln=FFFF). When a user specifies a parallel port address using the /Ln=x option, COMPORT examines the provided hex port address to see if a device exists at that address. This is done by simply accessing the indicated port address with an IN instruction. Thus, if COMPORT is invoked with the command: COMPORT /L2=0278 this requests that COMPORT associate address 0278 (hex) with LPT2, and place this information in the DOS BIOS Data Area. If a device is found at this address COMPORT displays a message such as the following: COMPORT V2.5 Copyright (c) 1993 - OSR Open Systems Resources, Inc. ...Processing manual port address options... Verified LPT2 at specified address 0278h (added to DOS) If no device can be found at the indicated location, COMPORT will not add the supplied LPT port address to the BDA. Instead, a message such as the following is displayed: COMPORT V2.5 Copyright (c) 1993 - OSR Open Systems Resources, Inc. ...Processing manual port address options... ***ERROR: Did not find LPT2 at specified address 0278h (DOS not changed) It is important to note that in either case (valid port found, or no valid port found) COMPORT informs the user of whether or not the LPT port was added to DOS. The /Ln=x option can also be used to request COMPORT to remove the indicated LPT port number from the DOS internal BIOS Data Area tables (and enter a zero in the BDA in its place). This is done by specifying hex address "FFFF", as in: COMPORT /L3=FFFF In this case, a message similar to the following is displayed: COMPORT V2.5 Copyright (c) 1993 - OSR Open Systems Resources, Inc. ...Processing manual port address options... Removed LPT3 from DOS COMPORT places no restriction on the number of times a single parallel port can be configured into the DOS tables. Therefore, if, for example, a particular piece of software that you use prints to LPT3 and another piece of software that you use prints to LPT1, and neither allows you to change these specifications, and you wish to use the same printer for both (but, obviously not at the same time), you may specify: COMPORT /L3=0378 Where 0378 is the default address for LPT1, and a device exists at this location. COMPORT will display something like the following: COMPORT V2.5 Copyright (c) 1993 - OSR Open Systems Resources, Inc. ...Processing manual port address options... Verified LPT3 at specified address 0378h (added to DOS) Current Port Addresses and Types: COM1: 03F8h, Type=16450 COM2: 02F8h, Type=16450 COM3: 03E8h, Type=16450 LPT1: 0378h LPT2: 0278h LPT3: 0378h Thereby allowing the parallel port at address 0378 to be accessed as either LPT1 or LPT3. Finally, note that when all LPT port changes are complete, the BIOS Data Area Equipment List Word (see /E, above) is updated with the new count of the ports configured in the system. In the example directly above, the equipment list word would indicate 3 LPT ports (even though LPT1 and LPT3 share the same address). 7.6 /R=k -- Register COMPORT Using Key The /R=k option allows a user to register a previously unregistered copy of COMPORT, using a registration key. This registration key is provided by the Author when the registration fee is paid. The /R=k option supersedes all other options on the command line, and prompts the user for his name if the registration key is valid. Once COMPORT has been registered, your name and registration key will be displayed each time the program is started. Further, the annoying "Type <CR> to continue" message, displayed each time COMPORT is run, and the reminder to pay your registration fee each time HELP is requested, will be removed. To register COMPORT, enter the registration key value supplied in your registration record, following the /R= option on the command line. Do not supply any notation prefixes (such as 0x) or suffixes (such as h). Also, the media from which COMPORT is running must be write-enabled, and you must have write access to the COMPORT image file. If your registration key were "17765000" you would use the following command to register COMPORT: COMPORT /R=17765000 COMPORT will ignore any other options specified before or after the /R on the command line. When the above command is entered, COMPORT will enter its registration procedure, and display something like the following: COMPORT V2.5 Copyright (c) 1993 - OSR Open Systems Resources, Inc. Owner Registration Procedure Exe file name and path: C:\UTILS\COMPORT.EXE At the prompt, enter your username EXACTLY as it appears on your registration record. Username: At the above prompt, enter your username exactly as it has been returned to you in the registration record. Note that case, spaces, spelling, punctuation, etc are all significant. If the registration key is valid, and it is appropriate for the indicated username, COMPORT will display a message like the following: THANK YOU for registering COMPORT. Keep your registration record in a safe place so that you can re-register your copy of COMPORT if necessary. If your registration key is invalid, or if it is judged by COMPORT's registration procedure to be inappropriate for your username, COMPORT will display a message such as the following: Registration Key or User Name INCORRECT. Please check your data and try again! ***ERROR: Registration procedure FAILED. ***PLEASE register COMPORT! When the key is invalid, COMPORT remains unchanged. Thus if you have been running the shareware version of COMPORT, or a previously registered version of COMPORT, you may continue to run that version unchanged). If you're having trouble registering COMPORT after receiving a valid registration key from OSR Open Systems Resources, recheck the following points: o Do you have write access to the COMPORT.EXE file? You must have write access for COMPORT to be successfully registered. o Have you entered your registration key precisely as supplied on your registration record? o Have you entered your username precisely as it was printed on your registration record? Spaces, spelling, and punctuation all must be precisely identical to the way they appear in your username on the registration record. 7.7 /S -- Scan for Ports at Default Addresses When the /S option is enabled, if COMPORT finds fewer than 4 COM ports and fewer than 3 LPT ports configured by DOS, COMPORT will search for additional ports at the addresses listed below (which have not already been located by DOS). As these additional ports are found, they are added to the DOS BIOS Data Area and the counts in the BIOS Equipment List Word are adjusted accordingly. Please see section 6.0 "DOS Communications Background" for more information on the BDA and COM/LPT to physical port address mapping. The serial port addresses that COMPORT searches, in order, are: 03F8h, 02F8h, 03E8h, 02E8h The parallel port addresses that COMPORT searches, in order, are: 03BCh, 0378h, 0278h Addresses supplied using the /Cn=x and /Ln=x options override the default port addresses used by the /S option. When COMPORT is executed with /S enabled, output similar to the following is produced: COMPORT V2.5 Copyright (c) 1993 - OSR Open Systems Resources, Inc. ...Scanning for additional serial ports at default addresses... Found COM4: at address 02E8h (added to DOS) ...Scanning for additional parallel ports at default addresses Found LPT2 at address 0278h (added to DOS) Current Port Addresses and Types: COM1: 03F8h, Type=16450 COM2: 02F8h, Type=16450 COM3: 03E8h, Type=16450 COM4: 02E8h, Type=16550AFN LPT1: 0378h LPT2: 0278h 8.0 Support This is a professionally written piece of software, which is backed by a top network software development and consulting corporation. Every reasonable attempt has been made to ensure this software product operates in a reliable and predictable manner. However, this product is supplied under the terms described in section 3.0 above. Support for this software product is included in the price of registration, and is available directly from the author via Compuserve, Internet or US mail.Support comprises answering questions and fixing serious bugs or problems reported by registered users to the author during the support period. If any such problem or bug cannot be fixed, a full refund of the registration fee will be provided. We love to hear your suggestions, ideas, compliments, and even complaints, so please feel free to write. When writing to report a problem, please strive to include all relevant information AS WELL AS A DAYTIME PHONE NUMBER where you can be reached should further information become necessary. 9.0 Legal Minutae All trademarks mentioned are the sole property of their registered owners. The COMPORT software and this document are Copyright (c) 1993 by OSR Open Systems Resources, Inc., all rights reserved unless explicitly stated. 10.0 Registration If you find COMPORT useful, please register it! You may use the form on the following page: COMPORT V2.5 SHAREWARE REGISTRATION FORM Thank you for supporting the Shareware concept and registering COMPORT! Please fill out this form, include your check (drawn on a US Bank) or money order for US$14.75 payable to OSR Open Systems Resources, Inc., and mail it to: OSR Open Systems Resources, Inc. 105 Route 101A, #19 Amherst, New Hampshire 03031-2244 In return, you will receive: o Your registration key for COMPORT, which will allow you to remove the registration reminder annoyance; o Full support from the author for 90 days from the date of registration; o Notification of major updates and bug fixes for COMPORT; o Peace of mind, and a sense of satisfaction at having done the right thing! If you woud like to receive an attractive, laser-printed copy of the COMPORT V2.5 manual (with fancy type faces, and the like) please send an additional $5.00 with your order. Date:_________ Name_______________________________________________ Company (if applicable)____________________________ Mailing Address____________________________________ Address 2__________________________________________ City/State/Zip_____________________________________ Comments/Ideas/Suggestions/Requests for ammendations/Impressions: PRODUCT: COMPORT V2.5, $14.75