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PIF-READ.ME
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1994-01-31
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January 31, 1994:
Enclosed is a Telix.PIF file for the use of Telix under Windows 3.1.
We make no guarantees as to its usability. You will have to use the
PIF Editor to set your own paths, or it may not work. Other tips for
the operation of Telix 3.22 under Windows follow.
And before this generates a flood asking if there will ever be a native
Windows application of Telix, the answer is, "Yes." deltaComm previewed
such a version at BBSCON in Colorado in August 1993, and such a version is
expected to be released in the spring of 1994. The best way to help
get a Windows version of Telix into general release more quickly is to
encourage registration of existing versions, as that income is what
finances future development.
Here are some extra tips for the operation of Telix v. 3.22 under Windows
3.1:
1) Set your DOS environment variable for Telix. i.e. In Autoexec.BAT,
include a line similar to:
SET TELIX=C:\TELIX
No traling backspaces needed, and no spaces around the equals sign
allowed.
2) The following table depicts the standard settings for the four
communications ports that Microsoft Windows 3.10 and DOS (4.01)
support. This information is useful for troubleshooting
communications problems under Windows 3.10. A brief description for
each column appears below the table. (Note: In the table below,
Windows 3.10 is abbreviated as WIN3.)
WIN3 COMM.DRV WIN3 Default WIN3 Desired
Telix 3.22 SYSTEM.INI Settings SYSTEM.INI Settings
Port I/O Range IRQ I/O Range I/O Range
---- ---------------- ------------------ ------------------
[386ENH] [386ENH]
COM1 3F8h 4 COM1BASE=3F8h COM1BASE=3F8h
COM2 2F8h 3 COM2BASE=2F8h COM2BASE=2F8h
COM3 3E8h 4 COM3BASE=2E8h COM3BASE=3E8h
COM4 2E8h 3 COM4BASE=2E0h COM4BASE=2E8h
The first column lists the ports. The second column describes the
settings for the ports that both the Windows COMM.DRV and Telix
communications packages use by default. The third column shows what
Windows 3.10 sets by default and the fourth column shows what should
be set in the [386ENH] section of the SYSTEM.INI file for proper
functioning of the ports under enhanced-mode Windows 3.10.
Note: You must make the changes shown in column 4 above if you want
to share IRQs. These procedures are described in good detail in
SYSINI2.TXT under the [386ENH] section.
The headings "I/O Range" specify the base port addresses for the
respective ports. IRQ represents the normal interrupts used in IBM-AT
compatible computers and should not be changed under normal
conditions. Under enhanced-mode Windows 3.10, you can change the base
port addresses, IRQ lines, communications protocol, and
communications IRQ sharing. For complete information on any of these
topics, please consult the file SYSINI2.TXT.
Troubleshooting Communications Problems Under Windows 3.10
a. You can use two communication ports simultaneously that share the
same interrupt (for example, COM1 and COM3, or COM2 and COM4) only
if the hardware is capable of it. The ability to share
communications port IRQs is hardware dependent. Currently, the
only hardware that you can be assured that IRQ sharing is supported
on is MicroChannel. Although EISA (Extended Industry Standard
Architecture) does have IRQ sharing as part of its specifications,
implementation on current machines is spotty. If you are unable to
successfully share an IRQ with the COMIrqSharing switch set to
true, the hardware does not support IRQ sharing and Windows 3.00 is
not able to overcome the lack of support for this feature using
software.
b. COM3 and COM4 may not be reliable under Windows 3.00 standard mode
unless both COM1 and COM2 are first activated. If you use only COM3
and/or COM4, you may experience problems (with printing,
communications, your mouse). If you use COM1 and COM3 without using
COM2, you also may have problems. The easiest way to remember this is
to not use a higher serial port (2, 3, or 4) unless all lower number
ports (1, 2, and 3) are first activated (or in use).
c. Standard-mode Windows 3.10 uses the COMM.DRV directly whereas
enhanced-mode Windows 3.10 virtualizes the ports using a device
called the virtual communications driver (VCD). For this reason,
serial communication can theoretically be considered more reliable
under standard mode because there can be no miscommunication between
the VCD and the COMM.DRV. In cases where you are using multiple
communications ports under Windows 3.10 enhanced mode, verify that
the base port addresses are set as described in the table located
earlier in this article.
Note: IRQ sharing is possible under enhanced-mode Windows 3.10 only
if you make the necessary changes to the [386ENH] section of the
SYSTEM.INI file as outlined above.
3) Also, you may want to modify (or add) the lines:
Com1AutoAssign=-1
Com2AutoAssign=0
Com3AutoAssign=2
Com4AutoAssign=2
COMIrqSharing=1
COMBoostTime=<milliseconds>
[ Default: 2
Purpose: Specifies the amount of time (in milliseconds) to
allow a virtual machine to process a COM interrupt.
If a communications application is losing keyboard
characters on the display, you can try increasing
this value. deltaComm suggests 8 to 10 for Telix. ]
COM1Buffer=<characters>
COM2Buffer=<characters>
COM3Buffer=<characters>
COM4Buffer=<characters>
[ Default: 128
Purpose: Specifies the number of characters that will be
buffered by the device on the corresponding
communications port. Before changing one of these
settings, make sure the corresponding
COMxProtocol setting has the proper value.
Buffering may slow down communications on a port,
but might be necessary to prevent some
communications applications from losing
characters at high baud rates. The size of the
buffer required will depend on the speed of the
machine and the application's needs. Before
increasing this value, see the COMxProtocol
setting. deltaComm recommends 1024 or 2048 for Telix. ]