Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!uwvax!puff!cat9!schaut
From: schaut@cat9.CS.WISC.EDU (Richard Schaut)
Newsgroups: comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d
Subject: Re: Sys Req - key.
Keywords: What is it for?
Message-ID: <3986@puff.cs.wisc.edu>
Date: 8 Dec 89 13:20:30 GMT
References: <187@nmtvax.nmt.edu>
Sender: news@puff.cs.wisc.edu
Reply-To: schaut@cat9.CS.WISC.EDU (Richard Schaut)
Organization: U of Wisconsin CS Dept
Lines: 21

In article <187@nmtvax.nmt.edu> jeff@nmtvax.nmt.edu (- Jeff -) writes:
| This is probably a useless question, but there is a mysterious key on my 
| XT-keyboard called the 'Sys Req' key. I've seen this key on many other 
| IBM and compatible keyboards and I am just curious if anyone knows what it 
| is for and how to access it? I can't seem to find anything in my DOS 3.3 
| manual about it. Anyone know what this key is for? Just curious...

I'm not positive, but I think IBM added it to their PC keyboards in order
to establish some compatibility with the 3270 series terminals.  That's
also one of the reasons for the addition the f11 and f12 function keys.
If you've ever used a terminal emulation package for systems that predate
the 101 key board, then you know that PF11 and PF12 were always generated
in strange ways.

If you're not doing any terminal emulation to an IBM mainframe, you'll
never need the Sys Req key.


Rick

"Any questions?  Any answers?  Anyone care for a mint?" -- Rita Rudner