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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!floyd!whuxle!jph
From: jph@whuxle.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.micro.pc
Subject: Re: PC-dosDOS queries - (nf)
Message-ID: <116@whuxle.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 13-Oct-83 23:23:27 EDT
Article-I.D.: whuxle.116
Posted: Thu Oct 13 23:23:27 1983
Date-Received: Fri, 14-Oct-83 22:08:54 EDT
Sender: jph@whuxle.UUCP
Organization: Bell Labs, Whippany
Lines: 45

#R:rabbit:-204000:whuxle:4200001:000:1705
whuxle!jph    Oct 10 22:53:00 1983

I will try to answer a couple of your questions.

1. For a good example of an INTERRUPT driven routine for the RS232 port look
at the software that comes with the IBM Async Comm
Support package. In Version 1 it is called RS232INT.BAS
and in Version 2 it is RS232INT.EXE. These are
essentailly the same driver routines. They setup the
comm port for I/O and then handle all I/O on an
interrupt basis with a receive buffer of 2000 bytes and
an transmit buffer of 256 bytes. System calls are
provided to handle parity, word length, speed,
send/recv, buffer usage, etc. 

I have been using them on a terminal simulator with
lines running upto 4800 baud and have not dropped a
character yet. When the buffer gets about 200
characters, I send a ^S and when it get down to 50
characters, I send a ^Q. The programs were originally
written to interface with BASIC programs but are not
dependent upon that environment. I have interfaced them
to PASCAL.

By disassembling the program, you will find all the
'tricks of the trade' that actually make it work. I
would recommend this software if you are going to
interface with the RS232 port since it will save a lot
of grief if you try to write your own. Make sure you
get a Version 1 copy, since for some reason they left
out the documentation on the system calls in the second
version.

3. There are several ways to change the disk volume
once it is created. I got a copy of a program from a
BBS that did the function. The other way is to use
DEBUG (a very good general purpose program) and read in
the directory (usually starting at sector 5), change
the name, and then write it back. Not exactly kosher,
but it get the job done without having to write a
program.