Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cornell!uw-beaver!blake!ogccse!littlei!donk!ajw
From: ajw@donk.UUCP (ajw)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Intra Applications Communication Area - Help?
Keywords: ICA
Message-ID: <248@donk.UUCP>
Date: 31 Jan 89 16:59:21 GMT
References: <32985@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu> <242@donk.UUCP> <10997@s.ms.uky.edu>
Distribution: na
Organization: DTO, Intel Corporation; Hillsboro, OR
Lines: 27

In article <10997@s.ms.uky.edu>, simon@ms.uky.edu (Simon Gales) writes:
[asking about the Intra-Application Communications Area]
 
> How large is this area?  Does DOS ever touch it?  Any warnings before I
> go and use it?  Is this place set up by the BIOS or by DOS?
> 
> -- 
> /------------------------------------------------------------------------\
>   Simon Gales@University of Ky
>   {rutgers, uunet}!ukma!simon  -  simon@ms.uky.edu  -  simon@UKMA.BITNET

The ICA is sixteen bytes long (4F0-4FF).  DOS doesn't touch it.

In "Programmers Guide to the PC", Norton lists "some versions
of IBM's Asynchronous Communications, Lifetree's Volkswriter,
and [his] TimeMark" as programs known to use the area.
I dare say that there are some TSR's out there that fool around
with it too; evaluate in your own environment, and all that.

As to whether it's a DOS or BIOS area - well, it's in the 400-block
which is pretty much a BIOS control information repository;
however, if you use an operating system other than DOS, there's
no guarantee that it will leave this area free unless it says it does...

-- Alan Waldock, just offering individual opinions while happening to work at 
Intel Corp, M/S HF2-37, 5200 NE Elam Young Pkwy, Hillsboro, Oregon 97124-6497
ajw@aus.hf.intel.com   ...uunet!littlei!intelhf!aus!ajw  "Live malloc or die"