The final release of EMM386 with VCPI support, version 0.90, is now available at ftp://ftp.devoresoftware.com/downloads as the files emm090.zip (executable) and emm090sr.zip (asm and C source modifications to the original file set).
This version of EMM386 contains no changes to VCPI behavior from the previous EMM386 release candidate #2, but does support new options and parsing changes to better allow users to tailor memory settings and allocation amounts to their individual preferences. Please note that the "final" designation means that VCPI support is judged complete and fully tested as compatible across a broad range of systems and programs. Further, there is no plan to substantially change current EMM386 options and behavior prior to the 1.0 release of EMM386. Naturally, we will still be open to individual modifications as may become necessary for specific applications and users, or fixes for any (hopefully nonexistent) serious errors. Tom Ehlert will be doing final cleanup of documentation, source code, and whatever maintenance he deems proper for the 1.0 release of EMM386 that goes out with FreeDOS 1.0. Option and behavior changes follow: EMM386 now supports a FRAME=NONE option, which allows one to specify the exact amount of EMS/VCPI allocation memory without any VCPI reserve and without losing 64K of UMB's to an EMS page frame. Specification of the total allocation is done, as always, via the EMM= option. FRAME=NONE is basically EMS without the page frame in memory. Otherwise FRAME=NONE behavior is quite like the NOEMS parameter except for the following differences: - NOEMS reserves 1/8th of total extended memory, up to 12M maximum, for VCPI use. FRAME=NONE does not. - NOEMS changes the name of the EMS driver to EMMQXXXX0. FRAME=NONE does not. - NOEMS limits the amount of reported free EMS to one page (actual allocations may exceed this amount and there are no effects on reported VCPI memory), FRAME=NONE does not limit reported EMS memory. NOEMS, along with FRAME=NONE, supports all non-page-mapping-related EMS functions that FreeDOS EMM386 allows. Previously it only supported non-mapping EMS functions up through function 4dh. The VWware auto-exclusion code is modified so that one can re-include (via the I= parameter) the range e800-ebff since apparently not all VWware setups use that range. The range ec00-efff remains fully excluded from use under VMware, regardless of I= setting. [This announcement should probably be posted and files mirrored on the main FreeDOS site. Thank you very much.] Normally, at this point I'd say I'm going back to lurking mode with little output until mid- to late summer when I anticipate tackling the shared EMS/VCPI/XMS memory pool option. However, HIMEM and A20 machine incompatibilities have performed a last minute leap onto the stage and tap-danced their foul selves into starring roles of FreeDOS grievances. So I'll first have to see if we can get that sorted out before going into partial hibernation. ------------------------------------------------------- This SF.Net email is sponsored by: IBM Linux Tutorials Free Linux tutorial presented by Daniel Robbins, President and CEO of GenToo technologies. Learn everything from fundamentals to system administration.http://ads.osdn.com/?ad_id=1470&alloc_id=3638&op=click _______________________________________________ Freedos-devel mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-devel
