> You can easily register drives AFTER boot, without giving them
> int 13 interfaces, using the well-documented and well-working
> DOS block device interface. Disk editors are not very widespread
> but NTFS4DOS (NTSC is a television thing) and disk caching might
> be a reason why providing int 13 access for extra disks can be
> useful in DOS. I agree that having support for slower-than-UDMA
> modes, maybe even for PIO, would be useful as fallback to have
> at least SOME access to your non-BIOS disks :-).
Adding block-device support would take a LOT more code and isn't
really necessary. There are two other schemes that can be used
without changing UIDE --
A) "Register" whatever Int 13h devices are desired into the BIOS
and then load UIDE afterward, maybe using DEVLOAD through the
AUTOEXEC.BAT file. As long as the BIOS "knows about" disks
when UIDE is loaded, UIDE will get a count of BIOS disks that
includes the added devices and can at-least use its "call the
BIOS" logic to cache those devices. UIDE can handle SCSI or
other devices this way -- I have tested it with UIDEJR loaded
previously, then UIDE loaded with its /N1 switch, and it DOES
"call the BIOS" and uses UIDEJR for hard-disks. Works fine.
B) Re-assemble UIDE with its "external call" logic, which I took
out because no one used it. Still present, in UIDE.ASM, and
any "external block devices" present on a system CAN call the
driver for caching. As can be noted, if the "external call"
logic is present in UIDE, its CD/DVD drives USE that logic to
do data input as it saves some code v.s. a totally "internal"
call. Works fine, as well.
My intent is still to keep UIDE and UIDEJR "small". UIDEJR is
now within 30 bytes of exceeding 4608 bytes "packed" by UPX, and
I want to avoid unneeded extras. Lucho's next "boot" diskette
update may be "difficult" as he noted to me, since many programs
on that diskette keep "growing", and he may need UIDEJR. AHCI,
when needed, I will add -- other items like block devices, since
UIDE already has ways to handle them, are not absolutely needed.
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