-----Original Message-----
From: Eric Auer [mailto:e.a...@jpberlin.de]
Sent: Saturday, September 25, 2010 4:39
To: freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net
Subject: Re: [Freedos-user] FreeDOS VMWare with Windows Softmodem
Hi Braden,
>> Hello Eric,
> I'm running balder.img under a VMWare workstation. I have one serial
> port connected to com0com over null-modem.
Does it work smoothly?
>> Yeah! Pretty slick inside the VM.
> Another port I've hooked up to com3 which is my Windows Softmodem.
> Does FDOS have problems using SoftModems?
Yes, but you say that com3 of your DOS is just a virtual forward from your
Windows host system, so when DOS tries to access it VMWare will probably
just use the Windows driver to access the modem...
> What is the default settings for the com port?
Good question. After saying that /dev/ttyS1 (COM2) should be the DOS COM1 in
DOSEMU, and running our FreeDOS MODE COM1 /STATUS tells me the following:
C:\>mode com1 /status
*** SERIAL PORT 1 STATUS ***
Port status: [ xmit-shift-empty xmit-hold-empty ] Use MODE COM1 BAUDHARD=1
to read *configuration* from UART.
>>*** SERIAL PORT 2 STATUS ***
>>Port status: [ xmit-shift-empty xmit-hold-empty DSR CTS ]
>>Use MODE COM2 BAUDHARD=1 to read *configuration* from UART.
>>Using the FreeDOS specific BAUDHARD, I get more info:
C:\>mode com1 baudhard=1 /status
UART is 16450 or newer. Reading parameters:
no parity, 1 stop bit, 8 bit, 2400 baud, RTS on, DTR on.
>>UART is 16450 or newer. Reading parameters:
>> no parity, 1 stop bit, 8 bit, 2400 baud, RTS on, DTR on.
The RBIL (Ralf Brown's Interupt List) has a bit of info in the INT 14, AH=0
(S-1400) section:
>> the default setting used by DOS (MS-DOS 6, DR-DOS 7.03, PTS-DOS) >>
when (re-)initializing the serial devices is AL=A3h (2400 bps, >> no
parity, 1 stop bit, 8 data bits).
I can confirm this by looking at the InitSerialPorts() source code from the
FreeDOS kernel:
init_call_intr(0x11, &r); /* get equipment list */ serial_ports = (r.a.x >>
9) & 7; /* bits 11-9 */ for (i = 0; i < serial_ports; i++) {
r.a.x = 0xA3; /* initialize serial port to 2400,n,8,1 */
r.d.x = i;
init_call_intr(0x14, &r);
}
However, I would recommend that you explicitly set the port parameters to
whatever your Softmodem is known to work with, using MODE. Maximum reachable
baud rates are 9600 with old BIOS calls and 19200 or up to 115200 baud with
new BIOS calls depending on your BIOS and hardware... You can also use the
FreeDOS specific BAUDHARD=n option to program the hardware directly to n*100
baud, instead of using the official BAUD= option of MODE (see modeser.c).
Because you are in VMWare, it depends on what your VMWare serial port
hardware simulation and BIOS can understand whether old or new BIOS calls or
direct hardware access are interpreted at all and whether they are correctly
translated into config updates for your Windows Softmodem driver... I assume
that settings will always return to default when your host Windows OS is
rebooted. If your host OS is not Windows but Linux, the situation is
probably the same - but then you can use DOSEMU instead of VMWARE to have a
less virtual and more fast place to run your FreeDOS :-)
> Whenever I run ATDT > com2 it returns error reading
> from device com2 : write fault.
Interesting, but I have no experience with VMWare ;-) I would recommend that
you first get the same to work inside your host operating system, so e.g. in
Windows you would do "echo ATDT > COM3", in Linux probably "echo ATDT >
/dev/ttyS2". However, note that you fail to give your Softmodem a chance to
send any reply to your command... You can use the FreeDOS TERMINAL software
to send the ATDT to the modem interactively and receive the modem's answer
on your screen interactively as well:
www.freedos.org/software/?prog=terminal
Note: TERMINAL defaults to 1200 baud, read the docs.
Because ATDT is "dial / tone" you probably also need to send a number, so
for example you send:
ATDT5551234
Then the modem can reply CONNECT - or NO CARRIER.
Other commands have replies such as OK or ERROR.
>>Ok, I have managed to connect to another computer using PUTTY in windows
connected to com3. The Terminal spits back some garbage once the
>>connection occurs. DOS can also dial and connect. Do I have to emulate a
terminal as you have done in TERMINAL, then handle the specific data
>>returned from the other computer? How do I handle it?
Last but not least, I do not know why you go all this tedious "manual" way
for making your modem dial some number - if it is just one step on the way
to making a PPP dial-up connection,
>>I like to learn from the ground up. I'm looking for a project dealing with
low-level communications with modems. BBS seems fun and applicable
>>to my ham-radio hobby (packet radio). Also, I'm not connecting to the
internet per-se but to another computer via POTS in Oakdale California
>>which hosts a BBS using Color 64. I'm not sure if its running on a
commodore or if it has been ported to DOS.
www.freedos.org/software/?prog=lsppp
or similar software easily does what you want.
>>Easy? Who said anything about easy?
Regards, Eric
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
Start uncovering the many advantages of virtual appliances and start using
them to simplify application deployment and accelerate your shift to cloud
computing.
http://p.sf.net/sfu/novell-sfdev2dev
_______________________________________________
Freedos-user mailing list
Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net
https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Start uncovering the many advantages of virtual appliances
and start using them to simplify application deployment and
accelerate your shift to cloud computing.
http://p.sf.net/sfu/novell-sfdev2dev
_______________________________________________
Freedos-user mailing list
Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net
https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
