file: const2.doc.text date: 14 Nov 1983 author: Keith Ball Denise Pitsch Direction for Constellation 2 Operating systems considered : a) CCOS b) MSDOS c) P-system IV.0 d) CP/M 86 e) Apple DOS f) Apple SOS Computers : IBM TI DEC Rainbow Z100 Concept Apple 2 Apple 3 S100 CP/M 86 systems Not supporting : a) TRS systems c) CP/M 80 b) Atari d) UBT P-system IV.0 must run on top of MSDOS 2.0 Distribute the interpreter with our version of the bios without the rest of the system (filer, compiler, editor, etc.). We cannot be responsible for supporting the p-system except for our bios. P-system support for Const II for 8086 systems is on top of MSDOS and CP/M 86. The CP/M 86 version of the P-system is already working. It is running on the Rainbow. Uses MSDOS 2.0 drivers for it's bios. Needs only a glue to call drivers. Make it so can boot directly or run from MSDOS command line. Const 2 boot and Logon- direct if possible Logon determines if MSDOS 2.0 or UCSD p-sys or CP/M 86 from user name and loads correct system. Can CP/M be changed while booting or is CLINK only method? Talk to Bruce K. IBM saves logon info in transporter buffer which attachable driver picks to build mount table during INIT process. Can we boot direct on IBM PC? Requires new roms with pattern for recognition by newer XT bios roms. Take over Load boot vector (only XT proms). Make a system device driver for MSDOS boot which the MSDOS talks to instead of floppy. How does XT and Davong boot on PC. Can we get TI and DEC to have direct omninet boot in their boot roms? Const 2 disk driver Make all disk command I/O go through the driver, no special unit or routine to call rom. Make all drivers of same OS similar and one source with conditional assembly, if possible. Read/write block interface to OS Generic disk commands. Multilple disk servers Fix in disk driver for 8A transporter useage necessary for any setup recv/send/recv msg arrangement. Timeouts and extra support for Banks in disk drivers Suppport the new disk server protocol. This should be done on top of transporter driver and net mgt. pgm so other software can use sockets $80 and $B0. Const 2 utilities - system manager and user Multilple disk servers - affects mount table Change to support timeouts and device type fields in device/volume table. Involves format and mirror programs changing timeout for their special commands. spooler and mountmanager - command line execution. Speed-up the p-system version of the system manager utilities. Interrupt Transporters Needed for PC share and net mgt/transporter driver. DEC Rainbow Concept S100 -> Z100 -- add extra rom for 9B IBM and TI - new interrupt transporter Can this replace old as shipped device? This has extra rom for turning 8A into 9B. Change rom code? Transporter driver w/ buffer mgt for buffered transporters - like Concept but better. Get version from PC share people used for IBM. Build unit/module to link to hi level code which talks to driver, TRANSCMD. Volume locking When to lock - on first write When to unlock - when exit program, have special program to unlock volume for user, system manager program to unlock volumes Track opening and closing of files on a volume. Possible in MSDOS (?) Boot mounts volume with whatever access user has RW or RO (global or user) When try first write to volume check if locked. If is NOT locked then lock it on drive and record it in mount table. If is locked then make the volume READ ONLY (RO). Return with write protect error. Run mountmgr to change volume from RO to RW. Only change if not locked. Verify user still active if locked. If isn't unlock and change or mount. Lock flag in block 0 or 1 of every volume. Use test and set operation to test if volume locked. Must have old drive firmware change to support new test and set/clear operation. Locked volume has user's number for drive in volume table entery for locked volume. Locking host writes. Unlock clears lock flag and clears number from volume table entry. Spool driver - single printer/single file open first write close call to driver unitstatus, iocontrol close on program exit or file close MSDOS ?? pipe errors - close or purge? Concept - get data from DRV.EPRNT like DRV.APIO Mary wrote. Unitclose/Unitopen on Concept - spool and vol lock Net mgt software - permanent mgrs on socket 80 and 90 to manage asynch packet receipt. Do Const 2 protocol name receipt and response. Need interrupting transporters. Requires transporter driver. New transporter cards have 9B transporters by using extra 2716/2732 and 8A 6801. Network OS's Softech's Liaison We have a working version of the system. It works with our disk server. We must find out if Constellation 2 drive management works with the their system. MSDOS 3.0 When will Microsoft do dos 3. How can we influence them to do what we want with our net? Can we work directly with them? Can we get their newest design specs and a version of the system when they have it running? Futures : Speed up read/writes on drives read whole track for sequential I/O ECC on Bank