Specifications
CONDRVR.SYS
DESCRIPTION
CONDRVR.SYS
is a
support
utility for
the
Ampro
Little
Board/PC
which allows you
to
use
an
RS232
serial
device
connected
to
the
board's
V40 serial
port
as
the
system console,
instead
of
the
IBM style keyboard, display adapter,
and
monitor normally used. This
can
be
especially useful in embedded applications
in
which only occasional keyboard/display access
is
required, and graphics output
is
not used.
It
is
also valuable as a means for
remote
control,
via a serial connection,
of
a system based
on
a Little
Board/PC.
Using CONDRVR.SYS for
console
I/O
connection over the V40 serial port can also result
in
a savings
of
cost, space,
and
power consumption.
The
driver uses the Little
Board/PC's
V40 serial
port
as the console port,
and
supports inter-
rupt
driven keyboard input, providing the usual keyboard buffering function. Baud rate (110 -
38,400)
and
data
characteristics
are
fully programmable, as dermed by
parameters
included
on
the
CONF1G.syS
installation command line.
The
driver performs two basic functions:
1.
Remaps
console output to the V40 serial
port
- the BIOS video output function
(INT
10)
is redirected. Characters
to
be
written to the system console through the
INT
10 "Write
TIY"
function
are
sent out the V 40 serial port instead
of
being sent
to
a normal video
display adapter. All characters are simply passed through
to
the
serial port.
Only
the
"Write TTY"
(Function
14)
portion
of
INT
10 is
supported;
all
other
INT
10
function requests
are
ignored (no
error
returned). Terminal dependent display controls
for functions
such
as
cursor
position,
screen
clearing,
half
intensity, etc.,
must
be
pro-
grammed
via
ASCn
character "escape sequences" by the application program.
2. Remaps keyboard input
to
the V 40 serial port - the board's keyboard hardware interrupt
input is reassigned
to
the
V4O's
internal serial port, disabling
the
normal
PC
keyboard
input.
The
system
keyboard
input
device thus
becomes
the
V40's
internal
serial
port,
instead of the normal
PC
keyboard port.
Use
Note
Only software which uses DOS
or
BIOS (INT 10,
Function
14)
for
display
output
can
be
used
via
this
driver.
You
must
carefully
test
each application for compatibility.
To
install the console driver, place a command line as the ftrst line
in
a
CONF1G.syS
me
on
the
drive from which your system
will
boot. The required line
is
of
the form:
device
= condrvr.sys
Bb
Dd
Ss
Pp
h
where:
b
= Baud rate: 110, 150, 300, 600, 1200, 2400, 4800,
CONDRVR.SYS
- 1