From owner-freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG Sat Mar 12 18:44:27 2005 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 7C33A16A4CE for ; Sat, 12 Mar 2005 18:44:27 +0000 (GMT) Received: from vsmtp14.tin.it (vsmtp14.tin.it [212.216.176.118]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id E23D843D48 for ; Sat, 12 Mar 2005 18:44:26 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from gerarra@tin.it) Received: from ims3a.cp.tin.it (192.168.70.103) by vsmtp14.tin.it (7.0.027) id 4227B878003AFA6E; Sat, 12 Mar 2005 19:44:24 +0100 Received: from [192.168.70.181] by ims3a.cp.tin.it with HTTP; Sat, 12 Mar 2005 19:44:23 +0100 Date: Sat, 12 Mar 2005 19:44:23 +0100 Message-ID: <4200084500050550@ims3a.cp.tin.it> In-Reply-To: From: gerarra@tin.it To: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-15" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-Originating-IP: 82.91.74.60 cc: alexjeffburke@gmail.com Subject: RE: Low level hardware access in FreeBSD X-BeenThere: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list List-Id: Technical Discussions relating to FreeBSD List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Sat, 12 Mar 2005 18:44:27 -0000 >Hi, > >I am just wondering how I can access either BIOS calls, or preferably >registers under FreeBSD? > >I am trying to write a simple system capable of displaying graphics on >the screen, and I am pretty sure I can mmap the VGA memory to my >programs address space. > >However, to be able to output graphics onto the screen I think I need >to change the state of the VGA registers from text mode (I am guessing >thats what the console driver uses) to graphical mode (of which i know >there exist a couple) - but I think that involves programming >registers and I dont know how to do that under FreeBSD. > >Also, for the FreeBSD console driver to pick the console back up once >it finished working, would I be required to reset the VGA registers >back to text mode? > >Thanks, Alex J Burke. FreeBSD runs in protected mode (for x86 processors) so you can't access to BIOS calls directly. You maybe need to see IN/OUT requests for VGA por= t. rookie