Skip site navigation (1)Skip section navigation (2)
Date:      Thu, 19 Nov 1998 13:25:40 +0200 (SAT)
From:      Robert Nordier <rnordier@nordier.com>
To:        rock@cs.uni-sb.de (D. Rock)
Cc:        rnordier@nordier.com, freebsd-current@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: /boot/loader & comconsole
Message-ID:  <199811191125.NAA05575@ceia.nordier.com>
In-Reply-To: <3653F2AA.D3A7CA29@cs.uni-sb.de> from "D. Rock" at "Nov 19, 98 11:27:54 am"

next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
D. Rock wrote:

> Robert Nordier schrieb:
> [...]
> > One difference between boot loader and the old/new boot blocks, is
> > that boot loader uses PC BIOS services (int 0x14) for comms; both
> > lots of boot blocks do direct port I/O, instead.
> > 
> > The trouble with using the BIOS is that the int 0x14 services (which
> > tend to be used only to talk to serial printers under DOS) expect to
> > do hardware handshaking.
> Using the BIOS for configuring the serial ports gives you also only
> 9600 bps. I usually ran the comconsole at 19200 bps. But the original
> BIOS int 0x14 services seem only support up to 9600 bps. I did a
> small patch on the bootblocks, so that it uses the "extended communication
> port control" service. I don't know if good ole 386 BIOS implement this
> routine, but it works on my machine (I think it was introduced with the
> PS/2 PCs).

I'm not sure, either, how many BIOSes support this.  The documentation I
have suggests it is PS/2-specific, though it appears it's supported on
at least some of the machines here.

> With this service I could go up to 19200 bps (wow! but my terminal can't
> do more, though). I haven't noticed any problems, but now my console is
> twice as fast (I sometimes even do some work on the terminal)
> 
> Below is the small patch

Thanks.  If we're going to stick with using the BIOS, it seems
worthwhile to allow this as an option.

-- 
Robert Nordier

To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org
with "unsubscribe freebsd-current" in the body of the message



Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?199811191125.NAA05575>