george@foobar.UUCP (George Rachor ) (10/26/88)
I have an Apple memory expansion card running on my ][ plus. Under prodos
a ram disk is created automatically. I also have one of the first generation
softcards running cpm 2.2.
(Under cpm)
I am looking for a way to set up a ramdisk on this system. I hear rumors about
such a routine but noone so far can provide me the name of a supplier or proof
that it is public domain. Any ideas???george@flight.UUCP (George Rachor x65135) (07/22/89)
Is there such a thing as a Ram disk driver for the Apple ][ plus under cpm? I have an apple memory expansion card located in slot 2. When I boot up prodos this board is found to be a ramdisk called "RAM2". I currently have CPM 2.2. Would such a thing be public domain?
ianj@sactoh0 (Ian R. Justman) (07/23/89)
In article <188@flight.UUCP>, george@flight.UUCP (George Rachor x65135) writes: > > Is there such a thing as a Ram disk driver for the Apple ][ plus under > cpm? I have an apple memory expansion card located in slot 2. > > When I boot up prodos this board is found to be a ramdisk called "RAM2". > > I currently have CPM 2.2. Would such a thing be public domain? I suggest you give Applied Engineering's CP/AM a whizz. It has a program called "RAMDRIVE" which works on //e computers equipped with ramcards like AE's RamWorks (it won't work with RamFactor or with the Apple card that you have. BTW, it ought to be in a slot other than 2 because that's the standard slot for communications devices (eg modems, etc.) unless you have a reason for locating it in slot 2). However, there is a program with it called "PC" which will check to see if you have Protocol Cards (I think that is what it stands for...) like the Disk 3.5 controller (a Central Point Software Universal Disk Controller will work fine and I strongly suggest it), a RamFactor, or other cards. I think it might recognize your card. However, if you're using Microsoft's CP/M, as far as I know, you're stuck. I haven't seen ramdrive software that will work with Apple expanded ram cards which are in the public domain. -- Home: Ian Justman |UUCP: |"One of the few 6612 Whitsett Drive | |die-hard CP/M North Highlands, CA 95660| pacbell!sactoh0!ianj |addicts left on this (916) 344-5360 | |planet"
josef@ugun13.UUCP (07/25/89)
george@flight.UUCP writes: > /* ---------- "ramdisk under cpm" ---------- */ > > Is there such a thing as a Ram disk driver for the Apple ][ plus under > cpm? I have an apple memory expansion card located in slot 2. > > When I boot up prodos this board is found to be a ramdisk called "RAM2". > > I currently have CPM 2.2. Would such a thing be public domain? From my (limited) experience with CP/M I would say that You can't just buy a "ramdisk driver". What You need to do is to change Your machine's BIOS to allow the entries HOME, SELDSK, SETTRK, SETSEC, READ and WRITE to recognize Your RAMdisk. Depending on the (current) implementation, it would probably be sufficient to modify HOME, READ and WRITE, as the other ones merely update some memory locations with the desired values which are later used by READ and WRITE (with respect to HOME, my CP/M Operating System Manual says "The disk head of the currently selected disk (...) is moved to the track 00 position", although You can "translate into a call to SETTRK with a parameter of 0" which in turn "...seek the selected track at this time or delay the seek until the next READ or WRITE actually occurs"). You could probably call the RAMdisk disk E: (A:-D: being used for floppies). Josef Moellers paper mail: e-mail: c/o Nixdorf Computer AG USA: uunet!linus!nixbur!mollers.pad Abt. DX-SC 1 !USA: mcvax!unido!nixpbe!mollers.pad Heinz-Nixdorf-Ring Phone: D-4790 Paderborn (+49) 5251 104691 +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | "Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. | | Can You give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out | | death in judgement" | | Gandalf to Frodo in "The Fellowship of the Ring"| +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
rat@madnix.UUCP (David Douthitt) (07/26/89)
Ian R. Justman (ianj@sactoh0) wrote: (in reply to) George Rachor x65135 (george@flight.UUCP): | | | | Is there such a thing as a Ram disk driver for the Apple ][ plus under | | CPM? I have an apple memory expansion card located in slot 2. | | | | When I boot up Prodos this board is found to be a ramdisk called "RAM2". | | | | I currently have CPM 2.2. Would such a thing be public domain? | | I suggest you give Applied Engineering's CP/AM a whizz. Why? It's only compatible with CP/AM which limits you to Apple CP/M owners. For a considerably lower amount ($0!) you can get ZCPR 3.3 and remain compatible with any other Z80 machine running ZCPR 3.3 (or CP/M 2.2 if you limit yourself). | It won't work with RamFactor or with the Apple card that you have. | However, there is a program with it called "PC" which... | I think ... might recognize your card. Seems like a pretty lame reason to buy CP/AM. | However, if you're using Microsoft's CP/M, as far as I know, you're | stuck. I haven't seen ramdrive software that will work with | Apple expanded ram cards which are in the public domain. There ARE other CP/M cards besides the slowpokes from AE and Microsoft. The PCPI card has numerous drivers in the public domain (it has a standard way of installing any appropriate driver that you choose). There might be one for an Apple memory card. If you don't have an Applicard, perhaps its time you left 1MHz in the dust and got an older card which still has yet to be beaten at 6MHz. Applied Engineering, when you gonna wake up and smell the roses? This card is at LEAST 5 years older than the Z80 Plus and runs 6 times faster. [david] -- !======= David Douthitt :::: Madison, WI =======!== The Stainless Steel Rat ==! ! ArpaNet: madnix!rat@cs.wisc.edu ! ! ! UseNet: ...uwvax!astroatc!nicmad!madnix!rat ! Mad Apple Forth: ! ! {decvax!att}! ! The Madness starts here. !
ianj@sactoh0 (Ian R. Justman) (07/30/89)
In article <752@madnix.UUCP>, rat@madnix.UUCP (David Douthitt) writes: > > There ARE other CP/M cards besides the slowpokes from AE and Microsoft. > > The PCPI card has numerous drivers in the public domain (it has a standard > way of installing any appropriate driver that you choose). There might > be one for an Apple memory card. > > If you don't have an Applicard, perhaps its time you left 1MHz in the dust > and got an older card which still has yet to be beaten at 6MHz. > > Applied Engineering, when you gonna wake up and smell the roses? This card > is at LEAST 5 years older than the Z80 Plus and runs 6 times faster. > Sure it beats those cards. But what about //c owners who want to run CP/M? Just tell me where one can get an Applicard-type device for the //c and I'll be happy knowing that you're a little bit rational. BTW, what about those of us who can't currently afford an Applicard? What are we to do now? Are we in the stone ages? We might, but if we get the job done, and it may take a bit longer, who cares?!?!? You have to realize that a lot of us can't go out and get an Applicard at the snap of a finger. Money doesn't grow on trees, you know. I personally want an Applicard myself, but I just can't afford it. Is there something wrong with that? If you think there's something wrong with me because I should be running a PCPI card instead of a Microsoft one, and I'm able to get stuff done, only at a slower pace, there's something wrong with your ability to reason, bud. SERIOUSLY wrong. -- Home: Ian Justman |UUCP: |"One of the few 6612 Whitsett Drive | |die-hard CP/M North Highlands, CA 95660| pacbell!sactoh0!ianj |addicts left on this (916) 344-5360 | |planet"
brianw@microsoft.UUCP (Brian Willoughby) (08/01/89)
In article <1665@sactoh0> ianj@sactoh0 (Ian R. Justman) writes: >In article <752@madnix.UUCP>, rat@madnix.UUCP (David Douthitt) writes: >> >> There ARE other CP/M cards besides the slowpokes from AE and Microsoft. >> >> If you don't have an Applicard, perhaps its time you left 1MHz in the dust >> and got an older card which still has yet to be beaten at 6MHz. >> >> Applied Engineering, when you gonna wake up and smell the roses? This card >> is at LEAST 5 years older than the Z80 Plus and runs 6 times faster. >> > >Sure it beats those cards. But what about //c owners who want to >run CP/M? Just tell me where one can get an Applicard-type device >for the //c and I'll be happy knowing that you're a little bit >rational. > >BTW, what about those of us who can't currently afford an >Applicard? What are we to do now? Are we in the stone ages? We >might, but if we get the job done, and it may take a bit longer, >who cares?!?!? You have to realize that a lot of us can't go out I agree with the cost vs. speed arguement, but I wonder how fast a 6 MHz Z80 really is. The Microsoft Softcard runs at 3.58 MHz, not 1 MHz, and that just barely gets it up to the speed of the 1 MHz 6502. I started here at Microsoft after the Softcard had fizzled out, so I'm no expert on our product. In fact, I actually have a Taiwan peripheral clone of the Softcard. But I have looked into the architecture, and a Z80 takes three cycles to transfer a byte, where the 6502 takes one. Add to that the restriction that the video generator uses every other half cycle at 1 MHz to read video RAM, and then you'll see why the Softcard would see a lot of RAM wait states when accessing main Apple memory. When the phase 1 Apple clock is low, the Z80 sees a clock low for 500ns, then when phase 1 is high, the Z80 sees a few quick bursts at 3.58 MHz, but then it stops again when phase 1 goes low again. I think the Softcard //e is a little faster because of the on-board 64K which is not restricted to video timing (but is unusable as //e aux memory). So, depending upon whether the Applicard has its own independant memory bus (to remove the video wait states), it might not actually be running at a full 6 MHz. Even if it is, its not 6 times faster than the Microsoft (or AE) card - more like twice (at best). BTW, if the Applicard comes with any documentation or schematics which diagram its operation, I would be curious to hear how it does interface to the Apple. I'm always looking for the better mousetrap. Brian Willoughby UUCP: ...!{tikal, sun, uunet, elwood}!microsoft!brianw InterNet: microsoft!brianw@uunet.UU.NET or: microsoft!brianw@Sun.COM Bitnet brianw@microsoft.UUCP
rap@peck.ardent.com (Rob Peck) (08/01/89)
In article <7186@microsoft.UUCP> brianw@microsoft.UUCP (Brian Willoughby) writes: > .... > .... > .... >So, depending upon whether the Applicard >has its own independant memory bus (to remove the video wait states), it >might not actually be running at a full 6 MHz. Even if it is, its not 6 >times faster than the Microsoft (or AE) card - more like twice (at best). I have two of the Applicards, both running at 6 Mhz. Both have a full 64K of memory and I think both allow a 62K TPA. Device drivers are normally written in 6502 and thus allows the best of both worlds, that is, full utilization of both busses. One of the two boards has a 128k memory expansion on it, with a ramdisk driver as one of the driver devices. I don't know how any of it is configured. Terminal screen update when the Applicard is about twice as fast as ordinarily when Wordstar is running, but I think this is probably limited just by the data transfer to the Apple bus (never measured explicitly, just subjective memory). Also I have a very slow video card (ALS Smarterm I.. my Smarterm II blew out, TWICE, and it is now being used to support a sagging table leg.) If I had some kinda benchmark program for CP/M, the relative performance of the on-the-board stuff could probably be checked. But then, I dont think PCPI is still making/supporting them so its probably all academic. We who have em get the performance and nobody else can get em. I once responded to someone who posted a message that they wanted to buy one of 'em from me, and the offer that was returned was "$75, but only if it includes the 128K ram card and all of the technical documentation that you have --- oh yeah, and the hard disk driver software too." Well, I did not sell it after all, ya see, cause it was $200. for the card, $250 for the extra memory and $150 for the hard disk driver that somebody wrote, and then there was the two $50. upgrades to PCPI for versions 1.5 and 2.0 of the system software. Nah, he could buy a clone of the Microsoft card with no system software at all from a local swap meet, or he could add a grand total of $16 to that and get the world. I think not. Rob Peck