[comp.os.os2] IBM OS/2 1.2 and secondary display

rommel@lan.informatik.tu-muenchen.dbp.de (Kai-Uwe Rommel) (05/31/90)

I asked the following question already some weeks ago but did not get
any response, so I am trying again...

I bought IBM OS/2 1.2 in April (this is the second, updated release of
1.2 from IBM) and installed it on and AT-bus machine with an 386/24
MHZ, C&T board, AMI BIOS. I use a Paradise VGA-1024 with an analog
multisync display and have a second, monochrome display card (Hercules)
with a TTL monochome display attached.

The system runs nearly complete (see next article(s)) but I have
problems with the secondary display. Usually, MODE MONO is used to
switch a fullscreen session to the mono card. This works fine under DOS,
works also fine with and OS/2 1.1 (the one from the 1.1 SDK which I had
an opportunity to try first) and even in the DOS box of my IBM 1.2 OS/2.

The IBM 1.2 cannot switch to the mono card with MODE MONO. The session
continues to stay on the VGA but apparently switches the VGA to mono
mode which interferes with the video memory of the mono card at B000 and
both cards display the same picture (i.e. text) but the Hercules card
looses vertical synchronization (perhaps because the VIO subsystem
writes to the VGA through ports which interfere with the mono card's
controller).

Also, although MODE MONO works in the DOS box, I get the same mess when
I switch back to PM and to the DOS box again while I left it in mono mode.

The MODE program seems ok because I wrote a small program with the VIO
calls needed to switch to the mono card but had the same results. The
bug seems to be in the VIO subsystem.

I need the mono display for CVP to debug PM applications. CVP/2 works
only in fullscreen VGA sessions for non-PM apps but not for PM programs.
For PM programs, I have to switch to the secondary card and then use CVP
without /2 option (according to MS documentation).

Any hints ? Is there a fix available ?
Does anyone else use OS/2 1.2 from IBM with two displays ?

Does a 8514/A in addition to a VGA give you the possibility of
two-monitor-debugging with the 8514/A display for the PM and the VGA
display for CVP ?

Thanks in advance,

Kai Uwe Rommel
Munich
rommel@lan.informatik.tu-muenchen.dbp.de

sadler@hsinchu.sw.mcc.com (Rob Sadler) (05/31/90)

I had this very problem after I upgraded from 1.1 to 1.2.  I use a VGA and 
a mono debug screen for Codeview.  I am not running the IBM version but
a developer release from MS and NCR.  things seem to work fine in DOS mode
but the mode mono,25 done from a full screen session in 1.2 yields some
error like 'invalid paramenter for mode command' or some such. I traced the
problem to the installation procedure.  This may not be the same
as the IBM version but mine was written by MS.  Anyway, there is a question 
about what adapters you have installed and it recognizes the VGA and asks
(i believe) if you want to install anymore. I hit yes and saw another screen
that showed a list of other devices and the first one highlighted is the
'mono adapter/parallel printer' so I hit return thinking it was selected as it
was already highlighted.  Unfortunately, on this particular screen you must
 hit the *space* bar to first select it and then the return key.  On my first
try I did not install the card even though it looked like I was selecting it.
After many calls to NCR and poking around as you did, I decided OS/2 did not
think I had a mon card and remembered the installation question.  sure enough
after I went though again and pressed the space bar it worked. 
Like I said, IBM's install may be different, but I would check to see if
you had really installed the card.  A way to check is look at your config.sys
and you should see the lines:
  set video_devices=vio_ibmvga,vio_ibmmpa
  set vio_ibmvga=device(bvhvga)
  set vio_ibmmpa=device(bvhmpa)
If they're there then I'm not sure what your problem is. 

-- 
| Robert F. Sadler                                     |  rob.sadler@mcc.com  |
| MCC/STP                                              |    (512) 338-3603    |
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