[comp.os.os2.misc] Faking Intel's SatisFAXtion driver

lairdkb@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Kyler Laird) (03/01/91)

Quickly: Intel's FAX/MODEM card, SatisFAXtion has no OS/2 support.  Intel does
not seem interested in giving any.

I am able to use the MODEM under OS/2, but only by booting DOS with the
SATISFAX.SYS device in my config.sys, then rebooting OS/2.  Obviously this
is a kludge at best.

Since the device driver doesn't need to modify the operating system, I assume
it's just sending some info to the card to say "Hey!  Act like COM2:!".  It
seems that this should be easy to emulate.

Any suggestions?

--kyler

hwb@texnix.stgt.sub.org (Harald Boegeholz) (03/04/91)

Hi, Kyler!

In Article <7095@mentor.cc.purdue.edu>, 
lairdkb@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Kyler Laird) writes:
> I am able to use the MODEM under OS/2, but only by booting DOS with the
> SATISFAX.SYS device in my config.sys, then rebooting OS/2.  Obviously this
> is a kludge at best.
I don't understand this sentence! How can you use the modem under OS/2
by booting DOS?

> Since the device driver doesn't need to modify the operating system, I assume
> it's just sending some info to the card to say "Hey!  Act like COM2:!".  It
> seems that this should be easy to emulate.
Anyway, did you try to use the device driver you mention under OS/2?
I don't have this SatisFAXtion card, but as far as I know,
many _character_device_drivers_ for DOS will also work under OS/2
in real mode.
Chances are, though, that SATISFAX.SYS is not a real device driver
but some dirty TSR faking as one. In this case, it will probably not
work. Just give it a try (and have a bootable OS/2 or DOS diskette
with an editor handy in case OS/2 won't boot any more!).

Harald
--
Harald Boegeholz |Home:       hwb@texnix.stgt.sub.org (read daily)
                 |University: boegehol@az3.informatik.uni-stuttgart.de
                 |            ^ please use the latter for large (>100k) mails

lairdkb@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Kyler Laird) (03/08/91)

In article <77398.910303@texnix.stgt.sub.org> hwb@texnix.stgt.sub.org writes:
>Hi, Kyler!
>
>In Article <7095@mentor.cc.purdue.edu>, 
>lairdkb@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Kyler Laird) writes:
>> I am able to use the MODEM under OS/2, but only by booting DOS with the
>> SATISFAX.SYS device in my config.sys, then rebooting OS/2.  Obviously this
>> is a kludge at best.
>I don't understand this sentence! How can you use the modem under OS/2
>by booting DOS?

I'll try to clarify:
	1) I boot using a diskette formated with DOS 3.3 (and system...)
	2) This disk's CONFIG.SYS has a DEVICE=SATISFAX.SYS line.
	3) Once the SATISFAX.SYS driver has been loaded, I hit [ctrl][alt][del]
	4) As the machine is coming back up, I remove the DOS diskette.
	5) The machine boots OS/2 from the fixed disk.
	6) The OS/2 CONFIG.SYS contains DEVICE=COM01.SYS
	7) Once this line is executed, I get to use the SatisFAXtion board as
		COM2: (that's how it was configured in the DOS boot)

If I don't wake it up with the DOS boot, I don't get to use it under OS/2.

>
>> Since the device driver doesn't need to modify the operating system, I assume
>> it's just sending some info to the card to say "Hey!  Act like COM2:!".  It
>> seems that this should be easy to emulate.
>Anyway, did you try to use the device driver you mention under OS/2?
>I don't have this SatisFAXtion card, but as far as I know,
>many _character_device_drivers_ for DOS will also work under OS/2
>in real mode.

Yes, I did.  No it didn't.

Thanks for the attempt!

--kyler