Big-DOS
Copyright c 1995 by Rainer Seitel
Big-DOS is freeware. For details and the content of this package refer to
bigdos.txt!
Features
--------
Big-DOS is an ISO 9293 filesystem that replaces the GEMDOS of TOS (not MagiC!).
- GEMDOS / ISO-9293:1987 / MS-DOS filesystem
- 32 Drives: A..Z1..6 or A..Z[\]^_`
- Up to 65518 cluster.
- 1 to 64 sectors per cluster.
- More than 65535 sectors and therefore every MS-DOS partition with 512-byte
sectors possible. That means also more than 32 Mbyte.
- 1 or 2 FAT.
- The legal characters are - configurable for each drive - resticted for
GEMDOS, d-characters as in ISO 9293 resp. ISO 9660 or MS-DOS. You know in
advance, that a MS-DOS computer or a restictive cd-writing software can read
all files. With setter.ttp from the HSModem archive, or the GEM version of
Setter, from Markus Kohm, this can permanently set in Big-DOS.
- The disk label will also be written to an MS-DOS boot sector.
- Works with or without MiNT.
- Big-DOS tries to lock removable cartridges using XHDI.
- For TOS 1.04 and 1.06 no POOLFIX3.PRG, PFIX_CB.PRG or POOLFX92.PRG is needed.
- 94 standard handles fore open files, instead of 75.
- Cookies ¯DATE® and ¯TIME® as in DTCOOKIE and LED-Panel.
- Shows names of the loaded accessories.
- All GEMDOS Functions of TOS including Srealloc().
Srealloc() at present shows debug informationen.
- For very old programms, as ¯Alcyon C®, Cconws() is converted from CP/M-68K to
GEMDOS.
- Aborting a tos programm by Control-C returns EBREAK (-68) instead of
EINVFN (-32) like KAOS and MagiC.
- Mxalloc() ignoreres memory protection bits.
- Maddalt() takes memory with address below 16$ 40 0000 as ST-RAM.
- Sync() writes all buffers.
- Own Dcntl() opcodes as shown in dateisys.txt and FUTIME and KER_DOSLIMITS.
With Dcntl(FUTIME, ...) date and time of a directory could be changed (e. g.
by a backup program).
- Fattrib() can clear a from MS-DOS wrongly set archiv bit of disk labels. You
can also change hidden and system bits of directories. DESKTOP, Gemini or
Selectric, e. g. shows them only if you wish hidden files.
- Dlock() at present returns EACCDN if there are open files, EINVFN else.
- Dpathconf()
- Sysconf()
- Fxattr() returns as ¯Inode® the start cluster or - for an empty file -
start cluster of directory + byte-position in the directory * 2^11.
Installing Big-DOS
------------------
BIGDOS.PRG should be the first program in your AUTO folder after the boot
selector. In any case before every program in the GEMDOS trap, e. g. network
driver, MetaDOS¿, CHK_OFLS, NVDI, HSModem and MiNT. After rebooting, all
should work normal.
For MS-DOS partitions bigger than 32 Mbyte, you also need a hard disk driver
which can handle big MS-DOS partitions (type 6) and allows access to more than
65535 sectors via Rwabs(). Beside AHDI this should be a driver with XHDI 1.20,
because Big-DOS tries to change the DOS limits via XHDOSLimits(). This could be
checked with XHDItest.ttp.
For Atari's AHDI 6.061 a binary diff is included. (You need `Binary Patch' from
Robert Federle. Search for `bptch1??.*' or `bdiff???.*'.) Place AHDI.PRG and
BINPATCH.TTP the directory of Big-DOS. Then start BINPATCH.TTP with the
parameter `ahdi6061.bdf'. If you dont boot with AHDI, you can copy AHDIBIGD.PRG
to your AUTO-Folder for testing. If you boot AHDI, you have to rename
SHDRIVER.SYS on your boot partition and then copy AHDIBIGD.PRG to the root
directory and rename it to SHDRIVER.SYS. If you dont use Big-DOS further, you
have to remove the patched AHDI, avoiding that incompatible partitions were
offered to TOS! You have been warned!
For bug reports see XHDItest.ttp!
Drivers, I had tested and the least version for good co-working:
- AHDI 6.061 with my patch, AHDI6061.ZIP
Doesn't check DOS limits, doesn't lock removable cartridges.
- HDDRIVER 4.51, demo version HDDRIV46.ZIP
Checks DOS limits, locks removable cartridges.
- CBHD 4.50, CBHD454.TOS at BBS MAUS SZ, +49 5341 852024, analog und ISDN X.75
Checks DOS limits, doesn't lock removable cartridges.
Diverses
--------
DOSMODE.TOS shows and alter the legal characters for filenames on each drive:
GEMDOS: A..Z0..9!#$%&'()-@^_`{}~"+,;<=>[]| and capital umlauts
ISO: A..Z0..9_
MS-DOS: A..Z0..9!#$%&'()-@^_`{}~ and capital umlauts
With setter.ttp from the HSModem archive, or the GEM version of Setter, from
Markus Kohm, this can permanently set in Big-DOS.
XHDITEST.TTP shows for all or a given drive letter the partition size, bad
values in the BPB, name and XHDI version of the hard disk driver and tests the
DOS-limits function:
:-( not available
:-/ available, but could not change the limits
:-) available and could change the limits
With ¯>® as last argument, the standard output will be stored in xhditest.log.
With ¯>file® in the given file. Please include this file to your bug report.
The only disk monitor for Atari's I know, that can handle MS-DOS partitions
bigger than 32 Mbyte is the SED 5.66 from Anton Stepper and Claus Brod. It was
selled with the german book ¯Scheibenkleister - Massenspeicher am ST®. And even
this one needs a patch. You need the original source code, a GFA-BASIC
interpreter 3.5 or 3.6 and the second version of my ¯sed_566diffs.zip®.
Known problems
--------------
- Big-DOS, NVDI and the Screenblaster driver doesn't work together. Omit one
of them.
Known problems of other programs
--------------------------------
- Getbpb() of TOS doesn't use the value ¯reserved sectors including boot
sector® from the boot sector of floppy disks, but adding 1. So don't blame
Big-DOS for the miss of this ISO 9293 feature. ;-)
- During my tests, the ICD driver only pretend to work with MS-DOS media, but
it doesn't work!
- CHK_OFLS up to 1.02 crashes.
- Ddelete() cannot delete a current directory, but returns ECWD (-47) instead.
Geminis Mupfel 1A ignores this, and without Big-DOS the deleted directory
still is its current one. Only NEWDESK of TOS 2.05 to TOS 4.04 is alowed to
delete its current directorys. Grrr!
- Fattrib(, , attrib) is a 16-bit parameter! If undefined bits were set,
EACCDN (-36) is returend.
- If a program tries to create a file or directory with an illegal character,
and ignores EBADRQ (-5), it probably crashes.
- Applications, which manipulate the memory management using undocumented
variables, won't work.
- At least with an old version from TSFM.CPX, diskettes can be formatted with
a too short FAT. Big-DOS ignores them.
- With HDDRIVER up to 4.50, changes of the XHDI DOS limits works only after a
media change. So insert MS-DOS media after the Desktop has started or update
to 4.51. The new version also set the correct media byte.
- In CBHD 4.53 XHDI is useless.
There are several Programs that initialize the filesystem not correct. By the
first access or after a media change, an error message is printed on the
screen. If you type J or Y for yes the correct value will be written on disk.
Contact the responsible programmer and tell him about the bug. (Now you
can switch off this check with Setter.)
BigDOS: FAT start of A: shall be ¯media®, $FF, $FF [$FF]! Write? [JYN]
BigDOS: Media byte in FAT of A: is $00, shall be $00! Write? [JYN]
BigDOS: Media byte in boot sector of A: is $00, shall be $00! Write? [JYN]
New versions
------------
e-mail:
MausNet: Rainer Seitel @ KA
Internet: Rainer_Seitel@ka.maus.de (prefered, no mail > 16 Kbyte per day!)
Rainer.Seitel@stud.uni-karlsruhe.de
Source of supply:
MAUS Karlsruhe, +49 721 358887, 2400-28800 bps, 07:00Z/17:00 and 20:00Z/02:00
http://www.uni-karlsruhe.de/~Rainer.Seitel/bigdos.html
http://wwwrzstud.rz.uni-karlsruhe.de/~ujo7/bigdos.html
(http://129.13.95.1/~ujo7/bigdos.html)
News
----
In Big-DOS 2:
- Problems with TT and Falcon fixed.
In Big-DOS 3:
- Partitions whith BPB.numcl == 0 will be ignored.
- No crash if HDDRIVER is started before Big-DOS.
- XHDItest.ttp with german text if _AKP = $??????01??, else english.
In Big-DOS 4:
- Mshrink() works with Alternate-RAM.
In Big-DOS 5:
- Protected Minix partitions or disks will be ignored.
- Drive checking in Dpathconf() corrected. Mupfel ls without path works.
- Fxattr() correded.
- XHDItest.ttp can store to a file and use also Getbpb().
- XHDOSLimits() only at start, instead before every Getbpb().
In Big-DOS 6:
- NUM_FILEHANDLE -= 28, since MetaDOS¿ uses handles from 100 to 199.
- The legal characters can permanently set for each drive with setter.ttp from
the RS232 driver HSModem oder the GEM version from Markus Kohm.
- Fxattr("subdirectory\") is the same as Fxattr("subdirectory").
- Bug fixed, that could occur with sectors ò 2048 byte.
- Some floppy disks were ignored because of a wrong test for the FAT size.
- XHDItest.ttp says, why Big-DOS ignores a drive in spite of a valid BPB.