Manually installing the Above Board software Introduction This appendix gives you the information you need to manually add the necessary Above Board Plus and Plus I/O commands to your CONFIG.SYS file. N O T E This guide assumes you know the differences between conventional, extended, and expanded memory. If you don't, refer to Chapter 2 in your Above Board manual for definitions. Manually Installing the Above Board software The Above Board comes with software that lets you: o use expanded memory o use the conventional memory supplied by the Above Board as mappable conventional memory o create RAM disks o create a print buffer If you boot from floppy diskettes, install the Above Board software on each system diskette from which you boot. If you boot from a hard disk, install the software just once in the root directory. Installing the software involves these steps: o copying files o setting up expanded memory o setting up RAM disks o setting up a print buffer In general, you don't have to do all this copying and setting up. The SOFTSET program can do it automatically. This appendix describes the do-it-yourself technique. Copying files Before you can use the Above Board software, you must copy files from the Intel diskette to your hard disk's root directory or to your system diskettes. Copy only the files you need. If you have more than one Above Board software diskette, check the date on the diskettes, and make sure you install the most recent version of the software. The Above Board software includes the following files: File Name Description EMM.SYS Activates expanded memory on Above Board Plus or Plus I/O. Also allows mappable conventional memory. QUIKMEM2.SYS Creates a RAM disk in expanded memory. QUIKBUF2.COM Creates a print buffer in expanded memory. Copy the files you need for the features you want to use. -1- Setting up expanded memory for Above Board Plus and Plus I/O boards only This section describes the command line you need to put into your CONFIG.SYS file if Above Board Pluses or Plus I/Os provide all the expanded memory in your computer. If you will use both an Above Board Plus or Plus I/O and another type of Above Board (Above Board 286, PS/286, AT, PS/AT, PC, or PS/PC) to supply expanded memory, skip this section and go to page F-19 for the appropriate EMM command line. To use expanded memory on Above Board Plus and Plus I/O boards, add this command as the first line in your CONFIG.SYS file: DEVICE=EMM.SYS Computer I/O_Address 1..16 [Memory_Address] [EXPF=x] [EXPL=x] [MC] [MCF=x] [MCL=x] [RD] [ND] [NP] [NE] [VI] [H=x] The parameters without brackets ([]) are required; those in brackets are optional. The order of the parameters doesn't matter. N O T E The MC, RD, MCF, and MCL parameters work only with the Above Board Plus and Plus I/O. N O T E If there is an Inboard PC installed in your system, the EMM.SYS command line must be inserted below the INBRDPC.SYS line in the CONFIG.SYS file. Required EMM command line parameters The Computer parameter defines the type of computer in which the Above Board is installed. Replace the Computer parameter with one of the choices listed here: Parameter Computer Type pc (or PC) COMPAQ DESKPRO IBM PC IBM XT IBM PC or XT compatibles at (or AT) COMPAQ DESKPRO 286 COMPAQ DESKPRO 386 IBM AT IBM XT 286 IBM PS/2 Model 30 286 IBM AT compatibles mod30 (or MOD30) IBM Personal System/2 Model 30 The I/O_Address parameters specify which base I/O addresses Above Boards use. Assign a unique I/O address to each Above Board. No boards in your computer can share I/O addresses. Piggyback Memory boards use the I/O addresses of the Above Boards to which they are attached. Use one I/O_Address parameter value for each Above Board Plus and Plus I/O in your system. Be sure your I/O_Address parameter values match the I/O addresses selected when you ran the SETBOARD program. These are displayed on the final summary screen when you run the SETBOARD program, or if you choose the VIEW option in SETBOARD. -2- The possible values are: I/O address 208 218 248 258 2A8 2B8 2E8 Example. You're installing two Above Board Plus boards in an IBM AT. One board is set for I/O address 208, the other for address 258. Use this command: DEVICE=EMM.SYS AT 208 258 Optional EMM command line parameters The EXPF=x (expanded first) and EXPL=x (expanded last) parameters specify the range of addresses of the expanded memory page frame. If you omit the EXPF and EXPL parameters, EMM automatically searches the address range between 768K and 960K (hexadecimal segment address C000 to F000 is checked for ROM or RAM), selecting the largest unused contiguous area in that range as the page frame. The EXPF and EXPL parameters override this automatic mapping and let you specify the range of the page frame search. This might be necessary to enable the Above Board to work with some network and communication boards. The EXPF parameter specifies the beginning of the first 16K-byte page. The EXPL parameter specifies the beginning of the last 16K-byte page. The values you use must be hexadecimal segment addresses that represent 16K-byte boundaries between 768K and 944K. The range that you specify should not overlap any RAM or ROM on other add-in boards in your computer. The possible values are: Value Address C000 768K C400 784K C800 800K CC00 816K D000 832K D400 848K D800 864K DC00 880K E000 896K E400 912K E800 928K EC00 944K You can include either or both of the EXPF and EXPL parameters. If you include both, EMM uses both addresses you specify and searches that range for the largest unused contiguous area to use as the page frame (the minimum size is 64K). If you include just the EXPF parameter, EMM starts the page frame search at the EXPF address and selects the largest contiguous area between that address and 944K. -3- If you include just the EXPL parameter, EMM selects the largest contiguous area it finds between 768K and the end of the 16K-byte area specified with the EXPL parameter. If you specify addresses less than C000 or greater than DC00, if you specify a page frame that is less than 64K, or if you invert the values (that is, specify a larger value for EXPF than for EXPL), EMM displays a message and does not install. The MC (mappable conventional memory) parameter causes EMM to make all conventional memory supplied by Above Board Plus or Plus I/O boards mappable. (You can limit the mappable range by using the MCF and MCL parameters.) Mappable conventional memory enables operating environments such as Windows 2.0 and DESQview to perform conventional memory mapping. Refer to Appendix E for more information about mappable conventional memory. If you want to use conventional memory supplied by the Above Board Plus or Plus I/O as mappable conventional memory (described in Appendix E), be sure you do the following: o Make sure that you add the MC (or the MCF or MCL parameter) to the EMM command line. o The Above Board must supply the conventional memory you want to make mappable. Many computers have system boards that provide 512K or 640K of conventional memory, leaving either 128K or no memory that could be assigned as mappable. If you want more mappable conventional memory, disable some of your system board memory. See your computer's operation guide for information on disabling some of the conventional memory in your computer. Appendix E has an example. N O T E Your computer must supply at least 256K bytes of conventional memory. N O T E Do not use the MC parameter if you have an Intel Inboard 386 installed in your computer. The MCF=x (mappable conventional first) and MCL=x (mappable conventional last) parameters provide the same function as the MC parameter (making conventional memory supplied by Above Board Plus and Plus I/O boards mappable), but they also let you restrict the beginning and ending addresses of mappable conventional memory. These parameters are useful only if you run an operating environment (such as Microsoft Windows 2.0) that uses version 4.0 of the Expanded Memory Specification to map conventional memory. If you include either or both of the MCF and MCL parameters, you do not need to include the MC parameter. If you don't want mappable conventional memory, you don't need to include these parameters. When you include the MC parameter, EMM determines the range of the conventional memory supplied by Above Board Plus or Plus I/O boards (this can start no lower than 256K) and this becomes the range of mappable conventional memory. If you use the MCF and MCL parameters instead of MC, you can specify the starting and ending addresses for mappable conventional memory within the address range supplied by the Above Board Plus or Plus I/O board. -4- The MCF parameter specifies the beginning of the first 16K-byte area of mappable conventional memory. The MCL parameter specifies the beginning of the last 16K-byte area of mappable conventional memory. The values you use must be hexadecimal segment addresses that represent 16K-byte boundaries (starting at 256K) in the 640K-byte conventional memory area. The possible values are: Value Address Value Address 4000 256K 7000 448K 4400 272K 7400 464K 4800 288K 7800 480K 4C00 304K 7C00 496K 5000 320K 8000 512K 5400 336K 8400 528K 5800 352K 8800 544K 5C00 368K 8C00 560K 6000 384K 9000 576K 6400 400K 9400 592K 6800 416K 9800 608K 6C00 432K 9C00 624K If you specify a value that is not a multiple of 16K, EMM rounds up the value to the next 16K increment. You can include either or both of the MCF and MCL parameters. If you include both, EMM uses both addresses you specify to determine mappable conventional memory range. If you include just the MCF parameter, EMM starts mappable conventional memory at the MCF address and ends it wherever the conventional memory supplied by the Above Board ends. If you include just the MCL parameter, EMM starts mappable conventional memory wherever the conventional memory supplied by the Above Board starts, and ends mappable conventional memory at the end of the 16K-byte area specified with the MCL parameter. If you specify addresses less than 256K or greater than 640K, or if you invert the addresses (that is, specify a larger address for MCF than for MCL), EMM displays a message and does not install. Example 1. You're using an IBM PS/2 Model 30 286 that includes one Above Board Plus, set to I/O port 258. You want to provide mappable conventional memory for operating environments such as Microsoft Windows 2.0. Your Above Board is set to provide conventional memory from 256K to 640K. You want EMM to begin mapping at 256K and stop mapping at 624K (a requirement for Windows and DESQview). Use the following command: DEVICE=EMM.SYS AT 258 MCL=9800 It is not necessary here to specify the starting address, since it will automatically use 256K. Notice that the MCL value (9800) is equivalent to 608K, not 624K. That is because the MCL value represents the start of the last 16K bytes of mappable memory. Therefore, 608K + 16K = 624K, where mappable conventional memory actually ends. Because you did not specify EXPF and EXPL, EMM will automatically search for and select an expanded memory page frame for you. -5- Example 2. You're using an IBM XT that includes one Above Board Plus at I/O port 258. The following command assigns all of the Above Board memory as expanded memory. DEVICE=EMM.SYS PC 258 Because you did not include the EXPF and EXPL parameters, EMM automatically uses the largest unused contiguous area between 800K and 960K as the page frame. The area selected depends on your system configuration. Other add-in boards with RAM or ROM in the address range between 800K and 960K will limit the page frame size and location. To load, EMM requires one contiguous 64K-byte block in this range. The following command instructs EMM to find a page frame between 800K and 896K: DEVICE=EMM.SYS PC 258 EXPF=C800 EXPL=DC00 The RD (relocate driver) parameter causes EMM to be installed in expanded memory instead of conventional memory. This conserves conventional memory. One page (16K) of expanded memory is reserved for use by EMM if you use this parameter. If the RD parameter is absent, EMM will be loaded into conventional memory. The ND (no diagnostics) parameter tells software to run abbreviated memory tests after a warm boot (Ctrl-Alt-Del). The ND parameter is optional. If ND is in the command line, the EMM will run abbreviated memory tests; if ND is absent, the EMM will run full tests. In either case, full tests are run during a cold boot (power-on). The NP (no pause) parameter overrides the EMM pause after an EMM error or advisory message. The NP parameter is optional. If NP is in the command line, the EMM won't pause after errors or messages. If NP is absent, the EMM will pause. The NE (no extended memory tests) parameter tells EMM not to run extended memory tests. Use this parameter in an IBM AT or compatible computer if no extended memory exists on any Above Board or on your system board. The NE parameter is optional. If NE is in the command line, no extended memory tests are performed. If NE is absent, tests are performed. C A U T I O N Using the NE parameter can damage the data on your hard disk if you have extended memory in your system. Do not select this option if your Above Board is supplying extended memory. The VI parameter lets you cause all information on the EMM configuration to be displayed. It is optional. If it is in the command line, all EMM configuration information is displayed. If VI is absent, only information relating to the parameters you select is displayed. The H=x (handle count) parameter lets you tell EMM to support as many handles as a particular application program needs. A handle is a value that EMM assigns and uses to identify a block of expanded memory requested by an application program. EMM must keep track of all the handles it supports; a large handle count increases the size of EMM. Specifying a small EMM handle count (less than 64) can save conventional memory and allow EMM to run faster. -6- The EMM handle count default is 64 handles. Application programs written to use EMM versions below EMM 4.0 use a maximum of 32 handles. If you're using older application programs, you may change the EMM handle count to H=32, but using the default of 64 handles will work fine. The maximum value for x is 255 handles. The H=x parameter is optional. If the H=x parameter is in the command line, the EMM will support the number of handles specified by x. The handle count will also appear on the screen when EMM is installed. If H=x is absent, the EMM uses 64 handles. You won't see a handle count on the screen when EMM is installed unless you specify a value for the H parameter or use the VI parameter in the command line. Example. You're using one Above Board Plus in an IBM AT. You want expanded memory to be installed at D000. The board is set for I/O address 258. You want all conventional memory made mappable, and you want EMM installed in expanded memory. You want the handle count default of 64. Use this command: DEVICE=EMM.SYS AT EXPF=D000 258 MC RD Set up when different Above Board types supply expanded memory This section describes the command line you need to put into your CONFIG.SYS file if you are using both an Above Board Plus or Plus I/O and another type of Above Board (Above Board 286, PS/286, AT, PS/AT, PC, PS/PC) to provide expanded memory in your computer. To use expanded memory on your boards, add this command as the first line in your CONFIG.SYS file: DEVICE=EMM.SYS Computer Memory_Address I/O_Address 1...16 [EXPF=x] [EXPL=x] [ND] [np] [ne] [vi] [H=x] The parameters without brackets ([]) are required; those in brackets are optional. The order of the parameters doesn't matter. For explanations of these parameters, see pages F-5 through F-18. All the previously described parameters work except MC, MCF, MCL, and RD -- these parameters work in computers that contain the Above Board Plus or Plus I/O only. N O T E If there is an Inboard 386/PC installed in your system, the EMM.SYS command line must be below the INBRDPC.SYS line in the CONFIG.SYS file. Setting up RAM disks You can set up Above Board RAM disks in expanded memory. This section explains how. For each RAM disk you install in expanded memory, put a line like this in the CONFIG.SYS file after the EMM.SYS line: DEVICE=QUIKMEM2.SYS x The x parameter specifies the size of the RAM disk in K bytes and must be at least 16. Values that aren't multiples of 16 are rounded up to the next-higher multiple of 16. The maximum size of a RAM disk is 8M bytes (8192K). Example. For two 1600K-byte RAM disks in expanded memory, put these two lines in the CONFIG.SYS file: DEVICE=QUIKMEM2.SYS 1600 DEVICE=QUIKMEM2.SYS 1600 DOS limits you to 26 disk drives, which includes all of the fixed and floppy disk drives and RAM disks in the system. It also assigns a unique drive letter to each disk drive. For a typical computer with a hard disk, the first RAM disk is D. For a twoÄfloppy computer with no hard disk, the first RAM disk is C. Additional RAM disks receive sequential letters. -7- Setting up a print buffer To set up a print buffer in expanded memory each time you turn on or restart your computer, you'll need to add a command to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Use any ASCII file editor (such as EDLIN) to edit your file. N O T E You can have only one print buffer. If a command in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file already sets one up, delete that command before adding the commands described in this section. To set up the print buffer in expanded memory, use this command: QUIKBUF2 c x d t The c parameter tells the QUIKBUF program what type of computer you're using. The choices for the c parameter are: Parameter Computer Type at (or AT) IBM AT IBM AT compatibles IBM AT and XT/286 COMPAQ DESKPRO 286 pc (or PC) IBM PC IBM XT IBM PC and XT compatibles COMPAQ Deskpro 86 mod30 (or MOD30) IBM Personal System/2 Model 30 mod30/286 (or MOD30/286) IBM Personal System/2 Model 30 286 The x parameter specifies the size of the buffer in K bytes and must be 32 or greater. Any value that isn't a multiple of 16 is rounded up to the nextÄhigher multiple of 16. 16K of the buffer is reserved for the pop-up. The d parameter tells the QUIKBUF program what display adapter your computer uses. Choices for the d parameter are: M (or m) IBM Monochrome Adapter. H (or h) Hercules Monochrome Graphics Adapter. G (or g) IBM, Zenith, AT&T, or Hercules Color Graphics Adapter. IBM Personal System/2 Model 30 or COMPAQ monochrome or color adapter. E (or e) IBM Enhanced Graphics Adapter. V (or v) IBM Video Graphics Array. IBM Model 30 286 Adapter. O (or o) All other adapters, including the Hercules Graphics Plus Adapter. Choosing this option disables the print buffer command menu, described in Chapter 13. The print buffer will still work, but you won't be able to control it from the command menu. The t parameter indicates the type of port to be buffered. Here are the choices: P Parallel (LPT1, LPT2, or LPT3) S1 Serial (COM1) S2 Serial (COM2) If you choose P, the first thing you print or the print buffer commands you use will determine whether the buffered port is LPT1, LPT2, or LPT3. See the print buffer chapter in the manual for details. If you omit the 't' parameter, the print buffer defaults to parallel. If you choose S1 or S2, you may need to add one or two MODE commands to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. See the DOS manual or Chapter 15 in the Above Board manual for details. -8- Example. Suppose you have an IBM AT and an IBM Enhanced Graphics Adapter. If you want a 144K-byte print buffer in expanded memory and you want to print your data on a serial printer attached to COM1, use this command: QUIKBUF2 AT 160 E S1 This creates a print buffer of 160K bytes, but since 16K is used for the pop-up, you are left with the 144K-byte buffer you wanted. Using the optional programs This section describes the optional programs available on the Above Board diskette. These programs don't need to be run; they're included for your convenience. Here's how to start these programs: 1 With your screen displaying the DOS prompt, insert a copy of the Intel diskette into drive A. 2 Type A:[command] and press Enter. Replace the command parameter with the command listed in the following table for the specific program you want to run. Command Program CHKMEM Displays the amount of conventional, extended, (IBM AT and compatible computers only) and expanded memory in your computer. TESTAB Tests and pinpoints bad RAM chips on your Above Board. SOFTSET Sets up expanded memory, mappable conventional memory, RAM disks, and a print buffer. -9-