The PQXT system ROM consists of many separate firmware modules, each of which has its own revision number. As new releases are made, the revision number changes, and in some cases, modules are added. Thus, the structure of the system ROM and revision numbers of both the system ROM and the firmware modules have changed over time.
The system ROM also contains MS-DOS executable programs, such as loader and utility programs. The BIOS makes the operating system believe that these programs reside on the DOS ROM (Drive C).
Table 7-1 System ROM Firmware Modules
Module Name Module Description ------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------ BIOS.HEX IBM-compatible BIOS code. Pre-multilgual releases contained the code for the PQTOOLS, PQLINK and VNA loaders. In the multi- lingual releases and later, these loaders are contained within the BCI, which is explained later in the BCI.HEX description. The following modules, which are explained in detail later, are part of the BIOS code, yet appear to the operating system to reside on drive C:. They are part of the BIOS on earlier system ROM releases, and part of BCI.HEX on later releases: Loaders: The following are all loaders and are used to map in and pass control to the Poqet system ROM: PQLINK.EXE VNA.EXE PQTOOLS.EXE Utilities: The following modules provide added functionality: LIM-MC.COM FORMAT.COM OS$DT.COM OS$CLOCK.COM OS$MOD.COM CP1865.COM SYSMOD.COM PQMODE.COM VNAROM.HEX Virtual Network Architecture (VNA) code. Provides the low-level serial communications services used by PQLINK This code also contains SAI, which provides display menu services used by both PQTOOLS and PQLINK. THROM.HEX Contains PQTOOLS, which relies on the presence also of the VNA module. On the multilingual releases, the modules IT.HEX, FR.HEX, and GR.HEX are also required. These contain the trans- lated text for PQTOOLS. VLINKROM.HEX PQLINK is the user interface to VNA, which can be used to trans- fer serial data to another device. It relies on VNA, but does not require separate modules for test in the multilingual version. BCI.HEX Binary Configuration Image. This was introduced for the first multilingual release, and contains the loader and utility pro- grams that appear on the C: drive. It allows the programs to be changed without recompiling the BIOS. BCI.HEX also contains the country setup and default ATTJTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files for drive D:. MLCOPYR.HEX This file contains a Poqet copyright notice, which is placed at the beginning of all system ROM releases. SERIALNO.HEX This file contains a unique serial number for each new release. Part of the serial number field is left blank so it may be programmed later in production. This allows each ROM to have its own unique code. The date of release and country of manufacture are also placed in this file.
Table 7-2 BIOS.HEX Loader and Utility Modules
Module Name Module Description ------------ ---------------------------------------------------------------- PQLINK.EXE This module allows files to be transferred between PQXT and an IBM PC or compatible computer. File maintenance can be performed on a local or remote computer, such as copying, deleting, renaming, printing, or viewing a file. VNA.EXE This module allows the POXT to access devices across the serial cable or expansion port as though they were resident inside the PQXT itself; that is, the access is "transparent" to the PQXT processor. PQTOOLS.EXE This module contains facilities that allow you to use the PQXT to keep a personal address book, maintain a datebook, perform simple calculations, access a remote system when using a modem, or write a short letter or memo. LIM-MC.COM This module contains services accessed through software interrupt INT 67H. The services provide a basic subset of LIM EMS extended memory management services used by third party software devel- opers writing ROM executing code. An example of this is Lotus 1-2-3. FORMAT.COM A Poqet-written utility for formatting JEIDA cards. OS$DT.COM No longer shipped as part of the system. It was responsible for preserving the system time and date during a warm boot. It also modified the AUTOEXEC.BAT file after a cold boot, relieving the user from reentering the time and date again. Its functions have now been replaced by OS$CLOCK.SYS and OS$MOD.COM. OS$CLOCK.SYS Used to replace the standard MS-DOS clock device driver so that the system can maintain the date even if its not used for two or more days in a row. It also replaces part of the function of OS$DT in maintaining the time and data during a warm boot. OS$MOD.COM Replaces the other part of OS$DT. It modifies the AUTOEXEC.BAT file on drive D:, so that the user is prompted for the time and data only after a hard reset. OS$KEYB.COM This module was introduced for the multilingual systems. In- stalling foreign keyboard drivers will stop OS$CLOCK from main- taining the time and data during a warm boot. This program is run after the new driver is installed to patch the system vector table so that this function is maintained. CP1865.COM This module is run only on the multilingual systems and will be executed only if the foreign country is set for Denmark or Norway. It replaces two of the symbols in the character set which are required for these countries. SYSMOD.COM Only added to the R1.11 release and is hidden from the user, although he may execute it. It allows the screen contrast, the default video controller mode, and the power management control to be changed. This utility in its present form only allows power management to be enabled or disabled. PQMODE.COM Only used in the latest release (R1.20). It allows batch files to issue commands to control power management and switch video modes. See Chapters 2 and 9 for more information about the PQMODE command.
Table 7-3 System ROM Revision History
System ROM Release Date Included Modules Module Revision No. Revision ---------- ------------------- ---------------- ------------------- 1.00 August 23, 1989 ROM BIOS 1.00 LIM-MC N/A VNA 1.00 PQLINK 1.00 PQTOOLS 1.00 FORMAT N/A R1.04.1 April 12,1990 ROM BIOS 1.03 LIM-MC 1.3 VNA 1.02 PQLINK 1.02 PQTOOLS 1.03 FORMAT 1.06 OS$DT 1.54 R1.04.44 April 25, 1990 ROM BIOS 1.03 LIM-MC 1.3 VNA 1.02 PQLINK 1.02 PQTOOLS 1.03 FORMAT 1.06 OS$DT 1.54 R1.04.49 May 21, 1990 ROM BIOS 1.03 LIM-MC 1.3 VNA 1.02 PQLINK 1.02 PQTOOLS 1.03 FORMAT 1.06 OS$DT 1.54 R1.05.1 May 22,1990 ROM BIOS 1.10 LIM-MC 1.3 VNA 1.04 PQLINK 1.02 PQTOOLS 1.04 FORMAT 1.07A OS$DT 1.7 R1.10 October 8, 1990 ROM BIOS 1.20 LIM-MC 1.31 VNA 1.10 PQLINK 1.05 PQTOOLS 1.20 FORMAT 2.00 OS$CLOCK 1.00 OS$KEYB 1.00 OS$MOD 1.00 CP1865 N/A R1.11 November 14, 1990 ROM BIOS 1.21 LIM-MC 1.31 VNA 1.11 PQLINK 1.07 PQTIOOLS 1.21 FORMAT 2.00 OS$CLOCK 1.00 OS$KEYB 1.00 OS$MOD 1.00 CP1865 N/A R1.20 May 10, 1991 ROM BIOS 1.30 LIM-MC 1.31 VNA 1.12 PQLINK 1.10 PQTOOLS 1.23 FORMAT 2.05 OS$CLOCK 1.02 OS$KEYB 1.00 OS$MOD 1.00 CPI865 N/A PQMODE 1.00Table 7-4 Module Differences
Module Name Revision Update Diffemnces ----------- --------------- ------------------------------------------------- ROM BIOS 1.10 to 1.21 Binary Conflpradon Image (BCI). BCI was added. This contains all the drive C extension image, any translated text needed and the default files that need to be placed on drive D: when the system is reset. The different country config- urations are also contained within this image. Country Selection. When the system is reset for the first time a country selection menu is dis- played on the screen. Choosing a country deter- mines how the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files will be initialized. This information is main- tained during warm and cold boots. CTRL-ALT-S. This key press sequence will invoke the set up menu described above. The check for this is inside the NMI handler and so will still work with a foreign keyboard driver installed. Key Click. This now works with foreign keyboard drivers installed. Time and Date. Firstly, time and date are now preserved during a warm boot while a foreign key- board driver is installed. Also, a clock device driver has been added to replace the standard MS-DOS driver. This allows the date to remain accurate even if the system is not used for several days. New Service. A new extended BIOS service has been added to provide country dependent information and the BCI address. ROM BIOS 1.21 to 1.30 Power Management. The capabilities of the Poqet power management software were greatly expanded with this release. (1) The Poqet-F4 key combination has been en- hanced so it now becomes a three state machine instead of a simple toggle. Users may use the key combination to cycle between full power management, no power management, and 3 volt non-power managed (also called COM mode). Extended BIOS Interface. Several new services were added to the extended BIOS interface (INT 66h) and others were updated. (1) A programmable software keyboard debounce was added as Function 7 Service 7. This service is intended for older systems. Since the Poqet hardware contains adequate debounce for newer units, the initial software debounce is set to 0. (2) The service that controls the Poqet status line indicators was updated to allow callers to pass their own pattern. This service is Function 1 Service D. The pattern we use as a striped (also called hashed) pattern was updated so it is easier to distinguish from a solid pattern. (3) The service that manages the mode of the Poqet power management software was updated to support modes 3 and 83. This is Function 2 Service 5. (4) The basis for a future new service to allow program control of some system options was defined. This interface is Function 2 Service B, but will not be available for use until a later release. (5) A new service was added for programs to tell the system that they are idle. This service is Function 2 Service C. (6) A new service was added for programs to indicate that they wish to be declared active and keep the CPU running even if they are doing things that power management considers indicative of an idle system. This service is Function 2 Service D. ROM BIOS 1.21 to 1.30 Format Utility. The FORMAT utility included on the Poqet ROM was updated to fix several problems. (1) Format was inconsistent in the method it used to obtain keyboard input. In some cases, it used direct BIOS calls and in others it used MS-DOS calls. It has been changed to always use MS-DOS calls. This change allows it to work correctly with the MS-DOS CTTY AUX function. (2) Format did not work correctly with 2 or 4 megabyte memory cards. This problem has been corrected. PoqetLink. PoqetLink was updated to better handle critical errors such as users changing to drives that do not have a device (memory card) in them. New Utilities. The standard MS-DOS SORT utility has been included on the system ROM. (1) The SYS utility has been included on the system ROM. This utility allows users to create memory cards that can be used to boot the system. (2) Poqet has developed a new utility called PQMODE that is included on the system ROM. This utility gives users the ability to con- trol the screen mode and a limited control over power management from the command line. This utility is especially useful for MS-DOS batch files. Indicators. Although it is not an XT function, users commented that the Poqet status line did not reflect the true state of the NumLock indicator if a program was manipulating it. The indicators for NumLock, CapsLk, and ScrollLk are now properly updated on the status line. ROM BIOS 1.21 to 1.30 Miscellaneous (1) Support for the 8254 programmable interval timer was added. (2) INT 17h has been updated to handle calls from programs that pass invalid printer numbers. (3) The default handier for interrupts 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 was updated to mask out the interrupt in the interrupt controller. Some programs were causing problems by doing things backwards and enabling the interrupt before they installed the software to handle it.