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wCrossDos
w
wThe MS-DOS File System
w
CONSULTRON
11280 Parkview, Plymouth MI 48170
Copyright (c) 1988,1989, CONSULTRON. All Rights Reserved.
Author: Leonard Poma
CrossDos
wCOPYRIGHT
w
All software and documentation distributed in this product,
CrossDos, Copyright (c) 1988,1989, CONSULTRON. All Rights
Reserved.
The distribution and sale of these products are intended for the
use of the original purchaser only. Lawful users of these
programs are hereby licenced only to read the programs, from
their media into the memory of a computer, solely for the
purpose of executing the programs. Duplicating or copying for
other than backup purposes, or selling or otherwise distributing
these products is a violation of the law.
Software programs contained in this product that were obtained
from the "public domain" retain their own copyrights. All
effort was made to distribute this software as it was received
(where ever possible). This software has been found to be very
useful in the creation of this product. I encourage the use of
these supplimentary software products and I also encourage
monetary remuneration where recommended.
wDISCLAIMER
w
ALL EFFORT HAS BEEN MADE TO MAKE THIS PRODUCT, SOFTWARE AND
DOCUMENTATION, USEFUL AND ERROR FREE. SHOULD ANY ERRORS OR
PROBLEMS OCCUR, PLEASE CONTACT CONSULTRON PROMPTLY IN WRITING
STATING THE PROBLEM AS THOROUGHLY AS POSSIBLE.
THIS PRODUCT IS SOLD "AS IS" WITHOUT REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY
OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT
LIMITATION, ANY REPRESENTATIONS OR ENDORSEMENTS REGARDING THE
USE OF, THE RESULTS OF, OR PERFORMANCE OF THE PRODUCT, ITS
APPROPRIATENESS, ACCURACY, RELIABILTY, OR CURRENTNESS. THE
ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE USE OF THE PRODUCT IS ASSUMED BY THE
USER.
COPY-PROTECTED MEDIA USED WITH THIS PRODUCT MAY NOT TRANSFER
DATA PROPERLY AND WILL ALTER DATA UNFAVORABLY IF THE MEDIA IS
WRITTEN TO.
IN NO EVENT WILL CONSULTRON, ITS AFFILIATED COMPANIES, NOR ITS
EMPLOYEES, BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES, DIRECT, INDIRECT,
INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL, RESULTING FROM ANY DEFECT IN THE
PRODUCT, EVEN IF CONSULTRON HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY
OF SUCH DAMAGES.
THIS DISCLAIMER SHALL SUPERSEDE ANY VERBAL OR WRITTEN STATEMENT
TO THE CONTRARY.
CrossDos
wTRADEMARKS
w
CrossDos is a trademark of CONSULTRON.
CONSULTRON is a trademark of CONSULTRON.
Amiga is a registered trademark of Commodore-Amiga, Inc.
AmigaDOS, Amiga 500, Amiga 1000, Amiga 2000, Amiga 2000HD, Amiga
2500, Transformer and WorkBench are trademarks of
Commodore-Amiga, Inc.
MS-DOS is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp.
PC-DOS, IBM-AT, and PS/2 are registered trademarks of
International Business Machines Corp.
Atari ST is a registered trademark of Atari Corp.
VIP Professional is a trademark of VIP Technologies.
Analyze! is a trademark of Micro-Systems Software, Inc.
WordPerfect is a registered trademark of WordPerfect Corp.
DeluxePaint is a registered trademark of Electronic Arts.
ARP is a trademark of ARP Authors.
CrossDos
w1 INTRODUCTION
w
Thank you purchasing a copy of CrossDos. We are confident you
will find it useful and extremely easy to use.
Many computer users will find it useful, maybe even necessary to
share data between different computers but in this world of
multiple computer types, however there usually ends up being
more than one format of storing data on a disk. These formats
usually differ in the way directories and files are accessed.
Sometimes they also differ in the way the actual data bits are
stored on the disk. Both instances are the case with
MS-DOS/PC-DOS and Atari ST formatted disks and standard Amiga
formatted disks.
CrossDos is a software product that allows the user to read and
write MS-DOS/PC-DOS and Atari ST formatted disks (Version 2.0 or
higher) directly from AmigaDOS. It fully integrates itself into
the Amiga operating system to allow your MS-DOS formatted disks
to be accessed from virtually any utility or application, just
as any other Amiga file.
NOTE
All further references to MS-DOS formatted disks also
apply to PC-DOS and Atari ST formatted disks unless
otherwise specified.
Imagine working on a spreadsheet file on your PC and continuing
to work on it using your Amiga spreadsheet application (such as
VIP Professional, Analyze! or others ); maybe you are using a PC
version of WordPerfect and have an Amiga version as well; you
can create a picture with DeluxePaint on the Amiga and view it
on your PC using the PC version of DeluxePaint. Many other data
sharing can be done between databases, language compilers, CAD
programs, etc.
The following MS-DOS formatted disks types are supported by
CrossDos :
- standard density 80 track 3 1/2" floppies ( 720 K)
- standard density 80 track 5 1/4" floppies ( 720 K)
- standard density 80 track 5 1/4" floppies used in double
track step mode ( 360 K)
- standard density 40 track 5 1/4" floppies ( 360 K)
A properly mounted MS-DOS device will allow you to access any
file on a MS-DOS formatted disk as if it were any other valid
AmigaDOS device. Refer to section "
MountList Example of a
MS-DOS device" for instructions on mounting a MS-DOS device.
You can then proceed to use any file on the MS-DOS disk from any
application.
1-1
CrossDos
1.1 Feature Summary
The following is a list of the main features of CrossDos:
- Integrates MS-DOS formatted disks as part of the Amiga
operating system. This allows the MS-DOS disks to be
accessed just like any other disk from any Amiga utility or
application.
- Read and write any file.
- Relabel the Disk name.
- Create directories.
- Rename any files or directories within or across any
directories.
- Set file or directory dates.
- Set or reset archive and write/delete protection
attributes on any file or directory.
- Access files from any application file requester.
- MS-DOS and PC-DOS formatted disks Versions 2.0 (and higher)
are supported.
- Two ACSII text filter options are provided.
- Disk changes are sensed automatically (if the drive
provides the proper hardware signal).
- ".info" file extensions are supported for use with
Workbench.
- Floppy disk parameters are sensed automatically (ie.
double-sided, single-sided, 8 or 9 sectors/track, etc.).
- Double Track Step Mode is availible to read/write standard
40 track floppies on an 80 track drive.
- Minimal memory (approx. 80 bytes) is required when the
filesystem is not accessed.
- "Kill" utility is provided to recover resources and memory
when MS-DOS File System not needed.
- Special utilities are included to format, copy and check
the integrity of MS-DOS disks.
1-2
CrossDos
- This product is not copy-protected.
1.2 Hardware Requirements
CrossDos requires a standard Amiga (500, 1000, 2000, 2000HD or
2500) with at least 256K bytes of memory.
This product includes a special device driver, "mfm.device",
for use with 3 1/2" and 5 1/4" floppies. Refer to section
"
MountList Example of a MS-DOS device
" for configuration
instructions.
1.3 Software Requirements
CrossDos requires at least AmigaDOS Version 1.2. The product at
the time of this document has been tested under Versions 1.2
and 1.3.
You must use a V1.3 compatible "mount" command. This command is
included in this product.
1.3.1 Minimum Files Needed
The following are files needed to mount a MS-DOS device.
L:MSDOSFileSystem -- always
DEVS:mfm.device -- when using floppy disks
(3 1/2" or 5 1/4")
C:Mount -- always (V1.3 compatible)
1.4 Product Limitations
High density formatted disks (1.2M and 1.44M disks formatted on
the IBM-AT and PS/2) are incapable of being read due to current
limitations in the standard Amiga hardware. Currently, the
standard Amiga floppy drive hardware is capable of
reading/writing standard density formatted floppies (360K and
720K) on 3 1/2" and 5 1/4" drives.
Please note though, high density drives on IBM-compatible
machines are capable of formatting, reading and writing standard
density formats. This holds true for both the 3 1/2" and 5 1/4"
high density drives, although the 5 1/4" drives may write data
on a floppy unreliably when used in the double track step mode
(Refer to section "
Double Track Step Mode
" for further
1-3
CrossDos
explanation).
CrossDos
CANNOT
directly execute any of the MS-DOS,
PC-DOS or Atari ST executable files (such as .EXE or .COM files)
although it can transfer these files to or from the MS-DOS
disk. To execute these files on the Amiga you would need an
emulator program such as the "Transformer" from Commodore which
is not provided in this product.
CrossDos is not guaranteed to read or write copy-protected
MS-DOS disks. It will probably read most of the disk, but it
cannot "crack" the protection technique used on the disk.
Writing to a copy-protected MS-DOS disk is
NOT
recommended.
There are file naming limits imposed by the MS-DOS disk format
of eight alphanumeric characters for the file name and three for
the file extension. Refer to section "
AmigaDOS
COMPATIBILITY" for further explanation.
The MS-DOS disk format does not allow file comments so that this
AmigaDOS function is not supported.
1-4
CrossDos
w2 INSTALLATION
w
The installation instructions for mounting an MS-DOS device on
the Amiga are detailed in the following sections. A simple
program is included in this product for standard 3 1/2" or 5
1/4" floppy drive installation.
2.1 Backup Your Original Product Disk
This product is not copy-protected so that you may make a backup
and/or transfer the necessary files to a hard disk. Refer to
section "
COPYRIGHT
" for copyright restrictions.
We recommend that you backup this product disk before proceeding
with any installation or modification. Using the "diskcopy"
utility (or equivalent), copy the original disk included with
this product to a disk for backup. Store the original disk in a
safe, cool location away from magnetic fields. Use your backup
copy for any further accesses.
2.2 Installing the Software and MountList Parameters
CrossDos provides a simple installation program either
executable from the CLI or the Workbench.
To execute the program from the Workbench, double-click on the
icon labeled "Install_MSDOSFS".
To execute the program from the CLI, type the following:
Install_MSDOSFS
Answer the questions presented on the computer screen to
complete the installation of this product in your system.
If you wish to modifiy these standard parameters, edit the
mountlist file using the following descriptions of the
parameters.
2.3 Mounting a MS-DOS Device
Once all the required files are installed in the proper
directories, only "mounting" the device is needed to have the
Amiga recognize the MS-DOS device. The filesystem is "mounted"
by entering the command:
mount <devicename:> FROM DEVS:mountlist.msdosFS
2-1
CrossDos
The "mount" command can be entered manually when needed or can
be executed in a startup routine such as "S:startup-sequence".
If "mounted" in a startup-sequence, it can be setup to consume a
minimal amount of memory (approx. 80 bytes) until MS-DOS file
acccess is required. Refer to the "Mount =" parameter
description in the following section.
Once the device is successfully "mounted", the device can be
accessed by any utility or application by specifying the device
name.
NOTE
Only one MS-DOS File System is allowed to be mounted on any
one physical device.
2.4 MountList Example of a MS-DOS device
The following is an example mountlist entry for an MS-DOS device
using the internal 3 1/2" drive in the Amiga. It is called by
the name
DI0:
by the system. Other units and device names
can be used as specified by Amiga "mount" command file
parameters.
DI0:
/* Device-dependant mountlist parameters */
Device = mfm.device
Unit = 0
Flags = 1
Surfaces = 2
BlocksPerTrack = 9
Reserved = 1
Interleave = 0
LowCyl = 0 ; HighCyl = 79
/* FileSystem-dependant mountlist parameters */
FileSystem = L:MSDOSFileSystem
Stacksize = 4000
Priority = 5
GlobVec = -1
Buffers = 5
BufMemType = 0
Mount = 0
DosType = 0x4D534400
/* = 0x4D444400 using Double Track Step Mode */
#
NAME:
The name of the device. It may be any valid alphanumeric
combination that does not conflict with other device,
2-2
CrossDos
volume or logical names already mounted. The name must end
in a ":" to be recognized by the "mount" command.
Device =
The name of the device driver code file to be used for the
particular device being acccessed. When using a floppy
drive device, the device driver "mfm.device" is included in
this product for this purpose. Please note: the directory
"DEVS:" is assumed as the path name.
Unit =
The physical unit number of the particular device being
acccessed. Normally, Unit 0 is the first unit. For Amiga
floppy drives, Unit 0 is the internal drive.
Flags =
The flags needed to properly initialize the device at
startup. The flags to be set will vary for each device.
For the Amiga compatible floppy drives, set Flags to '1'
(allow 5 1/4" drive).
Surfaces =
The number of physical surfaces of the device. For
standard MS-DOS floppies, set this value to 2 for
double-sided. For single-sided MS-DOS floppies, set this
value to 1.
BlocksPerTrack =
The number of physical blocks on each track of the device.
For standard MS-DOS floppies, set this value to 9.
Reserved =
The number of reserved blocks for the beginning of the
partition of the device. For standard MS-DOS floppies, set
this value to 1.
Interleave =
The physical interleave of sectors of the device. For
standard MS-DOS floppies, set this value to 0.
LowCyl =
The physical low cylinder number of the beginning the the
device partition. To calculate the LowCyl use the
following formula:
LowCyl = [BLOCK_beg / (Surfaces * BlocksPerTrack)]
(integer part only)
BLOCK_beg = The beginning block number of the partition
Example => 0 = [ 0 / (2 * 9)]
2-3
CrossDos
For standard 40 or 80 track floppy drives, set this value
to 0.
HighCyl =
The physical high cylinder number of the end the the device
partition. To calculate the HighCyl use the following
formula:
HighCyl = [BLOCK_end / (Surfaces * BlocksPerTrack)]
(integer part only)
BLOCK_end = The end block number of the partition
Example => 79 = [ 1439 / (2 * 9)]
For standard 80 track floppy drives, set this value to 79.
For standard 40 track floppy drives, set this value to 39.
For standard 80 track floppy drives used in Double Track
Step Mode, set this value to 39.
FileSystem =
The name of the FileSystem code file to be used to allow
AmigaDOS to access non-AmigaDOS formatted disks. For this
product, use "L:MSDOSFileSystem".
Stacksize =
The stack size needed for the file system task. Use 4000
bytes or more if desired.
Priority =
The priority of the file system task. Should be at least a
priority 5. Modify if desired.
GlobVec =
The global vector of the file system task. This value
MUST
be set to -1.
Buffers =
The number of cache buffers for the file system task. Set
to the number of buffers to you desire. Each buffer
consumes about 1040 bytes. The more buffers, the faster
the performance. Be aware though, there is a point of
diminishing returns with more buffers.
For normal sized directories a value of 5 buffers is
sufficient. If large and/or multiple levels of directories
are used (ie. greater than 2), a value of 10 will yeild
faster accesses. Please note: The AmigaDOS command
"addbuffers" will add more buffers to the filesystem
cache.
2-4
CrossDos
BufMemType =
The type of memory used by the cache buffers. It is
recommended to set this value to 0 or 1 (PUBLIC memory).
Mount =
If this parameter is positive (>0), the "mount" command
will immediately install the file system code. Otherwise,
the file system will be loaded when the first access to the
device occurs. It is recommended to set this value to 0 or
do not include this parameter at all so that the memory for
the file system and device will not be used until needed.
DosType =
This parameter indicates the type of file system used. For
floppy drives, this value should be
0x4D534400
. For
80 track 5 1/4" drives used in the 40 track (double track
step) mode, this value should be
0x4D444400
(Refer to
section "
Double Track Step Mode
" for further
explanation).
#
Device mountlist terminating character. This character
MUST
be present in the first column of new line to
terminate the mountlist parameters for a specific device.
NOTE
Parameters left out of the mountlist for a device, are
either automatically set to 0 or a default value.
2.5 Double Track Step Mode
The Double Track Step Mode is used to allow standard 40 track 5
1/4" floppies to be read or written on 80 track floppy drives.
This mode can be used on 3 1/2" drives but there probably would
be no need to.
The Double Track Step Mode actually steps the drive head two
steps instead of one. To set this mode, the mountlist
parameter "Dostype =" must be set to 0x4D444400 ( MDD ).
A word of caution must be noted about using the Double Track
Step Mode on 80 track 5 1/4" drives. The read/write heads 80
track drives are half the width of heads on 40 track drives.
This means that data written on a 80 track drive will be read
back at about half the signal magnitude on a 40 track drive.
Because of this difference, reading data reliably may at times
be difficult. The device driver "mfm.device" provided with this
product will attempt to retry reading data to recover if
possible.
2-5
CrossDos
w3 SAMPLE SESSION
w
Place a 3 1/2" MS-DOS formatted disk in the internal floppy
drive (unit 0) in the Amiga. From the CLI, try the following
commands:
mount DI0: FROM DEVS:mountlist.msdosFS
dir DI0: ALL
dir DI0:subdir
type DI0:subdir/filename
cd DI0:subdir
type filename
info
copy DI0:filename to DF0:
cd DF0:
----- etc.
Try reading in a file from the MS-DOS device from your favorite
editor, spreadsheet, database, paint or draw programs and many
other uses.
NOTE
Applications that bypass AmigaDOS for file access will not
be able to access MS-DOS formatted files. Applications of
this type are "format", "diskcopy" and AmigaDOS sector
editors.
3-1
CrossDos
w4 AmigaDOS COMPATIBILITY
w
The MS-DOS File System is designed to conform to AmigaDOS and
MS-DOS file naming conventions wherever possible as well as
multi-tasking requirements (such as file locks). There are a
few exceptions due to the limitations of MS-DOS file naming
conventions. The following sections detail the differences.
4.1 File Naming Conventions
File naming conventions for MS-DOS still apply when accessing or
creating file or directory names.
4.1.1 Invalid Characters ("FileName")
The following is a list of characters that are not valid for
MS-DOS names.
< > . " | + = ; ,
Although some of these characters are valid for AmigaDOS
filenames, avoid them.
The characters '\', '/', '[', ']', ':' are reserved for special
use described below.
4.1.2 File Name ("FileName")
The file (directory) name is limited to 8 alphanumeric
characters. Any characters beyond 8 are ignored. The
characters can be specified as lowercase and will be converted
to uppercase automatically. The space character ' ' is allowed
between other alphanumeric characters but it is not
recommended.
DI0:FILENAME
ignored
=> DI0:FILENAME
4.1.3 File Extension (".Ext")
The file (directory) extension is limited to 3 alphanumeric
characters. Any characters beyond 3 are ignored. The extension
appears after the dot ('.') but it is not necessary in a file
name. The characters can be specified as lowercase and will be
converted to uppercase automatically. The space character ' '
is allowed between other alphanumeric characters but it is not
recommended.
4-1
CrossDos
If multiple extensions are present in a file name, only the last
extension will be used.
DI0:FILENAME
ignored.ign
.EXT
ignored
=> DI0:FILENAME.EXT
4.1.3.1 WorkBench Extension (".info")
One exception to the 3 character extension is the Amiga
extension ".info". When the file name is read from the MS-DOS
disk by the MS-DOS File System, an ".INF" extension is
automatically expanded to ".info" to allow the file to be seen
by the WorkBench application. Subsequently, when a file is
written to the MS-DOS disk with an ".info" extension, it is
stored on the disk as ".INF".
The original file that will have a WorkBench ".info" file
associated with it must not have any other extensions in the
name. If the original file already has an extension, it may not
be properly accessed by WorkBench.
4.1.4 Root Name Qualifier (':')
The character ':' is used as a root name qualifier to refer to
the physical device name or volume name of the disk or the
logical name of a directory path.
DI0:FILENAME.EXT
4.1.5 Volume Name ("Volume_Name")
The volume name is limited to 11 alphanumeric characters with
spaces allowed between characters. Any characters beyond 11 are
ignored. The characters can be specified as lowercase and will
be converted to uppercase automatically.
The volume name is normally written on the disk during a
format. Since the volume name is optional to MS-DOS, it may not
appear in the root directory of the disk. When the volume name
is not availiable, the MS-DOS File System will use the boot
block identification name and a creation date of January 1,
1980 as the volume information for AmigaDOS.
"IBM 3.1:FILENAME.EXT" => DI0:FILENAME.EXT
4.1.6 Directory Name Qualifiers ('/' or '\')
The directory name qualifiers can be the standard AmigaDOS '/'
or MS-DOS '\' characters. The characters '/' and '\' are used
4-2
CrossDos
to separate directory paths. A path name qualifier without a
file or directory name immediately preceding it will specify a
parent directory. This follows the convention established by
AmigaDOS.
DI0:SUBDIR/FILENAME
DI0:SUBDIR\SUBSUBDIR/FILENAME
DI0:SUBDIR\SUBSUBDIR// => DI0:SUBDIR
4.2 File Filters
Normally the MS-DOS File System will transfer data unmodified
between the MS-DOS device and the Amiga. There may be occasions
where certain file translating (filtering) may be desired. Two
types of filtering provided by the MS-DOS File System are
availiable to you as options.
4.2.1 CTRL-M/CTRL-Z Filter (']')
MS-DOS text files normally have carriage returns (CTRL-M)
followed by linefeeds (CTRL-J) whereas the Amiga only needs
linefeeds. They also place one or more EOFs (CTRL-Z) at the end
of the file to signal the end-of-file which is also not used by
the Amiga. If you wish to filter the carriage returns and EOFs,
place the character ']' anywhere in the file specification
(append to the end of the name works best). The filter removes
carriage returns and EOFs when reading the file from the MS-DOS
device. The filter will add carriage returns before linefeeds
and an EOF to the end of the text when writing the file to the
MS-DOS disk.
DI0:SUBDIR/FILENAME.EXT] => DI0:FILENAME.EXT
/* with CTRL-M/CTRL-Z Filter on */
4.2.2 High Bit Filter ('[')
Some MS-DOS word processing files set the high bit of ceratin
ASCII characters in the file to give that character special
meaning. If you wish to filter the high bit to try to conform
the file to standard ASCII text, place the character '['
anywhere in the file specification (append to the end of the
name works best). The filter only clears the high bit when
reading the file from the MS-DOS device. The filter will not
set the high bit when writing the file to the MS-DOS device.
DI0:SUBDIR/FILENAME.EXT[ => DI0:FILENAME.EXT
/* with High bit Filter on */
4-3
CrossDos
NOTE
Some CLI utilities may use '[' or ']' as special
characters. The utility should have an escape (or literal)
character (such as '*') to precede these characters.
4.3 Sensing Disk Changes
The MS-DOS File System will automatically detect disk changes
and modify the system parameters if the drive used is
compatible with Amiga hardware requirements for disk change
detection. The 3 1/2" drive supplied with your Amiga is capable
of disk change detection, whereas most 5 1/4" drives sold by
Commodore-Amiga are not.
For those drives that do not have hardware to detect disk
change, the "diskchange" command (provided in AmigaDOS versions
1.2 and 1.3) can be used to "force" the MS-DOS File System to
recognize a change of disks.
4.4 WorkBench Usage
The MS-DOS File System will operate properly with WorkBench but
some points must be covered.
If you use WorkBench exclusively over the CLI, you will want to
configure any MS-DOS devices to be loaded immediately when
mounted (ie. Mount = 1). If this is not done, executing a
directory command on the device from CLI will bring up the disk
icon on WorkBench.
Avoid using the "KILL" utility. Using it will free the
resources and memory used by the filesystem but will crash
WorkBench.
Create files on the MS-DOS disk with NO file extension (ie.
characters following the '.'). Applications that automatically
create ".info" files will then work correctly.
4-4
CrossDos
w5 FILE LIST
w
This is the current listing of the CrossDos distribution disk:
PD (dir)
arp13.zoo ARP V1.3 library and commands
arpqr.arc ARP V1.3 "quick reference" guide
c (dir)
Mount V1.3 compatible cmd to "mount" device
TDPatch12 trackdisk.device patch for V1.2
TDPatch13 trackdisk.device patch for V1.3
L (dir)
MSDOSFileSystem MS-DOS file system code
Devs (dir)
mfm.device mfm device driver code
mountlist.msdosFS partial mountlist for floppies
LIBS (dir)
arp.library ARP V1.3 library
Utilities (dir)
cmpPATH execution script to exercise filesystem
devinfo display device info (internal use)
diskchk check disk blocks
diskchk.info
kill kill handler or filesystem
MFormat format utility for MS-DOS disks
MFormat.info
MDiskCopy diskcopy utility for MS-DOS disks
MDiskCopy.info
CrossDOS.manual The manual for this product
Install_msdosFS execution program for auto-installation
Install_msdosFS.info
READ.ME last minute news and updates.
5.1 MS-DOS File System Support Utilities
The following sections describe the utilities included with this
product that are unique.
5.1.1 "KILL"
Format:
KILL <devicename>
Template:
KILL "DEVICENAME"
5-1
CrossDos
Purpose:
To remove a filesystem and free resources
Path:
C:KILL
Specification:
This utility attempts to KILL the MS-DOS File System that is
loaded. It will try to return all the resources and memory
allocated.
Caution must be exercised in using this command since it does
not check to make sure all the file Locks are returned to the
filesystem before KILLing it. If file Locks still exist (ie. if
a directory in filesystem is still the current directory for the
CLI being used) after KILLing the filesystem, you may crash the
system.
Using this utility when WorkBench is loaded will crash
WorkBench. To recover, issue a "LoadWB" command again.
KILL may work with other filesystems but we do not guarantee the
results.
5.1.2 "DISKCHK"
Format:
DISKCHK <devicename>
Template:
DISKCHK "DEVICENAME"
Purpose:
To check the read integrity of any disk
Path:
C:DISKCHK
Specification:
This utility attempts to check the read validity of any disk and
report any errors.
It will interactively ask which blocks to check ( lower and
upper limits). If the character "r" is place after the upper
limit value entered, DISKCHK will "repeat" the checking until a
Control-C is typed.
This utility was originally design to check MS-DOS formated
disks but it should work on any disk mounted on the Amiga.
5.1.3 "MFORMAT"
Format:
MFORMAT DRIVE <devicename> NAME <diskname>
[QUICK]
5-2
CrossDos
Template:
MFORMAT "DEVICENAME,DISKNAME,QUICK/S"
Purpose:
Format a disk using an MS-DOS format
Path:
C:MFORMAT
Specification:
This utility will format a disk an MS-DOS format using some of
the parameters in the mountlist.
The QUICK option will only reformat a previously formatted
MS-DOS disk. It will supply a new boot block, file allocation
tables and empty root directory.
5.1.4 "MDISKCOPY"
Format:
MDISKCOPY
Template:
MDISKCOPY
Purpose:
Make a copy of an MS-DOS disk
Path:
C:MDISKCOPY
Specification:
This utility will make a copy of an MS-DOS disk on another
drive.
It will interactively ask which is the SOURCE drive and which is
the DESTINATION drive.
Remove at least one of the disks after completing the command.
5.1.5 "TDPatch"
Format:
TDPatch12 or TDPatch13
Template:
TDPatch12 or TDPatch13
Purpose:
Patch the trackdisk.device for V1.2 or V1.3
Path:
C:TDPatch12 or TDPatch13
Specification:
This utility will patch the trackdisk.device for Kickstart V1.2
or V1.3. This patch is only needed if there is only one 3 1/2"
5-3
CrossDos
drive in your system. There are a few bugs in the trackdisk
code that manifest itself only under certain conditions.
The installation program should detect your Kickstart version
and apply the proper patch if your system meets the other
criteria.
5.1.6 "CmpPATH"
Format:
Execute CmpPATH <srcpath> <dstpath> [CMPONLY]
Template:
CmpPATH "SRCPATH,DSTPATH,CMPONLY/S"
Purpose:
Special exerciser for multiple DOS functions
Path:
C:CmpPATH
Specification:
This execution script will execute a series of DOS utilities to
test many of the DOS functions a filesystem should perform.
The ARP commands MUST be used with this script. The ARP
commands should be placed in the C: directory.
SRCPATH is the source path from which files will be copied.
DSTPATH is the destination path to which files will be copied.
The DSTPATH will be modified but the SRCPATH will not.
The CMPONLY option will not modify the DSTPATH but only compare
the files between the two paths.
Presently DOS utilities such "cd", "setdate", "makedir",
"rename", "protect", "delete" and "cmp" are used in the script.
5-4
CrossDos
wA TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
w
The following are the technical specifications of the filesystem
and device driver.
wA.1 L:MSDOSFileSystem
w
The Amiga allows for foreign device (disk) formats as well as
the standard AmigaDOS disk format by placing a common interface
(DOS interface) between the application and the file system
(handler). The file system code that understands the foreign
disk format must conform to at least a minimum set of commands
from this DOS interface.
The MS-DOS File System code translates the DOS commands into
MS-DOS disk format specific reads and writes to the device. If
the device is a floppy disk, the file system is initialized to
open the "mfm.device" to translate raw data from the disk into
data blocks and vice versa. Other devices can be used by using
the device driver code supplied by the device controller
manufacturer.
wA.2 DEVS:mfm.device
w
The "mfm.device" is used to decode and encode "mfm" data
physically formatted in a standard (non-Amiga) format. It acts
just like the Amiga-supplied "trackdisk.device" device driver
code. It answers requests for drive control and blocks of data
transfer.
The "mfm.device" responds to all the command types as does the
"trackdisk.device" with the following exceptions:
- EXT (Extended) command qualifiers are not valid.
- A new command MDCMD_SETPARMS = 22 is included to allow the
device driver to set some of the physical disk parameters
to new values. The FileSysStartupMsg Environment Table
pointer is passed in
io_Data
. Any errors are
returned in
io_Error
.
A-1
CrossDos
wB MISCELLENEOUS SERVICES
w
The following are miscelleneous services provided by
CONSULTRON.
wB.1 Dealer and Distributor Quantity Discounts
w
Dealer and Distributor quantity discounts are availiable.
Inquire by phoning the Technical Support line.
wB.2 Licensing
w
Licensing of CrossDos in other commercial products is
availiable. We believe that many commercial applications can
benefit by the inclusion of this product particularly where data
formats are shared between the Amiga and MS-DOS applications.
Inquire by phoning the Technical Support line.
wB.3 Technical Support
w
Technical support is provided to answer any questions about
CrossDos. Should you exhibit any problems with either release
of the product, contact someone at the support line for help or
bug reports. Inquire by phoning the Technical Support line.
Technical Support Line -- (313) 459-7271 EST
B-1
CrossDos
wC ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
w
I would like acknowledge the following people for their help
and encouragement in the development of this product.
I would like to thank William S. Hawes the creator of ARexx,
ConMan & WShell for his assistance in freely and generously
providing his time and information on creating succcessful
handler code. His cooperation as well as the quality and
usefulness of his products has helped to encourage me to retain
a high quality standard for this product.
I would like to thank Software Distillery, particularly John
Toebes and Doug Walker for their articles in Amiga Transactor
magazine (Vol. 2 Iss. 2-3) dealing with filesystems. Although
most of my filesystem code was done by the time these articles
came out, I found their information useful in fine tuning it in
a few places.
I would like to thank my beta version testers for their time and
effort in the development of a robust product. Their bug
reports and suggestions have enhanced this product
significantly.
I would like to thank my wife for her love and support in this
venture. She has helped by quietly encourging me at times when
I could not "crack" the current code problem and being generally
patient with me.
Last but definitely not least, I thank my Lord, Savior and God
for giving me the wisdom and opportunity to create this
product. Without His wisdom, this product would not exist.
Thank you.
Leonard Poma; Author
C-1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 INTRODUCTION ................................... 1
1.1 Feature Summary ............................. 2
1.2 Hardware Requirements ....................... 3
1.3 Software Requirements ....................... 3
1.3.1 Minimum Files Needed .................... 3
1.4 Product Limitations ......................... 3
2 INSTALLATION ................................... 1
2.1 Backup Your Original Product Disk .............. 1
2.2 Installing the Software and MountList Parameters 1
2.3 Mounting a MS-DOS Device ...................... 1
2.4 MountList Example of a MS-DOS device ............ 2
2.5 Double Track Step Mode ........................ 5
3 SAMPLE SESSION .................................. 1
4 AmigaDOS COMPATIBILITY .......................... 1
4.1 File Naming Conventions ...................... 1
4.1.1 Invalid Characters ("FileName") ......... 1
4.1.2 File Name ("FileName") .................. 1
4.1.3 File Extension (".Ext") ................. 1
4.1.3.1 WorkBench Extension (".info") ...... 2
4.1.4 Root Name Qualifier (':') ................ 2
4.1.5 Volume Name ("Volume_Name") ............. 2
4.1.6 Directory Name Qualifiers ('/' or '\') ..... 2
4.2 File Filters ................................ 3
4.2.1 CTRL-M/CTRL-Z Filter (']') .............. 3
4.2.2 High Bit Filter ('[') .................... 3
4.3 Sensing Disk Changes ......................... 4
4.4 WorkBench Usage ............................. 4
5 FILE LIST ....................................... 1
5.1 MS-DOS File System Support Utilities ........... 1
5.1.1 "KILL" ................................ 1
5.1.2 "DISKCHK" ............................. 2
5.1.3 "MFORMAT" ............................. 2
5.1.4 "MDISKCOPY" ........................... 3
5.1.5 "TDPatch" ............................. 3
5.1.6 "CmpPATH" ............................. 4
A TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS .......................... 1
A.1 L:MSDOSFileSystem ........................... 1
A.2 DEVS:mfm.device ............................. 1
B MISCELLENEOUS SERVICES ............................ 1
I
B.1 Dealer and Distributor Quantity Discounts ....... 1
B.2 Licensing ................................... 1
B.3 Technical Support ............................ 1
C ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................. 1
II