🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Jul26.150420.3389@rock.concert.net> rls@.wedge.nt.com (Robert L. Smith) writes:
>
>    I've been using OS2/2.0 for a month or so, on a '386DX with two
>hard drives, and get the impression that OS2 does nothing else --
>i.e., suspends multitasking -- while a hard disk operation is in
>progress.  If true, the reason may be that OS2 must poll the hard
>drive adapter to detect completion.  One piece of evidence for this
>conclusion (among others) is that a simple disk-to-disk copy operation
>in one partition disrupts a 9600-baud com transfer controlled by
>another.
>    The hard disk adapter on my machine is SCSI.  It contains posts
>for a jumper, presently missing, to enable interrupts for operation
>complete.  Can anyone say whether or not OS2/2.0 is capable of using
>the hard disk interrupt?  Is there a mode whereby the OS allows non-
>disk activities to proceed while disk-I/O is outstanding and depends
>upon the interrupt to recover the disk-bound thread?  If so the
>benefits are obvious and I'd like to take advantage of them.
>
>Regards, rLs

OS/2 most certainly uses hard disk interrupts, but only if it has
a native device driver.  If your SCSI board doesn't have a native 
OS/2 driver, OS/2 must use the generic INT 13 BIOS interface which
does not use interrupts.  OS/2 ships with native drivers for Adaptec
and Future Domain SCSI (and IBM, of course).
-- 

==============================================================================
Jeff Cohen         | Standard disclaimer:  My views are my own and may or may
jeffc@netcom.com   |                       not represent the views of IBM.
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