Introduction
This page contains links to reference material that has been used in the
development of PHOBOS. It is useful, and sometimes essential, in
understanding how and why something is done in a particular way.
General documents
This section contains various documents that provide background
technical information, or that explain some particular aspect of the
hardware or software.
| Description |
Link |
|
This is a document, written by Bob Eager,
which describes and explains the format of DOS .EXE files.
This format is used for compiled programs in PHOBOS, and indeed for the
PHOBOS kernel itself. |
exeformat.html |
|
This is the PC-DOS 7.0 Technical Update,
a technical reference document which applies equally to MS-DOS
and PC-DOS. It contains details of disk data structures, as well as full
details of all system calls (including direct disk access). Only some
of the information is relevant to PHOBOS. |
gg244459.pdf |
|
This is a document, written by Bob Eager,
which is a tutorial on the inner workings of the FAT file system.
This format is currently used for disks in PHOBOS. |
fat.html |
Data sheets
This section contains copies of hardware data sheets. In the main, these
are for integrated circuits that are no longer used, but because
equivalent (and compatible) functionality is provided by modern
chipsets, they provide a good source of programming information.
| Description |
Link |
|
This is the actual Intel data sheet on the Intel 8259a interrupt
controller chip. Although this chip is no longer used, its functionality
is included in all modern chipsets. This is useful for checking obscure
points not covered by some reference books. |
8259.pdf |
|
This is the actual Intel data sheet on the 82C54, a later version of the
8253 timer chip. The functionality of this chip is included in most
modern chipsets. |
82c54.pdf |
|
This is the actual Intel data sheet on the 8237a, a later version of the
8237 Direct Memory Access (DMA) chip. The functionality of this chip is
included in most modern chipsets. |
8237.pdf |
|
This is the actual Motorola data sheet on the MC6845 video controller.
This is the chip on which all later video controller chips are based, so
all basic functions are described here. |
mc6845.pdf |
|
This is the actual Intel data sheet on the 82077 diskette controller
chip, successor to the 8272 chip used in early PCs. Although neither
chip is used any more, its functionality is included in all modern
chipsets. This is useful for checking obscure points not covered by some
reference books. A data sheet on the broadly similar NEC μPD765 chip
is also useful. |
82077.pdf |
Books
These books are useful for technical and background information.
-
Operating Systems: Design and Implementation, by Andrew S. Tanenbaum, published by Prentice-Hall,
ISBN 0136373313.
- This is the book on Minix. Look at sections 2.2.8 and 2.5.3. for information about message passing.
There is a link
here to the entry on Amazon; you may find it hard to search for as they have spelled his name wrong!
There are also other editions.
-
The Indispensable PC Hardware Book, by Hans-Peter Messmer,
published by Addison Wesley. ISBN 0201596164.
- This is a useful technical reference, despite a number of misprints.
There is a link here
to the entry on Amazon.
|
