Re: ProDOS, IIgs and large RAM disks.

[Dennis Jenkins <dennis@usb.com>]

Greg Buchner wrote:
> 
> >       In my IIgs, I can set the min/max size of a ram disk.  I have 1024K of
> > ram available for a ram disk.  However, ProDOS 8 v1.9 will only us 64K.
> > I have been reading about the prodos /RAM disk in a few books.  Yeah.
> > However, is there a block driver available that will allow 8 bit prodos
> > to use all the extra IIgs ram as a ram disk?
> 
> There are two RAM disks available on a IIGS under ProDOS8.  The one that
> comes up in what would be the Aux RAM part of a //e which is 64K and the
> IIGS RAM which comes up as /RAM5 which is usually found at S5, D2 unless
> you set it to be the boot drive at which point it becomes S5, D1.
> 
> The 64K Aux /RAM (S3, D2) is there for compatibility, the /RAM5 is there
> to allow you to make use of the IIGS RAM under P8 as a disk drive.

Ah.
	I think that on my system that both are called "/RAM".  When I try to
quit 'ZLINK', I have to hit 'tab' to select a root prefix to search to
valid .SYS files.  "/RAM" appears twice.  I know that, technically,
prodos will disallow two of the same volumes to be mounted with the same
name, but when you force prodos to do this, it  returns an error  ($5a I
think).  I just got a book about it last night, so I'm still reading...

	If this is indeed the case, then why would prodos name them both
"/RAM"?  

	The first time "GET_ONLINE" MLI is called, both are returned, but any
time after the first call to "GET_ONLINE" only one /RAM appears
(s3,d2).  

	I am currently writing CC65 wrappers around all of the prodos MLI
calls.  Once I complete this, I will explore my ram drives...

-- 
dennis@usb.com                           Universal Savings Bank.

The three most dangerous things are a programmer with a soldering
iron, a manager who codes, and a user who gets ideas.