From: dhinds@leland.Stanford.EDU (David Hinds) Subject: Re: How about a Linux kernel that uses the BIOS for harddrive I/O Date: Tue, 18 May 1993 05:04:49 GMT
In article <1t9job$6qf@cville-srv.wam.umd.edu> barspi@wam.umd.edu (Barzilai Spinak) writes:
>In article <1993May17.195311.22454@prime.mdata.fi> kennu@mits.mdata.fi (Kenneth Falck) writes:
>>In article <1t8l4k$48e@nwfocus.wa.com> ken@halcyon.com (Ken Pizzini) writes:
>>
>>This is an issue I've been wondering about... Provided that a hacker
>>knows the real mode and the protected mode rather thoroughly, would it
>>be possible to "rip off" the BIOS code, "convert" it to protected mode
>>code, and then use it as a device driver?
>>
>>Sorry if this sounds silly, I don't know much about the differences.
>>(There were some segment register differences at least, I think.) I
>>guess the converter program would have to be too A.I. to be practical.
>
> Wouldn't using the BIOS calls provide a more portable (though, not
> necessarily more efficient) system?
OS/2 include an Int13 driver for hard drive controllers that are not
supported with native OS/2 drivers. It seems to work well, without
much of a speed penalty. It uses virtual 8086 mode to call the BIOS
from protected mode.
- David Hinds
dhinds@allegro.stanford.edu