OS_ServiceCall &9F (DCI)

Is there any info on OS_ServiceCall &9F

Service number (DCI Protocol status)

Thanks

The Internet module issues it on Initialisation and Finalisation, and it appears to be a generalised way of announcing comings and goings of “protocols”

=> R0 = Module's workspace *or* workspace ptr
   R1 = &9F
   R2 = 0=Init, 1=Final
   R3 = &404 (dunno, version?)
   R4 = "Internet"

RO5’s is big and made of C, so slightly harder to grok, but it’s consistent about R0. RO4’s is made of assembly and easier to read, and it puts the wrong value in R0 for one of the two.

It’s documented in the DCI4 Functional Specification, but to get that you have to sign an NDA with ROOL which then restricts what you can do with the software you’ve written using that info.

I’ve some info here – but not sure where it came from :-(

It’s the R3=&404 thats the puzzle.

What I have here is :-
&404 DCI ver supported x 100 (eg 403 for v4.03)

Does it matter what version it is?

Presumably it does matter otherwise it wouldn’t change. According to TCPIPLibs.sys.h.dcistructs DCIVERSION is now 407.

See this post. The changes to dcistructs in cvs give some clues as to what has changed since that document. It looks like version 404 changed in dcistructs v4.10 – 15 years ago.

you have to sign an NDA

<sigh>

It looks like version 404 changed in dcistructs v4.10 – 15 years ago.

Sorry I wasn’t clearer, I was looking at the Internet from 4.39. I glanced over the current module to confirm it was broadly similar.

Looking at ShareFS and Freeway, it’s the protocol name (“Internet”) that is checked, not the version number.

This is about VRPC ‘Internet’ module.

The number is so other programs calling the ‘Internet’ module – can find out what protocol’s it can handle!

It seems when the Internet module is loaded – RO5 resolver needs to be *RMReInit.

Should that be required?

Not sure why VRPC needs its own Resolver module – the RO5 one seems to work ok.

Another puzzle – with VRPC-DL running – when Windows is closed down – and then restarted – the WiFi does not restart – until VRPC is closed down and restarted.

Should that be correct?

Not sure why VRPC needs its own Resolver module – the RO5 one seems to work ok.

Perhaps the VRPC one uses some sort of optimisation to let it ask the host directly, where the RO5 one does it the usual way?

VRPC’s Resolver is a Podule Module that acts as a thin veneer to Windows-side code.

when Windows is closed down – and then restarted – the WiFi does not restart – until VRPC is closed down and restarted.

How can you close Windows down while still running VRPC? Confused.

Alt Enter – VRPC into window – click on ‘Start’ on ‘Icon Bar’ or whatever it is called.
Shutdown-Hiberate.

Alt Enter – VRPC into window – click on ‘Start’ on ‘Icon Bar’ or whatever it is called.
Shutdown-Hiberate.

On laptops there’s normally a straight from the keyboard key-pair setup:
Dell Latitude ES470 = Fn-Insert,
Dell Latitude Es6410 = Fn-F1

Entertainingly that hibernate combo when logged in to the forum will (mostly) leave the session working when the resume from hibernate is done but not 100% so the question is does the VRPC module always fail or is it inconsistent?

Here F3 has a picture on it (—> [pic of ram])
and F4 a picture (—> lump of round cheese)

FN & F3 seems to take me to Hiberate. (wifi keeps searching) when back on.

FN &F1 pic of lock – login screen (VRPC come back ok from here)

*rmkill ‘Internet’ & ‘Resolver’ modules – makes no difference.

Colin clarified

Hibernate

Ah, quite. Hibernate is not shutdown.

Not sure whether this will make a difference on your version of Windows, but go to Control Panel, start Device Manager, expand the Network adapters, right-click on your adapter and choose Properties, go to the Power Management tab and switch off Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.

Perhaps that will make a difference, but it may not (switch it back on if not). Regardless, it’s the emulator at fault, not the RISC OS modules.

but go to Control Panel, start Device Manager, expand the Network adapters, right-click on your adapter and choose Properties, go to the Power Management tab and switch off Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.

I’ve found so many instances where that causes problems¹ that I tend to just routinely turn it off on every machine. That’s problems with various Windows software and no connection to RO at all, so one more bit of windowsware having issues surrounding that feature wouldn’t surprise me.

¹ Probably the most significant was a LINAC sequencer to LINAC link that saw the low traffic as an excuse to mess around with the NIC status, which the LINAC saw as a reason to shutdown a treatment session. It ain’t remotely fun being a patient in one of those things and something interrupting the treatment several times and causing a re-plan, plot and restart² doesn’t add to the experience in a positive manner. Disable the feature and control problem cured. I believe the manufacturers now have that disablement in their standard install.

Tried that – still didn’t seem to work.
Maybe just chance – but seemed to see a lot of Black Screen with VRPC-DL – something about ‘not finding its primary interface’ and having to quit.

The ‘internet/dll’ (17 Jul 2004 – 44k) companion to the ‘Internet’ might have something to do with the stopping of ‘WiFi’ reconecting?

Note info about ‘internet/dll’ comes from Hostfs (HardDisc_C)

I suspect VRPC is opening a socket and not expecting it could ever be closed.

HostFS has a similar problem with open files – all my HostFS mounts are Google Drive folders, which means as soon as I save a file in RISC OS, it gets uploaded to the cloud, synced with other devices, and there’s simple version control available too.

Unfortunately, if I try and save to the same file again whilst Drive is still uploading it, HostFS reports “Open file”, gets stuck, and can never access the file again – I have to quit and restart (happens a lot when updating StrongHelp files). Because of that I usually pause Drive while using VRPC (it did not originally behave like this, Google changed something).

I’m currently tweaking HostFS (again) to support more than 8 mounts… which suggests I’m probably using it in an unusual way.

I’m using ‘HostFs’ module from RedSquirrel with VRPC-DL – since I had already 32bitted it.

I did notice that in there was a ORR PC,R14,#&10000000 ie no ‘S’.

So is that in your version of ‘HostFs’ ?

Google changed something

Hmm, I notice Google Docs sometimes gets “stuck” uploading a document. Killing the task and restarting tends to fix it, but it’s pretty annoying when Docs is unable to print from a locally held copy of the document but must pull it from the mothership (and if the document hasn’t been fully synced, it pulls an out of date copy even after Docs says all changes synced).
Pffft.

Also did note – that if the ‘WiFi’ is turned off – Hardware switch – with VRPC-DL running – when switched on again – ‘WiFi’ just hunts – until you quit VRPC-DL.

but it’s pretty annoying when Docs is unable to print from a locally held copy of the document but must pull it from the mothership (and if the document hasn’t been fully synced, it pulls an out of date copy even after Docs says all changes synced).
Pffft.

“Your data is safe in the cloud”
Yeah. I’ve got pixies down the garden¹ – you do believe me don’t you?

On topic – I go with nemo’s suggestion that the RO end opens a socket and never sees a reason to close it and open a new one. I’d imagine it makes sod all difference whether the installed OS is 4.02, 4.39, 4.39-with a different label,or RO5.24 as the antique nature of the basic stack means a reset on up/down of the “physical” NIC won’t guarantee things all resetting.

Maybe on the new stack…?

¹ Actually, even though it’s incredibly small there’s that much untended growth the only thing stopping a complete colony of almost anything moving in is the complete set of three felines that think anything smaller than them is lunch.

So is that in your version of HostFS?

Different icons for each drive, different colour light if shared, Share and Free on menu, save to root by dragging to icons, up to 16 mounts… something else I’ve forgotten.

I haven’t made a 32bit version but it would be straightforward.

“Your data is safe in the cloud”

Google Drive protected my entire life’s work when every other backup failed. For which I have paid them not one single penny. I shall not hear a word against our military-robot-building Turing-Test-beating AI-cat-fancying benign overlords.