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annotate docs/nitros9guide/chap1.chapter @ 1011:cc153d1671f7
Updated for new manuals
| author | boisy |
|---|---|
| date | Tue, 04 Mar 2003 15:11:34 +0000 |
| parents | 525b12e17d60 |
| children | d9ed9d44b70c |
| rev | line source |
|---|---|
| 144 | 1 <chapter> |
| 2 <title>Getting Started...</title> | |
| 3 | |
| 4 <section> | |
| 5 <title>What You Need to Run OS-9</title> | |
| 6 <para> | |
| 1011 | 7 &os9level &os9version has been tailored to run on the &make;. To use it you'll need the following things: |
| 144 | 8 </para> |
| 9 <itemizedlist mark="bullet"> | |
| 1011 | 10 <listitem><para>A &minmem &make; </para></listitem> |
| 11 <listitem><para>A Disk Drive With Contoller Cartridge</para></listitem> | |
| 12 <listitem><para>An OS-9 &make; System Disk</para></listitem> | |
| 144 | 13 </itemizedlist> |
| 14 <para> | |
| 15 OS-9 is also ready to use the following optional equipment that you | |
| 16 may have now or may obtain in the future: | |
| 17 </para> | |
| 18 <itemizedlist mark="bullet"> | |
| 1011 | 19 <listitem><para>Additional Floppy Disk Drives</para></listitem> |
| 20 <listitem><para>SCSI or IDE Hard Drives</para></listitem> | |
| 21 <listitem><para>Printers and Serial Ports</para></listitem> | |
| 144 | 22 <listitem><para>Game Joysticks</para></listitem> |
| 23 <listitem><para>Other OS-9 Compatible Languages and Software</para></listitem> | |
| 24 </itemizedlist> | |
| 25 | |
| 26 <section> | |
| 27 <title>Starting the System</title> | |
| 28 <para> | |
| 29 To start up OS-9 follow these steps: | |
| 30 | |
| 31 <orderedlist numeration="arabic"> | |
| 1011 | 32 <listitem><para>Turn the &make; and disk drive(s) on. You should see |
| 33 the usual BASIC greeting message on the screen.</para></listitem> | |
| 144 | 34 |
| 35 <listitem><para>Insert the OS-9 System Disk in drive zero and close the door.</para></listitem> | |
| 36 | |
| 1011 | 37 <listitem><para>Type "&DOSCMD". After a few seconds of disk activity you should |
| 38 see a screen with the words "OS9 BOOT".</para></listitem> | |
| 144 | 39 |
| 40 <listitem><para>OS-9 will then begin | |
| 41 its "bootstrap" loading process, which | |
| 42 involves ten to twenty seconds of disk activity. When the system | |
| 1011 | 43 startup has finished, a message followed by the shell prompt will be |
| 144 | 44 displayed.</para></listitem> |
| 45 </orderedlist> | |
| 46 </para> | |
| 47 </section> | |
| 48 | |
| 49 <section> | |
| 50 <title>In Case You Have Problems Starting OS-9</title> | |
| 51 <itemizedlist> | |
| 1011 | 52 <listitem><para>If BASIC gives an error message after you |
| 53 type "&DOSCMD", remove the | |
| 144 | 54 disk, turn the computer off and on, then try again. If this |
| 55 repeatedly fails your OS-9 diskette may be bad.</para></listitem> | |
| 56 | |
| 57 <listitem><para>Did you remember to turn the disk drive power switch on?</para></listitem> | |
| 58 | |
| 1011 | 59 <listitem><para>Does your &make; have &minmem RAM? This is a must!</para></listitem> |
| 144 | 60 |
| 1011 | 61 <listitem><para>If your &make; doesn't seem to understand the &DOSCMD command, your controller has DOS 1.0. You will need to upgrade to |
| 62 DOS 1.1.</para></listitem> | |
| 144 | 63 |
| 1011 | 64 <listitem><para>If the "OS9 BOOT message is displayed but nothing else happens, |
| 144 | 65 you may have a corrupted system disk. Hopefully you did make a |
| 66 backup!</para></listitem> | |
| 67 </itemizedlist> | |
| 68 </section> | |
| 69 | |
| 70 <section> | |
| 71 <title>A Quick Introduction to the Use of the Keyboard and Disks</title> | |
| 72 <para> | |
| 73 For now, the only special keys on the keyboard of interest are | |
| 74 the SHIFT key which works like a typewriter shift key; the ENTER key | |
| 75 which you always use after typing a command or response to OS-9; and | |
| 76 the <- left arrow key which you can use to erase typing mistakes. | |
| 77 </para> | |
| 78 <para> | |
| 79 Your main disk drive is known to to OS-9 as "/D0" and is often | |
| 80 called "drive zero". If you have a second disk drive (drive one), | |
| 81 OS-9 recognizes it as "/D1". Why would anybody put a "/" in a name? | |
| 82 Because all input and output devices have names like files, and | |
| 83 names that start with "/" are always device names. | |
| 84 </para> | |
| 85 </section> | |
| 86 | |
| 87 <section> | |
| 88 <title>Initial Explorations</title> | |
| 89 <para> | |
| 90 When OS-9 first starts up, it will display a welcoming message, | |
| 91 and then ask you to enter the date and time. This allows OS-9 to | |
| 92 keep track of the date and time of creation of new files and disks. | |
| 93 Enter the current date and time in the format requested like this: | |
| 94 <screen> | |
| 1011 | 95 yyyy/mm/dd hh:mm:ss |
| 96 Time? 2003 03 01 14 20 | |
| 144 | 97 </screen> |
| 1011 | 98 In the example above, the date entered was March 1, 2003. OS-9 |
| 144 | 99 uses 24-hour time so the date entered was 1420 hours or 2:20 PM. |
| 1011 | 100 Next, OS-9 will print the shell prompt to let you know it is ready |
| 144 | 101 for you to type in a command. |
| 102 </para> | |
| 103 <para> | |
| 104 Now you're ready to try some commands. A good first command to | |
| 105 try is DIR (for "<emphasis>dir</emphasis>ectory"). | |
| 106 This will display a list of the files | |
| 107 on the System Disk. Just type: | |
| 108 <screen> | |
| 109 dir | |
| 110 </screen> | |
| 111 followed by a "return". OS-9 should respond with a listing of file | |
| 112 names which should look something like this: | |
| 113 <screen> | |
| 114 OS9Boot startup CMDS SYS DEFS | |
| 115 </screen> | |
| 1011 | 116 The file "OS9Boot" contains the OS-9 program in &CPU machine |
| 144 | 117 language, which was loaded into memory during the bootstrap |
| 118 operation. | |
| 119 </para> | |
| 120 <para> | |
| 121 The file "startup" is a "command file" which is automatically run | |
| 122 when the system starts up, and has the commands that printed the | |
| 123 welcoming message and asked for the time. Later, You may want to | |
| 124 replace this startup file with your own customized version after you | |
| 125 are more familiar with OS-9. Do you want to see the contents of | |
| 126 this file? If so, just type | |
| 127 <screen> | |
| 128 list startup | |
| 129 </screen> | |
| 130 As you can see, the LIST command displays the contents of files | |
| 131 that contain text (alphabetic characters). Some files like the | |
| 132 "OS9Boot" file contain binary data such as machine language | |
| 133 programs. These files are called "binary files", and attempts to | |
| 134 list them will result in a jumbled, meaningless display. On the | |
| 135 other hand, OS-9 will complain mightily if you try to run a text | |
| 136 file as a program! | |
| 137 </para> | |
| 138 <para> | |
| 139 As you may have surmised by now, the way you ask OS-9 to run a | |
| 140 program or command (they're really the same thing) is to simply type | |
| 141 its name. Some commands like LIST require one or more names of | |
| 142 files or options. If so, they are typed on the same line using | |
| 143 spaces to separate each item. | |
| 144 </para> | |
| 145 <para> | |
| 146 But where did the LIST and DIR programs come from? There are | |
| 147 really more files on the disk than you suspect. The DIR command | |
| 148 showed you what is the disk's | |
| 149 <emphasis>root directory</emphasis> - so named because the | |
| 150 OS-9 filing system resembles a tree. Growing out of the root | |
| 151 directory are three "branches" - files which are additional | |
| 152 directories of file names instead of programs or data. They in turn | |
| 153 can have even more "branches" - ad infinitum. If you draw a map on | |
| 154 paper of how this works it does look like a tree. | |
| 155 </para> | |
| 156 <para> | |
| 157 The directory files on your system disk are called "CMDS", | |
| 158 "SYS", and "DEFS". | |
| 159 The file "CMDS" is a directory that consists of | |
| 160 all the system commands such as DIR, LIST, FORMAT, etc. To see the | |
| 161 files contained in this directory, enter: | |
| 162 <screen> | |
| 1011 | 163 dir cmds |
| 144 | 164 </screen> |
| 165 which tells DIR to show files on the directory file CMDS instead | |
| 166 of the root directory. After you type this you should see a long | |
| 167 list of file names. These are the complete set of command programs | |
| 168 that come with OS-9 and perform a myriad of functions. Chapter | |
| 169 Seven explains each one in detail. The DIR command also has a handy | |
| 170 option to display the CMDS directory with less typing: | |
| 171 <screen> | |
| 1011 | 172 dir -x |
| 144 | 173 </screen> |
| 174 Whenever you want a list of available commands you can use this so | |
| 175 you don't have to look it up in the book. The DIR command has | |
| 1011 | 176 options which can give you more detailed information about each file. |
| 144 | 177 </para> |
| 178 </section> | |
| 179 </section> | |
| 180 <section> | |
| 181 <title>Making a Backup of the System Disk</title> | |
| 182 <para> | |
| 183 Before getting too much more involved in further experimentation, | |
| 184 NOW is the time to make one or more exact copies of your System Disk | |
| 185 in case some misfortune befalls your one and only master System | |
| 186 Disk. Making a backup involves two steps: formatting a blank disk | |
| 187 and running a backup program. | |
| 188 </para> | |
| 189 <section> | |
| 190 <title>Formatting Blank Disks</title> | |
| 191 <para> | |
| 192 Before the actual backup procedure can be done (or any fresh | |
| 193 diskette is used for any purpose), the blank disk which is to become | |
| 194 the backup disk must be initialized by OS-9's FORMAT command. | |
| 195 </para> | |
| 196 <para> | |
| 197 IF YOU HAVE ONLY ONE DISK DRIVE you have to be extra careful not to | |
| 198 accidentally FORMAT your system disk. Type: | |
| 199 | |
| 200 <screen> | |
| 1011 | 201 format /d0 |
| 144 | 202 </screen> |
| 203 | |
| 204 and when you see the message | |
| 205 | |
| 206 <screen> | |
| 1011 | 207 COLOR COMPUTER FORMATTER |
| 144 | 208 FORMAT DRIVE /D0 |
| 209 Y (YES) OR N (NO) | |
| 1011 | 210 Ready? |
| 144 | 211 </screen> |
| 212 | |
| 213 immediately remove your system disk and insert a blank disk | |
| 214 <emphasis>before</emphasis> you type "Y". | |
| 215 | |
| 216 IF YOU HAVE TWO DISK DRIVES place the blank disk in drive one and | |
| 217 type: | |
| 218 </para> | |
| 219 <screen> | |
| 220 FORMAT /D1 | |
| 221 </screen> | |
| 222 <para> | |
| 223 WHEN THE BLANK DISK IS IN THE RIGHT PLACE, type "Y", then "ENTER". | |
| 224 This initiates the formatting process. IF THE CORRECT DEVICE NAME | |
| 225 (/D1) IS NOT DISPLAYED: TYPE N RIGHT NOW and start over, OR YOU | |
| 226 MAY ERASE your System Disk. | |
| 227 </para> | |
| 228 <para> | |
| 229 When you are asked for a disk name, type any letter, then ENTER. | |
| 230 The name you give is not important. If you have only one drive, | |
| 231 replace the system disk after the FORMAT program has finished. If | |
| 232 the FORMAT program reported any errors, try again. Disks used for | |
| 233 backups can't have any errors. You're now ready to run the BACKUP | |
| 234 program. | |
| 235 </para> | |
| 236 <para> | |
| 237 It takes several minutes for the FORMAT program to run. During | |
| 238 its second phase the hexadecimal number of each track will be | |
| 239 displayed as it is checked for bad sectors. If any are found an | |
| 240 error message for each bad sector is given. | |
| 241 </para> | |
| 242 </section> | |
| 243 | |
| 244 <section> | |
| 245 <title>Running the Backup Program</title> | |
| 246 <para> | |
| 247 The BACKUP program makes an exact duplicate of a disk. It can be | |
| 248 used even if you only have one disk drive. | |
| 249 </para> | |
| 250 <para> | |
| 251 IF YOU HAVE ONE DRIVE type | |
| 252 </para> | |
| 253 <screen> | |
| 1011 | 254 backup /d0 #32k |
| 144 | 255 </screen> |
| 256 <para> | |
| 257 The BACKUP program will prompt you to alternately insert the source | |
| 258 disk (the system disk) and the destination disk (the freshly | |
| 259 formatted disk). | |
| 260 </para> | |
| 261 <para> | |
| 262 IF YOU HAVE TWO DRIVES type | |
| 263 </para> | |
| 264 <screen> | |
| 1011 | 265 backup #32K |
| 144 | 266 </screen> |
| 267 <para> | |
| 268 | |
| 269 The BACKUP program will respond with | |
| 270 </para> | |
| 271 <screen> | |
| 272 Ready to BACKUP from /D0 to /D0 (or /D1) ? | |
| 273 </screen> | |
| 274 <para> | |
| 275 Now enter Y for yes. It will then ask: | |
| 276 </para> | |
| 277 <screen> | |
| 1011 | 278 X is being scratched |
| 144 | 279 OK ?: |
| 280 </screen> | |
| 281 <para> | |
| 282 Answer "Y" for yes again, and the BACKUP process should begin. | |
| 283 </para> | |
| 284 <para> | |
| 285 The BACKUP command has two phases: the first phase copies | |
| 286 everything from drive zero to drive one checking for errors while | |
| 287 reading from the master but not for "write" errors. The second | |
| 288 phase is the "verify" pass which makes sure everything was copied | |
| 289 onto the new disk correctly. If any errors are reported during the | |
| 290 first (copy) pass, there is a problem with the master disk or its | |
| 291 drive. If errors occur during the second (verify) pass, there is a | |
| 292 problem with the new disk and the BACKUP program should be run | |
| 293 again. If BACKUP repeatedly fails on the second pass, reformat the | |
| 294 disk and try to BACKUP again. If BACKUP fails again, the disk is | |
| 295 physically defective. | |
| 296 </para> | |
| 297 <para> | |
|
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298 After you have made your backup disk, try turning the &make; |
| 1011 | 299 off and restarting the system with the copy you just made. |
| 144 | 300 If it works OK, store it in a safe place in case it is needed later. |
| 301 You should always have a backup copy of your system disk and all | |
| 302 other important disks. | |
| 303 </para> | |
| 304 </section> | |
| 305 </section> | |
| 306 </chapter> |