Foenix Kernel Documentation

Foenix Kernel Documentation

Kernel Essentials

Source Code: https://github.com/Trinity-11/Kernel_FMX

The Foenix Kernel resides in bank $19 (U) or bank $39 (U+/FMX) of the system RAM. It provides for the initialization of the hardware and a certain minimalist level of access to the hardware. Kernel routines are called through a kernel jump table that starts at $00:1000. All kernel routines must be called using the JSL instruction (long, or 24-bit subroutine call), since they all terminate with an RTL. This allows the kernel routines to be called from anywhere in system memory.

Kernel Calls

Name	Address	Description
BOOT	$00:1000	Cold boot routine
PUTC	$00:1018	Print a character to the currently selected channel. [See ANSI Support for more details.] Register Width Contents A 8 ASCII code of the character to print
PUTS	$00:101C	Print a null-terminated ASCII string to the currently selected channel Register Width Contents B 8 Bank containing the data to print X 16 Address within that bank of the first character to print
GETSCANCODE	$00:1028	[v0.4] Get the next scancode from the keyboard (A = scancode, 0 if none available). See C256 Keyboard for details.
GETLOCKS	$00:102C	[v0.4] Get the state of the lock keys on the keyboard (A[2] = CAPS, A[1] = NUM, A[0] = SCROLL). See C256 Keyboard for details.
SETIN	$00:1038	Set the current input channel used by the GET subroutines Register Width Contents A 8 Input channel to use 0 = Keyboard 1 = COM1 (external serial) 2 = COM2 (internal serial)
SETOUT	$00:103C	Set the current output channel used by the PUT subroutines Register Width Contents A 8 Input channel to use 0 = Screen 1 = COM1 (external serial) 2 = COM2 (internal serial) 4 = EVID video expansion card (if present)
GETCH	$00:1048	Get a character from the input channel. A=0 and Carry=1 if no data is waiting.
GETCHW	$00:104C	Get a character from the input channel. Waits until data received. A=0 and Carry=1 if no data is waiting
GETCHE	$00:1050	Get a character from the input channel and echo to the screen. Wait if data is not ready.
PRINTCR	$00:106C	Print Carriage Return
PRINTH	$00:1078	Print hex value in memory. Register Width Contents B 8 Bank containing the data to print X 16 Address within that bank of the last byte to print Y 16 Number of bytes to print
PRINTAH	$00:1080	Prints hex value in A. Printed value is 2 wide if M flag is 1, 4 wide if M
LOCATE	$00:1084	Move the cursor to a new position on the screen. Register Width Contents X 16 The column for the cursor Y 16 The row for the cursor
CSRRIGHT	$00:1090	Move the cursor one position to the right
CSRLEFT	$00:1094	Move the cursor one position to the left
CSRUP	$00:1098	Move the cursor up one row
CSRDOWN	$00:109C	Move the cursor down one row
CSRHOME	$00:10A0	Move the cursor to the upper-left corner
SCROLLUP	$00:10A4	Scroll the screen up one line. Creates an empty line at the bottom.
SETSIZES	$00:112C	Recompute the size of the text screen given the current screen resolution and border size. This should be called whenever the screen size changes but text mode is being used so that the kernel's text routines work properly.
CLRSCREEN	$00:10B0	Clear the screen
INITCHLUT	$00:10B4	Init character look-up table
INITSUPERIO	$00:10B8	Init Super-IO chip
INITKEYBOARD	$00:10BC	Init keyboard
INITRTC	$00:10C0	Init Real-Time Clock
INITCURSOR	$00:10C4	Init the Cursors registers
INITFONTSET	$00:10C8	Init the Internal FONT Memory
INITGAMMATABLE	$00:10CC	Init the RGB GAMMA Look Up Table
INITALLLUT	$00:10D0	Init the Graphic Engine (Bitmap/Tile/Sprites) LUT
INITVKYTXTMODE	$00:10D4	Init the Text Mode @ Reset Time
INITVKYGRPMODE	$00:10D8	Init the Basic Registers for the Graphic Mode
F_OPEN	$00:10F0	Open a file for reading/writing. DOS_FD_PTR points to a file descriptor for the file.
F_CREATE	$00:10F4	Create a new file and write its first cluster. DOS_FD_PTR points to a file descriptor for the file.
F_CLOSE	$00:10F8	Close a file (make sure last cluster is written). DOS_FD_PTR points to a file descriptor for the file.
F_WRITE	$00:10FC	Write the current cluster to the file. DOS_FD_PTR points to a file descriptor for the file.
F_READ	$00:1100	Read the next cluster from the file. DOS_FD_PTR points to a file descriptor for the file.
F_DELETE	$00:1104	Delete a file / directory. DOS_PATH_BUFF = a buffer containing the full path to the file (NULL terminated).
F_DIROPEN	$00:1108	Open a directory and seek the first directory entry. NOTE: currently only works with the root directory. Variable Direction Contents DOS_FD_PTR IN Points to a file descriptor for the path to lookup. NOTE: currently unused. DOS_DIR_PTR OUT Pointer to the first FAT directory entry in that directory.
F_DIRNEXT	$00:110C	seek to the next directory of an open directory Variable Direction Contents DOS_DIR_PTR IN Pointer to the current FAT directory entry. DOS_DIR_PTR OUT Pointer to the next FAT directory entry.
F_DIRREAD	$00:1110	Read the directory entry for the specified file Variable Direction Contents DOS_PATH_BUFF IN The buffer containing the path to the file to lookup. DOS_DIR_PTR OUT Pointer to the FAT directory entry for that file.
F_DIRWRITE	$00:1114	Write any changes in the current directory cluster back to the drive
F_LOAD	$00:1118	load a binary file into memory, supports multiple file formats Variable Contents DOS_FD_PTR Points to a file descriptor for the file to lookup. DOS_DST_PTR Pointer to the location to load the file (any value > $3F:FFFF to load the file where the file specifies).
F_SAVE	$00:111C	Save memory to a binary file Variable Contents DOS_FD_PTR Points to a file descriptor for the file to create. DOS_SRC_PTR Address of the first byte to save. DOS_END_PTR Address of the last byte to save.
CMDBLOCK	$00:1120	Send a command to a block device. Variable Contents BIOS_DEV The target device X The number of the command to send. Command numbers are device dependent, but typical examples are: 1 = Turn on spindle motor, 2 = Turn off spindle motor, 3 = Recalibrate.
F_RUN	$00:1124	Load and run an executable binary file from a block device. DOS_RUN_PARAMS is a pointer to the ASCIIZ string specifying the path of the file to execute and any parameters to it.
F_MOUNT	$00:1128	Mount the designated block device. BIOS_DEV is the device number to mount.
F_COPY	$00:1130	Copy a file. DOS_STR1_PTR is the path of the source file to copy. DOS_STR2_PTR is the path of the destination.
F_ALLOCFD	$00:1134	Allocate a file descriptor from the kernel. DOS_FD_PTR will point to the file descriptor allocated, if one is available. There is a limit of 8 file descriptors that can be allocated at any one time.
F_FREEFD	$00:1138	Return a file descriptor to the kernel. DOS_FD_PTR points to the file descriptor to return to the kernel. It must have been allocated previously through F_ALLOCFD.
TESTBREAK	$00:113C	[v0.4] Check if BREAK was pressed recently by the user (C is set if true, clear if false)
SETTABLE	$00:1140	[v0.4] Set the keyboard scan code -> character translation tables (B:X points to the new tables). See C256 Keyboard for details.
READVRAM	$00:1144	[v0.4] Read a byte from video RAM at B:X. Result in A. C clear on success, set on failure (timeout).
SETHANDLER	$00:1148	[v0.4] Set the handler for the interrupt # in A (A[7..4] = block number, A[3..0] = interrupt) to the FAR routine at Y:X
DELAY	$00:114C	[v0.4] Wait at least Y:X ticks of the system clock.

DOS Calling Conventions

The DOS file routines use several variables to communicate with the calling program. All DOS routines will return with the carry bit set on success. If the routine was unable to complete successfully or needs to return a negative condition, the carry bit will be clear and DOS_STATUS and BIOS_STATUS variables may contain non-zero status codes describing the nature of the failure.

Variable	Address	Width (bytes)	Purpose
DOS_FD_PTR	$00:0340	4	A pointer to a file descriptor structure (defined below).
DOS_PATH_BUFF	$00:0400	256	A buffer space for storing a path to a file or directory.
DOS_DIR_PTR	$00:0338	4	A pointer to a directory entry. The layout of the entry is identical to that used in the FAT file system.
DOS_DST_PTR	$00:0354	4	A pointer to a block of memory to be filled from the disk.
DOS_SRC_PTR	$00:0350	4	A pointer to a block of memory to write to disk.
DOS_END_PTR	$00:0358	4	A pointer to the last byte of a block of memory.
DOS_STATUS	$00:032E	1	A status code for DOS operations. $00 = success
BIOS_STATUS	$00:0320	1	A status code for sector level operations. $00 = success

File Descriptor

Most DOS subroutines take a pointer to a file descriptor as an argument. This file descriptor contains several elements needed to manage a file, including the buffer containing the current cluster of the file:

Name	Offset	Width (bytes)	Purpose
STATUS	0	1	A special status byte containing information about the file's state Name Value Purpose FD_STAT_READ $01 The file is open for reading FD_STAT_WRITE $02 The file is open for writing FD_STAT_OPEN $40 The file is open. FD_STAT_ERROR $60 There is an error with the file. FD_STAT_EOF $80 The file is being read and has reach the end of the file.
DEV	1	1	A byte containing the device number for the file (should not be modified by the user program).
PATH	2	4	A pointer to a null-terminated string containing the path to the file. Set by the user program.
CLUSTER	6	4	The ID of the current cluster being read or written. Usually set by DOS.
FIRST_CLUSTER	10	4	The ID of the first cluster of the file. Usually set by DOS.
BUFFER	14	4	Pointer to the buffer containing a cluster's worth of data. Provided by the user program. Used by DOS to read or write the disk.
SIZE	18	4	The size of the file in bytes.
CREATE_DATE	22	2	The creation date in the same format as used by FAT.
CREATE_TIME	24	2	The creation time in the same format as used by FAT.
MODIFIED_DATE	26	2	The modification date in the same format as used by FAT.
MODIFIED_TIME	28	2	The modification time in the same format as used by FAT.

Interrupt Jump Table

The kernel provides a jump table for interrupt handler support. When an interrupt is triggered of any particular type, the kernel interrupt handler will jump to the vector for that interrupt. The vector should point to a subroutine that returns to the caller through an RTL instruction. Each vector entry is four bytes long. The first byte is a JML opcode. The next three bytes are the long (24-bit) address of the interrupt handler routine. Currently, the kernel only supports a few interrupts in this manner. All system interrupts will eventually have an entry in this table.

A program needing to take control of one of these interrupts can replace the 24-bit address of the appropriate jump table entry (with interrupts disabled). It is recommended to save the previous value and restore it before quitting. As of v0.4, the kernel includes a convenience routine SETHANDLER which will set the vector to an address provided. The vector is specified in Y:X (Y contains the bank of the handler, X contains the 16-bit address within the bank). The number of the interrupt is provided in A, with A[7..4] containing the block number, and A[3..0] containing the interrupt number.

Interrupt	Block	Number	Address	Purpose
VEC_INT00_SOF	0	0	$00:1700	Start Of Frame (vertical blank, used by floppy drive code)
VEC_INT01_SOL	0	1	$00:1704	Start Of Line (horizontal blank)
VEC_INT02_TMR0	0	2	$00:1708	Timer 0 (used by floppy drive code and DELAY call)
VEC_INT03_TMR1	0	3	$00:170C	Timer 1
VEC_INT04_TMR2	0	4	$00:1710	Timer 2
VEC_INT05_RTC	0	5	$00:1714	Real Time Clock interrupt
VEC_INT06_FDC	0	6	$00:1718	Floppy Drive Controller interrupt
VEC_INT07_MOUSE	0	7	$00:171C	Mouse interrupt (used by kernel to handle mouse)
VEC_INT10_KBD	1	0	$00:1720	Keyboard interrupt (used by kernel to handle keyboard input)
VEC_INT11_COL0	1	1	$00:1724	VICKY_II (INT2) Sprite Collision
VEC_INT12_COL1	1	2	$00:1728	VICKY_II (INT3) Bitmap Collision
VEC_INT13_COM2	1	3	$00:172C	Serial port #2 interrupt
VEC_INT14_COM1	1	4	$00:1730	Serial port #1 interrupt
VEC_INT15_MIDI	1	5	$00:1734	MIDI controller interrupt
VEC_INT16_LPT	1	6	$00:1738	Parallel port interrupt
VEC_INT17_SDC	1	7	$00:173C	SD Card Controller interrupt (no longer used)
VEC_INT20_OPL	2	0	$00:1740	OPL3
VEC_INT21_GABE0	2	1	$00:1744	GABE (INT0) - TBD
VEC_INT22_GABE1	2	2	$00:1748	GABE (INT1) - TBD
VEC_INT23_VDMA	2	3	$00:174C	VICKY_II (INT4) - VDMA Interrupt
VEC_INT24_COL2	2	4	$00:1750	VICKY_II (INT5) Tile Collision
VEC_INT25_GABE2	2	5	$00:1754	GABE (INT2) - TBD
VEC_INT26_EXT	2	6	$00:1758	External Expansion
VEC_INT17_SDINS	2	7	$00:175C	SDCARD Insertion
VEC_INT30_OPN2	3	0	$00:1760	OPN2
VEC_INT31_OPM	3	1	$00:1764	OPM
VEC_INT32_IDE	3	2	$00:1768	HDD IDE Interrupt

Special Kernel Variables

The kernel keeps track of several variables. Most kernel variables should be left alone by applications, but there are some which an application might want to set or read.

Start Address	End Address	Name	R/W	Description
$00:000C	$00:000E	SCREENBEGIN	RO	Address of the first character of the text display
$00:000C	$00:000E	SCREENBEGIN	RO	Address of the first character of the text display
$00:000F	$00:0010	COLS_VISIBLE	RW	The number of columns currently displayed
$00:0013	$00:0014	LINES_VISIBLE	RW	The number of rows currently displayed
$00:0017	$00:0018	CURSORPOS	RO	The address of the text character under the cursor
$00:001A	$00:001B	CURSORX	RO	The address of the text character under the cursor
$00:001C	$00:001D	CURSORY	RO	The address of the text character under the cursor
$00:001E		CURCOLOR	RW	The foreground and background colors to be used when printing via PUTC and PUTS
$00:001F	$00:0020	COLORPOS	RO	The address of the text color cell under the cursor

BIOS_STATUS ($00:320)

This status variable records any error condition related to the low level block level BIOS routines.

Name	Code	Description
N/A	$00	The last BIOS operation was successful
BIOS_ERR_BADDEV	$80	BIOS bad device # error
BIOS_ERR_MOUNT	$81	BIOS failed to mount the device
BIOS_ERR_READ	$82	BIOS failed to read from a device
BIOS_ERR_WRITE	$83	BIOS failed to write to a device
BIOS_ERR_TRACK	$84	BIOS failed to seek to the correct track
BIOS_ERR_CMD	$85	A general block device command error
BIOS_ERR_WRITEPROT	$86	The media was write-protected
BIOS_ERR_NOMEDIA	$87	No media detected... unable to read/write in time
BIOS_ERR_RESULT	$88	Couldn't get the result bytes for some reason
BIOS_ERR_OOS	$89	FDC state is somehow out of sync with the driver.
BIOS_ERR_NOTATA	$8A	IDE drive is not ATA
BIOS_ERR_NOTINIT	$8B	Could not initilize the device
BIOS_ERR_TIMEOUT	$8C	Timeout error

FDC_ST0 ($00:326)

This status variable records hardware level status codes. For FDC access, it represents the first status byte of the floppy drive controller. For SDC and HDD access, it records the SDC and IDE level hardware status, respectively. The meaning of the bits will vary depending on the hardware accessed, and you should refer to the documentation on that specific device for details.

DOS_STATUS ($00:32E)

This status variable records any error condition related to the DOS and FAT level code:

Name	Code	Description
N/A	0	The last DOS operation was successful
DOS_ERR_READ	1	We could not read a sector, check BIOS_STATUS for details
DOS_ERR_NOTMBR	2	We could not find the MBR
DOS_ERR_NOFAT32	3	We could not find a FAT32 parition using LBA
DOS_ERR_NOINIT	4	We could not INIT the block device
DOS_ERR_VOLID	5	Volume ID sector could not be loaded
DOS_ERR_FAT	6	Can't scan the FAT for some reason
DOS_ERR_BADPATH	7	The path was badly formatted
DOS_ERR_NODIR	8	Could not read the directory
DOS_ERR_NOTFOUND	9	File/directory requested was not found
DOS_ERR_NOCLUSTER	10	There are no more clusters
DOS_ERR_FILEEXISTS	11	There is already a file of that name
DOS_ERR_NOTOPEN	12	File has not been open
DOS_ERR_NOTREAD	13	File is not open for reading
DOS_ERR_NOTWRITE	14	File is not open for writing
DOS_ERR_OPEN	15	File is already open
DOS_ERR_PGXSIG	16	File does not have the PGX signature
DOS_ERR_NOEXEC	17	File does is not an executable format
DOS_ERR_MEDIAFULL	18	There are no more free clusters on the drive
DOS_ERR_WRITEPROT	19	The medium is write-protected
DOS_ERR_FATUPDATE	20	Can't update the FAT
DOS_ERR_DIRFULL	21	The directory is full
DOS_ERR_NOFD	22	No file descriptors are available for allocation
DOS_ERR_NOMEDIA	23	No media was present
DOS_ERR_EOF	24	At end of file
DOS_ERR_PGZSIG	25	File does not have the PGZ signature