## Physical Device Driver Reference

[prev][next][parent][TOC]

### ASYNC_SETDCBINFO (53h) - Remarks

If a general failure error is not returned, then the actions described below are taken by the physical device driver. Notice that all reserved bit fields that are specified as Set to 0 must be set to zero on entry to the physical device driver, or a general failure error results. The same applies to the NULL Data Packet pointer.

The general DCB parameter access functions, ASYNC_SETDCBINFO and ASYNC_ GETDCBINFO are used:

For Automatic Transmit Flow Control (start/stop transmit, when XON/XOFF character received)
For Automatic Receive Flow Control (transmit XON/XOFF, when receive buffer fills or empties)
To determine XON/XOFF characters
For DTR Control mode (enable/disable/input handshaking)
For RTS Control mode (enable/disable/input handshaking/toggling on transmit)
For output handshaking using CTS/DSR/DCD (control signal determines when to transmit)
For input sensitivity using DSR (reception of data controlled by DSR)
For error replacement character and processing
For break replacement character and processing
For null stripping
To Receive or Transmit Timeout processing

To maintain upward compatibility, the application should call ASYNC_ GETDCBINFO before Function 53h is used. This allows the reserved bits to be set correctly in a future release of the physical device driver. By doing the return first, the application maintains the state of the physical device driver for a mode that the application is not aware of.

Note 1

Control of DTR and RTS. The physical device driver allows the caller to automatically control the setting of Data Terminal Ready (DTR) and Request To Send (RTS) through the RTS Control mode and the DTR Control mode settings of ASYNC_SETDCBINFO. The application can also request manual control over these modem control signals. The ways in which these signals can be controlled are as follows:

Set RTS Control Mode to Toggling on Transmit: If the Flags2 bits 7, 6 are set to 1, then the physical device driver is in the automatic control mode of RTS. When the physical device driver is initialized, the RTS Control mode is enabled; therefore, initially the device driver is not in the automatic control mode of RTS. Notice that this mode of operation of the physical device driver should be enabled only when the system is attached to devices that do not present data to the system receive hardware when RTS is on. In this mode, the device driver:

Always turns on RTS, if a break is being transmitted.

Does not turn RTS off until the transmit hardware has emptied its buffers, once data is in the transmit hardware buffer.

Turns on RTS, if not already on, when there is data in the physical device driver transmit queue or when there is an outstanding WRITE request packet. The following are two exceptions:

-The physical device driver is allowed to transmit, even if Automatic Transmit/Receive Flow Control (XON/XOFF) is enabled. The physical device driver needs to turn on RTS momentarily to transmit a character immediately , if not normally allowed to transmit due to Automatic Transmit/Receive Flow Control.

-The physical device driver is allowed to transmit because it was not told to behave as if an XOFF had been received (Function 47h). The physical device driver needs to turn on RTS momentarily to transmit a character immediate, if not normally transmitting due to XOFF flow control considerations. Also, the physical device driver needs to turn on RTS momentarily to transmit an XON or XOFF due to Automatic Receive Flow Control, if not normally transmitting due to XOFF flow control considerations.

Turns off RTS, if not already off, when one of the following conditions is TRUE:

-There is no data in the physical device driver transmit queue (and no data in Write requests in progress), there are no queued Write requests, and the transmit hardware has physically transmitted (at the physical RS232 interface) all the data that it has been given.

-The physical device driver is not allowed to transmit because Automatic Transmit/Receive Flow Control (XON/XOFF) is enabled or because the driver was asked to behave as if an XOFF had been received (Function 47h). The physical device driver needs to turn on RTS to transmit a character immediately or XON/XOFF, because of Automatic Receive Flow Control (XON/ XOFF). RTS is never turned off until the transmit hardware has physically transmitted all the data that it has been given.

When this function is enabled, the physical device driver controls RTS, as determined by the above description.

If this function is disabled because a new RTS Control mode is chosen, then the new RTS Control mode determines the state of the RTS.

The device driver does not examine any other modem control signals before it turns RTS off or on.

An OPEN request packet does not cause the physical device driver to change its RTS Control mode. The physical device driver maintains the state of this mode of operation across OPEN request packets. When the physical device driver is in the RTS Control mode toggling on transmit, then it does not allow the application to control RTS by using ASYNC_SETMODEMCTRL.

Set DTR and RTS Control Mode to Input Handshaking: When the Flags1 bits 1, 0 are set to 1, 0, the DTR Control mode is set to input handshaking. Setting bits 7, 6 of Flags2 to 1, 0 sets the RTS Control mode to input handshaking. When the physical device driver is initialized, the RTS and DTR Control modes are enabled; so initially the device driver is not in the automatic control mode of RTS and DTR. Notice that this mode of operation of the physical device driver is set only when there is the possibility of a physical device driver receive queue overrun, and the system is attached to data terminal equipment that stops transmitting data when the appropriate modem control signals are turned off.

Because the Input Handshaking mode can be set for RTS, DTR, or both, the DTR and RTS Control modes are processed independently. In Input Handshaking mode, the physical device driver:

Turns the appropriate modem control signals on when the device driver receive queue is less than half-full
Turns the appropriate modem control signals off when the device driver receive queue is almost full
Does not monitor the value of the appropriate modem control signals (when this mode is first set and the queue size is between half-full and almost full)
Determines the correct value of the modem control signals when this function is enabled, and controls them accordingly.

If this function is disabled by choosing a new RTS or DTR Control mode, then the new control mode determines the state of the RTS or DTR.
Does not examine any other modem control signals before controlling DTR or RTS

An OPEN request packet does not cause the physical device driver to change its RTS and DTR Control modes. The driver maintains the state of these modes of operation across OPEN request packets. When the physical device driver is in the RTS Control mode input handshaking, it does not allow the application to control RTS through Function 46h. When the physical device driver is in the DTR Control mode input handshaking, it does not allow the application to control DTR through Function 46h.

Set DTR and RTS Control Mode to Enable or Disable: OPEN processing has the following settings:

Flags1 bits 1, 0 are set to 0, 0. DTR Control mode is disabled.
Flags1 bits 1, 0 are set to 0, 1. DTR Control mode is enabled.
Flags2 bits 7, 6 are set to 0, 0. RTS Control mode is disabled.
Flags2 bits 7, 6 are set to 0, 1. RTS Control mode is enabled.

When the physical device driver is initialized, the RTS and DTR Control modes are enabled, but the value of the modem control signals is off until the port gets an OPEN request packet. An OPEN request packet does not cause the physical device driver to change its RTS and DTR Control modes. The driver maintains the state of these modes of operation across OPEN request packets.

Because Enable or Disable modes can be set for either RTS, DTR, or both, the DTR and RTS Control modes are processed independently. If the RTS Control mode is disabled when the physical device driver receives an OPEN request packet, and the device is not already open (from a First Level Open ), the RTS modem control signal is kept (turned) off during the OPEN processing. If the RTS Control mode is enabled when the physical device driver receives an OPEN request packet, and the device is not already open, the RTS modem control signal is turned on during the OPEN processing.

If the RTS Control mode is set to disable and the previous mode was not disable, the RTS modem control signal is turned off. If the RTS Control mode is set to disable and the previous mode was also disable, this IOCtl has no effect on the RTS modem control signal.

If the RTS Control mode is set to enable and the previous mode was not enable the RTS modem control signal is turned on. If the RTS Control mode is set to enable and the previous mode was also enable, this IOCtl has no effect on the RTS modem control signal.

The following tables summarize the above information:

    /--------------------------------------------------------------\

    |From Control Mode   |To Control Mode     |Effect on Control   |

    |                    |                    |Signal              |

    |--------------------+--------------------+--------------------|

    |Disable             |Disable             |None                |

    |--------------------+--------------------+--------------------|

    |Disable             |Enable              |Turn ON             |

    |--------------------+--------------------+--------------------|

    |Disable             |Input handshaking   |Modem control signal|

    |                    |                    |controlled          |

    |                    |                    |automatically       |

    |--------------------+--------------------+--------------------|

    |Enable              |Disable             |Turn OFF            |

    |--------------------+--------------------+--------------------|

    |Enable              |Enable              |None                |

    |--------------------+--------------------+--------------------|

    |Enable              |Input handshaking   |Modem control signal|

    |                    |                    |controlled          |

    |                    |                    |automatically       |

    |--------------------+--------------------+--------------------|

    |Input handshaking   |Disable             |Turn OFF            |

    |--------------------+--------------------+--------------------|

    |Input handshaking   |Enable              |Turn ON             |

    |--------------------+--------------------+--------------------|

    |Input handshaking   |Input handshaking   |Modem control signal|

    |                    |                    |controlled          |

    |                    |                    |automatically       |

    \--------------------------------------------------------------/

    /--------------------------------------------------------------\

    |From Control Mode   |To Control Mode     |Effect on Control   |

    |                    |                    |Signal              |

    |--------------------+--------------------+--------------------|

    |Disable             |Toggle on transmit  |Modem control signal|

    |                    |                    |controlled          |

    |                    |                    |automatically       |

    |--------------------+--------------------+--------------------|

    |Enable              |Toggle on transmit  |Modem control signal|

    |                    |                    |controlled          |

    |                    |                    |automatically       |

    |--------------------+--------------------+--------------------|

    |Input handshaking   |Disable             |Modem control signal|

    |                    |                    |controlled          |

    |                    |                    |automatically       |

    |--------------------+--------------------+--------------------|

    |Toggle on transmit  |Disable             |Turn OFF            |

    |--------------------+--------------------+--------------------|

    |Toggle on transmit  |Enable              |Turn ON             |

    |--------------------+--------------------+--------------------|

    |Toggle on transmit  |Input handshaking   |Modem control signal|

    |                    |                    |controlled          |

    |                    |                    |automatically       |

    |--------------------+--------------------+--------------------|

    |Toggle on transmit  |Toggle on transmit  |Modem control signal|

    |                    |                    |controlled          |

    |                    |                    |automatically       |

    \--------------------------------------------------------------/

Because the initial Control mode of the physical device driver is enabled for RTS and DTR, both modem control signals are turned on when the port is first opened. If the physical device driver receives an OPEN request packet, and the device is already open, the physical device driver does not alter the value of the RTS and DTR modem control signals, regardless of the control mode.

The application can explicitly turn DTR or RTS on or off with Function 46h. If the Control mode of RTS is not enable or disable, the application cannot control RTS with Function 46h because the physical device driver is controlling the signal automatically using toggling on transmit or input handshaking. If the control mode of DTR is not enable or disable, the application cannot control DTR with Function 46h because the device drive is controlling the signal automatically using input handshaking.

In CLOSE processing, when the physical device driver receives a CLOSE request packet and the COM device is still open, the physical device driver does not change the values of DTR or RTS. If the port is not open (from a Last Level Close) after processing a Close request, then, at the end of CLOSE processing, the device driver turns RTS and DTR off after waiting the appropriate amount of time.

Note 2

Automatic Flow Control (XON/XOFF). If bit 0 of Flags2 is set, the device driver is enabled for Automatic Transmit Flow Control. If bit 1 is set, the physical device driver is enabled for Automatic Receive Flow Control. When the physical device driver is initialized, these bits are reset, so the physical device driver is not enabled for automatic transmit or receive flow control.

An OPEN request packet does not cause the physical device driver to change the enabling or disabling state of Automatic Transmit/Receive Flow Control. If Automatic Transmit Flow Control is enabled and the COM device is not already open, an OPEN request packet causes the physical device driver to act as if it had not received an XOFF. This OPEN also causes the device driver to act as if it has not transmitted an XOFF, if Automatic Receive Flow Control is enabled.

Automatic Transmit Flow Control (XON/XOFF): When XON and XOFF flow control during transmission is enabled, the device driver stops sending data to the transmit hardware when an XOFF is received, and resumes sending data to the transmit hardware when an XON is received.

Note: Although the physical device driver can transmit XON or XOFF, there are reasons why it might not be able to transmit an XON or XOFF. For example, it might be transmitting break or invalid output handshaking on modem control signals. Also, there are reasons not related to Automatic Transmit/Receive Flow Control why the physical device driver might not be able to resume transmitting data. See ASYNC_GETCOMMSTATUS.

However, the physical device driver still continues to transmit characters as a result of the transmit immediate requests (see ASYNC_TRANSMITIMM). The physical device driver also transmits XON and XOFF because of Automatic Receive Flow Control. When the physical device driver is in this mode, it does not pass received XON and XOFF characters to the application. Instead , the physical device driver acts upon receiving those characters and discards them.

The physical device driver can transmit additional characters before it recognizes an XOFF character that is in the receive buffer of the hardware but that it has not read. The extent of this scenario is minimized, but the combined transmit/receive Advanced BIOS request block is still used on systems that support ABIOS. If the system is relatively slow in responding to interrupts compared to the current bit rate, receive buffer overruns might not occur, but the physical device driver might seem slow in responding to an XOFF character.

If Automatic Transmit Flow Control is disabled (after being currently enabled), and transmission was not occurring because an XOFF was received or at the request of ASYNC_STOPTRANSMIT, then transmission is resumed. It is the responsibility of the application to make sure that the port is closed properly so that the physical device driver cannot transmit characters after the port is reopened.

Output handshaking, using modem control signals, is one way that the physical device driver can be told to stop transmitting. See Note 3.

Automatic Receive Flow Control (XON/XOFF): When XON and XOFF flow control during receive is enabled, the device driver transmits an XOFF when its receive queue gets almost full and an XON when its receive queue is about half-full.

When the COM device driver is in Normal mode of Automatic Receive Flow Control after the XOFF is sent, it sends no characters until the amount of data in its receive queue is reduced; then it sends an XON. This is to accommodate those systems that interpret the first character received after an XOFF as an XON, regardless of what the character actually is. The physical device driver transmits characters as a result of the transmit immediate request (Function 44h).

When the COM device driver is in the Full Duplex mode of Automatic Receive Flow Control after the XOFF is sent, it continues to send characters even though the receive queue remains almost full. This mode of the physical device driver is set by using bit 5 of Flags2.

The physical device driver cannot transmit an XOFF or XON if it is transmitting a break. Also, if the physical device driver is enabled for output handshaking with certain modem control signals and those modem control signals are not on, it cannot automatically transmit an XON or XOFF . Note that a deadlock can occur if the physical device driver tries to transmit an XON and cannot. The physical device driver will continue to transmit an XOFF or XON when transmit conditions permit, assuming the receive queue conditions still warrant it.

The physical device driver does not monitor characters being transmitted by WRITE request packets to see if any of them are XON or XOFF. It also does not monitor characters transmitted immediately. For example, the device driver does not stop transmitting characters if the application causes it to explicitly transmit an XOFF.

If Automatic Receive Flow Control is enabled (after being currently disabled), the physical device driver immediately checks the receive queue level to see if an XOFF needs to be transmitted. An XON is never transmitted immediately when this function is enabled. The physical device driver automatically transmits an XON character only after it has automatically transmitted an XOFF character.

If Automatic Receive Flow Control is disabled (after being currently enabled) and transmission was not occurring because of the automatic transmission of an XOFF character (in the Normal mode of Automatic Receive Flow Control only), the physical device driver transmits an XON and transmission is resumed, if possible. Notice that transmission might not be taking place for other reasons (see ASYNC_GETCOMMSTATUS).

If Normal Automatic Receive Flow Control is currently enabled and transmission is not occurring because of the automatic transmission of an XOFF character, then when the physical device driver is called to enable Full-Duplex Automatic Receive Flow Control, the physical device driver immediately begins sending data regardless of the state of the receive queue. An XON character is sent only when the receive queue becomes half- full.

If the physical device driver has previously automatically transmitted an XOFF and a CLOSE request packet is received, and, after processing this Close request the port will not be open, the physical device driver automatically transmits an XON, if possible. It is the responsibility of the application to make sure that the port is closed properly so that the physical device driver cannot transmit characters after the port is reopened.

Input handshaking using modem control signals is one way that the device driver can tell another device to stop transmitting. See Note 1.

XON and XOFF Characters: The value of these bytes in the device control block determine the value of the XON and XOFF characters used for automatic transmit and receive flow control. When the XON and XOFF characters are referred to in the Category 01h IOCtls, the reference is to the value of the XON and XOFF characters as determined by this IOCtl.

When the physical device driver is first initialized, the XON character is 11h and the XOFF character is 13h. An OPEN request packet, when the COM device is not already open, causes the XON character to be set to 11h and the XOFF character to be set to 13h. If the XON and XOFF characters are set equal with this IOCtl, the results are undefined.

Note 3

Output Handshaking Using CTS, DSR, and DCD. Bits 3, 4, and 5 of Flags1 control Output Handshaking Using CTS, DSR, and DCD, respectively. If the bit is set, output handshaking for the appropriate modem control signal is enabled. Output Handshaking mode can be enabled for any combination of CTS , DSR, or DCD because bits 3, 4, and 5 of Flags1 can be set independently. The data is not transmitted unless all the lines enabled for output handshaking are up.

When the physical device driver is initialized, bits 3 and 4 of Flags1 are set, and bit 5 of Flags1 is reset. Therefore, initially the device driver is enabled for output handshaking using CTS and DSR, but disabled for output handshaking using DCD. Except for attachment to special devices or special cables, output handshaking using DCD should not be enabled.

Disabling Output Handshaking Using CTS or DSR causes unexpected results when the system is attached to data terminal devices or to data communications devices that toggle CTS or DSR. If the device driver is enabled for this mode of operation, it is affected in the following manner if the appropriate modem signals are off:

The physical device driver is unable to move data from the physical device driver transmit queue to the transmit hardware.
The physical device driver is unable to transmit a character immediately ( Function 44h) so the character is "remembered" by the device driver.
The physical device driver is unable to automatically transmit XONs and XOFFs. (The physical device driver might try to transmit XONs and XOFFs as a result of Automatic Receive Flow Control enabled.)
The physical device driver generates a break immediately, if requested.
The value of CTS, DSR, and DCD does not affect how the physical device driver controls RTS and DTR.

An OPEN request packet does not cause the physical device driver to change the value of bits 3, 4, and 5 of Flags1. It maintains the state of this mode of operation across OPEN request packets.

On devices with a transmit holding register and transmit shift register, the transmit holding register is always given another character to transmit when it empties (even though a character can still be in the transmit shift register) unless the physical device driver determines that it is no longer allowed to transmit. The physical device driver always attempts to detect a change in the modem status signals (CTS, DSR, DCD) before transmitting more data.

Note 4

Input Sensitivity Using DSR. Bit 6 of Flags1 controls input sensitivity using DSR. If the bit is set, input sensitivity using DSR is enabled. When the physical device driver is initialized, bit 6 of Flags1 is set; so initially the physical device driver is enabled for input sensitivity using DSR.

Note: Disabling input sensitivity using DSR causes unexpected results when the system is attached to data terminal devices or to data communications devices that toggle DSR when they generate spurious data that the system should not receive.

If the physical device driver is enabled for this mode of operation, it throws away all data input from the receive hardware when DSR is off. If the physical device driver processes a change in the DSR modem control signal from on to off or from off to on at the same time that it inputs a character from the receive hardware, then it still accepts the last characters. This can cause the physical device driver to attempt to process invalid data for one service period of the receive hardware. Therefore, it is required that the change in the modem control signal be processed before the physical device driver attempts to receive data from the receive hardware (see Note 3), or that the received data be saved until a change in modem status (during the same hardware service instance) is determined.

An OPEN request packet does not cause the physical device driver to change the value of bit 6 of Flags1. The physical device driver maintains the state of this mode of operation across OPEN request packets.

Note 5

Error Replacement Character. The Flags2 bit 2 controls the enabling of error replacement character processing. If set, processing is enabled. When the physical device driver is initialized, this bit is reset, so initially the physical device driver is not enabled for the error replacement character. When the COM device is not already open, an OPEN request packet causes this bit to be reset, disabling error replacement character processing.

When the physical device driver is initialized, the error replacement character is 00h. When the COM device is not already open an OPEN request packet causes the error replacement character to be set back to 00h.

If error replacement character processing is disabled, the following applies:

If a parity or framing error occurs and the character with the error is available in the receive hardware buffer, it is placed in the device driver receive queue.

If a hardware or receive queue overrun occurs, nothing is placed into the receive queue to designate an overrun.

If error replacement character processing is enabled, the following applies :

If a parity or framing error occurs, the error replacement character (if available) is placed into the physical device driver receive queue instead of the character in the receive hardware buffer.

If a hardware buffer overrun occurs, the error replacement character is placed into the physical device driver receive queue to mark the position where the receive overrun occurred. If valid data is in the receive hardware buffer, it is placed into the device driver receive queue. The processing of the valid data takes place after the hardware buffer overrun condition is recorded in the device driver receive queue.

If a physical device driver receive queue overrun occurs, the last character in the receive queue is replaced with the error replacement character. This allows the application to know the position where the error occurred. This error replacement, if enabled, always takes precedence over an error replacement or break replacement event that occurred for the same character.

Regardless of whether error replacement character processing is enabled, null stripping and checking for XON/XOFF characters does not occur if the character had an error. This IOCtl can be used to change the error replacement character by changing the byte representing the error replacement character.

Note 6

Null Stripping. Bit 3 in Flags2 controls the enabling of null stripping processing. If set, null stripping processing is enabled. When the physical device driver is initialized, this bit is reset, so initially the physical device driver is not enabled for null stripping. When the COM device is not already open an OPEN request packet causes this bit to be reset, disabling null stripping.

If the physical device driver is enabled for null stripping when characters are read in from the receive hardware, any non-error or non-break characters with a value of 00h are discarded, not checked (even if the XON or XOFF character has been set to 00h), and not placed into the physical device driver receive queue.

Note: Simultaneously setting the XON or XOFF character to 00h, enabling Automatic Transmit Flow Control, and enabling null stripping can cause unexpected results, but is not considered an error condition by the physical device driver error checking logic.

Note 7

Break Replacement Character. Bit 4 in Flags2 controls the enabling of break replacement character processing. If set, processing is enabled. When the physical device driver is initialized, this bit is reset, so initially the physical device driver is not enabled for the break replacement character.

When the COM device is not already open, an OPEN request packet causes this bit to be reset, disabling break replacement character processing. When the physical device driver is initialized, the break replacement character is 00h. When the COM device is not already open, an OPEN request packet causes the break replacement character to be reset back to 00h.

If break replacement character processing is disabled, the device driver does not place any character in the physical device driver receive queue when it detects a break condition on the line. A detected break condition has no effect on XON/XOFF detection. If break replacement character processing is enabled, and if the physical device driver detects a break condition, it places the break replacement character in the device driver receive queue.

If break replacement character processing is enabled, null stripping and checking for XON/XOFF characters do not operate on the break replacement character. This IOCtl can be used to change the break replacement character by changing the byte representing the break replacement character .

If a parity or framing error is generated due to the reception of a break, error replacement processing is not performed (except for the overrun condition); instead, break replacement processing is performed.

Note 8

Write Timeout. Bit 0 in Flags3 controls the characteristics of Write Timeout processing. If the bit is 0, Write Timeout processing uses the value in the Write Timeout WORD in the device control block. If the bit is 1, Write Timeout processing is infinite timeout.

The value in the Write Timeout WORD is in .01 second units, based on 0 ( where 0 = .01 seconds). The physical device driver is considered to be doing Normal Write Timeout processing when the Write Timeout WORD is used.

During Normal Write Timeout processing, if the physical device driver does not give any data to the transmit hardware from the transmit queue within the period of time specified by the Write Timeout WORD, the request is completed. The accuracy of the timeout period can be determined by the request packet, which is blocked in the device driver, and by how long it takes for the thread to be dispatched once it is made ready by the expiration of the timeout period. The accuracy of the timeout period can also be determined by the accuracy of the device driver timer tick processing. If any data has been given to the transmit hardware in that timeout period, the device driver waits again for the specified period of time to see if any more data has been transmitted.

If the timeout period is changed by this IOCtl to Infinite Timeout, the new time can take effect immediately or it can take effect after the next character is written.

During Write Infinite Timeout processing, the request is not completed until all the data from the request has been given to the transmit hardware . The thread of the Write request does not return to the system until the request is completed. The physical device driver checks at least every minute to see if an IOCtl has changed the Write Timeout processing characteristics. This can occur almost immediately (accuracy can be determined by the request packet, which is blocked, or by device driver timer ticks), and ensures that the device driver periodically checks to see if Write Infinite Timeout processing has been changed to Normal Write Timeout processing. The Write Timeout characteristics can be changed in the middle of the processing of a Write request and the new timeout attribute is guaranteed to eventually take effect. When the physical device driver is initialized, Normal Write Timeout processing is in effect.

When the physical device driver receives an OPEN request packet for the port and the port is not already open, the value in the Write Timeout WORD is set to one minute. The current Write Timeout processing characteristics (normal or infinite) are not affected.

Note 9

Read Timeout. Bits 2, 1 of Flags3 control the Read Timeout processing characteristics of the physical device driver. The three possible types of Read Timeout processing are:

Normal Bits 2, 1 = 0, 1
Wait-For-Something Bits 2, 1 = 1, 0
No-Wait Bits 2, 1 = 1, 1

The value in the Read Timeout WORD is in .01 second units, based on 0 ( where 0 = .01 seconds). The physical device driver uses the value in the Read Timeout WORD for Normal and Wait-For-Something Read Timeout processing . The accuracy of the time interval can be determined by the request, which is blocked in the physical device driver, or by the device driver timer ticks.

If the physical device driver is doing Normal Read Timeout processing, the device driver waits for the amount of time specified in the Read Timeout WORD. The request is completed after that interval of time elapses if no more data has been received for the request. If any data is received by the physical device driver from the receive hardware for the request ( including XON/XOFF characters), it waits the specified period of time is for more data to arrive. However, in the following two cases, the current interval of time will continue to be waited on without starting to wait from the beginning of the interval again:

If input sensitivity using DSR is enabled and the value of the DSR modem control signal causes input data to be thrown away. See Note 4.

If null stripping is enabled and a null character is stripped. See Note 6.

If the physical device driver is doing No-Wait Read Timeout processing, it does not wait for any data to be available in the receive queue. When the physical device driver begins to try to move data from the receive queue to the request, the request is completed. Whatever data is available in the receive queue at that time is moved to the request.

If the physical device driver is doing Wait-For-Something Read Timeout processing, the physical device driver processes the request initially as if it had No-Wait Timeout processing. If no data was available at the time the request would have completed due to No-Wait processing, the request is not completed. Instead, it waits for some data to be available before completing the request. However, the physical device driver does enter Normal Read Timeout processing for this request. Therefore, if no data is available after the Normal Timeout processing interval, then the request is completed anyway. The request never waits longer than it would have due to Normal Read Timeout processing.

The Read Timeout processing characteristics that apply to a given Read request are not determined until the physical device driver begins processing that request. At that time, a change to the Read Timeout processing characteristics of the physical device driver between Wait-For- Something and Normal Timeout processing might take effect for the current Read request being processed. If the timeout period is changed by this IOCtl, the new timeout period might take effect immediately or it might take effect after the next character is received from the receive hardware. When the physical device driver is initialized, Normal Read Timeout processing is in effect.

When the physical device driver receives an OPEN request packet for the port and the port is not already open, the value in the Read Timeout WORD is set to one minute and Normal Read Timeout processing characteristics are put into effect.

Note 10

Extended Hardware Buffering. This refers to the capability of the COM port 's serial controller device to buffer up to 16 characters in its internal hardware Receive and Transmit buffers. This buffering capability allows the device to relieve the operating system of the high overhead associated with servicing per-character receive and transmit hardware interrupts.

On COM ports with a serial controller device that does not support Extended Hardware Buffering, bits 3 and 4 of DCB Flags3 are always set to 0, indicating that the device does not support Extended Hardware Buffering. This value is always valid and ignored as input to Function 53h. If the device does not support Extended Hardware Buffering and the application attempts to set any of the Flags3 bits 3-7, this IOCtl fails and a general failure error results.

Applications must first call ASYNC_GETDCBINFO to determine whether the device supports Extended Hardware Buffering before calling Function 53h.

When in conventional Programmed Input/Output (PIO) mode or when the Enhanced mode is disabled through ASYNC_SETENHANCEDMODEPARMS, the physical ASYNC device driver defaults the setting of the Extended Hardware Buffering parameter to Automatic Protocol Override. This system default can be changed by manipulating bits 3 and 4 in the Flags3 parameter of Function 53h. An application or subsystem can manually control this feature by setting Extended Hardware Buffering enabled and by manipulating the Receive Trigger Level and Transmit Buffer Load Count parameters. An application or subsystem can also set the serial device to run in Character mode by setting Extended Hardware Buffering disabled. The three settings for this feature are described below.

Automatic Protocol Override (System Default): In any system configuration where a COM port's serial controller correctly supports Extended Hardware Buffering, the physical device driver initializes that COM port to enable Automatic Protocol Override mode. This mode of the physical ASYNC device driver is defined with respect to the following device driver protocols:

Output Handshaking Using CTS, DSR, DCD
Automatic Transmit Flow Control
Input Sensitivity Using DSR

When any one or more of the above protocols are enabled, the Automatic Protocol Override feature causes the Extended Hardware Buffering not to fully exploit the maximum potential performance benefit of the serial controller. Depending on which protocols are enabled, the physical device driver automatically adjusts either, or both, the Receive Trigger Level and Transmit Buffer Load Count. The following descriptions identify the changes that each of the above protocols causes when Automatic Protocol Override mode is active:

Output Handshaking Using CTS, DSR (Default on)

Output Handshaking Using DCD (Default off). When either of these handshaking protocols is enabled, the physical ASYNC device driver, under Automatic Protocol Override, sets the Transmit Buffer Load Count to 1. This means that it services transmit interrupts one character at a time. When these protocols are disabled, the device driver fully exploits the Extended Hardware Buffering capabilities of the serial controller by transmitting 16 characters per interrupt. The Receive Trigger Level is not affected by these protocols in Automatic Protocol Override mode.

Automatic Transmit Flow Control (Default off). When this protocol is enabled, the physical ASYNC device driver, under Automatic Protocol Override, sets the Receive Trigger Level and the Transmit Buffer Load Count to 1. This means that it services both receive and transmit interrupts one character at a time. When these protocols are disabled, the physical device driver fully exploits the Extended Hardware Buffering capabilities of the serial controller by transmitting 16 characters per interrupt and setting the Receive Trigger Level to 8. (The physical device driver is given at least 8 characters on each Receive Data Available interrupt.)

Input Sensitivity Using DSR (Default on). When this protocol is enabled, the Automatic Protocol Override feature of the ASYNC device driver sets the Receive Trigger Level to 1, by default, on the respective COM port, forcing the physical device driver to service all characters received one character at a time. The Transmit Buffer Load Count is not affected by this protocol .

With all of the above listed protocols, Automatic Protocol Override allows the serial controller to remain in its FIFO-mode setting, although it is not fully exploiting the potential performance benefit from the Extended Hardware Buffering capability. The extended Receive Hardware Buffering capability remains active so that receive hardware overrun errors are much less likely to occur.

When Automatic Protocol Override mode is enabled, setting the DCB Flags3 bits for manipulating Receive Trigger Level and Transmit Buffer Load Count (bits 5, 6, and 7) has no effect. Automatic Protocol Override fully overrides any manual settings the application or subsystem might attempt to set.

Note: Having any of the above protocols enabled can significantly alter system performance characteristics with respect to activity on an asynchronous communications port. This is particularly true where the COM port is running at a high bit rate (2400 bps or higher) or where multiple COM ports are performing asynchronous I/O. This is a factor to consider when configuring a system to perform multiple serial port I/O or when developing an application that requires high speed asynchronous communications. Disabling the above protocols or setting the Device Control Block parameters to Extended Hardware Buffering enabled allows the physical device driver to fully exploit the serial controller's capability to its maximum benefit.

Extended Hardware Buffering Enabled

Setting this mode cancels the effects of Automatic Protocol Override and enables the user to fully use the Extended Hardware Buffering capabilities of the physical device driver. The Receive Trigger Level should be set to 8. (the physical device driver receives 8 characters per interrupt) and the Transmit Buffer Load Count should be set to 16 (the physical device driver transmits 16 characters per interrupt).

Setting this mode in conjunction with any of the following device driver protocols can alter the behavior of that protocol in a significant manner:

Output Handshaking using CTS, DSR, DCD
Automatic Transmit Flow Control
Input Sensitivity using DSR

For information on these protocols, refer to the description in the OS/2 Input/Output Device Driver Reference.

Extended Hardware Buffering Disabled

Setting this mode completely disables the Extended Hardware Buffering capabilities of the serial port controller. This mode places the serial port device into Character mode (that is, the physical device driver services both transmit and receive interrupts one character at a time). This effectively eliminates any special considerations that might have been necessary when performing asynchronous communications with Extended Hardware Buffering enabled or with the Automatic Protocol Override mode active.

On any COM port that is serviced by a serial controller that does not support FIFO mode, the physical device driver is always set to Extended Hardware Buffering disabled. Attempts to set Extended Hardware Buffering enabled or to enable the Automatic Protocol Override mode are ignored (no error returned). Whenever ASYNC_GETDCBINFO is called, the bits in DCB Flags3 identify the true state of Extended Hardware Buffering on these devices as disable.

Note: Setting the physical device driver to run with Extended Hardware Buffering disabled can significantly alter the system performance characteristics, particularly with respect to asynchronous communications I /O throughput. This is especially true where the COM port is running at a high bit rate (2400 bps or higher) or where multiple COM ports are performing asynchronous I/O.

Note 11

Receive Trigger Level. This represents the number of characters that must be received by a serial port controller that supports Extended Hardware Buffering before that device generates a receive hardware interrupt. For example, with Extended Hardware Buffering enabled, assume the Receive Trigger Level is set to 8 characters. This means that a receive hardware interrupt occurs once for every 8 characters received at that COM port. On COM ports with a serial controller device that does not support Extended Hardware Buffering, bits 5 and 6 of DCB Flags3 are always set to 0, indicating that the device is in Character mode (Receive Trigger Level=1).

The default state for bits 5 and 6 of DCB Flags3 is zero, indicating that the Automatic Protocol Override mode is active and that other device driver protocols are enabled, which forces Automatic Protocol Override to keep Receive Trigger Level set to 1.

When the physical device driver is operating in Automatic Protocol Override mode, setting the Receive Trigger Level has no effect. This parameter setting is completely ignored unless DCB Flags3 bits 3 and 4 are set to Extended Hardware Buffering enabled.

Note: System performance and asynchronous communications I/O throughput can be significantly degraded by setting Receive Trigger Level to 1 on COM ports whose serial controller device is capable of supporting Extended Hardware Buffering. This is particularly true where a COM port is sending and receiving data at high bit rates (over 2400 bps) or where multiple COM ports are simultaneously engaged in asynchronous communications.

Setting the Receive Trigger Level to 14 characters can increase the probability of getting receive hardware overrun errors. This is most likely where a COM port is sending and receiving data at high bit rates ( over 2400 bps) or where multiple COM ports are simultaneously engaged in asynchronous communications.

ASYNC_GETDCBINFO always gives the actual current setting of the Receive Trigger Level, regardless of the setting of the Extended Hardware Buffering mode. In Enhanced mode, the Receive Trigger Level setting is ignored and the ASYNC device drive automatically sets the value for maximum operational efficiency. In this case, the Receive Trigger Level chosen by the physical ASYNC device driver is not reflected in Function 73h. The value that the user has specified for the Receive Trigger Level in this IOCtl is returned, even though it is ignored.

Note 12

Transmit Buffer Load Count refers to the number of characters that the physical ASYNC device driver gives to a COM port's serial controller transmit hardware on the occurrence of a transmit hardware interrupt. On COM ports with a serial controller device that does not support Extended Hardware Buffering, bit 7 of DCB Flags3 is always set to 0, indicating that the device is in Character mode (Transmit Buffer Load Count=1).

Normally, when the serial controller supports Extended Hardware Buffering and the physical device driver protocols are set to fully use this hardware capability, the Transmit Buffer Load Count is set to 16 characters. This means that every time the physical device driver gets control of the serial controller on the occurrence of a transmit hardware interrupt, 16 characters are placed in the serial controller's transmit buffer.

There might be situations where an application or communications subsystem needs to control the flow of data manually during a communications session. Setting the Transmit Buffer Load count to 1 character ensures that the physical device driver has control of the serial controller every time a character is transmitted.

When the physical device driver is operating in Automatic Protocol Override mode, setting the Transmit Buffer Load Count has no effect. This parameter setting is completely ignored unless DCB Flags3 bits 3 and 4 are set to Extended Hardware Buffering enabled.

Note: System performance and asynchronous communications I/O throughput can be significantly degraded by setting Transmit Buffer Load Count to 1 on COM ports whose serial controller device is capable of supporting Extended Hardware Buffering. This is particularly true where a COM port is sending and receiving data at high bit rates (over 2400 bps) or where multiple COM ports are simultaneously engaged in asynchronous communications.