Appendix A. Special Configuration Information for DOS and
OS/2
| This appendix is specific to the DOS and OS/2 operating systems. It contains information about the
| following:
| Creating an ICAPARM.PRM file
| Changing your CONFIG.SYS file
| Ctrl+Alt+Del reset considerations
| Selecting an interrupt level
| Shared-memory considerations
Note: This information applies only if you are using the IBM-supplied software.
Creating an ICAPARM.PRM File
After installing the software, you can create a special parameter file (ICAPARM.PRM) to change the
defaults used to initialize the adapter.
Note: This file is the same one used by the Realtime Interface Co-Processor Multiport and Multiport,
Model 2 adapters.
ICAPARM.PRM is a small file that can be created with an ASCII text editor. It contains the parameters for
each adapter installed. The following two examples show the makeup of the parameter file—one for an
installation with one adapter and the other for an installation with multiple adapters. All values are
specified in hexadecimal (h).
Adding an ICAPARM.PRM File Entry
You need to add an entry to the ICAPARM.PRM file only if you want to change the following default
values or the logical card numbering. All other fields are ignored for the adapter.
MAXTASK (Maximum Task Number) = 10h
MAXPRI (Maximum Task Priority) = 10h
MAXQUEUE (Maximum Task Queue Number) = 50h
MAXTIME (Maximum Task Timer Number) = 32h.
Base I/O Address Considerations
The base I/O address for PCI adapters can present a problem for ICAPARM.PRM entries; the values
assigned are entirely up to the PCI BIOS. Because the lowest I/O address assigned to ISA versions of
the adapter is 02A0h, the values 0000 through 00FFh are used to identify PCI adapters. The lowest byte
is divided into two 4-bit fields. The upper four bits define which PCI adapter (0 is for ARTIC PCI); the
lower four bits define the particular instance of the adapter. Therefore, the values 0000, 0001,... 000
n
represent physical PCI adapters 0 through
n
, where
n
corresponds to the index value for the adapter in
the PCI BIOS Find Device call.
The logical card-numbering of an ISA adapter can be changed by changing the position of its entry in the
ICAPARM.PRM file in relationship to the other ISA adapters (ISA adapters must have a logical number
greater that any PCI adapter). See “Example 2: Multiple IBM ARTIC Adapters” on page A-3.
Copyright IBM Corp. 1997, 1999 A-1
