Thanks Steve. I'll have to look at this. File mode 4 has be baffled since I was only aware of three modes. 1-write, 2-append and, 3-read. Since it already exists in LaddieAlpha I may just leave mComm alone, Kurt
On Tuesday, July 11, 2017 11:06 AM, John R. Hogerhuis <jho...@pobox.com> wrote: Effectively, it allows simulating random "block" access on a TPDD file. It's not the either the TPDD-1 or TPDD-2 sector access mode. It's an extension Ken invented to the File Mode protocol. Here's the Laddie code: private void RequestSeekExtension() { // Seek (Ken Pettit's proposal) for random access // file must have been opened in mode 2 or 4 // ZZ, $09, $05, (type: Begin = 1, Current = 2, End = 3), Little Endian 32-bit offset, checksum // decode seek type and offset var seekType = (SeekType)Enum.ToObject(typeof(SeekType), (int)_lio.Req[4]); UInt32 offset = 0; for (var k = 8; k >= 5; k--) { offset <<= 8; offset |= _lio.Req[k]; } switch (seekType) { case SeekType.Begin: _fo.Seek((int)offset, SeekOrigin.Begin); break; case SeekType.Current: _fo.Seek((int)offset, SeekOrigin.Current); break; case SeekType.End: _fo.Seek((int)offset, SeekOrigin.End); break; default: FormatStatus(0x10); _state = State.Idle; break; } } On Tue, Jul 11, 2017 at 10:54 AM, Kurt McCullum <kurt.mccul...@att.net> wrote: John, Is the SEEK command you are referring to similar to sector access mode or is it an add on to the original TPDD protocol? Kurt On Tuesday, July 11, 2017 10:43 AM, John R. Hogerhuis <jho...@pobox.com> wrote: On Tue, Jul 11, 2017 at 10:38 AM, Stephen Adolph <twospru...@gmail.com> wrote: NEC still needs a disk solution. Yes all RAM mode exists in both variants. Other than a driver, I think external storage is already a solved problem. LaddieAlpha already has a SEEK command which would allow it to be used for random access, sector based storage. The command could easily be added to mcomm too, I'd guess. I am not sure but Ken might have already added that extension to NADSBox. A very small portable storage solution on the expansion port would be better. But you could certainly jerry-rig a Pi, LaddieAlpha and "juice pack" battery today over serial. What I think would be needed is to modify the CP/M code allow use the TPDD protocol with SEEK extension. -- John.