Omega Products QSP-100 Installation Manual

1. Introduction

The QSP-100 provides four independent RS-232 asynchronous serial
communications interfaces for systems equipped with PCMCIA Type II
and/or Type III expansion sockets. The QSP-100 is a PCMCIA Type II (5
mm) card and is PCMCIA PC Card Standard Specification 2.1 compliant.

The QSP-100's serial ports are implemented using 16C550 Universal
Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitters (UARTs) which are the
recommended communications interface for multitasking environments
and with applications involving high data transfer rates.

The QSP-100's four serial ports are addressed in a single 32 byte I/O block
for simplified programming and all four channels share a common
interrupt (IRQ). A special interrupt status register is also available to
simplify the software required to service multiple serial ports in an
interrupt driven environments.

QSP-100 User's Manual 1

2. DOS / Windows 3.x Installation

Two configuration software programs are provided with the QSP-100: a
Client Driver, QSP100CL.SYS, and a card Enabler, QSP100EN.EXE. Both
of these programs are executed from DOS (before entering Windows) and
allow operation of the QSP-100 in both the DOS and Windows 3.x
environments. For optimal operation, however, the Client Driver is the
preferred method of installation and configuration. The table below
highlights the differences between these programs.

Client Driver (recommended) Enabler (not recommended)
File name: QSP100CL.SYS File name: QSP100EN.EXE
File type: DOS device driver File type: DOS executable
Interfaces to PCMCIA Card and

Socket Services software (PCMCIA
host adapter independent)

Allows automatic configuration of
QSP-100 adapters upon insertion
(Hot Swapping)

Requires PCMCIA Card and Socket
Services software

Interfaces directly to Intel 82365SL
and other PCIC compatible
PCMCIA host adapters

Does not support automatic
configuration of QSP-100 adapters
upon insertion (Hot Swapping)

Does not require PCMCIA Card and
Socket Services software

Figure 1. Client Driver versus Enabler for DOS/Windows 3.x.

Card and Socket Services software is commercially available from several
vendors for most desktop and laptop PCs. If you are unsure whether
Card and Socket Services software is currently installed on your system,
install the QSP-100 Client Driver as discussed in following section. When
loaded, the Client Driver will display an error message if Card and Socket
Services software is not detected.

2

2.1 QSP-100 Client Driver for DOS

In order to use the QSP-100 Client Driver, the system must be configured
with Card and Socket Services software. Card and Socket Services
software is not provided with the QSP-100 but is available from Omega.

IMPORTANT:

Some versions of Card and Socket Services dated before
1993 do not support general purpose I/O cards. If after
careful installation of the Client Driver the QSP-100 does
not configure or operate properly, an updated version of
Card and Socket Services may be required.

2.1.1 Client Driver Installation

The following procedure is used to install the QSP-100 Client Driver:

1. Copy the file QSP100CL.SYS from the QSP-100 distribution
diskette onto the system's hard drive.

2. Using an ASCII text editor, open the system's CONFIG.SYS file
located in the root directory of the boot drive.

3. Locate the line(s) in the CONFIG.SYS file where the Card and
Socket Services software is installed.

4. AFTER
software, add the following line to the CONFIG.SYS file:

where options are the QSP-100 Client Driver command line
options discussed on the following pages.

5. Save the CONFIG.SYS file and exit the text editor.

the line(s) installing the Card and Socket Services

DEVICE = drive:\path\QSP100CL.SYS options

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6. Insert the QSP-100 into one of the system's PCMCIA slots.

NOTE: Since the QSP-100 Client Driver supports "Hot
Swapping", it is not necessary to have the QSP-100 installed
when booting the system. By inserting the card before booting,
however, the Client Driver will report the adapter configuration
during the boot process thereby verifying the changes made to
the CONFIG.SYS.

7. Reboot the system and note the message displayed when the
QSP-100 Client Driver is loaded. If the Client Driver reports an
"invalid command line option", correct the entry in the
CONFIG.SYS file and reboot the system again. If the Client
Driver reports "Card and Socket Services not found", a version
of Card and Socket Services must be installed on the system or
the QSP-100 Enabler program must be used to configure the
adapter. If the Client Driver reports the desired adapter
configuration, the installation process is complete and the
QSP-100 may be removed and / or inserted from the system as
desired. On each insertion into the PCMCIA socket, the
QSP-100 will be automatically re-configured according to the
command line options.

2.1.2 Command Line Options

The QSP-100 Client Driver accepts up to eight command line arguments
from the user to determine the configuration of the QSP-100. If any
arguments are provided, the Client Driver will attempt to configure any
QSP-100s with the options specified in the order they are entered on the
command line. Each argument must be enclosed in parenthesis and must
be separated from other arguments by a space
Within each argument, any or all of the following parameters may be
specified using a comma

Baddress specifies the base I/O address of the QSP-100 in hexadecimal

and must reside on an even 32-byte (20H) boundary. If this
option is omitted, a base address will be assigned by Card and
Socket Services.

Iirq specifies the interrupt level (IRQ) of the QSP-100 in decimal.

irq must be one of the following values: 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12,
14, 15, or 0 if no IRQ is desired. If this option is omitted, an
interrupt level will be assigned by Card and Socket Services.

(no spaces) to separate each parameter:

on the command line.

4

Ssocket specifies which PCMCIA socket the QSP-100 must be inserted

into for this configuration argument to be used. socket must be
in the range 0 - 15. If this option is omitted, the configuration
argument will apply to QSP-100s inserted into any socket.

U instructs the Client Driver to disable the QSP-100's interrupt

status register and enable the Scratchpad registers of the
individual UARTs. This option is only required in very rare
cases where an application program requires access to the
UART's Scratchpad register. If this option is omitted, the
QSP-100's interrupt status register is enabled and the UARTs'
Scratchpad registers are disabled.

E instructs the Client Driver to update the BIOS equipment list

with the addresses assigned to the QSP-100. This option is
only required in very rare cases where an application program
checks the BIOS equipment list to determine the address of a
COM port. If this option is omitted, the BIOS equipment list is
not updated.

.1.2.1 Example 1

2

DEVICE = C:\QSP-100\QSP100CL.SYS

In example 1, no command line arguments are specified. The Client
Driver will configure a QSP-100 inserted into any socket with a base
address and IRQ assigned by Card and Socket Services. The QSP-100's
interrupt status register will be enabled and the BIOS equipment list will
not be updated.

.1.2.2 Example 2

2

DEVICE = C:\QSP-100\QSP100CL.SYS (b300)

In example 2, a single command line argument is provided. The Client
Driver will attempt to configure a QSP-100 inserted into any socket with a
base address of 300H and an IRQ assigned by Card and Socket Services.
If address 300H is unavailable, the QSP-100 will not be configured. If the
Client Driver can successfully configure the QSP-100, its interrupt status
register will be enabled and the BIOS equipment list will not be updated.

QSP-100 User's Manual 5

2.1.2.3 Example 3

DEVICE = C:\QSP-100\QSP100CL.SYS (s0,b300,i5)

In example 3, a single command line argument is provided. The Client
Driver will attempt to configure a QSP-100 inserted into socket 0 with a
base address of 300H and IRQ 5. If address 300H or IRQ 5 is unavailable,
the QSP-100 will not be configured. In addition, if a QSP-100 is inserted
into any other socket, it will not be configured. If the Client Driver can
successfully configure the QSP-100, its interrupt status register will be
enabled and the BIOS equipment list will not be updated.

.1.2.4 Example 4

2

DEVICE = C:\QSP-100\QSP100CL.SYS (i5,e,u,b300)

In example 4, a single command line argument is provided. Because the
parameter order is not significant, the Client Driver will attempt to
configure a QSP-100 inserted into any socket with a base address of 300H
and IRQ 5. If address 300H or IRQ 5 is unavailable, the QSP-100 will not
be configured. If the Client Driver can successfully configure the
QSP-100, its interrupt status register will be disabled (Scratchpad registers
enabled) and the BIOS equipment list will be updated.

.1.2.5 Example 5

2

DEVICE = C:\QSP-100\QSP100CL.SYS (b300,i5) (i10) ( )

In example 5, three command line arguments are provided. The Client
Driver will first attempt to configure a QSP-100 inserted into any socket
with a base address of 300H and IRQ 5. If address 300H or IRQ 5 is
unavailable, the Client Driver will proceed to the second command line
argument and attempt to configure the card with a base address assigned
by Card and Socket Services and IRQ 10. If IRQ 10 is also unavailable, the
Client Driver will proceed to the third command line argument and
attempt to configure the QSP-100 with a base address and

an IRQ
assigned by Card and Socket Services. If the QSP-100 is successfully
configured, its interrupt status register will be enabled and the BIOS
equipment list will not be updated.

6

2.1.2.6 Example 6

DEVICE = C:\QSP-100\QSP100CL.SYS (b300,i5) ( ) (i10)

In example 6, the three command line arguments of example 5 have been
re-arranged. The Client Driver will first attempt to configure a QSP-100
inserted into any socket with a base address of 300H and IRQ 5. If
address 300H or IRQ 5 is unavailable, the Client Driver will proceed to
the second command line argument and attempt to configure the card
with a base address and IRQ assigned by Card and Socket Services. Since
the second command line argument includes all available address and
IRQ resources, the third command line argument will never be reached by
the Client Driver. It is the user's responsibility to place the command line
arguments in a logical order.

.1.2.7 Example 7

2

DEVICE = C:\QSP-100\QSP100CL.SYS (s0,b300,i5) (s1,b340,i10)

The type of configuration shown in example 7 may be desirable in
systems where more than one QSP-100 is to be installed. In this example,
the Client Driver will attempt to configure a QSP-100 inserted into socket
0 with a base address of 300H and IRQ 5. If the QSP-100 is inserted into
socket 1, the Client Driver will attempt to configure it with base address
340H and IRQ 10. This allows the user to force the QSP-100's address and
IRQ settings to be socket specific which may simplify cable connections
and software development. As in the previous examples, however, if the
requested address or interrupt resources are not available, the QSP-100
will not be configured.

QSP-100 User's Manual 7

2.1.3 Common Problems

Generic Client Drivers:

Many Card and Socket Services packages include a generic client driver
(or SuperClient) which configures standard I/O devices. If one of these
generic client drivers is installed, it may configure the QSP-100 causing
the QSP-100 client driver to fail installation. In these cases, the user
should do one of the following:

1. modify the operation of the generic client driver to disable the
configuration of modem/serial port cards. Consult the Card
and Socket Services documentation for availability and details
of this feature.

2. place the QSP-100 client driver before the generic client driver
in the CONFIG.SYS.

Available Resources:

One function of the Card and Socket Services software is to track which
system resources (memory addresses, I/O addresses, IRQs, etc.) are
available for assignment to inserted PCMCIA cards. Sometimes,
however, the Card Services software assumes or incorrectly determines
that a particular resource is used when it is actually available. Most Card
and Socket Services generate a resource table in a file (typically in the
form of an .INI file) which the user can modify to adjust the available
system resources. Consult the Card and Socket Services documentation
for availability and details of this feature.

Multiple Configuration Attempts:

Some Card and Socket Services have a setting which aborts the
configuration process after a single configuration failure (such as a
request for an unavailable resource). The user should change this setting
to allow for multiple configuration attempts. Consult the Card and Socket
Services documentation for availability and details of this feature.

Older Versions of Card and Socket Services:

Some versions of Card and Socket Services dated before 1993 do not
support general purpose I/O cards. If after careful installation of the
Client Driver the QSP-100 does not configure or operate properly, an
updated version of Card and Socket Services may be required.

8

2.2 QSP-100 Enabler for DOS

For systems that are not operating PCMCIA Card and Socket Services
software, the QSP-100 DOS Enabler may be used to enable and configure
the adapter. This Enabler, QSP100EN.EXE, will operate on any DOS
system using an Intel 82365SL or PCIC compatible PCMCIA host adapter
including the Cirrus Logic CL-PD6710 / 6720, the VLSI VL82C146, and
the Vadem VG-365 among others.

IMPORTANT:

In order to use the QSP-100 Enabler for DOS, the system
MUST NOT be configured with Card and Socket Services
software. If a Card and Socket Services software is installed,
the QSP-100 Enabler may interfere with its operation and
with the device(s) it controls.

The QSP-100 Enabler does not support automatic configuration of
adapters upon insertion, more commonly referred to as "Hot Swapping".
This means the adapter must be installed in one of the system's PCMCIA
sockets before executing QSP100EN.EXE. If more than one adapter is
installed in a system, the Enabler must be executed separately for each
adapter. Furthermore, QSP100EN.EXE should be executed to release the
resources used by the adapter before it is removed from the PCMCIA
socket. Since PCMCIA adapters do not retain their configuration after
removal, any adapter that is removed from the system must be
re-configured with the Enabler after re-inserting it into a PCMCIA socket.

IMPORTANT:

The Enabler requires a region of high DOS memory when
configuring a QSP-100. This region is 1000H bytes (4KB) long
and by default begins at address D0000H (the default address
may be changed using the "W" option). If a memory manager
such as EMM386, QEMM, or 386Max is installed on the system,
this region of DOS memory must be excluded from the memory
manager's control. Consult the documentation provided with
the memory manager software for instructions on how to
exclude this memory region.

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