Date: Monday, 5 August 1985 10:40-MDT From: Walt Sakai Re: >> RAMDISK : SUMMARY OF RESPONSES << Thanks to all who responded to my RAMDISK query. Below is an edited summary (about 4 pages long) for your information. Send additional responses if you like. Walt Sakai {ucbvax,hplabs,ihnp4,cbosgd, decwrl,unisoft,fortune,sun,nsc}!dual!proper!walt_sak * * * From nsc!seismo!purdue.edu!droms Wed Jul 31 08:44:38 1985 ================================================================= Micro-Cornucopia magazine recently reviewed a number of Z80 SBC memory expansion boards. Micro-C no. 22 (February-March, 1985) includes reviews of a 256K RAM Expansion Module from Ferguson Engineering, and the Rivendell Audiocomp 256K Ram + I/O expansion board. Issue no. 23 (April-May, 1985) has a short review of the MicroSphere 256K RAMdisk. Issue no. 9 (Dec. 1982) reviews the LASoftware 256K RAMDisk kit. Ralph Droms ihnp4!purdue!droms 445 MATH droms@purdue.arpa Dept. of Computer Science droms@purdue.csnet Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 From: dual!ukma!steve (Steve Ferry) ================================================================= I have a Drive C that I use with my Osborne I and I think its wonderful. To be really useful, it needs to be fairly large. Mine is 384K and 512K wouldn't hurt a bit. There is some problem using it with submit and with programs that sit up in high memory intercepting BDOS calls. I wouldn't use Wordstar without it. From dual!cbosgd!ihnp4!tektronix!tekchips!toma (Tom Almy) ================================================================= I have had about a years experience with a RAM-DISK that I built for my Lobo MAX-80. My system has a 5 Mhz Z-80, two DSDD 8" drives (1.2 meg apiece), and a 256k ram-disk. Operating system is CP/M+ with about 32k of sector-buffering. The buffering of CP/M+ improves performance of random-access files (such as databases) to the point that ram-disk offers little improvement. I put the utility .COM files and the overlays for Wordstar and KAMAS on the RAM disk. I also don't trust the RAM-DISK for data files (except read-only, where information is always backed up on a Floppy). If I could do it again, I would want to rely on track or sector buffering instead of a RAM DISK (since it automatically backs up to the floppy), perhaps with a few hundred K of RAM for this. Then I would want to have a ROM DISK (a RAM disk with 27256 EPROMS) to hold all my commonly used programs and overlays. In fact, the CP/M OS could be loaded of of the ROM DISK eliminating the need for a "System Disk". From nsc!seismo!MIT-MC.ARPA!STORK (Eric Stork) ================================================================= I've used a SEMIDISK for 1.5 years now, and would not be without it. Cost has come down a lot (see BYTE ad). Speed is amazing. For example, to load dBASEII off a floppy takes about 9 secs. To load off RAMDISK takes <1 sec.! Assembling long files is a pleasure. I keep about 300k of com files in a library, use the rest of the 1 meg for data. Highly recommend RAMSDISK. From dual!hplabs!tektronix!reed!elaine ================================================================= I am using the boards from SemiDisk systems and have had no trouble with them. They make anything disk intensive very fast. I run a BBS of of mine and I know that is disk *intensive*. From dual!ucbvax!sdcsvax!crash!ihom (Irwin Hom) ================================================================= My CP/M system consists of an Apple //e using a PCPI APPLI-Card with a 128k piggy-back RAM board. A RAMdisk is definitely an advantage when running programs that use overlays. Take WordStar for example. Making the transition from floppies to a hard disk speeded up the menu displays by about 70%. On the RAMdisk, this increased to 95%. Almost instantaneous! The cost for a 128k module is about $175. Two modules can be added to the PCPI card allowing a 192k workspace. A RAMdisk is worthy when working with programs that does a lot of disk access with files or overlays. Recently, I've been developing programs in Turbo Pascal. Saving and compiling files on the RAMdisk is a tremendous timesaver. From qantel!ihnp4!houxm!whuxl!whuts!amc Thu Aug 1 03:52:26 1985 ================================================================= I have a Compupro S100 system with a 1/2 Meg MDrive (RAMdisk), running OASIS, which is a business-oriented operating system modeled after PDP-11/VMS. I also have two 8" floppies attached. I keep all the OS stuff on the MDrive (OASIS uses about 1/2 Meg with all the goodies like assembler, editor, text formatter, terminal emulator, etc.). With the MDrive attached, my computer is simply the fastest thing I have ever used, and I have used them all--IBM, DEC, HP, Honeywell, Univac, AT&T, and lots of micros. Best money I ever spent. -Andy Cohill ================================================================= RAMDISK INFORMATION Source: BAKUP Kaypro User Group, CA This file consists of public messages left on the BBS from 3/14 to 7/20/85 in regards to mostly the MICROSPHERE RAMDISK. ================================================================= From: TOM CIARAMITARO To: ALL Date: 03/14/85 AS YOU KNOW, I WANT TO SEE ABOUT GETTING A FEW OF US TOGETHER FOR THE PURCHASE OF A 1 MB RAMDISK, BY PURCHASING THE MICROSPHERE BOARD AND GETTING A QUANTITY PRICE ON THE 256K CHIPS. 6 MONTHS AGO THESE CHIPS WERE ADVERTISED FOR OVER $50 IN MICRO C. I JUST GOT A FLYER THAT LISTS THEM FOR $8.75 (50 LOT), $8.25 (100 LOT). THAT WOULD BRING OUR TOTAL PRICE DOWN AS LOW AS $475!!! CALL ME (415) 825-0299, OR 687-0644 EVENINGS. THIS ALSO HAS A 64K PRINTER BUFFER INCLUDED FREE! From: KEN FOWLER To: ALL Date: 06/12/85 Subject: RAMDISK AND KEYPAD For all Microsphere Ram Disk users whose numeric keypads no longer work, the problem is not with the ramdisk software but with the cp/m BIOS. To provide room in memory for the ramdisk driver, you had to relocate cp/m using the MOVCPM utility. MOVCPM contains a copy of your BIOS as set up by KAYPRO, which includes the keypad definitions. It would be O.K. if you could use CONFIG.COM to reconfigure the keypad, but unfortunately they wrote CONFIG to work only with a 64k system. It should be relatively easy for a PASCAL programmer to write a new CONFIG which would work on any size cp/m. From: DANIEL HOWARD To: ALL Date: 06/11/85 Subject: RAM DISK ODDITY WHEN USING THE MICROSPHERE RAM DISK, DIRECT ACCESS TO THE PRINTER IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE. I TRIED USING CONTROL-P TO PRINT A SMALL DOCUMENT, AND LATER TRIED USING SELECT WORD PROCESSING TO PRINT A LETTER BUT NO PRINTING WAS STARTED. WHEN I INITIALIZED DISK "E" (THOUGH ONLY USED THE FLOPPIES AFTER INITIALIZING) THE PRINTER FUNCTIONED, SO IT SEEMS THAT THE BUFFER DOESN'T FUNCTION INDEPENDENTLY OF THE RAM DISK. THIS WILL RARELY BE A PROBLEM SINCE I EXPECT TO LOAD SELECT INTO THE RAM DISK MOST OF THE TIME, BUT WHEN QUICKLY BATTING OUT A SMALL LETTER AND USING THE FLOPPIES ONLY, THE RAM DISK MUST STILL HAVE BEEN INITIALIZED. From: STEVE WILLETT To: ALL Date: 06/12/85 Subject: D HAWKINS - RAM DISK I did not understand your message about RAM disk initialization. Specifically I was puzzled by your comment that EX.COM wouldn't work to initialize the RAM disk. I use EX.COM and the following NEWRAM.SUB file: RDISKM64| {to initialize the disk} YY {to ask for and confirm reformatting} PIP E:=A:*.*| {to copy files from A:} DIR F:| {to switch to RAM disk => A:} ERA ???RAM.SUB| {to erase SUB files} D| This all works fine. I have another file, OLDRAM.SUB, which does the same except it does not format the disk. I use this when I have left my external power supply on and have data on the disk. For this reason I do not give either commands automatically on boot -I just issue the EX OLDRAM or EX NEWRAM command from the A> prompt. From: DANIEL HOWARD To: ALL Date: 07/08/85 Subject: RAMDISK & WARM BOOT If owners of Microsphere's Ramdisk use DIR F: to make the Ramdisk drive A, then warm boots will not activate the floppies, nor will a new floppy be logged on. For example, Software Toolworks C/80 does a warm boot after a compile. If C/80 is in the Ramdisk and the latter is set to be drive A, then the warm boot takes place using the Ramdisk and there is no drive activity. But to log in a new floppy, it would be necessary to use DIR F: to return the top drive to being drive A, do a control C, access the new floppy (most likely in drive B), and then use DIR F: again to restore the Ramdisk as drive A. From: STEVE WILLETT To: ALL Date: 07/11/85 Subject: RAMDISK & WARM BOOT In response to Daniel Howard's message about Microsphere's RAM disk and warm boots I'm sorry, I have to disagree. I use DIR F: to set up the RAM disk as drive A: and it still spins the floppies and accesses the top drive every time I do a warm boot. It may be a side effect of having a Pro8 machine and/or having ZCPR installed, but it definitely does it. From: STUART HOLLANDER To: ALL Date: 07/12/85 Subject: RAMBOARD-NEW CHIPS!! For those of you who have purchased the Microsphere ramdisk, some stimulating news. Just called Fry's in Sunnyvale (408-733-1770) and found that (hold onto your seats) they are offering the NEC 41256-15 (exactly like the ones on our ramdisks) for $2.99 each. Get 'em while they're hot! More good news. Spoke to Don Thompson at Microsphere re the upgrade. Contra to the instruction manual, we don't need to upgrade our 8748 chips--the ones installed were the upgraded versions. Let's see, that is 16 x 2.99, or a 512K upgrade for the princely sum of $47.84 plus tax. Bought mine on Saturday, plugged 'em in, did the tests, and all is fine. Since mine was configured as 512k with a 32k printer buffer, I now have 960k available with a 32k printer buffer. Spoke to the people at Fry's and, as of Monday the 15th, they will start accepting mail orders. Additional charge is something like a dollar, plus the C.O.D. charge of $1.95 or so. From: DANIEL HOWARD To: ALL Date: 07/20/85 Subject: RAMDISK TO 1 MEG STUART HOLLANDER LEFT A MESSAGE RE UPGRADING THE MICROSPHERE RAMDISK FROM 512K TO 1 MEG USING THE 8748 CURRENTLY INSTALLED (THE INSTRUCTIONS STATE THE NEED TO PURCHASE A NEW ONE). WHAT STUART DIDN'T MENTION WAS THAT THE JUMPER THE INSTRUCTIONS STATE NEEDS TO BE INSTALLED ON U15 IS NOT REQUIRED EITHER. SIMPLY PUT IN THE 16 256K CHIPS AND ONE MEGABYTE MINUS THE CURRENT BUFFER IS AVAILABLE. -- EOF --