The console mode needs to be set to properly interpret and generate ANSI
escape sequences. It is not 100% VT100 compatible, but this is MUCH better
than without any support.
Windows 10 finally supports ANSI escape sequences in console applications.
Simulators may output appropriate sequences and get useful results, however,
timing of the bytes in the output stream to the console device matters.
This change buffers the data in escape sequences for up to 8ms or until another
escape sequence is presented for output. Once the 8ms elapses, then all output
characters are presented to the windows console subsystem together so they
can be properly interpreted.
commit ef6528bf32 added support for automatic WRU detection for simulators
that don't have a console port, but it was never documented and the addition of
that support potentially interfered with SAVE/RESTORE behavior.
The console connection state is now automatically saved and restored.
The output of remote console commands gets truncated at the configured
buffer size. The default has been raised from 1400 to 8192.
Common remote console usage is from the same host as the simulator and
as such localhost TCP traffic is delivered in chunks at least 8192 so no extra
packets will be involved in transporting the potential extra data and no
transmission delays on the send() call.
The minumum size is now 1400 (which was the prior default).
The RUN command implicitly resets all devices which may have unexpected
consequences for a novice user.
The logic now produces a warning about this side effect when more than one
RUN command is executed in the same simulator session.
An explicit RESET command suppresses this warning for a subsequent RUN
command.
A RUN command with the -Q switch also suppresses this warning.
Reworked all priority adjustment code to leverage a new
sim_os_set_thread_priority API which is coded to use pthreads or OS
priority adjustment APIs as necessary.
These changes facilitate more robust parameter type checking and helps
to identify unexpected coding errors.
Most simulators can now also be compiled with a C++ compiler without
warnings.
Additionally, these changes have also been configured to facilitate easier
backporting of simulator and device simulation modules to run under the
simh v3.9+ SCP framework.
Many simulators run instructions one or more orders of magnitude faster
than the original systems did. Limiting simulated serial port input speeds
to legacy bits per second values presents the arriving data much slower
than the original systems ever saw it. Given the processing capacity of the
simulated systems and the fact that the software and device interfaces
only know how to deal with the legacy speed values there is a need to
provide a way to allow input to arrive faster. This problem is solved by
providing a speed factor as a part of a speed specification. For example
a speed can be specified as "speed*factor" or "9600*10".
Each of the speeds greater than 9600bps deliver a character in less than
1ms. Computing inter-character delays in microseconds therefore can't
be precise enough to be well behaved. Measuring the inter-character
delays in instructions (scalled by the calibrated clock) gets us the needed
precision.
A SET CONSOLE SPEED=nnn, where legal values for nnn are common serial
port rates. The speed value will attempt to limit the input data rates to a
simulator to approximately the specified bits per second.
This approach removes the burden from any simulator code to perform instruction execution postlude before calling sim_process_event and prelude activites when sim_process_event returns.
Remote Console commands are now executed from the same simulator context as if entered from the initial sim> prompt.
- Accept input comments
- Allow leading and trailing spaces in remote console input commands
- Force prompt to be "sim> " or "SIM> " when in a master mode console session. "SIM> " used during single command mode.
- Enhance performance of single command mode input processing by processing all available input characters before actually flushing output buffers
TMXR API extension to add tmxr_input_pending_ln that reports the existence of additional input data
TMXR also now conforms to revised sim_sock API changes
John Kichury revived Startrek II running under DCC Basic which originally ran on the Digital Computer Controls (DCC) D-116 DG Nova clone
This program (or the Basic interpreter) requires console input with even parity.
SET TTI EVEN
will now enable that.
This capability will allow a GDB RSB stub to be created to support dynamic debugging of code running in a simulator.
This capability will also allow a complete front panel emulation system to operate a simulator.
This capability is engaged in a simulator by:
sim> set remote telnet=remoteconsoleport#
sim> set console telnet=consoleport#
sim> set remote master
Master mode will provide a TCP session which accepts SCP commands that allow full control of the simulator.
