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Chapter 6
CHAPTER 6 - Soft-ICE Initialization Options
06.01 Introduction
06.02 Loading Soft-ICE from the DOS Prompt
06.03 Loading Soft-ICE as a Loadable Device Driver
06.03.01 Soft-ICE Loading Switches
06.04 The Soft-ICE Initialization File S-ICE.DAT
06.04.01 Special Configuration Options
06.04.02 Function Key Assignments
06.04.03 Initialization Command Sequence
06.01 Introduction
The Soft-ICE program file (S-ICE.EXE) can be loaded as a loadable
device driver in CONFIG.SYS or as a program from the DOS command line.
To get the full power of Soft-ICE, it must be initially loaded as a
device driver in CONFIG.SYS. However, there may be circumstances when
you might want to run Soft-ICE from the DOS prompt or a batch file,
such as:
* You do not have extended memory in your system Soft-ICE can only
load as a loadable device driver if you have extended memory.
* You want to take up ZERO bytes of conventional memory. When
loaded as a device driver, Soft-ICE occupies approximately 2K of
conventional memory.
* You only need to use Soft-ICE occasionally and there are no other
programs using extended memory. In some cases you may need some
of the features that require Soft-ICE to be loaded in CONFIG.SYS
but do not want Soft-ICE to be resident all of the time. In this
case Soft-ICE can be loaded in CONFIG.SYS to reserve extended
memory, and then disabled, by using the /UN switch, until Soft-
ICE is required. See section 6.3.1 for more information about the
/UN switch.
06.02 Loading Soft-ICE from the DOS Prompt
You can NOT enable all of Soft-ICE's features when loading from the
DOS prompt. If you will be using Soft-ICE as a stand-alone debugger,
it is recommended you load Soft-ICE in the CONFIG.SYS file.
To load Soft-ICE from the DOS prompt type:
S-ICE
In systems with no extended memory present, Soft-ICE loads itself at
the highest memory location possible. The memory used by Soft-ICE is
then 'mapped out', making it invisible to DOS programs. Since the
total memory visible to DOS and its programs is less after Soft-ICE
loads, it is recommended that you load Soft-ICE before any TSR's
control programs.
In systems with extended memory, you should only load Soft-ICE from
the DOS prompt if you are not using extended memory for anything else
(e.g., VDISK, CACHE, HIMEM...). When you initially load Soft-ICE from
the command line or from a batch file, Soft-ICE will prompt you with a
warning message. This warning message is just to remind you that
Soft-ICE will overwrite the highest portion of extended memory when it
loads. You can suppress this warning prompt with the EXTENDED option
in the Soft-ICE configuration file S-ICE.DAT. For more information
about the EXTENDED option, see section 6.4.1.
06.03 Loading Soft-ICE as a Loadable Device Driver
In order to use all of the Soft-ICE features, you must first load
Soft-ICE as a loadable device driver in your CONFIG.SYS file. The
features this makes possible are:
* Coexisting with other software that uses extended memory. Loading
as a device driver allows Soft-ICE to manage extended memory so
you can run Soft-ICE with programs that use extended memory, such
VDISK, CACHE and HIMEM.
* Symbolic and source level debugging Loading as a device driver
allows Soft-ICE to allocate an extended memory buffer for symbols
and source information.
* Back trace ranges and the SNAP command Loading as a device driver
allows Soft-ICE to allocate an extended memory buffer for a back
trace buffer. This buffer is also used for the Soft-ICE SNAP
command.
* Enabling Soft-ICE's EMM 4.0 capability
* Running Soft-ICE with MagicCV or MagicCVW
Note : When loaded as a device driver in CONFIG.SYS, Soft-ICE
allocates the highest portion of extended memory for itself and its
associated components, so there can be no memory conflicts. S-ICE.EXE
must be loaded in CONFIG.SYS before any other driver that allocates
extended memory loaded (e.g., VDISK.SYS, RAMDRIVE.SYS). Generally
Soft-ICE works best if it is the first loadable device driver
installed in CONFIG.SYS.
06.03.01 Soft-ICE Loading Switches
One or more loading switches can follow S-ICE.EXE in CONFIG.SYS. These
switches allow you to customize the way extended memory will be
reserved by Soft-ICE. The switches all must begin with a / character.
The loading switches are:
* /EXT XXXX: Informs S-ICE.EXE to reserve XXXX Kilobytes of
extended memory for other DOS programs that use extended memory
(e.g., VDISK, CACHE, HIMEM,...). If the /EXT switch is not
present, then any extended memory not used by Soft-ICE and its
associated components will be left as standard extended memory,
but the amount can not be guaranteed. The /EXT switch is useful
because it is sometimes difficult to determine exactly how much
memory being used by Soft-ICE and its associated components.
Using the /EXT switch will guarantee a specified amount is
available for other programs that use extended memory.
* /SYM XXXX: Informs S-ICE.EXE to reserve XXXX Kilobytes of
extended memory for symbols and source usage. If XXXX is not
specified, then all remaining extended memory is used for
symbols. Enough memory must be allocated for your .SYM file and
all source files. For more information about using symbols and
source, see chapter 7.
* /TRA XXXX: Informs S-ICE.EXE to reserve XXXX Kilobytes of
extended memory for a back trace history buffer. This buffer is
used for back trace ranges and for the SNAP command. If XXXX is
not specified, then 10K of extended memory is automatically
reserved for the buffer. If you do not want any memory reserved
for a back trace buffer, use /TRA 0. For more information about
using back trace ranges, see chapter 9.
* /MCV XXX: Informs S-ICE.EXE to reserve XXX Kilobytes of extended
memory for MagicCV or MagicCVW. The minimum amount of extended
memory you can specify is 280K and the maximum is 620K. If XXX is
not specified, S-ICE.EXE will reserve the remaining memory,
between 280K and 620K. See chapter 10 for more information about
running Soft-ICE with MagicCV or MagicCVW.
* /EMM XXXX: Informs S-ICE.EXE to turn XXXX Kilobytes of extended
memory into EMM 4.0 conforming expanded memory. If XXXX is
specified, then all remaining memory is used as expanded. See
chapter 8 for more information about expanded memory support.
* /UN: Informs S-ICE.EXE to enter protected mode, reserve any
needed extended memory, then exit protected mode and unload
itself. This switch should be used when you are loading S-ICE.EXE
as a loadable device driver, but you don't want your system to
remain in protected mode. This switch will reserve memory for
Soft-ICE, and you must execute S-ICE.EXE from the DOS prompt when
you are ready to use Soft-ICE.
Soft-ICE reserves extended memory in the following order, regardless
of the order the switches are specified:
* Reserve approximately 120K for S-ICE.EXE.
* Reserve memory for the /EXT switch if present.
* Reserve memory for the /SYM switch if present.
* Reserve memory for the /TRA switch if present. If it is not
present, default to reserve 10K for the back trace buffer.
* Reserve memory for the /MCV switch if present.
* Reserve memory for the /EMM switch if present.
If available memory runs out while trying to reserve memory for a
switch in the above sequence, then S-ICE.EXE does the following:
1. The remaining extended memory is allocated to switch being
processed when memory runs out.
2. No memory will be reserved for the remaining switches.
Note : If the /MCV or /EMM switch is present, a additional 64K of
extended memory is reserved for a DMA holding buffer.
The switches can be placed in any order following DEVICE = S-ICE.EXE.
example is:
DEVICE = S-ICE.EXE /TRA50 /EMM 500 /SYM 2048
If four megabytes of extended memory are available, this example will
reserve approximately 120K for Soft-ICE, 2 megabytes for symbols, 50K
for a back trace history buffer, 500K for expanded memory and leave
approximately 1.3 megabytes for other extended memory programs. Note
that Soft-ICE will load into the highest portion of extended memory,
leaving the remaining memory starting at 100000H (one megabyte mark).
06.04 The Soft-ICE Initialization File S-ICE.DAT
Soft-ICE has several load options. These options are specified by
placing special commands in an initialization file named S-ICE.DAT.
S-ICE.DAT is an ASCII text file that Soft-ICE parses at load time.
This file can contain function key assignment an auto-start string and
various configuration options. The file can be created and edited with
any DOS text editor. When loading Soft-ICE from the command line,
S-ICE.DAT must be placed in the current directory or in a directory
that is accessible through your current PATH. When Soft-ICE is loaded
as a device driver in CONFIG.SYS, S-ICE.DAT must be in the same
directory where S-ICE.EXE is located.
There are three categories of commands that can be included in the
S-ICE.DAT initialization file:
* Special configuration options
* Function key assignments
* Initialization command sequence
06.04.01 Special Configuration Options
Any of the following configuration options that are needed should each
be placed on a separate line in the S-ICE.DAT file.
* COMPAQ: Compaq 386 and 386SX computer and some Compaq compatible
computers (including computers containing Micronix motherboards)
have 384K of non-contiguous extended memory. The COMPAQ option is
necessary if you want Soft-ICE to use this memory. Note that the
COMPAQ option is the same as the /C command line parameter in
Soft-ICE 1.X.
* NOLEDS: The NOLEDS option tells Soft-ICE not to set and clear the
keyboard LEDs while the Soft-ICE window is up. On some keyboards
the are timing problems that will cause Soft-ICE to lose
synchronization with the keyboard. If Soft-ICE hangs when you are
in the Soft-ICE window use this option. Note that the NOLEDS
option is the same as the /L command line parameter in Soft-ICE
1.X.
* NOTVGA: The NOTVGA option allows Soft-ICE to run on BIOS
compatible VGA cards. Many VGA cards are not compatible with IBM
VGA at the hardware level. These cards support VGA at the BIOS
level only. Use this switch if you have one of those video
adapters. Note that the NOTVGA option is the same as the /V
command line parameter in Soft-ICE 1.X.
* EXTENDED: The EXTENDED option causes Soft-ICE to load directly
into extended memory without prompting the user with a warning
message. It should be used if you are loading Soft-ICE initially
from the DOS prompt and do want to be prompted, and you know
nothing else using extended memory. Note that the EXTENDED option
is the same as the /E command line parameter in Soft-ICE 1.X.
06.04.02 Function Key Assignments
One or more Soft-ICE commands can be assigned to any function key at
load time. See the description of the FKEY command in section 5.8
(Debugger Customization Commands) for a description of assigning
function keys from the Soft-ICE command line.
The syntax for assigning a function key name in S-ICE.DAT is :
Function-key-name = "string"
Function-key-name : F1, F2... F12.
String : The string may consist of any valid Soft-ICE commands and the
special characters ^ and ;. A ^ is placed in the string to make a
command invisible. A ; is placed in the string denote a carriage
return. The string must be enclosed in double quotes.
An example function key assignment in S-ICE.DAT is:
F12 = "D 100;"
This will assign the Soft-ICE dump command to function key 12. When
F12 is pressed Soft-ICE will dump at offset 100H in the current data
segment. The semi-colon following the 100 represents the ENTER key.
06.04.03 Initialization Command Sequence
A sequence of commands can be automatically executed when Soft-ICE
loads. This is useful for customizing Soft-ICE to meet your needs. For
example, you might set up windows and change the default hot key
sequence. The syntax for setting up an initialization command sequence
in S-ICE.DAT is:
INIT = "assignment-string"
Assignment string : The string consists of any valid SoftICE cmd and
the special characters ^ and ;. A ^ is placed in the string to make a
command invisible. A; is placed in the string denote a carriage
return. The string must be enclosed in double quotes.
An example initialization command sequence in S-ICE.DAT is:
INIT = "WIN; WR; WD 1; WC 12; ALTKEY CTRL X;"
This example will put the Soft-ICE window in full screen mode, create
a register window, create a data window one line long, create a code
window 12 lines long, and change the hot key sequence to CTRL X.
Sample S-ICE.DAT : A sample S-ICE.DAT initialization file is included
on the distribution diskette. This sample assigns the function keys so
they are used in a similar manner as the function keys in Microsoft's
CodeView debugger. This sample S-ICE.DAT should also be used as is for
the tutorial in chapter 3.
