22 Dec
2005
22 Dec
'05
10:19 a.m.
Scott Stevens wrote:
Since
it's possible under Linux or one of the BSD Unixes to
completely compile out support for the floppy controller, it
should also be possible to pull said kernel code out, and create a
(super)user-mode module application out of it to do whatever you
want with the disk controller.
You don't even have to compile out the floppy driver - just don't open
it.
You should be able to mmap any memory based registers into userland and
you can certainly do io instructions as root.
As long as there are no critical timing issues, and you don't need
interrupts it's not hard.
I've done it a lot, actually. It's often much easier to do early driver
work from userland and test assumptions, etc...
never concidered talking to the floppy controller, however.
Are we just talking 3 & 5" floppies here? hmm....
If I ever get around to putting one of these 8" floppies on a pc I may
try that. Might be a good way to kill 3-4 days :-)
-brad