ReAl

From AVReAl‘s point of view there are two Windows families.

Windows 9X family OS like Windows 98 does not require LPT access driver. avreal uses direct IO access when working in it.

NT-line OS like Windows XP or Windows 7 requires a DLPortIO driver. Driver installation process for 32-bit and 64-bit OS has been described before.

For all Windows versions parallel port number or base address must be set in command line, for example -p1, -p378. Port number is just alias for standard address as it is noted in -p switch description. Fixed 378/278/3BC addresses are used for LPT1/2/3.

Non-standard base address for PCI-LPT (PCI-Express LPT, PCMCIA-LPT) extension board can be found on port properties tab in device manager.

»»» How to see the address of LPT in Windows XP, Windows 7

Unlike in NT-line Windows a DLPortIO.sys driver is not required for LPT port access in Linux/x86 (both 32- and 64-bit). Unlike in Windows 98 any program in Linux can’t access ports without permissions.

There are two ways — direct IO-port access and parport device usage. Direct access provides faster programming but requires root privileges when avreal is started.

Continue reading ‘avreal and LPT in Linux’ »