I am probably using the wrong terms. I have searched without finding ‘external jump’ or ‘external call.’

My rudimentary operating system writes to and read from sectors selected by the user, prints the time, and has an arbitrary number generator with a game. The kernel is not approaching 64K, but I have been thinking that it would be easier to write, assemble & debug code if the kernel would run external programs (such as the read and write functions) that are now part of the kernel.
From where I stand (I should be in the shallow end of the pool, but in this I think I am well in over my head) there could be two ways of doing this:
1) Load the program from a certain sector(s) of the disk.
2) Call the program by name.

I have tried the first approach since I thought I had an idea of how to do that by modifying some code from a boot loader that loads the kernel from the second sector of a floppy (although, I am a bit confused. The comments in the boot loader code say that the kernel is to be written to the second sector, at 0800h:0000h. I thought that the second sector would be 0400:0000, which partially explains the various tries pointed out in the comments in the code below). I copied the compiled program that I want to call onto the 4th sector of the disk.

I added this code to the kernel (hoping) to load and run program:

mov ah, 02h ; read
mov al, 2 ; num. of sectors to read.
mov ch, 0 ; cylinder num
mov cl, 4 ; sector num
mov dh, 0 ; head num.
; es:bx points to receiving data
mov bx, 1000h ; also tried 0800h & 0400h
mov es, bx
mov bx, 1000h ; also tried 0800h & 0400h
int 13h ; read
jmp 1000h ; also tried 0800h & 0400h

The code compiles and the kernel works fine until I type in the command to make the external jump and press Enter. Then the kernel freezes.

Any help is appreciated.

Thank you,

RALC

You will need a far jump (or call), that way you also load CS with the segment of the data you just loaded.

Hello


Why 1000h

I replaced jmp with jmp far.

mov ah, 02h ; read
mov al, 2 ; num. of sectors to read.
mov ch, 0 ; cylinder num
mov cl, 4 ; sector num
mov dh, 0 ; head num.
; es:bx points to receiving data
mov bx, 0400h
mov es, bx
mov bx, 0
int 13h ; read
jmp far 0800h

Now the system reboots. That is better than freezing. But I must still be leaving something out.

Thanks

RALC

Yes, you are forgetting about the segment register CS.

external jumps or calls implies external memory map.
then, if you call or jump to another segment or descriptor, you will use the far pointers ONLY.

far pointers are cool and your friend.
very simple to use, as well in RM, PM, 16 & 32 bits.

to define a far pointer?

read the manual:


how to use these pointers?
where to put them?

in any data segment!


now, you can play with external call/jumps.