DOSEMU
DOS compatibility layer for Linux From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
DOSEMU, stylized as dosemu, is a compatibility layer software package that enables DOS operating systems (e.g., MS-DOS, DR-DOS, FreeDOS) and application software to run atop Linux on x86-based PCs (IBM PC compatible computers).
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![]() DOSEMU Running on C:\ | |
Original author(s) | DOSEMU Team |
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Initial release | September 3, 1992[1] |
Final release | 1.4.0
/ May 5, 2007 |
Repository | |
Operating system | Linux |
Type | Compatibility layer |
License | GPL |
Website | www |
Preview release | 2.0pre9
/ 29 January 2022 |
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Repository | github |
Website | dosemu2 |
Features
Summarize
Perspective
It uses a combination of hardware-assisted virtualization features and high-level emulation. It can thus achieve nearly native speed for 8086-compatible DOS operating systems and applications on x86 compatible processors, and for DOS Protected Mode Interface (DPMI) applications on x86 compatible processors as well as on x86-64 processors. DOSEMU includes an 8086 processor emulator for use with real-mode applications in x86-64 long mode.
DOSEMU is only available for x86 and x86-64 Linux systems (Linux 3.15 x86-64 systems cannot enter DPMI by default. This is fixed in 3.16).[2]
DOSEMU is an option for people who need or want to continue to use legacy DOS software; in some cases virtualisation is good enough to drive external hardware such as device programmers connected to the parallel port. According to its manual, "dosemu" is a user-level program which uses certain special features of the Linux kernel and the 80386 processor to run DOS in a DOS box. The DOS box, relying on a combination of hardware and software, has these abilities:
- Virtualize all input-output and processor control instructions
- Supports the word size and addressing modes of the iAPX86 processor family's "real mode", while still running within the full protected mode environment
- Trap all DOS and BIOS system calls and emulate such calls as needed for proper operation and good performance
- Simulate a hardware environment over which DOS programs are accustomed to having control.
- Provide DOS services through native Linux services; for example, dosemu can provide a virtual hard disk drive which is actually a Linux directory hierarchy.[3]
- API-level support for Packet driver,[4] IPX, Berkeley sockets (dosnet).[5][6]
See also
References
External links
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