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22.5 Where to find the DPMI specification?

Q: What is this DPMI thing you are all talking about?

Q: Where can I find the specifications for the DPMI functions?


A: DPMI, the DOS Protected-Mode Interface, is an API that allows protected-mode programs to run on top of DOS, which is a real-mode operating system, and still be able call real-mode DOS and BIOS services. A special API is required because DOS code cannot be run in protected mode: if you try, your system will immediately crash, since the real-mode DOS and BIOS code violates many restrictions of protected-mode programming. See restrictions of protected mode, for more details.

The DPMI API is implemented as a set of functions of Interrupt 31h which allow such chores as switch from real to protected mode and back (generally done upon startup and at exit), memory allocation, calling real-mode services, etc. DPMI is by far the most portable way of running protected-mode programs on MS-DOS, MS-Windows and compatible systems.

You can find the DPMI 0.9 spec by anonymous ftp to one of the following sites:


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