Groups > comp.os.msdos.programmer > #1364

detecting emulation or console windows

From	"Rod Pemberton" <dont_use_email@xnothavet.cqm>
Newsgroups	alt.os.development, comp.os.msdos.programmer, alt.lang.asm
Subject	detecting emulation or console windows
Date	2014-05-31 18:31 -0400
Organization	Aioe.org NNTP Server
Message-ID	<op.xgqwuvss6zenlw@localhost> (permalink)

Cross-posted to 3 groups.

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Do you guys have any pointers on detecting whether or not code
is executing in an emulator or in console window?

Specifically, I have DJGPP (GCC) DOS code which is intended
to execute under a DPMI host starting from RM (real-mode)
MS-DOS.  The problem is the code is incompatible with emulated
environments and causes a crash, i.e., programs hardware.

Console windows, like Windows 98/SE's DOS console or Linux's
dosemu environment, are emulating well enough that I can't
currently detect them.  But, I'd like the code to exit cleanly,
if possible, instead of crashing.

I'm aware that certain environments, e.g., DOSBOX, have
a specific interrupt routine that can be called to detect.
I use a bunch of these such calls, but they're insufficient.
The fact such calls are available is good, but I'd prefer
something more generic so that I'm coding up dozens upon
dozens of tests, including tests for environments I can't test.

I've looked at CR0.PE, but dosemu emulates MOV CRO and SMSW
accurately enough that those instructions are *not* useful,
i.e., they indicate CR0.PE is clear even when under emulation.
A20 has a similar problem.  Under emulation, it initially indicates
it's not enabled.  So, now, I'm thinking about keyboard, NMI, RTC,
or other things, like processor flags, interrupts, memory locations,
instruction bugs, self-modifying code, etc where emulation might
not be perfect or is at least detectable.  The goals are: simple,
reliable, i.e., works everywhere, all machines, all processors,
all types of emulation.

So, if software emulation is good, it's hard to detect.  I've
been searching Google, Yahoo, and Usenet archives for some hints,
but I'm not finding much.  It seems Shawn Hargreaves of Allegro
ran into much the same issue years ago, but I'm not sure if he
found a solution.


Rod Pemberton
PS.  This is cross-posted to a few groups.  I read all, but it's
easier for me, if you leave all groups on.

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Thread

detecting emulation or console windows "Rod Pemberton" <dont_use_email@xnothavet.cqm> - 2014-05-31 18:31 -0400
  Re: detecting emulation or console windows Ross Ridge <rridge@csclub.uwaterloo.ca> - 2014-05-31 19:59 -0400
    Re: detecting emulation or console windows "Rod Pemberton" <dont_use_email@xnothavet.cqm> - 2014-05-31 20:54 -0400
      Re: detecting emulation or console windows "Rod Pemberton" <dont_use_email@xnothavet.cqm> - 2014-05-31 21:43 -0400
        Re: detecting emulation or console windows "James Harris" <james.harris.1@gmail.com> - 2014-06-01 22:48 +0100
          Re: detecting emulation or console windows "Rod Pemberton" <dont_use_email@xnothavet.cqm> - 2014-06-02 00:46 -0400
            Re: detecting emulation or console windows "James Harris" <james.harris.1@gmail.com> - 2014-06-02 06:15 +0100
              Re: detecting emulation or console windows "Rod Pemberton" <dont_use_email@xnothavet.cqm> - 2014-06-02 03:21 -0400
                Re: detecting emulation or console windows "Rod Pemberton" <dont_use_email@xnothavet.cqm> - 2014-06-02 03:32 -0400
                Re: detecting emulation or console windows "James Harris" <james.harris.1@gmail.com> - 2014-06-02 09:51 +0100
                Re: detecting emulation or console windows "Rod Pemberton" <dont_use_email@xnothavet.cqm> - 2014-06-02 09:27 -0400
                Re: detecting emulation or console windows "James Harris" <james.harris.1@gmail.com> - 2014-06-02 17:05 +0100
                Re: detecting emulation or console windows "Rod Pemberton" <dont_use_email@xnothavet.cqm> - 2014-06-02 19:25 -0400
                Re: detecting emulation or console windows "James Harris" <james.harris.1@gmail.com> - 2014-06-04 07:55 +0100
                Re: detecting emulation or console windows "Rod Pemberton" <dont_use_email@xnothavet.cqm> - 2014-06-04 03:20 -0400
      Re: detecting emulation or console windows Ross Ridge <rridge@csclub.uwaterloo.ca> - 2014-06-01 14:03 -0400
        Re: detecting emulation or console windows "Rod Pemberton" <dont_use_email@xnothavet.cqm> - 2014-06-02 00:53 -0400
          Re: detecting emulation or console windows Ross Ridge <rridge@csclub.uwaterloo.ca> - 2014-06-02 15:55 -0400
            Re: detecting emulation or console windows "Rod Pemberton" <dont_use_email@xnothavet.cqm> - 2014-06-02 19:27 -0400
              Re: detecting emulation or console windows Ross Ridge <rridge@csclub.uwaterloo.ca> - 2014-06-03 17:00 -0400
  Re: detecting emulation or console windows Sjouke Burry <burrynulnulfour@ppllaanneett.nnll> - 2014-06-01 06:25 +0200
    Re: detecting emulation or console windows "Rod Pemberton" <dont_use_email@xnothavet.cqm> - 2014-06-01 02:50 -0400
  Re: detecting emulation or console windows "James Harris" <james.harris.1@gmail.com> - 2014-06-01 07:53 +0100
    Re: detecting emulation or console windows "Rod Pemberton" <dont_use_email@xnothavet.cqm> - 2014-06-01 04:53 -0400
      Re: detecting emulation or console windows "James Harris" <james.harris.1@gmail.com> - 2014-06-01 20:57 +0100
        Re: detecting emulation or console windows "Rod Pemberton" <dont_use_email@xnothavet.cqm> - 2014-06-02 00:48 -0400
      Re: detecting emulation or console windows "Rod Pemberton" <dont_use_email@xnothavet.cqm> - 2014-06-02 03:20 -0400
  Re: detecting emulation or console windows JJ <duh@nah.meh> - 2014-06-02 03:43 +0700
    Re: detecting emulation or console windows "Rod Pemberton" <dont_use_email@xnothavet.cqm> - 2014-06-02 00:34 -0400
    Re: detecting emulation or console windows "Rod Pemberton" <dont_use_email@xnothavet.cqm> - 2014-06-03 07:06 -0400
      Re: detecting emulation or console windows JJ <duh@nah.meh> - 2014-06-03 20:25 +0700
  Re: detecting emulation or console windows "wolfgang kern" <nowhere@never.at> - 2014-06-03 20:52 +0200
  Re: detecting emulation or console windows "James Harris" <james.harris.1@gmail.com> - 2014-06-03 22:59 +0100
    Re: detecting emulation or console windows CN <qmbmnp3799@pacbell.net> - 2014-06-03 18:39 -0700
      Re: detecting emulation or console windows "James Harris" <james.harris.1@gmail.com> - 2014-06-04 07:06 +0100
        Re: detecting emulation or console windows "Rod Pemberton" <dont_use_email@xnothavet.cqm> - 2014-06-04 03:07 -0400
          Re: detecting emulation or console windows "James Harris" <james.harris.1@gmail.com> - 2014-06-04 09:16 +0100
  Re: detecting emulation or console windows "James Harris" <james.harris.1@gmail.com> - 2014-06-03 23:00 +0100
  Re: detecting emulation or console windows "Rod Pemberton" <dont_use_email@xnothavet.cqm> - 2014-06-10 17:37 -0400
    Re: detecting emulation or console windows Wildman <best_lay@yahoo.com> - 2014-06-11 00:37 +0000
      Re: detecting emulation or console windows "Rod Pemberton" <dont_use_email@xnothavet.cqm> - 2014-07-27 12:11 -0400

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