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The kernel is designed to allow optimized assembly to go as quick as possible. High level languages should access the kernel through shared code rather than directly.
The kernel is accessed with software interrupts, 1 interrupt per service.
| Interrupt | Service |
| 0x30 | Memory |
| 0x31 | System |
| 0x32 | Time |
| 0x33 | Network |
| 0x34 | Message |
| 0x35 | File |
| 0x36 | User Interface |
Parameters are passed to services and returned in registers using this
order:
EBX
ECX
EDX
ESI
EDI
The function number goes into EAX. Certain ranges have been defined
for kernel function types:
| Range | Use |
| 0 to 127 | Functions for applications |
| 128 to 255 | Functions for drivers |
| 256 or above | Non-standard/creator defined |
For example, in order to call time services 0x41 (to sleep for a while) you'd need these assembly instructions:
mov ebx,sleepTime
;Number of milli-seconds to sleep for
mov eax,0x41
;Function number
int 0x32
;Call time services
test al,al
;Was there an error?
jne error
; yes
Every service returns an error code in AL, 0 means no error - an up to date list of error codes is available from the source code here.
All registers that aren't used to output parameters will be returned unmodified. If only part of a register is used to return a paramter the contents of the rest of the register will be undefined (for example, AL is always used so AH and the rest of EAX is always undefined on return).
Messages are small packets of data transferred from message port to message port. Each message port has a unique ID refered to in this documentation in several ways, message port ID (or port ID), sender ID (if the message port is being used to send a message), or receiver ID (if the message port is the target of a message).
Messages consist of 4 data dwords, 2 have reserved meanings and 2 are
for general purpose use.
| Dword name | Standard Use |
| Sender ID | To identify the message port the message came from |
| Function number | To identify the purpose of the message |
| Data1 | General purpose data |
| Data2 | General purpose data |
The lowest 8 bits of the function number (called the message type byte)
determines the type of each message. The meaning of this byte is:
| Bit | Meaning when set |
| 0 | Message expects a reply |
| 1 | Message is a reply |
| 7 | Message refers to data block |
| Value | Normal use |
| 000 | New message that expects no reply |
| 001 | New message that expects a reply |
| 002 | Reply message that expects no reply |
| 003 | Reply message that expects a reply |
| 080 | New block that expects no reply message |
| 081 | New block that expects a reply message |
| 082 | Reply to a block that expects no reply message |
| 083 | Reply to a block that expects a reply message |
If a message has an attached data block data1 will contain the length of the block and data2 will contain the start address of the block. The block itself will be read-only and must be released by message services 0x68.
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