IBMulator

WHAT IS IBMULATOR?
LICENSE
HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS
USAGE
COMPILING
THANKS

WHAT IS IBMULATOR?

IBMulator is a free/libre, open source IBM PS/1 emulator, able to run with the original ROM. The goal is to create a faithful simulator capable of recreating the look and feel of the real machine.

IBMulator can emulate the following systems:

IBM PS/1 model 2011 (286 @ 10MHz)
IBM PS/1 model 2121 (386SX @ 16MHz ~ 20MHz)

In order to use the program you'll need the original ROM, which is copyrighted by IBM. You won't find it distributed with this package.

See the project site for screenshots, videos, FAQs, and additional information.

LICENSE

IBMulator is distributed under the GNU GPL version 3 or (at your option) any later version. See COPYING for details.

To obtain the source code go to https://github.com/barotto/IBMulator

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS

A 64-bit Linux or Windows operating system and a 2GHz dual core processor.

Optimizations have low priority, so a modern-ish CPU and a discrete graphics card are recommended.

For shaders support you'll also need an OpenGL 3.3 compatible graphics adapter.

USAGE

Installation

First of all obtain the original ROM.
You have the following options:

scour the Internet (there are various ROM sets available).
if you have a real PS/1:
- take the program ROMDUMP.EXE in the 'extra' folder and put it in an empty floppy disk; insert the floppy disk in your PS/1 and launch the executable: it will create the ROM image on the floppy disk
- you can also open your PS/1, extract the EPROMs and read them with an EPROM reader (you also need to merge the 2 halves in 1 file, or 4 in 2 if you have a non-US model)

Launch IBMulator. A window will inform you that the file ibmulator.ini has been created and where it is placed.

Put the ROM set anywhere you like (inside the same directory of ibmulator.ini is a good place) and update the ibmulator.ini [system]:romset setting with the file name of the ROM set.

From now on IBMulator is ready to run.

You're not required to do anything else but IBMulator is very configurable. For more information regarding the various configuration options, see the comments inside ibmulator.ini.

Note for the Windows version: if you have an HiDPI monitor, in order to avoid image blurring enable the HiDPI scaling override in the ibmulator.exe options and use IBMulator's GUI scaling option instead.

CMOS and system configuration

Being a faithful emulator of the PS/1, after a configuration change (for example if you add more RAM) you need to update the PS/1's CMOS data, otherwise you'll get various POST errors (162, 164) at boot.
Modern PCs have a built-in BIOS menu but unfortunately the PS/1 relies on a two DOS programs:

CONFIGUR.EXE: the system configuration updater
CUSTOMIZ.EXE: used to customize the way the system works

You can usually find these programs inside the DOS directory after you restore the IBM's original preloaded software from a backup disk-set.
Both files are copyrighted so you won't find them bundled with IBMulator.

ROM set

Unless you download a ready-to-go PS/1 ROM set, you have to prepare ROM files in a specific way.

A ROM set can be either:

a compressed archive in the ZIP format
or a file with the *.BIN extension, named as you like
or a directory

Inside a ZIP file or directory there must be (file names are case insensitive):

FC0000.BIN: the system BIOS ROM, 256KiB
F80000.BIN: the regional ROM, 256KiB, optional, only for non-US versions. For international models, this bin file can be merged with FC0000.BIN to form a single 512KiB bin file. In this case FC0000.BIN, if present, is ignored.

Any other file present in the archive or directory is ignored.

HDD image

The first time you launch IBMulator an empty pre-formatted hard disk image will be created.

If you have an original PS/1 backup disk-set you can restore the machine to its factory state. In order to do so:

insert a PC-DOS 4.0 floppy disk in drive A
go to the DOS command prompt
run "a:restore a: c: /s"

Under Linux you can mount the HDD image using this command:

$ udisksctl loop-setup -f hdd.img

In order to mount partitioned loop devices, you'll probably require to add this kernel parameter to your GRUB configuration:

loop.max_part=31

Alternatively you can use the mount command:

$ sudo mount -o loop,offset=16896 hdd.img /mnt/loop

The offset value is equal to "start sector"*512. The start sector value can be determined with:

$ fdisk -l hdd.img

Note: if you use the custom HDD type 47, the automatically created image will be 0-filled and you'll need to use 'fdisk' and 'format' in order to use it.

Floppy disk images

IBMulator has two types of floppy drive emulation: a fast high-level emulation based on raw sector data and a more precise (but slower) low-level one based on magnetic flux changes.

You can create new floppy disk images using the floppy disk image selector window. The type of the images available depend on the type of FDC emulation used. All new images are pre-formatted and ready to use.

The floppy image file selector will show only the image files compatible with the active drive (according to its size and supported media density) and emulation type.

High-level raw sector data emulation

This is the fastest type and is enabled by default. With this type only stardard DOS-formatted images can be used (512 bytes per sector). The supported image formats are:

Raw sector image (*.img, *.ima) read/write
ImageDisk (*.imd) read-only (standard DOS-formatted disks only)

You usually want to use this type unless you need to use copy-protected floppy disks or want to experiment with low-level floppy emulation.

This type is enabled by setting the following option in ibmulator.ini:

[drives]
fdc_type=raw

Low-level magnetic flux emulation

This is the more precise and computationally heavy type. With this type you can use non-standard floppy images having arbitrary layouts and sector sizes. The supported image formats are:

Raw sector image (*.img, *.ima) read/write
HxC Floppy Emulator HFE v.1 (*.hfe) read/write
SPS IPF (*.ipf) read-only (limited support)
TeleDisk TD0 (*.td0) read-only
ImageDisk (*.imd) read-only

You should use this type to make copy-protected floppy disks work. Except for raw sector *.img files, the other supported formats allow to emulate various types of copy protection schemes.

This type is enabled by setting the following option in ibmulator.ini:

[drives]
fdc_type=flux

CD-ROM drive

IBMulator can emulate an ATAPI CD-ROM drive (PIO mode). To install the drive, specify its speed using the following option in ibmulator.ini:

[drives]
cdrom=2x

The value of the speed is a multiplicative factor relative to the original "1x" speed of 150KB/s (the value is capped to 72x for practical reasons).

If you want to insert a CD-ROM disc at program launch, you can specify the image path in the [cdrom] ini section. Otherwise you can insert a new CD-ROM disc using the graphical interface:

make the CD-ROM drive active by clicking the drive selection button or with the CTRL+SHIFT+F7 key combination.
click on the drive or press SHIFT+F7

The following disc image formats are supported:

ISO 9660 optical disc image (*.iso)
CUE/BIN (*.cue)

Audio tracks in CUE/BIN images can be of the following formats:

Raw binary (*.bin) (16-bit signed, 2-channel, 44100 Hz)
FLAC (*.flac)
WAV (*.wav)
Vorbis (*.ogg)
MP3 (*.mp3)

Note: depending on how fast your system is, using audio formats other than raw binary may result in longer seek times, which may cause audio stuttering in some games.

In order to use the drive under DOS and Windows 3 you also need:

an ATAPI CD-ROM driver loaded in CONFIG.SYS (like XCDROM.SYS or VIDE-CDD.SYS)
a CD-ROM extension application run in AUTOEXEC.BAT (such as MSCDEX.EXE)

Here's an example configuration that maps the CD-ROM drive to the letter D:

CONFIG.SYS
DEVICE=C:\CDROM\XCDROM.SYS /D:MSCD001

AUTOEXEC.BAT
C:\DOS\MSCDEX.EXE /D:MSCD001 /M:10 /L:D

In the share/ibmulator/extra directory of the IBMulator package you can find the XCDROM-driver.img floppy image file with the GPL licensed XCDROM driver you can use.
Otherwise if you want a floppy image with the VIDE-CDD driver you can try this: https://archive.org/details/mscdex-2.23-installer-incl.-vide-cdd

Note: ATAPI drivers are not all the same and you can have different results depending on the running program. For example with XCDROM.SYS the stock Media Player included in Windows 3 won't play mixed mode CDs, while it works properly with VIDE-CDD.SYS.

The GUI

Modes of operation

IBMulator has 3 different GUI modes.

Compact: in this mode the VGA image fills the available window space and the control panel, in the shape of a semi-transparent bar or the PS/1 system unit, auto-hides after a while and disappears when input is grabbed. Use this mode if you want an experience similar to DOSBox.
Normal: this is the default mode. The control panel / system unit places itself at the bottom of the VGA display and is always visible.
Realistic: this is the hardcore mode, for the retro enthusiasts who want to truly experience the PS/1. In this mode the system is rendered in its entirety, monitor included. There are no additional buttons and controls except the originals: volume, brightness, contrast, power, and floppy (you need to use the key bindings for any extra function). Two styles are available in this mode: "bright" (daytime) and "dark" (nighttime). You can also zoom in to the monitor to have a better view. See ibmulator.ini and the Key bindings section for more info.

You can select the starting GUI mode with the [gui]:mode setting of ibmulator.ini. You can also switch between Compact and Normal modes while using IBMulator (see below for the default key binding).

Shaders

IBMulator uses a shader system that implements the new (draft) libretro's Vulkan GLSL RetroArch shader system specification, with only minor differences and some extension.

For more information about the IBMulator's shader system see SHADERS.md.

Shader files should be installed in either:

the shaders directory inside the user's directory (takes precedence).
the global assets directory share/ibmulator/shaders.

A shader is defined by a preset (.slangp) and at least one source file (.slang).
To load a shader in IBMulator you need to specify the path of its .slangp preset file in ibmulator.ini. You cannot load .slang source files directly.

Shader paths must be relative, eg.:

[display]
; shader used in Normal and Compact modes
normal_shader = normal_mode/stock.slangp
; shader used in Realistic mode
realistic_shader = realistic_mode/stock.slangp

Some shaders have configurable parameters that can be modified while IBMulator is running. See the default key combination to open the configuration window in the Default key bindings section.

New presets will be saved inside the user's shaders directory.

Included shaders

normal_mode/stock.slangp: stock shader for Normal and Compact modes with bilinear filtering.
normal_mode/nearest_filter.slangp: stock shader with nearest neighbour filtering (pixelated, useful with integer scaling).
normal_mode/bicubic_filter.slangp: stock shader with bicubic filtering.
realistic_mode/stock.slangp: stock shader for Realistic mode.
ps1/monitor.slangp: a realistic representation of the PS/1 monitor with light reflections (for any mode).
crt/lottes.slangp: the CRT shader by Timothy Lottes.

RetroArch shaders

IBMulator's shader system aims to be fully compatible with the Vulkan GLSL RetroArch shader system but keep in mind that:

the libretro's specification is still a draft and evolving, so more recent versions of its shaders might fail to load in IBMulator.
IBMulator is based on the public specification, so shaders that rely on specific RetroArch behaviours (and bugs) might not work as expected.

A Vulkan GLSL RetroArch shader source is translated to OpenGL GLSL by IBMulator and can be used unmodified, assuming your video card supports the OpenGL version required by the shader. Most RetroArch shaders are created for GLSL version 4.50, so your drivers should support at least OpenGL 4.5 in case you want to use any of those.

To install the RetroArch shaders put the RetroArch's shaders_slang directory into the IBMulator's shaders (either the user's or the global assets' one). Then use a slangp preset with a path like shaders_slang/foo/bar.slangp.

To install additional RetroArch shader packs follow their instructions considering any reference to the RetroArch/shaders directory a reference to IBMulator's shaders.

Integer scaling

If you like the pixels of the 80s and 90s you might want to enjoy them with the crispiest image quality possible.

In order to achive that you need:

the viewport dimensions scaled at integer multiples of the video mode.
the VGA image scaled into the viewport with a nearest neighbour filter.

To scale the viewport set:

[display]
normal_scale=integer
normal_aspect=vga

Note: integer scaling is available only in Normal and Compact modes.

The normal_aspect setting is used to try and force the image to a particular shape. The vga value will keep both dimensions scaled by the same factor (2x, 3x, ...). See comments in ibmulator.ini for more options.

The nearest neighbour filter is enabled with:

[display]
normal_filter=nearest

If you are using the software or accelerated renderers you're set and ready to go.

If you are using the opengl renderer the actual filtering might depend on the shader. If you're not getting the desired result be sure to use a shader that supports integer scaling or an unfiltered output, for example the normal_mode/nearest.slangp shader.

Savestates

IBMulator supports multiple savestates. Every savestate is stored in a folder (slot) called savestate_xxxx where xxxx is a number (except for the "quick" slot) inside the capture folder.

In every folder there are various files that describe the savestate:

state.bin: the actual binary state of the machine (CPU registers, RAM, I/O devices, ...)
state.ini: the machine's configuration (not to be modified)
state.png: the VGA buffer image
state.txt: information about the savestate, ie. version, description, and a summary of the machine's configuration
state-hdd.img: the image file of the installed HDD
state-floppy0.bin, state-floppy1.bin: the state of the floppy disks (if they are insterted in their drives)

Only a subset of the settings memorized in state.ini are used to load a state, specifically those related to the hardware configuration. Any other setting pertaining the program (GUI, mixer, ...) are kept from the originally loaded ibmulator.ini.

By default any modification to a savestate's HDD or floppy disks is written back to the original images after a new savestate is loaded, a floppy is ejected, or IBMulator is closed; the paths memorized in state.ini will be used.
If you don't want this to happen you can use the value discard_states or ask for the [drives]:hdd_commit and [drives]:fdd_commit ini settings.

Note: null modem connections cannot be restored (see below).

Audio

Audio settings like volumes, effects, and filters are loaded from the ibmulator.ini file and can be set using a GUI Mixer window (default key: SHIFT+F2).

All the audio settings can be saved in a file using the Mixer window, and then loaded at program launch by setting the profile file name in the [mixer]:profile setting in ibmulator.ini.

The default profile is mixer-profile.ini and is saved in the user's directory.

Sound Cards

The sound cards currently emulated are:

PC Speaker
IBM PS/1 Audio Card Option
AdLib Music Synthesizer Card
Creative Sound Blaster 2.0 (DSP 2.01)
Creative Sound Blaster Pro (DSP 3.00)
Creative Sound Blaster Pro 2 (DSP 3.02)

Card	Music	DAC	IRQ	DMA	I/O base
PC Speaker	Square Wave Generator	no (*)	no	no	no
PS/1	PSG 3-voice + noise	8-bit, mono	7	no	0x200
AdLib	FM YM3812 (OPL2)	no (**)	no	no	0x388
SB 2	FM YM3812 (OPL2)	8-bit, mono	3/5/7	0/1/3	0x388, 0x220/0x240
SB Pro	FM YM3812 (OPL2) x 2	8-bit, stereo	3/5/7	0/1/3	0x388, 0x220/0x240
SB Pro 2	FM YMF262 (OPL3)	8-bit, stereo	3/5/7	0/1/3	0x388, 0x220/0x240

All Sound Blaster cards are compatible with and replace the AdLib card, which cannot be used when a SB is installed.

(*) The PC Speaker can output 6-bit mono audio samples using a PWM technique (RealSound), which consists in toggling the speaker faster than it can physically move to simulate positions between fully on and fully off.

(**) Similar to the PC Speaker, the AdLib card can also output sampled audio via a special technique. The oscillator is triggered and then stopped at its maximum amplitude, so it effectively outputs a signal of 0 Hz. This can then be manipulated by the 6-bit volume control to get pseudo PCM sample playback.

Reverb, Chorus, Crossfeed

All audio channels can be configured with a reverb effect: audio cards have per-channel configurations whereas sound effects have a common general setting.

Reverb settings are enabled with one of the following preset values:

tiny: ideal for small integrated speakers (eg. PC Speaker and PS/1 Audio).
small: ideal for synth channels (eg. OPL FM).
medium: a medium sized room.
large: a large hall.
huge: stronger variant of the large preset.
on: same as medium

All audio cards' channels can also be configured with a chorus effect.

Chorus settings are enabled with one of the following preset values:

light: light chorus effect, especially suited for synth music that features lots of white noise.
normal: normal chorus that works well with a wide variety of games.
strong: obvious and upfront chorus effect.
heavy: over-the-top chorus effect.
on: same as normal

Stereo audio card sources can be configured with crossfeed, designed to improve headphone listening. This is implemented using the Bauer stereophonic-to-binaural DSP (bs2b), and so it offers its presets:

bauer: "Benjamin Bauer" preset (frequency cut 750Hz, feed level 4.5 dB), close to a virtual speaker placement with azimuth 30 degrees and distance of about 3 meters.
moy: "Chu Moy" preset (frequency cut 700Hz, feed level 6.0 dB), close to the parameters of a Chu Moy's crossfeeder.
meier: "Jan Meier" preset (frequency cut 650Hz, feed level 9.5 dB), making the smallest changes in the original signal for relaxing listening. This is close to the parameters of a crossfeeder implemented in Jan Meier's CORDA amplifiers.
on: same as bauer

DSP filters

Sound cards' channels can be filtered with IIR filters.

A filter is either a named preset or a definition string.

A definition string is the filter name followed by its parameters separated by commas, e.g.:

LowPass,order=2,fc=3200

Multiple filters can be concatenated with the '|' character.

The following presets are available:

Preset name	Equivalent definition
`pc-speaker-1`	LowPass,order=2,fc=6000\|HighPass,order=2,fc=500
`pc-speaker-2`	LowPass,order=5,fc=5000\|HighPass,order=5,fc=500
`lpf-3.2k`	LowPass,order=2,fc=3200
`lpf-4.8k`	LowPass,order=2,fc=4800
`lpf-8k`	LowPass,order=1,fc=8000
`lpf-12k`	LowPass,order=1,fc=12000

The auto value can also be used for the PS/1 Audio Card and Sound Blaster channels.

For the PS/1 Audio Card channels, auto values are equivalent to:

dac_filters: lpf-3.2k
psg_filters: lpf-8k

For the Sound Blaster cards, auto values are as follows:

Card	opl_filters	dac_filters
SB 2	`lpf-12k`	`lpf-4.8k`
SB Pro	`lpf-8k`	`lpf-3.2k` (*)
SB Pro 2	`lpf-8k`	`lpf-3.2k` (*)

(*) on Pro models the DAC's LPF is enabled by the Sound Blaster's Mixer (active by default).

A parameter's value is specified by a decimal number. This is the list of available parameters:

Parameter name	Description
order	Filter's order (1-50)
fc	Center/Cutoff frequency (Hz)
bw	Bandwidth (Hz)
gain	Gain (dB)

This is the list of available filters with their accepted parameters:

Filter name	Parameters
LowPass	order, fc
HighPass	order, fc
BandPass	order, fc, bw
BandStop	order, fc, bw
LowShelf	order, fc, gain
HighShelf	order, fc, gain
BandShelf	order, fc, bw, gain

The implemented DSP filter type is the Butterworth filter, a description of which can be found on Wikipedia.

Joystick

IBMulator supports Game Port emulation with dual 2-axes / 2-buttons joysticks.

If your game controllers are already connected when IBMulator starts, joysticks A & B will be mapped according to the order by which the SDL library reports them.

Otherwise, joysticks A & B mapping will depend by the order you plug your game controllers in your system: the first one will be joystick A, the second one joystick B, and any subsequent controller will be ignored.

The axes and buttons mapping can be specified in the keymap.map file.

Emulation speed adjustments

The entire machine's emulation speed can be altered with CTRL+F11 (slow down) and CTRL+F12 (speed up). This is equivalent to warping time and it can go as low as 0.01% and as high as 500% the normal speed.

An indicator in the upper right corner of the screen will show the current speed when different from 100%. When the indicator is shown, video rendering will be desynchronized and tearing will be visible despite the vsync setting. Sound from emulated audio cards will accelerate or decelerate accordingly as well.

If capturing is enabled the resulting files will be at 100% speed regardless, without stuttering.

The speed actually achievable depends on how fast your PC is. Keep in mind that the higher the emulated CPU core frequency is, the hardest it is to then accelerate it.

Serial port

The serial port can be configured to connect to various devices via the [serial]:mode configuration option:

auto: the attached device is either a mouse or a dummy device without input/output; to connect a serial mouse set [gui]:mouse to serial.
dummy: dummy connection with no I/O.
file: dump the serial output to a file; the dev parameter must be set with the path to the file.
term: terminal connection for Linux systems. This can be a real serial line, or a pty. To use a pty launch a terminal emulator (eg. xterm), launch the tty command and use the result as the dev parameter.
net-server: network server that accepts incoming connections; the dev paramenter must be set with the address and port to listen to in the form address:port, for example dev=192.168.1.100:6667.
net-client: network client that connects to a network server at launch; the dev paramenter must be set with the address and port to connect to in the form address:port, for example dev=192.168.1.100:6667.
modem: virtual modem that connects and receives calls over the network.

If you need to use both a mouse and a serial device, you have to configure a PS/2 mouse in [gui]:mouse (default).

The serial port will keep its mode and connections open when a state is restored. The only exceptions are for modem and serial mouse. Both modes always take precedence and will be forced if the machine is configured with one of them when a state is saved. The modem will be reset to its default state and drop any active connection.

Modem connections

IBMulator emulates a Hayes compatible modem allowing one to dial a BBS or play games across the Internet.

The modem is configured using the [modem] section in ibmulator.ini with the following options:

baud_rate: the speed of the modem in bits-per-second. Possible values range from 300 to 115200. This will be the speed of the network transfers (line speed) and the speed between the modem and the DTE. The value is reported in the "CONNECT xxxx" result message.
listen_addr: address and port on which to open a listening socket for incoming calls. You need to set this value if you want to host a game. Setting it to 0.0.0.0:2323 will open a socket listening on any interface for incoming connections on port 2323.
phonebook_file: a text file containing the mapping between phone numbers and network addresses. If the DOS program allows you to enter only numbers, you can associate a phone number to a host:port address in this file. Every line must have the following form:
```
55512345 remote.bbs.com:23
```
If you omit the port number the default 23 will be used.
An empty file is automatically created in your user folder if the specified file doesn't exist.
telnet_mode: enable the Telnet protocol interpretation, which is needed if you connect to BBSes behind Telnet servers.
conn_timeout: a timeout in seconds after which the modem will hang during the dialing process when the remote host won't respond.
warmup_delay: drop all incoming and outgoing traffic for a short period after answering a call. This is to simulate real modem behavior where the first packet is usually bad (extra data in the buffer from connecting, noise, random nonsense). Some games are known to break without this (eg: 688 Attack Sub).
connect_code: numeric result code after a successful connect. Some games might need this set to a specific number (10), otherwise keep it to auto.
echo_on: echo is enabled after a reset (default: yes).
handshake: enable a fake handshake after a connection; if sound effects are enabled the characteristic sound will be played. It serves no real purpose other than allowing for sound effects.

IBMulator can also play tones and other sounds.
See the [soundfx] section in ibmulator.ini to enable and configure sound effects.

To "dial" a BBS:

Configure IBMulator as follows:
```
[serial]
mode = modem

[modem]
telnet_mode = yes
```
If you're positive that the BBSes you plan to dial are not hosted behind Telnet servers, then configure IBMulator with
```
[modem]
telnet_mode = no
```
When asked by the terminal program, set the "phone number" of the BBS to its hostname or IP, optionally followed by the port number, as follows:
- BBS on standard Telnet port (23): remote.bbs.com
- BBS on a non-standard port: remote.bbs.com:10024
In case the program won't accept letters, map a number using the phonebook_file option in ibmulator.ini.
If the BBS is hosted behind a Telnet interface and the telnet_mode configuration option is not applied, then customize your dial-prefix to enable telnet-mode as follows:
```
AT+NET1DT
```
If telnet_mode is enabled and file-transfers fail or are corrupted for a particular BBS then it's likely hosted directly on the Internet using a TCP-to-serial gateway as used by vintage BBSes (e.g. Commodore, Apple, Atari, etc.). In this case, explicitly disable telnet-mode for this BBS:
```
AT+NET0DT
```

In general, the default communication settings should be left as-is. Typically these are:

COM port 1:
- 03F8 address
- IRQ4 interrupt
8-N-1, meaning: data-bits (8), parity (none), and stop-bits (1).
16550 FIFO enabled
Hardware flow control (CTS/RTS) enabled

The serial port baud rate should be set equal or greater than the baud_rate setting of the modem.

PRODIGY service

The IBM PS/1 was preloaded with the PRODIGY client and a direct link to the software was available from the 4-quad interface (US version).

The service has since long gone, but an effort to recreate it is ongoing and a docker version is now available. See the Prodigy Reloaded project site and its GitHub for more information.

To connect to Prodigy Reloaded use these settings:

[modem]
baud_rate = 2400
telnet_mode = no

The client preinstalled in the PS/1 was version 6.03.17. If you receive an "API 18" error trying to connect with it, don't call 1-800-759-8000 as suggested in the error screen but instead edit C:\PRODIGY\CONFIG.SM and change OBJECT:XTG00000.PG1; to OBJECT:TLOT0010.PG1;

Modem troubleshooting

Problem: I keep downloading corrupted files from a BBS and/or I see garbled text when I connect to one.
Solution: enable telnet_mode.

Problem: I can successfully host and establish a connection with a videogame, but afterward the game won't start or seems to hang.
Solution: disable telnet_mode, otherwise enable warmup_delay.

Problem: the connection seems to work fine but after a short while I start to see a bunch of random characters on my terminal instead of cool BBS ASCII art.
Solution: it might be that the VM can't keep up with the data. Try overclocking the emulated CPU, or reducing the modem's baud rate, or both.

Problem: after the handshaking sounds the connection seems to freeze, or the game appears slightly desynchronized.
Solution: disable the handshake, or try the short 2 seconds version (at handshake the connection is already established but the data won't start flowing until the sounds finish playing; this might cause a server timeout).

Problem: when someone "calls" me, nothing happens.
Suggestions:

check the value of [modem]:listen_addr;
check the port forwarding options in your router;
check the firewall configuration in your OS;
launch IBMulator with the -v2 option and check the log.txt file.

Null modem connections

net-server and net-client modes can be used to create a null modem connection between two instances of IBMulator or between IBMulator and DOSBox.

To establish a network connection with DOSBox you need to configure DOSBox's serial port with transparent:1, for example:

serial1=nullmodem server:192.168.1.100 port:6667 transparent:1

Network connections with emulators other than DOSBox, while not tested are still expected to work, provided no data is transmitted other than what is generated by the running guest program.

It's currently not possible to use programs that rely on hardware handshaking to operate.

When IBMulator is configured as a server it will remain listening for incoming connections on the configured address:port after it is started, and will start listening again after a client disconnects.
If IBMulator is configured as a client and it fails to connect to a server, it has to be restarted to retry the connection.

Network options and limitations

You can enable the status indicators with [gui]:show_indicators or SHIFT+F4 to see the current status of the connection. When a connection is successfully established the NET indicator will appear green.

To reduce latency and improve responsiveness you can use two additional configuration options:

tx_delay: data is accumulated and sent every this amount of milliseconds (default: 20); the higher this value the higher the latency, but reducing this too much will also increase the network load.
tcp_nodelay: if yes the TCP_NODELAY socket option of the host OS will be enabled, which will disable the Nagle's algorithm (default: yes).

To reduce the chances of desynchronization try using the same configuration for both client and server.

Network modes have some limitations:

changing the emulator's speed will probably result in desynchronization;
savestates won't work while the serial port is in use, as it's currently not possible to save and restore the same state on both the client and the server (you can always save just before starting using the port, ie. just before establishing a network connection in a game).

Parallel port

The parallel port can be configured in the [lpt] ibmulator.ini section.

You can save whatever is sent to the port to a specified file (see the [lpt]:file setting) and at the same time send it to a virtual dot-matrix printer.

Virtual printer

A 9-pin dot-matrix color printer can be connected to the parallel port setting

[printer]
connected=yes

in ibmulator.ini

In order for the printer to work the parallel port must be enabled as well with

[lpt]
enabled=yes

The printed pages are saved as PNG files inside printer_XXXX directories in your capture folder. A new directory is created when IBMulator gets launched.

The virtual printer's interpreter can emulate the following printers:

Epson FX-80 (b/w) or JX-80 (color)
IBM Proprinter
IBM Graphics Printer

If you need 8-bit ASCII support (for example for Dungeon Hack's maps) use an IBM interpreter.

Note: Custom and proportional fonts are not supported.

MIDI output

In order to hear MIDI music you need to use an external sequencer, either software (FluidSynth, Munt, etc.) or hardware.

The MIDI device must be connected to the host system before IBMulator starts.

MIDI on Windows

The device key in the [midi] ini section should be set either with the MIDI device number you want to use or its name.

For example:

device=1

or

device=MT-32 Synth Emulator

If you set the device key value to auto or empty, IBMulator will use the default device #0 is used, which usually is the Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth.

To get the list of available devices you can launch IBMulator and look at the log file.

MIDI on Linux

On Linux the ALSA subsystem is used. The [midi]:device key can be set with the ALSA port of the device you want to use. For example:

device=128:0

A string corresponding to the client name is also valid (port 0 will be used):

device=Munt MT-32

or if you want to use a specific port add its number after the name string:

device=My Synth:1

If you set the device key value to auto or empty, IBMulator will use the first suitable port it will find.

To get the list of valid name strings and available ports you can launch IBMulator and look at the log file, or use the pmidi program:

$ pmidi -l

SysEx delays and the Roland MT-32 "Exc. Buffer overflow" error

Using the [midi]:sysex_delay ini parameter, SysEx messages can be delayed for a specified amount of milliseconds to accommodate external MIDI modules needs.

If you're the lucky owner of a real Roland MT-32 sound module and you're getting the "Exc. Buffer overflow" error, you can increase this value until the problem is solved.

Another symptom of a needed extra delay is when the wrong instruments or sounds are played. For example, in Sierra's adventure games, without a proper SysEx delay you would not get a buffer overflow error but still data would not be uploaded to the unit correctly and you would hear the wrong sound effects.

Set the value to auto to apply a default amount of delay to all MT-32 SysEx messages. Delays specified as a positive integer number will be applied regardless of the device model for which they are sent. A typical value for MT-32 external modules is 20 or more.

Higher values will increase the machine state restore times when SysEx data is present. If you're using the Munt MT-32 emulator or any other software synth you can set this parameter to 0 to disable all delays.

Keymaps

A keymap is a file that defines mappings between input events, like key presses, and emulator's events.

When IBMulator is launched for the first time a default keymap named keymap.map is copied inside the user's directory.

IBMulator can load multiple keymaps, although only one can be active at any given time. This can be useful for switching controls depending on the running program.

To specify the keymap(s) to load use the [gui]:keymap ini file value.
You can load multiple keymaps concatenating their name with the | character, like so:

keymap = my_keymap_1.map | my_keymap_2.map

For more information about keymap files see KEYMAPS.md.

Default key bindings

These are the key bindings defined in the default keymap.map file:

CTRL+F1 : GUI mode action 1:
- in Compact mode: toggle the main interface window
- in Realistic mode: toggle zoomed view
SHIFT+F1 : GUI mode action 2:
- in Normal and Compact modes: switch between Normal and Compact modes
- in Realistic mode: switch between bright and dark styles
CTRL+F2 : open the shader parameters window
SHIFT+F2 : show/hide the mixer control window
CTRL+F3 : toggle the machine power button
SHIFT+F4 : show/hide the status indicators
CTRL+F4 : show/hide the debug windows
CTRL+SHIFT+F4: show/hide the virtual printer window
CTRL+F5 : take a screenshot
CTRL+F6 : start/stop audio capture
SHIFT+F6 : start/stop video capture
SHIFT+F7 : open the medium select dialog for the active drive
CTRL+F7 : eject the medium inserted in the active drive
CTRL+SHIFT+F7: change the active drive (A->B->CD)
SHIFT+F8 : open the save state dialog
SHIFT+F9 : open the load state dialog
CTRL+F8 : quick save state
CTRL+F9 : quick load state
CTRL+F10 : grab the mouse
CTRL+F11 : decrease emulation speed
SHIFT+F11 : set emulation speed to 10% (press again for 100%)
CTRL+F12 : increase emulation speed
SHIFT+F12 : set emulation speed to 500% (press again for 100%)
CTRL+DEL : send CTRL+ALT+DEL to the guest OS
CTRL+TAB : send ALT+TAB to the guest OS
CTRL+INS : send SysRq to the guest OS
CTRL+END : send Break to the guest OS
SHIFT+SPACE : change the active keymap to the next available one
SHIFT+PAUSE : pause/resume emulation
ALT+ENTER : toggle fullscreen mode
R-CTRL+UP : increase volume by 5%
R-CTRL+DOWN : decrease volume by 5%
R-CTRL+RIGHT: next OSD audio channel
R-CTRL+LEFT : previous OSD audio channel
ALT+F4 : exit the program

The mouse can be grabbed with the central mouse button as well.
Fullscreen mode can also be activated by double-clicking the display area.

UI related key bindings

These keys apply only to UI dialogs and cannot currently be changed. UI key bindings are active only when input is not grabbed.

General user interface:

CTRL+Mouse wheel up/down: increase/decrease UI scaling

All dialog windows:

TAB: focus input on the next control
SHIFT+TAB: focus input on the previous control
ENTER: click on focused control
ESC: cancel the current operation and close the dialog window

Floppy select and savestate dialogs:

←, ↑, ↓, →, HOME, END, PGUP, PGDN: move item selection
CTRL+1: grid view mode
CTRL+2: list view mode
+/-: increase/decrease items size

Floppy select dialog:

CTRL+S: use the selected disk image
CTRL+W: toggle the write protected flag
CTRL+N: create new disk image
ALT+HOME: go to the media directory
ALT+↑, BACKSPACE: go to upper directory
ALT+←: go to previous path in history
ALT+→: go to next path in history
F5: reload the current directory
F9: toggle the image info panel

Load machine state dialog:

CTRL+L: load the selected slot
DELETE: delete the selected slot

Save machine state dialog:

CTRL+S: save the machine's state into the selected slot
DELETE: delete the selected slot
CTRL+N: save the machine's state into a new slot

Command line options

-c PATH : Sets a INI configuration file to use.
-u PATH : Sets the directory from where the program reads user files and stores screenshots and savestates.
-v NUM : Sets the logging verbosity level. NUM can be 0, 1, or 2.
-r NAME : Restore the specified savestate. NAME can be a number, or the full savesate name, eg. -r 1 is the same as -r savestate_0001.
-s : Starts the machine immediately after launch.

COMPILING

For Windows instructions see BUILD_WINDOWS.md

For Linux instructions see BUILD_LINUX.md

THANKS

I would like to thank the authors of the following projects:

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 1,367 Commits
m4		m4
share		share
src		src
.gitignore		.gitignore
AUTHORS		AUTHORS
BUILD_LINUX.md		BUILD_LINUX.md
BUILD_WINDOWS.md		BUILD_WINDOWS.md
COPYING		COPYING
ChangeLog		ChangeLog
INSTALL		INSTALL
KEYMAPS.md		KEYMAPS.md
Makefile.am		Makefile.am
NEWS		NEWS
README		README
README.md		README.md
SHADERS.md		SHADERS.md
configure.ac		configure.ac
renderdoc.cap		renderdoc.cap

License

barotto/IBMulator

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