Microstar Laboratories has announced a new Linux driver supporting Linux kernel 2.2 for PCI DAP boards, complementing its existing Linux driver for ISA DAP boardsMicrostar Laboratories, maker of Data Acquisition Processor boards, has announced a new Linux driver supporting Linux kernel 2.2 for PCI DAP boards, complementing its existing Linux driver for ISA DAP boards. The new driver works with all PCI DAP boards from the top-of-the-line DAP 5200a/526 to the entry-level DAP 840/103. Up to seven synchronized PCI DAPs can be used in a single Linux system.
The existing Linux driver works with all ISA DAP boards in current production: from the DAP 3400a/445 to the DAP 820/103.
Every DAP model has onboard intelligence implemented as DAPL, a multitasking real-time operating system that runs on an onboard processor.
The user controls DAPL from an application running under a Linux system that contains the board.
An application communicates with DAPL through the standard file system interface, by using the C file system library functions, for example: open(), close(), read(), write() and ioctl().
Any language that supports Linux and its file system interface can communicate with the driver through the file system calls.
As with the existing driver, Microstar Laboratories also provides C code for a limited set of useful DAPIO functions that compile with and link to C/C++ applications.
These functions effectively act as wrappers for the standard file system functions.
The drivers can be downloaded drom the web site .