MemBlocker Version 1.1

                            Documentation


COPYRIGHT
  This program is © 1993 by Carsten Melberg. Documentation and Beta-Testing
  by Günther Rehm.

INTRODUCTION
  MemBlocker blocks memory. You are able to allocate memory blocks of a
  specified size and release them later. This may be done from Workbench or
  CLI, Kick 37.175 (OS2.0) or greater is needed anyway.

WHY BLOCK MEMORY?
  Blocking memory is usefull for all those with different types of FAST-RAM,
  this is 32-bit and 16-bit ram. Many owners of accelerator cards and some
  other expansion memory have both of these types in their system. When you
  boot your system, the software or hardware of the accelerator assign the
  32-bit ram to the highest memory-priority. So nearly all of this 'fastest'
  ram is used before the 16-bit ram is touched. When there is no more 32-bit
  ram left you suddenly see a significant slowdown after starting a program in
  16-bit ram. So one would like to save as much as possible of the 32-bit ram
  for those programs that need 'fastest' memory.
  One the other hand, there are many programs that don't need 'fastest' ram.
  Comodities, other utilities, diskcaches, buffers and more. Many of these are
  started in the startup-sequence, user-startup or wbstartup-drawer. This is
  where MemBlocker comes in: You block your precious 'fastest' 32-bit ram
  before launching those applications and release it afterwards. So the
  applications are forced to use the slower 16-bit ram.
  But be careful what programs you force into slower ram: devices, handlers,
  simply everything where speed is needed should get 'fastest' ram.
  Another usage might be to shrink your availible memory for test purposes.

USAGE
  To Block the memory:

  CLI: MemBlocker <Blocksize in KB> (use 'run >nil:' to detache)

  WB:  Tooltypes: BLOCKSIZE=<Blocksize in KB>
                  TOOLPRI=<Priority of Task>
                  STARTPRI=<Startpriority in wbstartup>
                  DONOTWAIT
       Blocksize is the size of the allocated memory blocks. This means, that
       the largest availible block of 'fastest' memory is smaller than
       <blocksize>. You may use this, to leave a space, that is big enough for
       e.g. a diskcache program, but the cache memory is forced into slower
       ram.
       The last three tooltypes are standard for all wbstartup icons, but they
       are extremly useful for MemBlocker. DONOTWAIT is obvious, because
       MemBlocker wait with the return till the memory is released again.
       STARTPRI is needed to enable that MemBlocker is started before all other
       programs in wbstartup. It should be set to a priority higher than in all
       other programs, except you want a program to get 'fastest' ram. Make
       sure that all programs in wbstartup have their STARTPRI assigned.
       TOOLPRI should be set to 4. If you don't do so, the other task, which
       are started immidiatly after MemBlocker compete with their memory
       allocation and may get some of the 'fastest' memory. This causes
       extreme memory fragmentaion an should therefor not be done.
       Also take a look at the Project icon BlockMemory.

  To free memory just launch MemBlocker again. Arguments and Tooltypes are
  ignored, the second launch just sends a signal to the first to release the
  memory and exits. The wbstartup Tooltypes are of course not ignored, you
  should set STARTPRI to a value smaller than in all other icons, so the memory
  is released after starting all other programs. Take a look at the Project
  icon FreeMemory.

INSTALLATION
  Drop MemBlocker anywhere (sys:system/ is a good choice I think).
  Drop BlockMemory an FreeMemory in wbstartup and adjust the Tooltypes of all
  wbstartup programs.



DISTRIBUTION
 MemBlocker may be freely distributed, as long as no charge is made other
 than to cover time and copying costs. The package must be distributed as
 the original archive. If you want to include MemBlocker as part of a 
 commercial package, contact the author listed below. Fred Fish is 
 specifically given permission to include MemBlocker in his fine disk 
 library. It is also allowed to put MemBlocker on free accessible BBS's
 or Internet sites.


LEGAL DISCLAIMER
 WITH  THIS  DOCUMENT  WE  MAKE  NO  WARRANTIES  OR  REPRESENTATIONS, EITHER
 EXPRESSED  OR  IMPLIED,  WITH RESPECT TO THE PRODUCT DESCRIBED HEREIN.  THE
 INFORMATION  PRESENTED  HEREIN IS BEING SUPPLIED ON AN "AS IS" BASIS AND IS
 EXPRESSLY  SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.  THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE USE
 OF  THIS INFORMATION IS ASSUMED BY THE USER.  IN NO EVENT WILL WE BE LIABLE
 FOR  DIRECT,  INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM
 ANY  CLAIM ARISING OUT OF THE INFORMATION PRESENTED HEREIN, EVEN IF WE HAVE
 BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITIES OF SUCH DAMAGES.


CARDWARE
  If you like this little program and use it, please send me a Postcard to
  the address below.

AUTHOR
  Snailmail and Postcards:

  Carsten Melberg
  Karlsbader Str. 3
  D-8520 Erlangen    (D-91058 Erlangen from 1. July '93)
  Germany

  or for the documentation

  Günther Rehm
  Am Färberhof 6
  D-8520 Erlangen    (D-91052 Erlangen from 1. July '93)
  Germany


  Email:

  cnmelber@cip.informatik.uni-erlangen.de

  or

  grrehm@cip.e-technik.uni-erlangen.de

HISTORY
 Version 1.00-1.02 internal releases
 Version 1.1 first public release