What is required to use LODSB in assembly?
- by Harvey
What is the minimum set of steps required to use LODSB to load a relative address to a string in my code?
I have the following test program that I'm using PXE to boot. I boot it two ways: via pxelinux.0 and directly. If I boot it directly, my program prints both strings. If I boot via pxelinux.0, it only prints the first string.
Why?
Working technique (for both):
Set the direction flag to increment, cld
Set ds to cs
Put the address (from start) of string in si
Add the starting offset to si
Non-working technique (just for pxelinux):
Calculate a new segment address based on (((cs << 4) + offset) >> 4)
Set ds to that. (either A000 or 07C0)
text here to fix bug in markdown
// Note: If you try this code, don't forget to set
// the "#if 0" below appropriately!
.text
.globl start, _start
start:
_start:
_start1:
.code16
jmp real_start
. = _start1 + 0x1fe
.byte 0x55, 0xAA
// Next sector
. = _start1 + 0x200
jmp real_start
test1_str:
.asciz "\r\nTest: 9020:fe00"
test2_str:
.asciz "\r\nTest: a000:0000"
real_start:
cld // Make sure %si gets incremented.
#if 0
// When loaded by pxelinux, we're here:
// 9020:fe00 ==> a000:0000
// This works.
movw $0x9020, %bx
movw %bx, %ds
movw $(test1_str - _start1), %si
addw $0xfe00, %si
call print_message
// This does not.
movw $0xA000, %bx
movw %bx, %ds
movw $(test2_str - _start1), %si
call print_message
#else
// If we are loaded directly without pxelinux, we're here:
// 0000:7c00 ==> 07c0:0000
// This works.
movw $0x0000, %bx
movw %bx, %ds
movw $(test1_str - _start1), %si
addw $0x7c00, %si
call print_message
// This does, too.
movw $0x07c0, %bx
movw %bx, %ds
movw $(test2_str - _start1), %si
call print_message
#endif
// Hang the computer
sti
1:
jmp 1b
// Prints string DS:SI (modifies AX BX SI)
print_message:
pushw %ax
jmp 2f
3:
movb $0x0e, %ah /* print char in AL */
int $0x10 /* via TTY mode */
2:
lodsb (%si), %al /* get token */
cmpb $0, %al /* end of string? */
jne 3b
popw %ax
ret
.balign 0x200
Here's the compilation:
/usr/bin/ccache gcc -Os -fno-stack-protector -fno-builtin -nostdinc -DSUPPORT_SERIAL=1 -DSUPPORT_HERCULES=1 -DSUPPORT_GRAPHICS=1 -DHAVE_CONFIG_H -I. -Wall -ggdb3 -Wmissing-prototypes -Wunused -Wshadow -Wpointer-arith -falign-jumps=1 -falign-loops=1 -falign-functions=1 -Wundef -g -c -o ds_teststart_exec-ds_teststart.o ds_test.S
/usr/bin/ccache gcc -g -o ds_teststart.exec -nostdlib -Wl,-N -Wl,-Ttext -Wl,8000 ds_teststart_exec-ds_teststart.o
objcopy -O binary ds_teststart.exec ds_teststart
