RomWBW/Source/Images/d_zpm3/ReadMe.txt

This is a generic ZPM3 adaptation for RomWBW.



There are two ways to launch ZPM3.  First, you can run the command

CPMLDR from a CP/M 2.2 or Z-System command line.  Alternatively, you

boot directly into ZPM3 by choosing the ZPM3 disk from the RomWBW

loader prompt.  The ZPM3 disk must be bootable in this case.



You may notice that there is a ZPMLDR application on the hard disk

image.  This application is equivalent to CPMLDR.  It originally

had some issues that prevented it from booting RomWBW properly,

but those issues are now resolved (I think).  Either ZPMLDR or CPMLDR

can be used to launch ZPM3.



I have not found a way to make ZPM3 start up with any drive other

than A: as the system drive.  So, during the load process, the boot

drive and drive A: are "swapped" so that the boot drive is always

drive A:.  Use the ASSIGN command after starting ZPM3 to see how the

drives get mapped.



Per ZPM3 standard, files are distributed across different user areas

depending on their usage.  Normal applications are in user 15.  Help

files in user 10.  Configuration files in user 14.



In addition to the applications provided in the ZPM3 distribution, the

normal CP/M 3 files are included in user area 15.  A few typical ZCPR

utility programs are also included in user area 15:



 - ALIAS

 - ARUNZ

 - ERASE

 - HELPC (named ZHELP)

 - LBREXT

 - SALIAS

 - SETPATH

 - VERRROR

 - VLU

 - ZCNFG

 - ERASE (named ZERASE)

 - ZEX

 - ZFILER

 - ZP

 - SHOW (named ZSHOW)

 - ZXD

 - EDITNDR

 - SAVENDR

 - SDZ



It is a bit confusing, but the ZPM3 system file is called CPM3.SYS.

This is the ZPM3 default configuration and I guess it is done this

way to maximize compatibility with CP/M 3.  You will notice that the

startup banner will indicate ZPM3.



In 2015, Jon Saxton released a patched version of ZPM3.  The changes

are documented in ZPM3FIX.TXT in the RomWBW distribution in the

Source/ZPM3 directory.  RomWBW uses the patched version of

ZPM3.  However, Jose Luis discovered that named directories do not

work properly with these patches (see RomWBW GitHub Issue #324). I have

subsequenty added a small patch to correct this.  The original

unpatched copies of RESBDOS.SPR and BNKBDOS.SPR are included in the 

RomWBW build directory for ZPM3 as RESBDOS.SPR.bak and 

BNKBDOS.SPR.bak.  If you want to revert to the unpatched release of 

ZPM3, just overlay RESBDOS.SPR and BNKBDOS.SPR with the .bak variants 

and regenerate RomWBW.