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--- cpm_tools_syntax [2026/05/24 22:19] – created admin
+++ cpm_tools_syntax [2026/08/02 21:29] (current) – admin
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-For Northstar Micro-Disk *
+====== Using cpmtools ======
-List disk - cpmls -f mdsad350 your_image.img
+cpmtools is a set of command-line utilities for reading, writing, and managing CP/M disk images from a modern OS. No emulator needed — you can inject or extract files directly.
-Inject file - cpmcp -f mdsad350 your_image.img /path/to/local/file.COM 0:file.COM
+===== The diskdefs File =====
-Extract File - cpmcp -f mdsad350 your_image.img 0:file.COM /path/to/local/file.COM
+cpmtools has no way to auto-detect a disk's geometry — CP/M itself never standardized this — so every format you want to work with has to be defined in a **diskdefs** file. This file lives at:
+<code>/etc/cpmtools/diskdefs</code>
+Each entry looks like this:
+<code>
+diskdef mdsad350
+    seclen 512
+    tracks 70
+    sectrk 10
+    blocksize 2048
+    maxdir 64
+    boottrk 2
+    skew 5
+    os 2.2
+end
+</code>
+If your disk image doesn't match any built-in definition, you can add your own entry here — that's how you'd support an unusual or homebrew format. You reference a definition by its name with the ''-f'' flag on any cpmtools command (e.g. ''-f mdsad350'').
+===== Basic Commands =====
+**# List directory contents of an image:**
+<code>cpmls -f mdsad350 your_image.img</code>
+**# Inject (copy in) a file:**
+<code>cpmcp -f mdsad350 your_image.img /path/to/local/file.COM 0:file.COM</code>
+**# Extract (copy out) a file:**
+<code>cpmcp -f mdsad350 your_image.img 0:file.COM /path/to/local/file.COM</code>
+**# Delete a file from an image:**
+<code>cpmrm -f mdsad350 your_image.img 0:file.COM</code>
+**# Change file attributes (Read-Only, System, Archive):**
+<code>cpmchattr -f mdsad350 your_image.img +r 0:file.COM</code>
+Common attribute flags:
+  * ''r'' — Read-Only
+  * ''s'' — System (hidden from normal DIR listing)
+  * ''a'' — Archive
+**# Change Unix-side file mode when extracting:**
+<code>cpmchmod -f mdsad350 your_image.img 644 0:file.COM</code>
+**# Check a CP/M filesystem for errors:**
+<code>fsck.cpm -f mdsad350 your_image.img</code>
+**# Create a brand new, blank CP/M filesystem in an existing image file:**
+<code>mkfs.cpm -f mdsad350 your_image.img</code>
+**# Interactively browse/edit a raw image (advanced/recovery use):**
+<code>fsed.cpm -f mdsad350 your_image.img</code>
+===== Notes on User Numbers =====
+CP/M disks support multiple "user areas" (0–15) on a single disk — think of them like separate namespaces on the same volume. That's the ''0:'' you see in front of filenames above. To list or work with a different user area, change the number:
+<code>cpmls -f mdsad350 your_image.img -u 2</code>
+===== Disk Type Definitions =====
+The format name you pass to ''-f'' has to match an entry in ''diskdefs'' exactly. Below are common definitions, including the full Northstar family.
+==== Northstar Micro-Disk System ====
+^ Name ^ Description ^ Capacity ^
+| mdsad87  | Northstar MDS-A1 — SSSD, 48 tpi, 5.25", 256-byte sectors x 10/track | ~87K |
+| mdsad175 | Northstar MDS-A-D 175 — SSDD, 48 tpi, 5.25", 512-byte sectors x 10/track | ~175K |
+| mdsad350 | Northstar MDS-A-D 350 — DSDD, 48 tpi, 5.25", 512-byte sectors x 10/track | ~350K |
+All three use a 5-sector skew and CP/M 2.2. The 350K format is effectively the double-sided version of the 175K disk — same sector layout, twice the tracks.
+==== Other Common Vintage Formats ====
+^ Name ^ Description ^ Capacity ^
+| ibm3740   | IBM 3740 — the original 8" SSSD "standard" CP/M format | ~250K |
+| osborne1  | Osborne 1 — SSDD, 5.25", 1024-byte sectors x 5/track | ~100K |
+| osborne4  | Osborne Nuevo/Vixen/4 — DSDD, 5.25" | ~200K |
+| kaypro2   | Kaypro II — SSDD, 5.25", 10 sectors/track | ~191K |
+| kaypro4   | Kaypro 4/10 — DSDD, 5.25" | ~390K |
+| apple2    | Apple II CP/M (via Softcard/CP/M card) | ~140K |
+| nshd8     | Northstar Hard Disk, 8MB partition style image | 8MB |
+===== Tips =====
+  * If ''cpmls'' errors out with something like "cannot read boot sector" or garbage output, the ''-f'' definition doesn't match the actual disk — double-check capacity/format before assuming the image is corrupt.
+  * CP/M filenames are limited to 8.3 uppercase characters — lowercase local filenames get silently uppercased on injection.
+  * Always extract a copy before editing/deleting on an image you can't easily re-create — cpmtools has no undo.