[vbox-dev] Access to specific isa card with VBox???

[Klaus Espenlaub]

On 09.11.2010 09:46, Djamel Hakkar wrote:
> Hello,
>
> We have a software that runs on MS-DOS and must communicate with a specific card installed on port isa.
> We  want to use this software in VBox with a machine that runs XP.
> Is it possible to access to the ISA port with VBox in this case?

ISA card forwarding isn't possible at the moment, and I'm not aware that 
it's on the TODO list anywhere (unlike PCI card forwarding).

> Do we have to do a specific development?

Yes, if you want to "virtualize" custom hardware then at the moment 
adding a device to VirtualBox is the only way. This assumes that the 
host OS can somehow talk to the card. VirtualBox has a plugin interface 
for custom devices, so once you developed the code you can add the 
binary to VirtualBox installs.

Since I have no idea how complicated that card is and how much 
virtualization effort it needs it's hard to tell whether it's only a few 
hours or several weeks to get a working plugin prototype.

> Can you help us in this development, how much would it cost?

The only thing which may cover custom development is an OEM contract, 
which to my knowledge is freely negotiable. The email address for such 
inquiries is mentioned on http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Licensing_FAQ 
and on 
http://www.oracle.com/us/technologies/virtualization/oraclevm/061976.html

Klaus

>
> Thank you,
> Cordially
> Djamel HAKKAR
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