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Author Topic: Network Drive Emulation  (Read 49 times)

TimeStryder

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Network Drive Emulation
« on: November 01, 2002, 11:15:00 PM »
Hey,

I didn't quite noe where to put this. Please direct my post, and I'll put it there! Would it be possible to disable the xbox D: drive, and then emulate a network D: drive on your computer, and have your games there?

For example, i had a program on my computer that would emulate a folder as an entire drive. Couldn't we maek that a network drive, and have the xbox recognize the network drive as its DVD-ROM drive? That would help with the storage problem, as i have 80 gigs on my comp, and i don't want to replace xbox hd yet...

Please tell me
Thanks

TS
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opjose

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Network Drive Emulation
« Reply #1 on: November 04, 2002, 05:45:00 AM »
No not possible.

The Xbox has no underlying OS running when the game kicks in. The game -IS- the OS.

For what you want to do to work, the game itself would have to be re-written to support this.
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BenJeremy

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Network Drive Emulation
« Reply #2 on: November 04, 2002, 06:23:00 AM »
QUOTE (opjose @ Nov 4 2002, 08:45 AM)
No not possible.

The Xbox has no underlying OS running when the game kicks in. The game -IS- the OS.

For what you want to do to work, the game itself would have to be re-written to support this.

                                    Actually, with the work the X-cutor team is doing, this SHOULD be possible. The game is NOT the entire "OS" on an Xbox... it still relies heavily on routines in the BIOS, particularly for mundane tasks such as file access. Having the game take over these functions and deal directly with the IDE interface would be redundant and wasteful. The situation is helped by the fact that there is an additionaly 'driver' layer between the disc drives and the file routines (SymbolicLink).

It would require a new set of devices, but SymbolicLink would only require that the networked drives be represented at some basic driver level, just as the hard drive and DVD are in the BIOS.

It would require putting a bit of additional functionality in the BIOS. Not sure if this is worthwhile, but certainly doable.

I'd really like to see the X-cutor team release their tool set and source, once initial sales of their product have been made, for the good of the rest of the community. It could lead to some interesting developments, and certainly wouldn't hurt the bottom line of a mod manufacturer providing a larger BIOS.
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