An Acronym for DOS ProtectedMode? Interface. See the DPMI API Specification 1.0.

DPMI is a programming interface from MicrosoftCorporation that allows programs to run in ProtectedMode? under DOS while still calling RealMode? DOS and BIOS functions. It also allows multiple ProtectedMode? DOS programs to run concurrently, eg under Windows 3.x.

In contrast, while XMS allows storage and retrieval of data and code beyond the first megabyte of memory via its API, there is no direct access to or execution from beyond that region, because code using XMS still runs in RealMode?.

Then there's also VCPI.. (AddToMe: what exactly was that, again? I only remember the abbreviation vaguely. Plus, VCPI and XMS really need their own pages..)