Method and apparatus for dynamic replacement of device drivers in the operating system (OS) kernel
OwnerShahid Shoaib, Manuel Roman +1inventors
InventorsShahid Shoaib, Manuel Roman, Nayeem Islam
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for dynamic replacement of device drivers in the operating system (OS) kernel are described. In one embodiment, the method comprising receiving a request to add a device driver to an operating system and dynamically adding the device driver to the operating system while user application and operating system processes are being performed.
Claims60
A method comprising:
- receiving a request to add a device driver to an operating system;
- dynamically adding the device driver to the operating system while user application and operating system processes are being performed.
A method comprising:
- intercepting a user application call to a device driver;
- checking state storage to identify the device driver as appropriate for the user application call;
- and
- invoking the device driver.
A method comprising:
- intercepting a user application call to a device driver;
- checking state storage to identify the device driver as appropriate for the user application call;
- determining whether the device driver is being replaced;
- holding the user application call until replacement of the device driver has been completed if the device driver is being replaced;
- and
- invoking the device driver.
An article of manufacture having one or more recordable media storing instructions thereon which, when executed by a system, cause the system to perform a method comprising:
- receiving a request to add a device driver to an operating system;
- dynamically adding the device driver to the operating system while user application and operating system processes are being performed.
An article of manufacture having one or more recordable media storing instructions thereon which, when executed by a system, cause the system to perform a method comprising:
- intercepting a user application call to a device driver;
- checking state storage to identify the device driver as appropriate for the user application call;
- and
- invoking the device driver.
An article of manufacture having one or more recordable media storing instructions thereon which, when executed by a system, cause the system to perform a method comprising:
- intercepting a user application call to a device driver;
- checking state storage to identify the device driver as appropriate for the user application call;
- determining whether the device driver is being replaced;
- holding the user application call until replacement of the device driver has been completed if the device driver is being replaced;
- and
- invoking the device driver.
An apparatus comprising:
- means for receiving a request to add a device driver to an operating system;
- means for dynamically adding the device driver to the operating system while user application and operating system processes are being performed.
An apparatus comprising:
- means for intercepting a user application call to a device driver;
- means for checking state storage to identify the device driver as appropriate for the user application call;
- means for determining whether the device driver is being replaced;
- means for holding the user application call until replacement of the device driver has been completed if the device driver is being replaced;
- and
- means for invoking the device driver.
An architecture for use in cooperation with an operating system kernel, the architecture comprising:
- a device driver invocation manager to receive a request to add a device driver to an operating system;
- a kernel device driver manager to dynamically add the device driver to the operating system while user application and operating system processes are being performed.
An architecture for use in cooperation with an operating system kernel, the architecture comprising:
- a device driver invocation manager to
- intercept device driver calls from one or more user applications,
- checking state storage to identify a device driver appropriate for each user application call,
- hold any user application call until replacement of the appropriate device driver if the device driver is being replaced, and
- generate process calls to the appropriate device driver to invoke the device driver;
- and
- a kernel device driver manager responsive to process calls from the device driver invocation manager to install, remove, and replace one or more device drivers from the operating system kernel;
- and
- one or more device drivers responsive to process calls from the device driver invocation manager to perform user application calls.
A system for use with an operating system kernel, the system comprising:
- a device driver invocation manager to transparently intercept and redirect application requests through use of a stub method registered with the operating system kernel for a device driver interface, the stub method being called when an interface method on the device driver interface is called;
- and
- a kernel device driver manager to register the device driver by registering a stub method for the device driver with the operating system kernel and to remove another device driver by unregistering its associated stub method from the operating system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.