Process-mode independent driver model

For a computer system comprising one or more processes capable of operating in at least one of (i) a relatively less restricted kernel mode;

• and (ii) a relatively more restricted user mode, and a hardware adaptor that allows the one or more processes to communicate with at least one hardware device over a communication link, a computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium carrying computer executable instructions that implement a method of allowing for a single implementation of one or more operations that are common to both kernel mode processing and user mode processing relative to the hardware adapter, the method comprising acts of:
• defining a common interface name for at least one operation corresponding to the hardware adaptor and that is common to both kernel mode processing and user mode processing;
• providing a kernel mode implementation of the at least one operation that corresponds to the name;
• providing a user mode implemenatation of the at least one operation that corresponds to the name, wherein the kernel mode implementation includes more operations than the corresponding user mode implementation, including both operations that are common between the user mode and kernel mode as well as unique operations;
• and
• for a given process, mapping one on more common interface calls (i) to the kernel mode implementation if the given process is a kernel mode process, and (ii) to the user mode implementation if the given process is a user mode process.

A computer program product allowing for a single implementation of one or more operations which are common to both kernel mode processing and user mode processing relative to a hardware communication adapter, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium carrying computer executable instructions, wherein the computer program product comprises:

• an interface module that identifies a common name and parameter list for one or more operations that are common to kernel mode processing and user mode processing;
• a kernel mode implementation module that implements the one or more operations for execution in kernel mode;
• a user mode implementation module that implements the one or more operations for execution in user mode, wherein the kernel mode implementation module is configured to implement more operations than the corresponding user mode implementation module, including both operations that are common between the user mode and kernel mode as well as unique operations;
• and
• a dispatch module that invokes the kernel mode implementation module if a calling process is a kernel mode process and invoke the user mode implementation module if the calling process is a user mode process.