Abstract: A method and system for a communication network containing both trusted peers and untrusted hosts within the network. Trusted peers can collaborate with each other to observe and monitor the activity of the untrusted hosts. In addition, a trusted peer instantiated with a virtual machine can have an operating system kernel collaborate with a hypervisor to determine whether threats are present. A trusted peer that needs particular functionality installed can collaborate with other trusted peers and with an administrative console to have that functionality installed. An untrusted host can have a driver directly inserted into it by an administration console, which will facilitate in the collaboration process.

Abstract: A method and a system for dynamically switching, without initialization, display drivers of a mobile telephone or personal digital assistant having a processing unit operative with a mobile device operating system, wherein a display driver interface manager is embedded with the operating system that is operative to receive captured video application program interface messages, which redirects values of the video API messages to an alternative video driver, enabling a remote video display device to display a reconstructed image based on the video API messages. The ability to dynamically switch from a primary display to a secondary display is desirable to prevent disruptions in display content, including current display view.

Abstract: The device communication interface obtains a device driver corresponding to a device connected to the input and output interface from a server on a communication network via a communication interface, and outputs information, which is input via the input and output interface and the device driver from the device, via the communication interface to the server on the communication network, and/or outputs information, which is received via the communication interface from a server on the communication network, via the device driver and the input and output interface to the device.

Abstract: A method is provided for processing operation command in a computer that has a display and a host which includes a first display processing unit for local displaying and a second display processing unit for remote displaying. The operation command is from a remote data processing terminal. The method includes: receiving a first operation command from the data processing terminal, the first operation command being a power-on command; performing power-on of the computer, shielding the first display processing unit and loading only a driver of the second display processing unit according to first operation command; receiving a second operation command from the data processing terminal, the second operation command being not a power-on command; executing the second operation command to obtain operation results, the operation results being image data processed by the second display processing unit, and sending the operation results to the remote data processing terminal, for remote displaying.

Abstract: Enterprise driver management and image installation are described. In an implementation, a computer-implemented method is performed in which a determination is made as to whether drivers for a plurality of clients are available from an operating system to be installed on the plurality of clients. A report is then generated describing the availability of the drivers.

Abstract: An approach is provided for securely printing policy-enabled electronic documents. According to the approach, a determination is made at a client device whether policy-enabled printing has been specified for a particular electronic document. If policy-enabled printing has been specified for the particular electronic document, then a determination is made whether a print driver, installed on the client device for supporting printing for a particular printing device, is configured to support policy-enabled printing. Also, a determination is made whether the particular printing device is currently configured to support policy-enabled printing. The particular electronic document is allowed to be processed at the client device for printing only if both the print driver is configured to support policy-enabled printing and the particular printing device is currently configured to support policy-enabled printing.

Abstract: A computer system, and related components including network interface devices, as well as methods for implementing and/or operating network interface devices to achieve network-based communications, are disclosed. In at least one embodiment, the computer system includes a network interface device, and a bus driver in communication with the network interface device. The bus driver has access to a plurality of driver programs, and the bus driver is capable of causing an installation of one such driver program on the network interface device. Also, in at least some embodiments, the bus driver facilitates communications between multiple network interface devices and an operating system of the computer system, and/or between the network interface devices and user mode applications implementing graphical user interfaces. Further, in at least some embodiments, the bus driver governs operation of the network interface devices, for example, in relation to power management and/or interrupt handling.

Abstract: Exemplary embodiments of the present invention include a method for administering devices. Such exemplary embodiments include receiving a domain state object, identifying an action in dependence upon the domain state object, and executing the action. In many exemplary embodiments, receiving a domain state object includes receiving a signal to download the domain state object from a mobile sensor, and downloading the domain state object from the mobile sensor.

Abstract: A non-transitory computer readable medium has a universal driver executable on a computer. The universal driver includes instructions for: selecting a device for executing a function from connected devices according to an input from a user; sending a request to the operating system to set a communication port for communication with the selected device as a specified port; storing port identification information of a communication port for communication with the selected device and associated with the user in a memory; determining whether port identification information of the specified communication port matches the port identification information of the communication port associated with the user; sending a control command to the device to execute the function via the specified communication port according to a result of the determination indicating a match; and notifying the user of a different port being set as a specified port according to a result indicating a non-match.

Abstract: An automated, computer-implemented method to configure a data storage system comprising a host computer, a storage controller in communication with said host computer, and a plurality of data storage media in communication with said storage controller, wherein the method provides a configuration algorithm encoded as computer readable program code, and executes that computer readable program code. The configuration algorithm creates a command procedure comprising a plurality of physical configuration commands to establish a physical configuration for the data storage system. The configuration algorithm further creates a command procedure comprising a plurality of logical configuration commands to establish a logical configuration for the data storage system.

Abstract: A first of a plurality of virtual operating system instances requests a device identifier for a device to be configured by the first virtual operating system instance within an execution space of the first virtual operating system instance. In response, a device identifier data structure maintained in a kernel space is accessed, and a device identifier that is available is determined. An indication in the device identifier data structure that the device identifier is no longer available is recorded. The device identifier is returned from the kernel space to the first virtual operating system instance. The first virtual operating system instance assigns the device identifier to the device.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is an integrated circuit implementing a storage-shelf router, used in combination with path controller cards and optionally with other storage-shelf routers, to interconnect SATA disks within a storage shelf or disk array to a high-bandwidth communications medium, such as an FC arbitrated loop. When two, four, six, or eight or more storage-shelf routers are used within a storage shelf, and the interconnections between the storage-shelf routers, disk drives, and external communications media are properly designed and configured, the resulting storage shelf constitutes a discrete, highly-available component that may be included in a disk array or in other types of electronic devices. The storage-shelf router features a disk-drive adaptation layer that allows a storage-shelf router to interface to, and manage, any of many different types of disk drives. The disk-drive adaptation layer includes a disk-profile table and associated firmware logic.

Abstract: It is analyzed on the basis of received print data whether the print data is print data generated via a process path formed from a combination of the first application and first printer driver, or print data generated via a process path formed from a combination of the second application and second printer driver. Settings associated with the process of print data are made for each process path. The process of the received print data is controlled on the basis of the analysis result and setting contents.

Abstract: In order to provide a system in which a single driver can totally control each periphery, there is provided a peripheral determination program executable on a main device installing the driver thereon. The peripheral determination program has a set of instructions including: acquiring device information assigned to each of a plurality of peripheral devices connected to the computer, the driver controlling operations of the plurality of peripheral devices, the device information indicating a model of each of the plurality of peripheral devices; extracting peripheral devices applicable to the driver out of the plurality of peripheral devices, the applicable peripheral devices being capable of executing all settings designated by the driver; selecting one peripheral device from the applicable peripheral devices; and determining the selected applicable peripheral device to be a terminal peripheral device.

Abstract: A management apparatus to manage a device driver using a device driver package or a device driver configuration package and a method of managing the device driver of the management apparatus are provided. The management apparatus and the method are to deploy at least one of a device driver package to install a device driver using the device driver or a common device driver corresponding to at least one image forming apparatus and a device driver configuration package to modify a configuration of an installed device driver.

Abstract: A method for improving the communication of the human interface device, comprising reporting at least one interrupt input endpoint and at least one interrupt output endpoint to the host; specifying that the USB device has a report descriptor in the HID class descriptor; specifying an input report and an output report in the report descriptor; and receiving an instruction from the host through the bulk output endpoint by the USB device, and returning the result from the USB device to the host through the bulk input endpoint, in which the size of the data transferred between the USB device and the host each time is equal to that of the corresponding report to increase the communication speed of the Universal Serial Bus (USB) device, which is designed to work as an HID.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an information processing apparatus includes a monitoring module which periodically transmits a message to a device driver which controls a device controller in accordance with an instruction issued by a program executed by a CPU to drive a peripheral device, and initializes the device driver when a response to the message is not issued received. The information processing apparatus further includes a setting module which sets an interval of transmission of the message based on a predetermined rule.

Abstract: Data processing and an accelerator system therefor are described. An embodiment relates generally to a data processing system. In such an embodiment, a bus and an accelerator are coupled to one another. The accelerator has an application function block. The application function block is to process data to provide processed data to storage. A network interface is coupled to obtain the processed data from the storage for transmission.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for supporting remote isochronous devices effectively. In one embodiment, first and second computer hosts include first and second virtual interposer logic, first and second send/receive logic and first and second at least partial device driver stacks therein. The first and second send/receive logics are configured to communicate packets between one another, representing commands and data passing between a user-level application at the first host and a peripheral device at the second host. The first and second virtual interposer logics are configured to interface the first and second send/receive logics to the first and second at least partial device driver-stacks within their respective hosts. To achieve low-latency transactions, the system includes speculative write completion functionality and/or speculative read functionality.

Abstract: A method for providing release-dependant filenames for a device driver, by providing Config information and a table of the driver's component files; assigning unique, release-dependant filenames for the component files; and producing the device driver containing the release-dependant filenames. Scripts and a preprocessor are used to convert filenames and template filename references into actual names. Name conversion comprises converting by a preprocessor for compiled files and converting by scripts for other files. Unique names of files enable simultaneous operation of two versions of a device driver. Methods include encoding module name, version numbers, date, language, and OEM information into the filename; one alphanumeric-character version number and two-character language code; configuration file and automatic generation of Config information; printing device driver with major and minor version numbers; and date encoding for files that are updated more frequently than version updates.

Abstract: A system and method for entity management is provided. In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a system administrator is given control over device(s) that can be installed on a computer system(s), and/or how the installation can be performed. Thus, a system administrator can specify device installation policy that prevents the computer system from automatically installing device(s) (e.g., even when an appropriate driver is available to be installed). For example, this policy can be applied to substantially all new devices and/or only a subset of devices. Optionally, policy can also control how device(s) that are already installed will be made available to the computer system.

Abstract: Embodiments are provided to manage external hardware appliances from a distributed operating system interface in a computer network using a driver model to communicate with device drivers associated with the external hardware appliances. In one embodiment, a request to manage an external hardware appliance in the computer network may be received in a distributed web-based operating system interface. A driver model may be selected which is configured to interface with a device driver for managing configuration settings for the external hardware appliance. The driver model may be utilized to manage the external hardware appliance configuration settings from the interface. The settings may include managing domain name changes, firewall settings, proxy settings, and the like. In another embodiment, the driver model may be utilized to manage external hardware appliance settings during a network configuration operation initiated from the distributed operating system interface.

Abstract: Systems and processes may include a first memory and a second memory. A driver and/or an application may be stored in the first memory. Flash memory type data of the first memory may be stored in the second memory. The driver may control the first memory at least partially based on the flash memory type data. The first memory may be exchanged for a third memory. The driver may be stored on the third memory. The flash memory type data for the third memory may be stored on the second memory.

Abstract: A system and method for optimizing a process of synchronization of a database of files checked by an anti-virus (AV) application implemented as a special AV driver. The database is updated by a special interface application using a log file and the AV driver cache. The AV driver monitors modifications of the files and records modification-related information in the context of the modified files. The AV driver creates and maintains a log of modified files. The AV driver supports a circular cache containing minimal required information about the modified files. This information is used for identification of the modified files by an application providing an interface between the AV driver and the database of checked files.

Abstract: Software for dynamically previewing changes to hardware driver settings for a graphics adapter is disclosed. Changes to the driver settings are dynamically previewed by forcing an executable graphics program module to load hardware parameter settings as changed, and drawing a region reflecting the changes using the executable graphics program library. The graphics program module may be forced to load new settings as a result of being newly instantiated. Conveniently, a preview region reflecting changes may be drawn in place of an already existing preview region.

Abstract: A data processing device includes a registering unit, a display unit, a status acquiring unit, and a virtual device renaming unit. The registering unit registers a plurality of communicable printers as a plurality of virtual devices. The display unit displays a plurality of virtual device names for the plurality of virtual devices. The status acquiring unit acquires a status of each of the plurality of virtual devices. The virtual device renaming unit changes at least one of the virtual device names for the plurality of virtual devices to a device name representing the status of a corresponding virtual device acquired by the status acquiring unit.

Abstract: Systems and methods to remotely configure adapters are described. A particular method may include generating a management frame at a controlling bridge. The management frame may include instructions to configure an operating parameter of the adapter. The management frame may be communicated to a bridge element of a plurality of interconnected bridge elements in communication with the controlling bridge. The bridge element may be coupled to the adapter, and the operating parameter of the adapter may be configured.

Abstract: A device driver module for supporting the use of an external device by a computing device which executes an operating system, the device driver module including an initialization portion which is called by the operating system, whereupon the initialization portion detects the presence of a driver plug-in module, obtains information from the detected driver plug-in module, and passes the information from the detected driver plug-in module to the operating system, and also including an operation portion which accesses and executes a functional portion of the detected plug-in module, receives from the operating system an event notification corresponding to the external device and, in the case that the detected driver plug-in module accepts the event notification, passes the event notification to the detected driver plug-in module.

Abstract: A data processing device including a registering unit, a display unit, a usage frequency recording unit, and a virtual device renaming unit. The registering unit registers a plurality of communicable printers as a plurality of virtual devices. The display unit displays a plurality of virtual device names for the plurality of virtual devices. The usage frequency recording unit records usage frequencies of the virtual devices. The virtual device renaming unit changes at least one of virtual device names for the plurality of virtual devices to a device name representing the usage frequency of a corresponding virtual device recorded in the usage frequency recording unit.

Abstract: An I/O device is provided for use in a process control system having a controller operating under a particular version of communication software. The I/O device has a storage device for storing a plurality of potential versions of I/O communication software. An I/O device processor determines the particular version of I/O communication software utilized by the controller and configures the I/O device to operate using a compatible version of I/O communication software stored in the storage device. Further, an I/O device is provided for use in a process control system including a plurality of I/O devices and a controller in communication using a bus. The I/O device has an interface for communicatively linking the I/O device with the bus, where a device processor, upon detection of a potential I/O device fault, severs the communication link provided by the interface with the bus. Additionally, a process control system is provided having a plurality of I/O devices in communication using a bus.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method and apparatus to efficiently address livelock in a multi-processor system. In one embodiment, the disclosure is directed to a method for preventing a system bus livelock in a system having a plurality of processors communicating respectively through a plurality of bus masters to a plurality of IO Controllers across a system bus by: receiving at an MMIO state machine a plurality of snoop commands issued from the plurality of processors, identifying a first processor and a second processor from the plurality of processors, each of the first processor and the second processor having a first number of snoop commands in the input queue and a second number of responses in the output queue, the first number and the second number exceeding a threshold; issuing a burst prevention response to the first processor and the second process.

Abstract: The invention is directed towards a system and method that utilizes external memory devices to cache sectors from a rotating storage device (e.g., a hard drive) to improve system performance. When an external memory device (EMD) is plugged into the computing device or onto a network in which the computing device is connected, the system recognizes the EMD and populates the EMD with disk sectors. The system routes I/O read requests directed to the disk sector to the EMD cache instead of the actual disk sector. The use of EMDs increases performance and productivity on the computing device systems for a fraction of the cost of adding memory to the computing device.

Abstract: Described is an aggregate computer system that operates by sharing devices of networked computing machines. A consumer machine uses a real device of a producer machine as a virtual device, by coupling the real driver of the real device over the network to a virtual driver of the consumer machine. Each machine may include an aggregate device manager that manages the virtual devices, and/or an aggregate connection manager that processes communications received over at least two different types of networks. Each machine may include a virtual bus and virtual bus driver that simulates a physical connection of a remote device to that machine via a bus. Upon receiving a request to plug-in a virtual device, the consumer machines queries for information of the device, and loads a virtual driver based on the device information when received. The consumer machine may query by sending plug-and-play events to the virtual bus.

Abstract: Systems and techniques for accessing a memory, such as a NAND or NOR flash memory, involve storing an operating application for a computing device in a first memory and storing a driver containing software operable to control the first memory in a second memory that is independently accessible from the first memory. By storing the driver in a second memory that is independently accessible from the first memory, changes to the driver and/or the first memory can be made without altering the operating application.

Abstract: A hot key register request is created in an extensible firmware interface application, the hot key register request has a key number and a pointer to a hot key function for the new hot key. The hot key register request is sent to a keyboard driver in the extensible firmware interface. A hot key table is created in working storage from the hot key table in the keyboard driver, and a hot key entry is inserted into the hot key table in working storage. The entry includes the key number and pointer from the hot key register request to add the new hot key as a registered hot key. A success message is sent from the keyboard driver to the extensible firmware interface application. The success message indicates the new hot key has been registered.

Abstract: An electronic device comprises software including an operating system kernel and a device controller for controlling a hardware component, wherein the device controller is external to the operating system kernel. The software further comprises a communication driver integrated into the operating system kernel, the communication driver 206) including encoded instructions for providing communication between the at least one device controller and the operating system kernel.

Abstract: A driver controlling device is disclosed. A UI module stores information of supportable functions of drivers in a function table, and obtains information of functions of a model of a new driver to be used described in model dependent data of the new driver. The UI module determines whether the obtained information of the functions of the new driver has been stored in the information of the supportable functions. When the obtained information of the functions of the new driver has not been stored in the information of the supportable functions, the UI module stores the information of the functions of the new driver which has not been stored in the information of the supportable functions in a un-supporting function list and prevents the new driver from using the information of the functions in the un-supporting function list.

Abstract: Systems and methods of detecting an auto-boot mode and booting data from a serial peripheral interface to a processor without the need of a read instruction utilizing a serial peripheral interface having an auto-boot mode detector are provided. In one embodiment, a serial peripheral interface comprises a serial processing component configured to serially communicate data between the processor and at least two peripherals, and an auto-boot component operably coupled to the serial processing component, comprising an auto-boot mode detector configured to determine whether a boot mode exists based on detecting whether serial input data is received during a predetermined wait state, and configured to selectively boot data to a start address associated with the processor based on the boot mode determination.

Abstract: A method for distributing drivers from a storage system to one or more host systems includes maintaining, in a storage system, a driver database containing drivers for different host systems. The drivers enable the different host systems to effectively communicate with the storage system. The method further determines whether a specific host system is configured with an appropriate driver. In the event the specific host system is not configured with the appropriate driver, the method retrieves the appropriate driver from the driver database. The method then transmits the appropriate driver from the storage system to the specific host system for installation thereon. By using the storage system as a central repository for the latest device drivers, the method ensures that connected host systems are always configured with the latest drivers. A corresponding apparatus, system, and computer program product are also disclosed herein.

Abstract: Extensions for USB driver interface functions are described. In embodiments, input/output of computer instructions and data exchange is managed in a USB core driver stack. A set of USB driver interfaces are exposed by the USB core driver stack, and the USB driver interfaces include USB driver interface functions that interface with USB client function drivers that correspond to client USB devices. Extensions for the USB driver interface functions are also exposed by the USB core driver stack to interface with the USB client function drivers.

Abstract: A method for setting configuration data of a printer for a printer driver in a server is provided, in which the server is used in an image printing system that includes a client, the printer and the server including the printer driver for the printer. In the method, the server stores the configuration data obtained from the printer, and a configuration data obtaining part in the server reads the stored configuration data according to a request from the printer driver, and sends the configuration data to the printer driver.

Abstract: Techniques for intercommunication amongst device drivers are described herein. In one embodiment, an application programming interface (API) is provided by a kernel of an operating system (OS) running within a data processing system. The API is accessible by device drivers associated with multiple devices installed in the system. In response to a request from a first instance of a driver via the API, information indicating whether another instance of the same driver is currently started is returned via the API. Other methods and apparatuses are also described.

Abstract: A method for installing a device driver for a device in a guest domain, that includes obtaining a first device driver for the device by a hypervisor, installing, by the hypervisor, the first device driver into memory allocated to the guest domain, and notifying an operating system in the guest domain of the first device driver after installing the device driver, wherein the operating system communicates with the device using the first device driver.

Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for providing installation support to a user of a computer system. A method incorporating teachings of the present disclosure may include launching an installation tool in connection with installation of a peripheral driver. The tool may have capabilities that include, for example, capturing an install status at a plurality of predefined points in an install routine. During installation, an error may be detected at one of the predefined points and a diagnostic routine may be launched in response. The method may also include considering an accounting of the captured install states and using this information to help generate an action script crafted to resolve the detected install error.

Abstract: In a print system, an application server holds an application program. A client computer uses the application program, and data obtained by the application program is printed by a printer. The server acquires a printer driver according to the client information. The application program obtains print data by using the printer driver and sends the print data to the client computer or the printer. Thus, the application program automatically changes the printer driver according to the client information or user.

Abstract: Methods, systems, apparatuses, and computer readable media for controlling one or more electronic devices are described. According to one described aspect, an embodiment of a method includes providing a plurality of schemes, each scheme defining features that are operable on an electronic device and which features each of the features in the scheme can use, and receiving data for identifying the type of the electronic device, and selecting, based on the type, one of the schemes, and controlling the electronic device based on the selected scheme.

Abstract: Under the present invention, each client device will have a corresponding configuration that is accessible to the server. Each configuration sets forth various computer resources as well as corresponding normalization and importance factors for the associated client device. If a certain OSGi bundle is to be loaded and run on a particular client device, certain prerequisites (e.g., services packages, etc.) will likely be necessary. Any prerequisites that the client device lacks will be obtained using potential combinations of other OSGi bundles registered with the server. The most appropriate combination of OSGi bundles will be selected from the possible combinations by processing the configuration based on the amounts of computer resources of the client device that will be consumed by each of the possible combinations.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for increasing the security of a system where incoming network packets are directly placed into the memory space of a virtual machine (VM) operating system (OS) running on the system via direct memory access (DMA). In an embodiment, each packet is split into a first portion, which requires further processing, and a second portion, which may be immediately placed into the VM OS's memory address space. When the host OS running on the system completes processing the first portion, it places it directly before the second portion in the VM OS memory space and indicates to the VM OS that a packet is available. Techniques are further disclosed that mitigate the security risk in such systems related to VLAN ID configuration.

Abstract: A firmware socket module is deployed on a reconfigurable logic device, wherein the firmware socket module is configured to provide both commands and target data to an entry point in a data processing pipeline, wherein each command defines a data processing operation that is to be performed by the data processing pipeline, and wherein the target data corresponds to the data upon which the data processing pipeline performs its commanded data processing operation. Also, the firmware socket module may be configured to (1) access an external input descriptor pool buffer that defines an order in which commands and target data are to be provided to the data processing pipeline, and (2) transfer the commands and target data from an external memory to the data processing pipeline in accordance with the defined order.

Abstract: Described are techniques for facilitating communication between device drivers. A device driver is provided that makes at least one call using an application programming interface. The application programming interface facilitates communication between the device driver module and a target code module. The application programming interface provides support for performing the at least one call from a first execution mode associated with the device driver module and a second execution mode associated with the target code module. The application programming interface provides support for user space to user space communication, user space to kernel space communication, kernel space to kernel space communication, and kernel to user space communication. The first execution mode of the device driver module and said second execution mode of the target code module are determined. A communication path between the modules is established in accordance with said first execution mode and said second execution mode.