Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for dynamic installation of a driver on a computer system

US5664195A · kind A · utility

61Cited by
42References
22Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 20, 1996
Grant dateSep 2, 1997
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 20, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F9/4411
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method is provided for dynamic installation of a driver on a computer system. The computer system has a first operator processor with a first memory and an operating system, a second processor with a second memory and operating code configurable to accept a driver, and a data channel supporting communication between the first processor and the second processor, the first processor sending requests to the second processor for processing. The method includes the steps of: (a) storing a driver in the first memory; (b) uploading a copy of the operating code to the first memory from the second memory; (c) testing the driver for compatibility with a current configuration of the operating code; (d) linking the driver with the copy of the operating code to produce a reinforced operating code in the first memory while the second processor is executing the operating codel and (e) downloading, by the first processor, a copy of the reconfigured operating code to the second memory to switch the second processor from executing the operating code to executing the copy of the reconfigured operating code.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.