Endianness checking for platform-independent device drivers
US6202146A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 29, 1998 |
| Grant date | Mar 13, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 29, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F13/102
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Methods, apparatus, and software for endianness checking for platform-independent device drivers is described. According to one embodiment, the method of the invention includes generating a memory allocation request from a platform-independent device driver. The driver instantiates a memory constraints object that is configured to report the endianness of the driver. The request is received by a bus manger that is configured to process memory allocation requests from the device driver and has an endianness independent of the device driver. If the endianness of the bus manager and device driver is inconsistent, then the memory constraints object is transformed to be consistent with the bus manager's endianness.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.