Error detection/correction and fault detection/recovery – Data processing system error or fault handling – Reliability and availability
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-22
2001-01-30
Beausoliel, Jr., Robert W. (Department: 2785)
Error detection/correction and fault detection/recovery
Data processing system error or fault handling
Reliability and availability
C703S022000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06182242
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to a application verification, and more particularly to a generic device driver simulator for aiding in the development of applications.
2. Description of Related Art
An operating system executes on the various microprocessors, and serves as the interface between the various application programs and the hardware of the computer system. The operating system communicates with the various peripheral devices via input/output (I/O) control programs referred to as device drivers. A device driver acts as an interface between the operating system and the corresponding peripheral device. The device driver provides control commands to activate the peripheral device and to check the device status to determine when it is ready for a data transfer. The device driver also performs error checking when transfers are occurring to ensure that the transfer has completed successfully. Further, the device driver responds when the peripheral device indicates completion of the control commands.
To write a device driver program, a detailed knowledge of the peripheral device is required. Consequently, device drivers are typically provided by manufacturers of the peripheral device. In many instances, the actual peripheral device hardware may not be available while the device driver is being developed by the manufacturer. As a result, actual testing and any debugging changes that need to be made must wait until the actual hardware becomes available. However, this increases the development time for the application software.
It is possible to develop device specific simulators. However, developing and maintaining a device specific simulator can be cost prohibitive. The simulator is often as complex as the device itself because it encapsulates all knowledge of the device behavior. This results in high initial development cost, high maintenance cost, and difficulty keeping simulation in sync with real device.
It can be seen then that there is a need for a generic device driver simulator.
It can also be seen then that there is a need for a device driver simulator that has the knowledge of the device specific behavior moved out of simulator program code.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To overcome the limitations in the prior art described above, and to overcome other limitations that will become apparent upon reading and understanding the present specification, the present invention discloses a generic device driver simulator.
The present invention solves the above-described problems by moving the knowledge of the device specific behavior out of simulator program code.
A system in accordance with the principles of the present invention includes a generic device driver for supporting application functions without device specific coding included therein, a database including device specific models of device drivers supported by the generic device driver and an interpreter for controlling the generic device driver according to the definitions of functions and data structures in the database.
Other embodiments of a system in accordance with the principles of the invention may include alternative or optional additional aspects. One such aspect of the present invention is that the generic device driver simulator further includes a watcher for defining watchpoints, the watchpoints identifying types of calls from the application.
Another aspect of the present invention is that the watcher displays information when a watchpoint is triggered by a call from the application.
Another aspect of the present invention is that the interpreter further comprises an input script for each device function supported by the generic device driver.
Another aspect of the present invention is that the interpreter further comprises an input script for multiple device functions supported by the generic device driver.
Another aspect of the present invention is that the watcher supports the execution of an input script in the interpreter in response to a watchpoint being triggered.
Still another aspect of the present invention is that the device specific models further includes definitions of functions executed by the application and data structures.
Another aspect of the present invention is that the generic device driver simulator further includes response queues for each function executed by the application.
Another aspect of the present invention is that the response queues are specific to a function.
Another aspect of the present invention is that the response queues return the next response to the application in response to receipt of a signal from the application.
Yet another aspect of the present invention is that the response queues return the next response to the application in response to receipt of a signal from the application.
These and various other advantages and features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed hereto and form a part hereof. However, for a better understanding of the invention, its advantages, and the objects obtained by its use, reference should be made to the drawings which form a further part hereof, and to accompanying descriptive matter, in which there are illustrated and described specific examples of an apparatus in accordance with the invention.
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patent: 5337412 (1994-08-01), Baker et al.
patent: 5390301 (1995-02-01), Scherf
patent: 5465364 (1995-11-01), Lathrop et al.
patent: 5499378 (1996-03-01), McNeill, Jr. et al.
patent: 5586324 (1996-12-01), Sato et al.
patent: 5949993 (1999-09-01), Fritz
IBM® Technical Disclosure Bulletin, “Definition of Vendor Specific Device Driver Interface,” 38(03):357-358 (Mar. 1995).
IBM® Technical Disclosure Bulletin, “Device Driver Test Tool,” 38(10):263-267 (Oct. 1995).
IBM® Technical Disclosure Bulletin, “Generic Device Driver for Personal Computer Removable Devices,” 37(01):487-489 (Jan. 1994).
IBM® Technical Disclosure Bulletin, “OS/2 Virtual Device Driver Support for CD-ROM,” 37(10):441-444 (Oct. 1994).
Brogan James Jules
Wright Bryan John
Altera Law Group LLC
Beausoliel, Jr. Robert W.
Bonzo Bryce
International Business Machines - Corporation
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