Method and system for monitoring and verifying software drivers

Error detection/correction and fault detection/recovery – Data processing system error or fault handling – Reliability and availability

Reexamination Certificate

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

C714S025000, C714S047300, C714S048000, C719S327000

Reexamination Certificate

active

07861121

ABSTRACT:
A method and system for verifying computer system drivers such as kernel mode drivers. A driver verifier sets up tests for specified drivers and monitors the driver's behavior for selected violations that cause system crashes. In one test, the driver verifier allocates a driver's memory pool allocations from a special pool bounded by inaccessible memory space to test for the driver's accessing memory outside of the allocation. The driver verifier also marks the space as inaccessible when it is deallocated, detecting a driver that accesses deallocated space. The driver verifier may also provide extreme memory pressure on a specific driver, or randomly fail requests for pool memory. The driver verifier also checks call parameters for violations, performs checks to ensure a driver cleans up timers when deallocating memory and cleans up memory and other resources when unloaded. An I/O verifier is also described for verifying drivers use of I/O request packets.

REFERENCES:
patent: 4999838 (1991-03-01), Horikawa
patent: 5043871 (1991-08-01), Nishigaki
patent: 5111384 (1992-05-01), Aslanian
patent: 5117350 (1992-05-01), Parrish et al.
patent: 5355469 (1994-10-01), Sparks et al.
patent: 5390324 (1995-02-01), Bruckhartt
patent: 5485573 (1996-01-01), Tandon
patent: 5491808 (1996-02-01), Geist, Jr.
patent: 5495571 (1996-02-01), Corrie et al.
patent: 5590329 (1996-12-01), Goodnow
patent: 5598577 (1997-01-01), Overfield
patent: 5689707 (1997-11-01), Donnelly
patent: 5790777 (1998-08-01), Izuta
patent: 5819024 (1998-10-01), Kasuga
patent: 5948112 (1999-09-01), Shimada
patent: 5949972 (1999-09-01), Applegate
patent: 5999933 (1999-12-01), Mehta
patent: 6047124 (2000-04-01), Marsland
patent: 6070254 (2000-05-01), Pratt
patent: 6101617 (2000-08-01), Bruckhartt
patent: 6163858 (2000-12-01), Bodamer
patent: 6170067 (2001-01-01), Liu
patent: 6178528 (2001-01-01), Poisner
patent: 6226761 (2001-05-01), Berstis
patent: 6243833 (2001-06-01), Hitchcock et al.
patent: 6279120 (2001-08-01), Lautenbach-Lampe
patent: 6311327 (2001-10-01), O'Brien
patent: 6360233 (2002-03-01), Houldsworth
patent: 6363467 (2002-03-01), Weeks
patent: 6393560 (2002-05-01), Merrill
patent: 6430665 (2002-08-01), Allison et al.
patent: 6430707 (2002-08-01), Matthews
patent: 6457112 (2002-09-01), Hostetter
patent: 6543010 (2003-04-01), Gaudet
patent: 6618824 (2003-09-01), Hastings
patent: 6728907 (2004-04-01), Wang
patent: 6948099 (2005-09-01), Tallam
patent: 6971048 (2005-11-01), Hanson et al.
patent: 7127642 (2006-10-01), Wang
patent: 2007/0168739 (2007-07-01), Wang
patent: WO 95/52104 (1995-08-01), None
Windows 2000 Beta 3 “Using Driver Verifier to Expose Driver Errors” Mar. 17, 1999 Window 2000 Beta 3 RCI pp. 1-8.
Office Action dated Sep. 19, 2007 cited in related U.S. Appl. No. 11/549,073.
Notice of Allowance dated May 1, 2008 cited in related U.S. Appl. No. 1/549,073.
Using Driver Verifier to Expose Driver Errors, Mar. 17, 1999, www.microsoft.com/hwdev/driver/driververify.htm.

LandOfFree

Say what you really think

Search LandOfFree.com for the USA inventors and patents. Rate them and share your experience with other people.

Rating

Method and system for monitoring and verifying software drivers does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Method and system for monitoring and verifying software drivers, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Method and system for monitoring and verifying software drivers will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-4200748

  Search
All data on this website is collected from public sources. Our data reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication.