System and method for accessing information made available by a kernel mode driver

• US 20030200355A1
• Filed: 06/03/2003
• Published: 10/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Warwick, Alan M., Naik, Dilip C.
• Granted Patent: US 6,763,472 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/321
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/28 Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode

Abstract

An invention is disclosed that provides a mechanism for exposing to user mode applications the features and information enabled by the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (“ACPI”) specification. The present invention provides a generic mapping driver that executes in kernel mode, and that makes calls to the ACPI driver accessible by user mode applications. The mapping driver may be a part of a management instrumentation system, such as the Windows Management Instrumentation (“WMI”) system. The WMI system provides an interface through which instrumented components, such as hardware devices, can provide information and notification to management applications in user mode through a consistent management information store. The mapping driver provides access to the ACPI system from the WMI management system.

Claims

1. A method for interfacing with a hardware device'"'"'s interface, the method comprising:

receiving a first message from a management system operating in a first operational mode that interfaces with an application external to the management system for providing access to the hardware device'"'"'s interface;

translating information in the first message to create a second message; and

issuing the second message to the hardware device'"'"'s interface operating in a second operational mode.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

if the first message includes a request for data from the hardware device;

receiving the requested data from the hardware device'"'"'s interface; and

issuing a third message to the management system, the third message including the requested data from the hardware device.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

if the first message includes an instruction to set data at the hardware device;

receiving the data to be set from the management system; and

including the data to be set in the second message.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

if the first message includes an instruction to monitor for an event to occur at the hardware device;

including a request in the second message to be notified when the event occurs;

receiving a notification from the hardware device'"'"'s interface indicating that the event occurred at the hardware device; and

issuing a third message to the management system indicating that the event occurred at the hardware device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein translating information in the first message to create the second message comprises:

obtaining a globally unique identifier from the first message;

identifying a code associated with the globally unique identifier; and

creating the second message according to the code associated with the globally unique identifier.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first operational mode is a user mode.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second operational mode is a kernel mode.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the hardware device'"'"'s interface is an advanced configuration and power interface.

9. A system for interfacing a user application to a hardware component, the system comprising:

a hardware component;

a management module operating in a first operational mode that, in response to an instruction from an external application, issues a first interface message to the hardware component; and

a translation module operating in a second operational mode, communicatively coupled to the hardware component and further communicatively coupled to the management module, that receives the first interface message from the management module, translates the first interface message to create a second interface message, and issues the second interface message to the hardware component.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the hardware component has a hardware component interface module operating in the second operational mode, and wherein the translation module issues the second interface message to the hardware component via the hardware component interface module.

11. The system of claim 10 further comprising a communication channel for delivering interface messages between the management module operating in the first operational mode and the translation module operating in the second operational mode.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the communication channel comprises:

a first communication module operating in the first operational mode; and

a second communication module operating in the second operational mode;

wherein the first and second communication modules are communicatively coupled to deliver interface messages between the management module operating in the first operational mode and the translation module operating in the second operational mode.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein, if the first interface message includes a request for data from the hardware component, the translation module further receives the requested data from the hardware component interface module and issues a third interface message to the management module that includes the requested data.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein, if the first interface message includes a request to set data at the hardware component, the translation module further receives the data to be set from the management module, and includes the data in the second interface message.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein, if the first interface message includes a request to monitor for an event to occur at the hardware component, the translation module includes a request in the second access request to be notified when the event occurs, receives a notification when the event occurs, and issues a third interface message to the management module indicating that the event occurred.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the translation module translates the first interface message to create a second interface message by:

obtaining a globally unique identifier from the first interface message;

identifying a code associated with the globally unique identifier; and

creating the second interface message to include the code associated with the globally unique identifier.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the first operational mode is a user mode.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the second operational mode is a kernel mode.

19. The system of claim 10, wherein the hardware component interface module is an advanced configuration and power interface.