Method and apparatus for abstraction of physical hardware implementation to logical software drivers

• US 20040215439A1
• Filed: 04/24/2003
• Published: 10/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Wetztein, Shaun Allan, Movall, Paul Edward
• Granted Patent: US 7,069,206 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 703/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/102 where the programme performs an interfacing function, e.g. device driver G06F13/105 takes precedence; scheduling within device drivers G06F9/52; contention policies within device drivers G06F9/4881

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for abstraction of a physical hardware implementation to logical software drivers. An operating system kernel includes a device driver layer, an enhanced I/O abstraction layer and physical hardware implementation details layer. The physical hardware implementation details layer encapsulates hardware details for the physical hardware implementation. The enhanced I/O abstraction layer abstracts the hardware details for the device driver layer and creates unique logical I/O device structures for each embedded function in the physical hardware implementation. By using the enhanced I/O abstraction layer, device drivers maintain their independence from the physical hardware implementation. Using the enhanced I/O abstraction layer also enables a single driver with one binary image to support embedded functions spread out across multiple chip implementations, and multiple instances of an embedded function on one or multiple chips.

Claims

1. Apparatus for abstraction of a physical hardware implementation to logical software drivers comprising:

an operating system kernel including a device drivers layer, an enhanced I/O abstraction layer and a physical hardware implementation details layer;

said physical hardware implementation details layer encapsulating hardware details for the physical hardware implementation;

said enhanced I/O abstraction layer abstracting hardware details for said device drivers layer; and

said enhanced I/O abstraction layer creating a unique logical I/O device structure for each embedded function in the physical hardware implementation.

2. Apparatus for abstraction of a physical hardware implementation to logical software drivers as recited in claim 1 further includes an application program interface layer supported by said device driver layer.

3. Apparatus for abstraction of a physical hardware implementation to logical software drivers as recited in claim 1 wherein the physical hardware implementation includes a base chip and an extender chip, each chip including multiple embedded functions;

and said enhanced I/O abstraction layer abstracting hardware details for said device drivers layer for said embedded functions of both said base chip and said extender chip.

4. Apparatus for abstraction of a physical hardware implementation to logical software drivers as recited in claim 3 wherein said enhanced I/O abstraction layer accesses said physical hardware implementation details layer for abstracting hardware details for said device drivers layer and said device drivers layer being independent of the physical hardware implementation.

5. Apparatus for abstraction of a physical hardware implementation to logical software drivers as recited in claim 1 wherein said physical hardware implementation details layer encapsulates unique hardware details for each different physical hardware implementation.

6. Apparatus for abstraction of a physical hardware implementation to logical software drivers as recited in claim 5 wherein said enhanced I/O abstraction layer enables a single binary image for a device driver of said device drivers layer to be used for multiple different physical hardware implementations.

7. Apparatus for abstraction of a physical hardware implementation to logical software drivers as recited in claim 1 wherein multiple embedded functions are included in a base chip and an extender chip of the physical hardware implementation;

and said enhanced I/O abstraction layer enables a single binary image for a device driver of said device drivers layer to be used for selected embedded functions;

said selected embedded functions included on said base chip or said extender chip.

8. Apparatus for abstraction of a physical hardware implementation to logical software drivers as recited in claim 1 wherein said enhanced I/O abstraction layer is an enhanced PCI support layer.

9. A method for abstraction of a physical hardware implementation to logical software drivers, said method comprising the steps of:

providing an operating system kernel including a device drivers layer, an enhanced I/O abstraction layer and a physical hardware implementation details layer;

encapsulating hardware details for the physical hardware implementation using said physical hardware implementation details layer;

abstracting hardware details for said device drivers layer using said enhanced I/O abstraction layer; and

creating a unique logical I/O device structure for each embedded function in the physical hardware implementation using said enhanced I/O abstraction layer.

10. A method for abstraction of a physical hardware implementation to logical software drivers as recited in claim 9 includes the step of providing said operating system kernel with an application program interface layer supported by said device driver layer.

11. A method for abstraction of a physical hardware implementation to logical software drivers as recited in claim 9 wherein the physical hardware implementation includes a base chip and an extender chip, each chip including multiple embedded functions;

and includes the step of abstracting hardware details for said device drivers layer for said embedded functions of both said base chip and said extender chip using said enhanced I/O abstraction layer.

12. A method for abstraction of a physical hardware implementation to logical software drivers as recited in claim 9 wherein the step of encapsulating hardware details for the physical hardware implementation using said physical hardware implementation details layer includes the step of encapsulates unique hardware details for each different physical hardware implementation.

13. A method for abstraction of a physical hardware implementation to logical software drivers as recited in claim 12 further includes the step of providing a single binary image for a device driver of said device drivers layer to be used for multiple different physical hardware implementations.

14. A method for abstraction of a physical hardware implementation to logical software drivers as recited in claim 9 wherein multiple embedded functions are included in a base chip and an extender chip of the physical hardware implementation;

and further includes the step of providing a single binary image for a device driver of said device drivers layer to be used for selected embedded functions;

said selected embedded functions included on said base chip or said extender chip.

15. A method for abstraction of a physical hardware implementation to logical software drivers as recited in claim 9 wherein the physical hardware implementation includes a base chip and an extender chip, each chip including multiple embedded functions;

and wherein the step of abstracting hardware details for said device drivers layer using said enhanced I/O abstraction layer includes the step of abstracting hardware details for said device drivers layer for said embedded functions on both said base chip and said extender chip.

16. A method for abstraction of a physical hardware implementation to logical software drivers as recited in claim 9 wherein said enhanced I/O abstraction layer is an enhanced PCI support layer.