Virtual display driver

• US 20060156285A1
• Filed: 03/13/2006
• Published: 07/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Jensen, David A., Fagerburg, Eric D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,797,616 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/120
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers

Abstract

A virtual display driver that can be dynamically loaded and unloaded for remote control of a host computing system. The host computing system includes an original display driver that updates an output display of the computing system based on display commands. A remote control executive executes in kernel-mode within an operating environment provided by the computing system and dynamically loads and unloads the virtual display driver as requested by a user. The remote control executive inserts hooks within the functions provided by the original display driver to trap the display commands received by the original display driver and direct the commands to the virtual display driver for communication to a remote client computer.

Claims

1. A method for identifying functions provided by a target kernel-mode software module comprising:

locating a base address for a target kernel-mode software module loaded within a computer system; and

communicating the base address to a software module executing in kernel-mode.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating the information includes communicating the information from a software module executing in user-mode to the software module executing in kernel-mode.

3. The method of claim 1 and further including validating an executable image of the target kernel-mode software module.

4. The method of claim 1 and further including locating an entry point for the target kernel-mode software module.

5. The method of claim 1 and further including scanning an image export directory to locate a target function within the target software module.

6. An article comprising a computer-readable medium which stores computer-executable instructions, the instructions causing a computer to identify functions exported by a target kernel-mode software module by:

locating a base address for a target kernel-mode software module loaded within the computer system; and

communicating the base address to a software module executing in kernel-mode.

7. The article of claim 6 and further including instructions to cause the computer to validate an executable image of the target software module.

8. The article of claim 6 and further including instructions to cause the computer to identify an entry point for the target software module.

9. The article of claim 6 and further including instructions to cause the computer to scan an image export directory to locate a target function within the target software module.