Method and apparatus for remote installation of network drivers and software
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for remote installation of network drivers and software. The present invention provides for the remote installation of a rerouting driver into the network driver interface in the path between one or more media access control units and one or more protocol drivers in a computer system. Code in the network driver interface is disabled, patched to insert the rerouting driver, and then re-enabled. The disabling and re-enabling of the code is performed such that the computer system does not have to be restarted following installation of the patch.
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Citations
44 Claims
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1-29. -29. (canceled)
- 30. A distributed packet based security system installed and enabled without shutdown or restart across a plurality of computers in a network that enables each of said plurality of computers to evaluate packets received over the network according to a predetermined standard and selectively allow transmission of such packets from the network to a protocol driver.
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34. A computer system comprising:
a plurality of networked computers each including, a media access control unit coupled to the physical transmission medium of the network to extract packets from data provided across said medium;
a protocol driver coupled to the media access control unit; and
filter code installed in between the media access control unit and the protocol driver and enabled without shutdown or restart to evaluate said packets and selectively allow continued transmission of different ones of said packets to the protocol driver. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37)
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38. A computer implemented method comprising:
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distributing from a remote host across a network to a plurality of computers code to be installed by each of said plurality of computers, each of said plurality of computers including routines to be executed to provide a communication path between a media access control unit coupled to the network and a protocol driver, said communication path for packets transmitted across said network;
transmitting from the remote host to each of the plurality of computers a command to cause each of the plurality of computers to execute said code; and
each of the plurality of computers responsive to said command performing, installing a driver in the communication path between the media access control unit and the protocol driver, said installed driver being enabled, without restart of said computer, to evaluate selectively allowing continued transmission of different ones of said packets received over said network along the communication path. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41)
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42. A machine-readable medium that provides instructions, which when executed by a set of processors, cause said set of processors to perform operations comprising:
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distributing from a remote host across a network to a plurality of computers code to be installed by each of said plurality of computers, each of said plurality of computers including routines to be executed to provide a communication path between a media access control unit coupled to the network and a protocol driver, said communication path for packets transmitted across said network;
transmitting from the remote host to each of the plurality of computers a command to cause each of the plurality of computers to execute said code; and
each of the plurality of computers responsive to said command performing, installing a driver in the communication path between the media access control unit and the protocol driver, said installed driver being enabled, without restart of said computer, to evaluate selectively allowing continued transmission of different ones of said packets received over said network along the communication path. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44)
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Specification