ENABLING LEGACY APPLICATIONS TO ACHIEVE END-TO-END COMMUNICATION WITH CORRESPONDING LEGACY DEVICE SERVICES

• US 20130326541A1
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Published: 12/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MCCI Corporation
• Original Assignee: MCCI Corporation
• Inventors: Scaffidi, Salvatore Gregory Jr., Sermugaraj, Gobinath, Jaganathan, Saravanan
• Granted Patent: US 8,959,534 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/318
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/321 Interlayer communication protocols or service data unit [SDU] definitions; Interfaces between layers

Abstract

Embodiments described herein enable legacy applications to achieve end-to-end communication with their corresponding device services in a host computer. To that end, one or more legacy protocol stacks are configured to interface with a component that implements and manages a Device Service Streams (DSS) application programming interface (API) which communicates through a Mobile Broadband class driver to a Device Service residing in a Mobile Broadband Interface Model (MBIM) compliant device attached to the computer. In one or more embodiments, end-to-end communication is illustratively achieved through the use of a plurality of components: a Device Services Composite Driver (DSCD), a Device Services Legacy Software Protocol Driver (DSLSPD), and a Device Services Legacy Software Protocol Controller (DSLSPC).

Claims

1. A system configured to enable a legacy application to achieve end-to-end communication with a device service supported by a device attached to a computer, the system comprising:

a protocol controller configured to detect the device service supported by the device;

a composite driver configured to communicate with the protocol controller over a private interface to identify the device service supported by the device; and

a protocol driver configured to contain functionality of a legacy protocol stack used to enable communication between the legacy application and the device service supported by the device, the protocol driver created in response to the composite driver identifying the device service supported by the device.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

an operating system executing on the computer and configured to load the protocol controller during a system boot process, the operating system further configured to register the protocol controller to receive an event notification when the device is attached to the computer

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the operating system is further configured to load the composite driver during the system boot process, the operating system further configured to register a unique device interface identifier of the composite driver.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the composite driver is configured to register the unique device interface identifier in order to bind with the protocol controller and establish the private interface.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the operating system is further configured to load a mobile broadband (MB) class driver to communicate with the protocol controller and the device.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the protocol controller is further configured to utilize a device service stream (DSS) application programming interface (API) to detect the device service supported by the device.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the operating system is further configured to load the protocol driver and register a communication port device interface of the protocol driver for use by the legacy application to achieve end-to-end communication with the device service supported by the device.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the protocol driver is further configured to receive an input/output control code (IOCTL) from the legacy application and pass the IOCTL to the protocol controller by way of the composite driver and private interface.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the private interface is a private API channel that provides an exchange of the IOCTL between the protocol controller and the composite driver.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the protocol controller is further configured to translate the IOCTL to a command identifier (CID) and forward the CID to the MB class driver via the DSS API to the device service supported by the device.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the private interface is embodied as an interface that provides an exchange of one or more function pointers or private input/output control codes between the protocol controller and the composite driver.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the protocol controller is a device services legacy software protocol controller (DSLSPC).

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the composite driver is a device services composite driver (DSCD).

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the protocol driver is a device services legacy software protocol driver (DSLSPD).

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the device is a mobile broadband interface model (MBIM) compliant device.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein the legacy application is a legacy virtual serial port (VSP) application.

17. A method for enabling a legacy application to achieve end-to-end communication with a device service supported by a device attached to a computer, the method comprising:

detecting the device service supported by the device at a protocol controller of the computer;

communicating between the protocol controller and a composite driver of the computer over a private interface to identify the device service supported by the device; and

creating a protocol driver of the computer in response to the composite driver identifying the device service supported by the device, the protocol driver containing functionality of a legacy protocol stack used to enable communication between the legacy application and the device service supported by the device.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein detecting comprises:

utilizing a device service stream (DSS) application programming interface (API) to detect the device service supported by the device

19. The method of claim 17 wherein communicating comprises:

embodying the private interface as an interface that provides an exchange of one or more function pointers or private input/output control codes between the protocol controller and the composite driver.

20. A system configured to enable a legacy application to achieve end-to-end communication with a device service supported by a mobile broadband interface model (MBIM) compliant device attached to a computer, the system comprising:

a device services legacy software protocol controller (DSLSPC) configured to detect the device service supported by the MBIM compliant device;

a device services composite driver (DSCD) configured to communicate with the DSLSPC over a private interface to identify the device service supported by the MBIM compliant device, the private interface embodied as an interface that provides an exchange of one or more function pointers or private input/output control codes between the DSLSPC and the DSCD; and

a device services legacy software protocol driver (DSLSPD) configured to contain functionality of a legacy protocol stack used to enable communication between the legacy application and the device service supported by the MBIM compliant device, the DSLSPD created by the DSCD in response to the DSCD identifying the device service supported by the MBIM compliant device.