Dynamic device matching using driver candidate lists

• US 5,802,365 A
• Filed: 05/02/1996
• Issued: 09/01/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Computer Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Banks, Jano, Hochsprung, Ron, Knight, Holly, Saulpaugh, Thomas E., Kathail, Pradeep
• Primary Examiner(s): Kriess, Kevin A.
• Application Number:
  US08/648,305
• Time in Patent Office: 852 Days
• Field of Search: 395/681, 395/680, 395/284, 395/830, 395/651, 395/652
• US Class Current: 719/321
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers

Abstract

A method and mechanism for automatically correlating a device to its appropriate driver and family within a computer system utilizing candidate matching. A device tree indicating devices coupled to a computer system is available from an operating system. Within the device tree are device nodes which specify a particular device'"'"'s name (device name) and a property which indicates compatible device names (compatible names) to the particular device. Drivers and corresponding families for devices can be located in RAM, ROM, or in another storage media (such as disk drive). Drivers can include a data field indicating a driver name indicative of a corresponding device with which they operate. For a particular device, the system constructs a candidate list of drivers by comparing (1) the device name and (2) the compatible names from the device tree against all the driver names of data fields of all known drivers. The candidate list is sorted so that matches by device name and proper version number are higher priority. Corresponding families are then determined and loaded. The system then sequentially attempts installation of the drivers from the candidate list to the particular device (based on priority order) to determine the appropriate driver (e.g., probing the device using diagnostic operations). Drivers are skipped that cause an error or that do not properly configure the device. The process can be repeated for all devices in the computer system. The process is dynamic in that it is operable on boot up and upon any system change that allows more drives to be recognized.

Claims

1. In a computer system having a processor coupled to a communication bus, a memory unit coupled to said communication bus, and devices coupled to said communication bus, a method for configuring a particular device of said devices with a device driver, said method comprising the computer implemented steps of:

reporting a device name associated with said particular device;

scanning a first set of available drivers within said computer system to determine a second set of drivers individually having a driver name that matches with said device name;

for each individual driver of the second set of drivers, scanning a first set of families available within the computer system to determine a second set of families comprising at least one family, each family of the second set of families having category information which matches category information associated with the individual driver of the second set of drivers;

installing at least one family of the second set of families;

sequentially attempting installation of individual drivers of said second set of drivers with said particular device to determine a matching driver of said second set of drivers that properly configures said particular device; and

reporting said matching driver of said set of drivers that properly configures said particular device upon an indication by said step of sequentially attempting installation.

2. A method as described in claim 1 further comprising the computer implemented step of sorting said second set of drivers and families by a priority of compatibility with said particular device and wherein said step of sorting comprises the further computer implemented steps of:

sorting said second set of drivers such that an individual driver matching with said device name is given higher priority over an individual driver matching with at least one compatible device name which is associated with said particular device; and

sorting said second set of drivers according to driver version information; and

selecting a family having a highest version number of the families of the second set of families.

3. A method as described in claim 1 wherein said step of sequentially attempting installation comprises the computer implemented steps of:

probing said particular device with a particular driver of said second set of drivers;

performing a diagnostic test with respect to said particular driver and said particular device; and

reporting a status indicating whether or not said particular driver and said particular device are compatible.

4. A method as described in claim 1 wherein said reporting comprises the computer implemented steps of:

accessing information derived from a device tree database containing information regarding said devices of said computer system;

selecting said particular device from among said devices; and

accessing said device name and said at least one compatible device name associated with said particular device from said information derived from said device tree database.

5. A method as described in claim 1 further comprising the computer implemented step of installing said matching driver with said particular device provided resources are available within said computer system required for operation of said particular device.

6. A method as described in claim 1 further comprising the computer implemented steps of:

scanning a third set of available drivers within said computer system to determine a fourth set of drivers individually having a driver name that matches with said device name, said third set being more current over said first set of available drivers; and

for each individual driver of the fourth set of drivers, scanning the first set of families available within the computer system to determine a third set of families comprising at least one family, each family of the third set of families having category information which matches category information associated with the individual driver of the fourth set of drivers.

7. A method as described in claim 6 further comprising the computer implemented steps of:

sequentially attempting installation of individual drivers of said fourth set of drivers and said third set of families with said particular device to determine another matching driver of said fourth set of drivers that properly configures said particular device, said another matching driver being more compatible with said device compared to said matching driver; and

reporting said another matching driver upon an indication by said step of sequentially attempting installation of individual drivers of said forth set of drivers.

8. In a computer system having a processor coupled to a communication bus, a memory unit coupled to said communication bus, and devices coupled to said communication bus, a method for configuring a particular device of said devices, said method comprising the computer implemented steps of:

reporting a set of device names associated with said particular device;

scanning a first set of available drivers within said computer system to determine a second set of drivers individually having a driver name that matches with any name of said set of device names;

for each individual driver of the second set of drivers, scanning a first set of families available within the computer system to determine a second set of families comprising at least one family, each family of the second set of families having category information which matches category information associated with the individual driver of the second set of drivers;

sorting said second set of drivers by a priority of compatibility with said particular device;

installing at least one family of the second set of families;

sequentially attempting installation of individual drivers of said second set of drivers with said particular device to determine a first matching driver of said second set of drivers that properly configures said particular device; and

installing said first matching driver with said particular device upon an indication by said step of sequentially attempting installation.

9. A method as described in claim 8 wherein said a set of device names associated with said particular device comprises a device name of said particular device and a set of compatible device names indicating devices compatible with said particular device.

10. A method as described in claim 9 wherein said step of sorting said second set of drivers by a priority of compatibility with said particular device comprises the further computer implemented steps of:

sorting said second set of drivers such that an individual driver matching with said device name is given higher priority over an individual driver matching with a compatible device name of said set of compatible device names;

sorting said second set of drivers according to driver version information; and

selecting a family having a highest version number of the families of the second set of families.

11. A method as described in claim 8 wherein said step of sequentially attempting installation comprises the computer implemented steps of:

probing said particular device with a particular driver of said second set of drivers;

performing a diagnostic test with respect to said particular driver and said particular device; and

reporting a status indicating whether or not said particular driver and said particular device are compatible.

12. A method as described in claim 9 wherein said step of reporting comprises the further computer implemented steps of:

accessing information derived from a device tree database containing information regarding said devices of said computer system;

selecting said particular device from among said devices; and

accessing said device name and said set of compatible device names associated with said particular device from said information derived from said device tree database.

13. A method as described in claim 8 further wherein said step of installing said first matching driver comprises the further computer implemented steps of:

determining that said computer system contains resources required by said particular device for proper operation; and

installing said first matching driver with said particular device provided said resources required by said particular device are present within said computer system.

14. A method as described in claim 9 further comprising the computer implemented steps of:

scanning a third set of available drivers within said computer system to determine a fourth set of drivers individually having a driver name that matches with either said device name or any name of said set of compatible device names, said forth set larger than said second set;

sorting said fourth set of drivers by a priority of compatibility with said particular device; and

for each individual driver of the fourth set of drivers, scanning the first set of families available within the computer system to determine a third set of families comprising at least one family, each family of the third set of families having category information which matches category information associated with the individual driver of the fourth set of drivers.

15. A method as described in claim 14 further comprising the computer implemented steps of:

sequentially attempting installation of individual drivers of said forth set of drivers with said particular device to determine a second matching driver of said forth set of drivers that properly configures said particular device, said second matching driver being more compatible with said device over said first matching driver;

removing said first matching driver from said particular device; and

installing said second matching driver with said particular device.

16. A computer readable medium storing instructions for a digital processing system having a processor coupled to a bus and a particular device coupled to said bus, wherein when said instructions are executed by said processor, said system is caused to perform the steps of:

reporting a device name associate with said particular device;

scanning a first set of available drivers within said system to determine a second set of drivers individually having a driver name that matches with said device name;

for each individual driver of the second set of drivers, scanning a first set of families available within the system to determine a second set of families comprising at least one family, each family of the second set of families having category information which matches category information associated with the individual driver of the second set of drivers;

installing at least one family of the second set of families;

sequentially attempting installation of individual drivers of said second set of drivers with said particular device to determine a matching driver that properly configures said particular device; and

reporting said matching driver of said set of drivers that properly configures said particular device upon an indication by said step of sequentially attempting installation.

17. A computer readable medium as in claim 16 wherein when said instructions are executed, said system is caused to perform the further step of:

sorting said second set of drivers and families by a priority of compatibility with said particular device and wherein said step of sorting comprises;

sorting said second set of drivers such that an individual driver matching with said device name is given higher priority over an individual driver matching with at least one compatible device name which is associated with said particular device; and

sorting said second set of drivers according to driver version information; and

selecting a family having a highest version number of the families of the second set of families.

18. A computer readable medium as in claim 16 wherein said step of sequentially attempting installation comprises the steps of:

probing said particular device with a particular driver of said second set of drivers;

performing a diagnostic test with respect to said particular driver and said particular device; and

reporting a status indicating whether or not said particular driver and said particular device are compatible.

19. A computer readable medium as in claim 16 wherein said step of reporting comprises:

accessing information derived from a device tree database containing information regarding said devices of said computer system;

selecting said particular device from among said devices; and

accessing said device name and said at least one compatible device name associated with said particular device from said information derived from said device tree database.

20. A computer readable medium as in claim 16 wherein said computer readable medium comprises at least one of RAM, ROM and a disk drive.

21. A digital processing system comprising:

a bus;

a processor coupled to said bus;

a particular device coupled to said bus;

a memory coupled to said bus, said memory storing a first set of drivers and storing a first set of families, said processor scanning said first set of drivers to determine a second set of drivers comprising at least one driver that has a driver name that matches a device name associated with said particular device, said processor scanning said first set of families to determine a second set of families comprising at least one family having a category information which matches category information associated with said one driver, said processor installing said at least one family and attempting installation of said at least one driver with said particular device to determine a matching driver that properly configures said particular device.

22. A digital processing system as in claim 21 wherein said processor sorts said second set of drivers and families by a priority of compatibility with said particular device such that an individual driver matching with said device name is given higher priority over an individual driver matching with at least one compatible device name which is associated with said particular device;

and wherein said processor sorts said second set of drivers according to driver version information and selects a family having a highest version number of the families of the second set of families.