Method and system for providing state change notifications in device drivers

• US 7,171,671 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2001
• Issued: 01/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ramasubramanian, Narasimhan, Snead, Robert R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomson; William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ho; Andy
• Application Number:
  US09/935,809
• Publication Number:
  US 20030041179A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,986 Days
• Field of Search: 719/319, 719/318, 719/321, 719/322, 719/327
• US Class Current: 719/321
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications

Abstract

A method and system are provided for asynchronously providing interested applications of state changes in removable devices. A device driver polls the device associated with the driver for state changes. The state changes result in a change notification being generated. The driver provides the change notifications to the interested applications. The present invention also provides a change notification by a device driver to interested applications when a client application initiates a change in the device.

Claims

1. A method in a computer system, comprising:

using a device driver, independently polling a removable media storage device associated with the device driver for one or more events occurring at the removable media storage device, wherein each event has an associated change notification, wherein the removable media storage device is part of a media changer library including one or more removable media storage devices; and

sending, by the device driver, the change notification to a library manager, wherein the library manager manages media at the one or more removable media storage devices of the media changer library.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising registering with the device driver, by the library manager, for one or more change notifications desired to be received by the library manager from the device driver.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the change notification includes a globally unique identifier to identify the event.

4. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the method recited in claim 1.

5. A computer system having a processor, a memory, and an operating environment, the computer system operable to execute the method recited in claim 1.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the polling is done in kernel mode.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising registering, by an application, for one or more change notifications desired to be received by the application.

24. The method of claim 3, wherein the change notification is based on a sense code from the removable media storage device.

6. A method in a computer system, comprising:

initiating a task by a client application to be performed on a removable media storage device, said task resulting in a state change of the removable media storage device, wherein the removable media storage device is part of a media changer library including one or more removable media storage devices;

using a device driver associated with the removable media storage device, said device driver independently polling said removable media storage device to create;

a change notification corresponding to the initiated task; and

notifying, by the device driver, a library manager of the change notification, wherein the library manager manages media at the one or more removable media storage devices of the media changer library.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, notifying, by the device driver, a second client application of the change notification.

8. The method as recited in claim 6, further comprising registering for one or more change notifications desired by the library manager.

9. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the initiated task alters identification information on media in the removable media storage device.

10. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the change notification includes a globally unique identifier to identify the event.

11. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the method recited in claim 6.

12. A computer system having a processor, a memory, and an operating environment, the computer system operable to execute the method recited in claim 6.

23. The method of claim 7, further comprising registering for one or more change notifications desired by the second client application.

25. The method of claim 10, wherein the change notification is based on a sense code from the removable media storage device.

13. A computer system for notifying applications of state changes in removable media storage devices of a media changer library, the system comprising:

a device driver that independently polls an associated removable media storage device for state changes at the removable media storage device and provides change notifications corresponding to the state changes;

a library manager to manage media at the removable media storage devices of the media changer library, wherein the library manager includes a database to maintain identity and content of the media at the media changer library, the library manager to receive the change notifications from the device driver; and

one or more applications that receive the change notifications from the device driver.

14. The computer system as recited in claim 13, wherein the one or more applications register for the change notifications that the one or more applications desire to receive from the device driver.

15. The computer system as recited in claim 13, wherein the change notifications include a globally unique identifier to identify the event.

17. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the polling is done in kernel mode.

18. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the device driver comprises a class driver and a device-specific mini driver.

19. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the class driver does the polling.

20. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the class driver provides the change notification.

21. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the class driver provides the change notification.

26. The method of claim 15, wherein the change notification is based on a sense code from the removable media storage device.

27. A method, comprising:

registering, by a library manager, for an event notification from a device driver associated with a tape drive of a tape changer library having a plurality of tape drives, wherein the library manager to manage tapes at the tape changer library, the library manager including a database that identifies tapes and content of the tapes in the tape changer library;

independently repeatedly polling, by the device driver, the tape drive for the occurrence of an event associated with the registered event notification; and

providing, by the device driver, the event notification to the library manager in response to the event occurring at the tape drive.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising performing, by the library manager, a method associated with the event in response to receiving the event notification.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the event notification includes a dirty tape drive notification, wherein the method includes initiating a tape drive cleaning operation.

30. The method of claim 28 wherein the event notification includes altered tape identification information on the tape, wherein the method includes updating the database with the new tape identification information.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein the event notification is associated with a tape erase operation on the tape or a label write operation on the tape.

32. The method of claim 27 wherein the event notification includes one of tape insertion or tape removal.

33. The method of claim 27 wherein the event notification includes a tape changer library door of the tape changer library is open.

34. The method of claim 27, further comprising logging, by the library manager, the occurrence of the registered event in the database.