Virtual USB port system and method

• US 7,458,075 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2004
• Issued: 11/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Keys, John S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho; Andy
• Application Number:
  US10/814,493
• Publication Number:
  US 20050240685A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,700 Days
• Field of Search: 710/313, 719/321, 719/327, 718/1
• US Class Current: 718/1
• 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

Abstract

An apparatus and method for implementing virtual USB ports are described herein. Embodiments of a system including a computer, which includes a first USB stack, a first remote host controller function implementing a first virtual USB port, an abstraction of a remote host controller, and a host controller, coupled with said computer, operating in combination with said abstraction of a remote host controller as a USB host controller of said computer, is described. Other embodiments are also described.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a computer including;

a processor, and

a memory coupled to said processor, having;

a first USB stack;

a first remote host controller function implementing a first virtual USB port; and

at least one virtual machine which includes the first USB stack and the first remote host controller function implementing the first virtual USB port; and

an abstraction of a remote host controller; and

a host controller, coupled with said computer, operating in combination with said abstraction of a remote host controller as a USB host controller of said computer.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said host controller is remotely disposed from said computer.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said host controller is a component of said computer.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtual machine comprising the first USB stack and the first remote host controller function implementing the first virtual USB port is a secure virtual machine.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the system further comprises a device coupled to said virtual machine comprising the first USB stack and the first remote controller function, through said host controller.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory further comprises a second virtual machine having a second USB stack and a second remote host controller function implementing a second virtual USB port.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the system further comprises a first and a second device coupled to said first and second virtual machines, respectively, through said host controller.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first remote host controller function is equipped to provide function specific processing for a USB buffer I/O request of a function of said host controller.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said abstraction of a remote host controller comprises a remote host controller driver equipped to provide function independent processing to format a USB buffer I/O request for transmission to said host controller.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said abstraction of a remote host controller comprises a media transport equipped to transmit a USB buffer I/O request, formatted for a media type, over a media of the media type, to said host controller.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said host controller comprises a media transport of like type, a remote host function driver coupled to the media transport of the host controller and a USB host controller.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein said media transport includes a communications link selected from the group consisting of:

local area networks, wide area networks, personal area networks, telephone networks, wireless links, USB, IEEE 1394 and powerlines.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising a remote device coupled to said host controller.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said remote device is a selected one of a digital camera, a printer, a digital music player/recorder, a keyboard and a cursor control device.

15. A method of connecting a USB device to a host computer, the method comprising:

coupling a remote host controller to a host computer having a first virtual machine including a first USB stack and a first remote host controller function implementing a first virtual USB port, and an abstraction of the remote host controller; and

coupling a first USB device to a USB host controller of the remote host controller to couple the first USB device to the first virtual machine of the host computer.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises coupling a second USB device to the USB host controller of the remote host controller to couple the second USB device to the first virtual machine of the host computer.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the host computer further comprises a second virtual machine having a second USB stack and a second remote controller function implementing a second virtual USB port, and the method further comprises coupling a second USB device to the USB host controller of the remote host controller to couple the second USB device to the second virtual machine of the host computer.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the abstraction of the remote host controller and the remote host controller comprise complementary media transport equipped to support transmission over a media of a media type, and the method further comprises formatting a USB buffer I/O request for transmission from the host computer to the remote host controller over the media.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein said host computer comprises a plurality of virtual machines, at least one of said virtual machines including said first USB stack and said first remote host controller function implementing said first virtual USB port.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein at least one of said virtual machines is a secure virtual machine.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising coupling said USB device with only a portion of said virtual machines.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising coupling said USB device with all of said virtual machines.

23. A computing apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to said processor, having;

a first USB stack;

a first remote host controller function implementing a first virtual USB port; and

a first virtual machine comprising said first USB stack and said first remote host controller function implementing said first virtual USB port; and

an abstraction of a remote host controller.

24. The computing apparatus of claim 23, wherein the memory further comprises:

a second virtual machine comprising a second USB stack and a second remote host controller function implementing a second virtual USB port.

25. The computing apparatus of claim 24, wherein the first and second virtual USB ports are associated with the same virtual machine.

26. The computing apparatus of claim 24, wherein the first and second virtual USB ports are associated with a first and a second virtual machine respectively.

27. The computing apparatus of claim 23 wherein the virtual machine comprising the first USB stack and the first remote host controller function implementing the first virtual USB port is a secure virtual machine.