Method and apparatus for providing DLL compatibility

• US 7,814,471 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2004
• Issued: 10/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Jodh, Santosh Sharad
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen; Wei Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Phillip H
• Application Number:
  US11/016,505
• Publication Number:
  US 20060136890A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,126 Days
• Field of Search: 717/163, 719/331
• US Class Current: 717/163
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44521 Dynamic linking or loading; Link editing at or after load time, e.g. Java class loading
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44552 Conflict resolution, i.e. enabling coexistence of conflicting executables

Abstract

A method and apparatus include comparing a called DLL file with DLL file names listed in a database. If a file name of the called DLL file is one of the DLL file names listed in the database, a compatibility mode associated with a DLL file name that matches the called DLL file is referenced. Based on the referenced compatibility mode, an operation of a processor is affected using the compatibility mode associated with the DLL file name.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

detecting a call from an application to a dynamic link library (DLL) file, wherein the called DLL file is out-of-date and is different from a DLL file expected by the application;

comparing the called DLL file with a list of DLL files stored in a database by comparing information associated with the called DLL file, the information including at least one attribute comprising at least a version number and a manufacturer of the called DLL file, to information stored in the database comprising the list of DLL files, wherein the database is separate from the called DLL file;

based on the comparing, determining whether the at least one attribute of the called DLL file matches at least one attribute of at least one DLL file from the list of DLL files in the database;

when the at least one attribute of the called DLL file matches the at least one attribute of the at least one DLL file listed in the database, utilizing at least one compatibility mode associated with the at least one DLL file listed in the database to properly execute the called DLL file by the application, wherein the at least one compatibility mode provides at least one instruction to a processor as to how to execute the called DLL file, the at least one instruction causes allocation of additional memory when the called DLL file allocates memory; and

when the at least one attribute of the called DLL file does not match the at least one attribute of the at least one DLL file listed in the database, causing the processor to exclude execution of the called DLL file.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the application comprises a software application.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the comparing step includes comparing information associated with the called DLL file to information associated with the at least one DLL file of the DLL files listed in the database and known attributes of the at least one DLL file listed in the database.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising searching the database for a DLL file using a DLL file name matching the called DLL file, and, when the DLL file is found in the database, referencing the at least one known compatibility mode associated with the DLL file found in the database to a mode associated with the called DLL file.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the referencing step includes using the at least one known compatibility mode associated with the DLL file found in the database to affect the processor to execute the called DLL file in a particular known manner.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the at least one known compatibility mode is used by a current version of an operating system executed by the processor to cause the processor to believe that another version of the operating system is currently in use for the processor to execute the called DLL file in a particular known manner.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the at least one known compatibility mode is used to cause the processor to allocate additional memory each time the called DLL file allocates memory.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein the at least one known compatibility mode is used to cause the processor to stop processing execute protection code of the called DLL file, the execute protection code of the called DLL file being designed to prevent software code from executing in data segments.

9. An article of manufacture for use in programming a processor, the article of manufacture comprising at least one computer readable storage device including at least one computer program embedded therein that causes the processor to perform the method of claim 1.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one instruction accommodates for at least one difference between one or more attributes of the least one application or the operating system and one or more attributes expected by the called DLL file.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the one or more attributes of the least one application or the operating system comprise a version number of the least one application or the operating system.

10. A method, comprising:

comparing a file name of a called dynamic link library (DLL) file, called by an application, with DLL file names listed in a compatibility database separate from the called DLL file, wherein the called DLL file is out-of-date and is different from a DLL file expected by the application, wherein each DLL file name from the DLL files names is associated with at least one attribute and at least one compatibility mode, and wherein the at least one attribute comprises a manufacturer of the DLL file;

when the file name of the called DLL file matches with at least one file name of the DLL file names listed in the compatibility database;

obtaining a known compatibility mode associated with the DLL file name from the compatibility database that matches the called DLL file, wherein the compatibility mode ensures proper execution of the called DLL file by a processor;

passing the known compatibility mode to the processor, wherein the known compatibility mode associated with the DLL file name found in the compatibility database provides at least one instruction to the processor as to how to execute the called DLL file; and

when the file name of the called DLL file does not match the at least one file name of the DLL file names listed in the compatibility database, causing the processor to exclude execution of the called DLL file.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein an operating system affects the operation of the processor using the known compatibility mode associated with the DLL file name found in the compatibility database.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the known compatibility mode is at least one an instruction used by the operating system to indicate that a current version of the operating system is different from an actual version of the operating system.

13. The method according to claim 10, further comprising, when the file name of the called DLL file is one of the DLL file names listed in the compatibility database, comparing attributes of the called DLL file with at least one attribute associated with the DLL file name in the compatibility database that matches the called DLL file name.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein referencing the known compatibility mode occurs only if the compatibility database includes the DLL file name of the called DLL file and the called DLL file has an attribute that matches the at least one attribute associated with the DLL file name in the compatibility database.

19. The method according to claim 13, further comprising, when the name of the called DLL file does not match the file name of the at least one DLL file from the list of DLL files in the database, executing the called DLL file in a conventional manner.

15. A method, comprising:

detecting a call to a dynamic link library (DLL) file made by at least one application or an operating system, wherein the called DLL file is out-of-date and is different from a DLL file expected by the at least one application or the operating system;

comparing information associated with the called DLL file, the information including a file name of the called DLL file and at least one attribute comprising at least a version number of the called DLL file, to information associated with at least one DLL file from a list of DLL files stored in a database separate from the called DLL file, wherein the information associated with the at least one DLL file from the list of DLL files comprises a file name of the at least one DLL file, at least one attribute associated with the file name of the at least one DLL file and comprising a manufacturer of the at least one DLL file, and at least one compatibility mode associated with the file name of the at least one DLL file;

when the file name of the called DLL file matches the file name of the at least one DLL file from the list of DLL files in the database and the at least one attribute of the called DLL file matches the at least one attribute associated with the file name of the at least one DLL file, utilizing at least one instruction to a processor provided by the at least one compatibility mode associated with the file name of the at least one DLL file to properly execute the called DLL file by the processor; and

when the file name of the called DLL file does not match the file name of the at least one DLL file from the list of DLL file names in the database, causing the processor to exclude execution of the called DLL file.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein

the database comprises a precompiled database of the list of the DLL files, and

the at least one compatibility mode provides the at least one instruction to the processor with respect to the execution of the DLL file of the DLL files.