Method and apparatus for remote installation of network drivers and software
First Claim
1. A distributed packet based security program installed and enabled without shutdown or restart across a plurality of computers in a network that enables each of the plurality of computers to evaluate packets received over the network according to a predetermined standard and selectively allow transmission of such packets from the network to a protocol driver, the distributed packet based security program comprising filter code installed between a media access control unit and the protocol driver of each computer, the media access control unit being coupled to a physical transmission medium of the network to receive the packets from data provided across the medium.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for remote installation of network drivers and software. The present invention provides for the remote installation of a rerouting driver into the network driver interface in the path between one or more media access control units and one or more protocol drivers in a computer system. Code in the network driver interface is disabled, patched to insert the rerouting driver, and then re-enabled. The disabling and re-enabling of the code is performed such that the computer system does not have to be restarted following installation of the patch.
270 Citations
25 Claims
- 1. A distributed packet based security program installed and enabled without shutdown or restart across a plurality of computers in a network that enables each of the plurality of computers to evaluate packets received over the network according to a predetermined standard and selectively allow transmission of such packets from the network to a protocol driver, the distributed packet based security program comprising filter code installed between a media access control unit and the protocol driver of each computer, the media access control unit being coupled to a physical transmission medium of the network to receive the packets from data provided across the medium.
-
5. A computer system comprising:
a plurality of networked computers each including, a media access control unit coupled to a physical transmission medium of the network to extract packets from data provided across the medium; a protocol driver coupled to the media access control unit; and filter code installed in between the media access control unit and the protocol driver and enabled without shutdown or restart to evaluate the packets and selectively allow continued transmission of different ones of the packets to the protocol driver. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 18, 19)
-
9. A computer implemented method comprising:
-
distributing from a remote host across a network to a plurality of computers code to be installed by each of said plurality of computers, each of said plurality of computers comprising routines to be executed to provide a communication path between a media access control unit coupled to the network and a protocol driver, the communication path for packets transmitted across the network; transmitting from the remote host to each of the plurality of computers a command to cause each of the plurality of computers to execute the code; and each of the plurality of computers, responsive to the command, installing the code in the communication path between the media access control unit and the protocol driver, the installed code being enabled, without restart of the computer, to determine whether to allow continued transmission of different ones of the packets received over the network along the communication path. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 20, 21)
-
-
13. A computer program product comprising:
-
a computer-readable, tangible storage device; first program instructions for distributing from a remote host across a network to a plurality of computers code to be installed by each of the plurality of computers, each of the plurality of computers comprising routines to be executed to provide a communication path between a media access control unit coupled to the network and a protocol driver, the communication path for packets transmitted across the network; and second program instructions for transmitting from the remote host to each of the plurality of computers a command to cause each of the plurality of computers to execute the code; and each of the plurality of computers, responsive to the command, installing the code in the communication path between the media access control unit and the protocol driver, the installed code being enabled, without restart of the computer, to determine whether to allow continued transmission of different ones of the packets received over the network along the communication path, wherein the first and second program instructions are stored on the computer-readable, tangible storage device. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 22, 23)
-
-
24. A computer program product comprising:
-
a computer-readable, tangible storage device; first program instructions for receiving code at a computer from a network to be installed by the computer, the computer comprising routines to be executed to provide a communication path between a media access control unit coupled to the network and a protocol driver, the communication path for packets transmitted across the network; and second program instructions for receiving a command to cause each of the plurality of computers to execute the code; and third program instructions to, responsive to the command, install the code in the communication path between the media access control unit and the protocol driver, the installed code being enabled, without restart of the computer, to determine whether to allow continued transmission of different ones of the packets received over the network along the communication path, wherein the first, second, and third program instructions are stored on the computer-readable, tangible storage device. - View Dependent Claims (25)
-
Specification