Driver installation for targeted and non-present devices

• US 8,949,815 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2013
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Phaedrus, Mark Henriksen, Ansari, Faisal, Cohen, Jordan, Cavalaris, James, Lenart, Adam, Shaji, Ullattil, Poonamalli, Rajiv, Goel, Sharad
• Primary Examiner(s): Wathen, Brian W
• Application Number:
  US13/907,069
• Publication Number:
  US 20140359592A1
• Time in Patent Office: 613 Days
• Field of Search: 719/321, 719/327
• US Class Current: 717/168
• 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 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for managing device drivers includes requesting a device driver update set for a plurality of devices connectable to a computing device. The method also includes receiving the device driver update set, installing each driver of the device driver update set on the computing device. At least one updated driver in the update set is an updated driver for a device that is disconnected from the computing device at the time of the request. The method further includes configuring the at least one updated driver for the non-connected to activate when the device is detected by the computing device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for managing device drivers comprising:

requesting one or more drivers for one or more devices connectable to a computing device, wherein the requested one or more device drivers includes a first driver for a disconnected device, wherein the disconnected device is a device that was previously connected and is disconnected from the computing device at the time of the request;

receiving a device driver update set, the update set including at least the first driver and a second driver for a new device, wherein the new device is a device that has not previously been connected to the computing device;

installing the first driver and the second driver on the computing device; and

configuring the first driver to activate when the disconnected device is detected by the computing device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein requesting a device driver update set comprises:

compiling a list of device drivers stored on the computing device, wherein the list includes at least the disconnected device driver and a second device driver and further includes disconnected device driver version information and second device driver version information; and

creating a system specification including at least the list of stored device drivers.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining one or more computing device attributes; and

inserting the one or more computing device attributes into the system specification.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further comprising:

sending the system specification to an update service.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving, as part of the update set, a driver subset, wherein the driver subset includes two or more drivers and instructions to install the two or more drivers together;

receiving, as part of the driver subset, a driver for the second device and corresponding device driver version information, wherein received corresponding device driver version information is equivalent to the second device driver version information included in the list of device drivers; and

installing the second device driver.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving, with the update set, at least one new driver for a device that has not previously been connected to the computing device and instructions to install the at least one new driver.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein compiling a list of device drivers comprises:

determining a length of time a second disconnected device has been disconnected from the computing device; and

excluding a driver associated with the second disconnected device from the list of device drivers if the disconnection time exceeds a predetermined maximum length of disconnection time.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving an updated second disconnected device driver as part of a subset of related device drivers along with the disconnected device driver; and

installing the updated second disconnected device driver.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein installing the at least one driver on the computing device further comprises:

installing a current metadata package describing the disconnected device; and

installing at least one application, wherein the at least one application is capable of interfacing with the disconnected device when the disconnected device reconnects to the computing device.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

upon installing the at least one driver, removing a corresponding previous driver version from the computing device.

11. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for managing device drivers, the instructions, when executed, causing a computing device to perform a method, the method comprising:

requesting, from an update service, one or more drivers for one or more devices connectable to a computing device further including;

compiling a list of device drivers stored on the computing device, wherein the list includes at least a disconnected device driver and a second device driver and further includes disconnected device driver version information and second device driver version information, wherein the disconnected device is a device that was previously connected and is disconnected from the computing device at the time of the request;

determining one or more computing device attributes;

sending the computing device attributes and the list of device drivers to the update service;

receiving, from the update service, a device driver update set, wherein at least one driver in the update set is a driver for the disconnected device;

installing the at least one driver for the disconnected device on the computing device; and

configuring the at least one driver for the disconnected device to activate when the disconnected device is detected by the computing device.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, the method caused by the instructions further comprising:

receiving, with the update set, at least one new driver for a device that has not previously been connected to the computing device and instructions to install the at least one new driver.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, the method caused by the instructions further comprising:

receiving, as part of the update set, a driver subset, wherein the driver subset includes two or more drivers and instructions to install the two or more drivers together;

receiving, as part of the driver subset, a driver for the second device and corresponding device driver version information, wherein received corresponding device driver version information is equivalent to the second device driver version information included in the list of device drivers; and

installing the second device driver only if the disconnected device driver is also installed.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, the method caused by the instructions further comprising:

determining a length of time a second disconnected device has been disconnected from the computing device; and

excluding a driver associated with the second disconnected device from the list of device drivers if the disconnection time exceeds a predetermined maximum length of disconnection time.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, the method caused by the instructions further comprising:

receiving an updated second disconnected device driver as part of a subset of related device drivers along with the disconnected device driver; and

installing the updated second disconnected device driver.

16. A computer-implemented method for managing device drivers comprising:

receiving a request for device driver updates for one or more devices connectable to a computing device;

receiving computing device configuration information for the computing device, the computing device configuration information including information regarding at least one device driver for a disconnected device, wherein the disconnected device comprises a device that was previously connected and is not connected to the computing device at the time of the request;

comparing the computing device configuration information to stored driver information;

retrieving a device driver update set including at least one updated device driver for the disconnected device;

adding a new device driver to the update set, wherein the new device driver is for a new device that has not previously been connected to the computing device; and

providing the update set to the computing device.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein receiving computing device configuration information further comprises:

receiving a list of device drivers stored on the computing device and corresponding device driver information.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein receiving corresponding device driver information further comprises:

receiving identifying information assigned to the disconnected device and at least a second device driver in the list.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein comparing the computing device configuration information to stored driver information further comprises:

comparing the received identifying information assigned to the second device driver to identifying information of a corresponding updated driver for the second device; and

excluding the corresponding updated driver from the device driver update set if the identifying information is equivalent.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving, in the list, a third device driver and a third device driver identifying information;

comparing the received third device driver identifying information to identifying information of a corresponding updated driver for the third device;

determining that the third device driver is included in a subset of device drivers; and

providing the corresponding updated driver in the device driver update set.