ACPI Name Space Validation

• US 20060085657A1
• Filed: 12/05/2005
• Published: 04/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Achtelstetter, Dieter
• Granted Patent: US 7,464,299 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/300
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers

Abstract

A method and system for passively validating an advanced configuration and power interface (ACPI) name space are provided. A filter driver may be adapted for use as a verification tool that intercepts requests by the ACPI driver to evaluate objects in the ACPI name space. Prior to the ACPI driver evaluating the object in the ACPI name space, the verification tool validates the object by looking up and validating a corresponding object in a test name space created from the ACPI name space. When the object validates, control is returned to the ACPI driver. When the object does not validate, the verification tool may either log the error to a log file, initiate a debugger to fix the problem, or both.

Claims

1. A computer-performed method of validating a power management command in a test environment prior to performing the power management command in a production environment, comprising the step of intercepting from a power management driver module the power management command for testing in the test environment prior to executing the power management command in the production environment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the power management command comprises an ACPI command.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the production environment comprises an ACPI name space.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein testing comprises the steps of:

a. retrieving from a library a test case set corresponding to the command; and

b. performing in the test environment any test cases defined by the test case set.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of, when any test case does not validate according to predefined rules, performing at least one of logging an error to a log file, and initiating a debugging application.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of, when the driver module completes execution of the command, intercepting results received by the driver module as a result of executing the command.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein intercepting the command comprises calling a callback function.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein intercepting results comprises calling a callback function.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the test environment comprises a duplication of the production environment.

10. A data structure stored on one or more computer readable mediums, said data structure comprising:

a first data field storing an ACPI name space;

a second data field storing a test name space corresponding to the ACPI name space; and

a third data field storing a test case to be executed in the test name space upon interception of an ACPI command to be executed in the ACPI name space.

11. The data structure of claim 10, wherein the ACPI command comprises a command to evaluate an object in the ACPI name space.

12. The data structure of claim 10, further comprising a fourth data field storing a log file of results of any test cases executed in the test name space.

13. The data structure of claim 10, wherein the second data field comprises a duplication of the first data field.

14. A computer readable medium storing computer readable instructions that, when executed, perform a method of validating a computer power management command, said method comprising a test function intercepting the computer power management command from a driver module prior to live execution of the computer power management command.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the computer power management command comprises an ACPI command.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the computer readable instructions further comprise the test function performing a test execution of the computer power management command prior to the live execution of the computer power management command.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the test execution is performed in a test environment and the live execution is performed in a production environment.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the production environment comprises an ACPI name space.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the ACPI command comprises a command to evaluate an ACPI object.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the test execution is based on a test case corresponding to the ACPI object.