System and method for consolidated information handling system component drivers

• US 8,635,631 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2012
• Issued: 01/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Garvin, Christian, Tiritilli, Troy
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, VAN H
• Application Number:
  US13/434,141
• Publication Number:
  US 20120185878A1
• Time in Patent Office: 663 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 719/321
• 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 information handling system which includes plural processing components operable to process information wherein at least one processing component has plural region-specific modes of operation, a driver package associated with the at least one processing component wherein the driver package has plural region-specific drivers, and an encrypted key stored on a processing component wherein the encrypted key designates one of the plural region-specific drivers to manage the processing component.

Claims

1. An information handling system comprising:

plural processing components that process information, at least one processing component having plural region-specific modes of operation;

a driver package stored in memory and associated with the at least one processing component, the driver package having plural region-specific drivers;

an encrypted key stored in the memory and designating one of the plural region-specific drivers to manage the at least one processing component; and

a driver management module that runs on at least one of the processing components to decrypt the encrypted key, identifies one of the region-specific drivers from the encrypted key, and allows actions for the at least one processing component with only the identified region-specific driver,

wherein the driver management module limits actions for region-specific drivers not associated with the encrypted key.

2. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the at least one processing component comprises a wireless networking component.

3. The information handling system of claim 2 wherein the plural region-specific drivers comprise a driver for the United States and a driver for Japan.

4. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the encrypted key comprises an encrypted operating system registry key.

5. The information handling system of claim 1 further comprising an installer module associated with the driver package, the installer module applies a predetermined factor to determine a region-specific driver and to set the encrypted key for the region specific driver.

6. The information handling system of claim 5 wherein the predetermined factor comprises an operating system location setting.

7. The information handling system of claim 5 wherein the predetermined factor comprises a key already stored on the information handling system.

8. An information handling system comprising:

plural components that cooperate to process information;

a driver package stored in memory, the driver package having plural region specific drivers, each of the plural region specific drivers execute on one or more of the plural components to manage a predetermined of the plural components for operation in a predetermined of plural regions;

an encrypted registry key stored in the memory and defining one of the plural regions; and

a driver management module that decrypts the encrypted registry key to identify a region-specific driver associated with the encrypted registry key and allows actions at the predetermined component for the identified region-specific driver,

wherein the driver management module further limits actions for region-specific drivers not associated with the encrypted registry key.

9. The information handling system of claim 8 wherein the component one or more of the plural components comprises a wireless networking component.

10. The information handling system of claim 9 wherein the plural region-specific drivers comprise a driver for the United States and a driver for Japan.