Methods and systems for importing a device driver into a guest computing environment

Abstract

A system for importing, from a host computer, a device driver into a guest computing environment provided by an external media device which does not include the device driver, includes a first computing environment, a second computing environment, a device discovery agent, a device driver discovery agent, and a device driver installation agent. A device driver associated with a device available to a first computing environment is installed on a computing device. The second computing environment is executed by a virtual machine on the computing device, based upon data retrieved from an external media device. The device discovery agent identifies a device available to the second computing environment. The device driver discovery agent determines that the installed device driver is associated with the device available to the second computing environment. The device driver installation agent imports the installed device driver into the second computing environment without user input.

1 .- 19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . A system comprising:
 one or more computing processors in a host computing device;   an I/O device interface to a media device external to the host computing device; and   memory storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more computing processors, cause the one or more processors to:
 execute a guest computing environment provided by the media device external to the host computing device, where the guest computing environment lacks a device driver for a device provided by the host computing device; 
 determine that the device provided by the host computing device is available to the guest computing environment; and 
 import, without user input, a copy of the device driver into the guest computing environment. 
   
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 20 , the instructions further comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors of the host computing device, cause the host computing device to retrieve, from the media device external to the host computing device, a virtual machine image associated with the guest computing environment. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein executing the guest computing environment comprises executing, by a hypervisor layer of the host computing device, the second computing environment using the retrieved virtual machine image. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein executing the guest computing environment comprises executing, by an isolation environment on the host computing device, the second computing environment using data retrieved from the media device external to the host computing device. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the I/O device interface comprises a network interface, and wherein the one or more processors to access the media device through a network available to the host computing device. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the media device external to the host computing device is a flash memory data storage device. 
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 20 , the instructions further comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors of the host computing device, cause the host computing device to:
 access a directory of driver-related information;   retrieve, from the directory of driver-related information, an information item identifying of at least one of:
 a location of at least one file to import, 
 a location of at least one environment setting to modify, 
 a modification to make to a registry, 
 a file to generate, and 
 a registry key to generate; and 
   install the device driver in the guest computing environment using the retrieved information item.   
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein installing the device driver in the guest computing environment comprises copying a file from a first location external to the guest computing environment into a second location within the guest computing environment. 
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 27 , the instructions comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors of the host computing device, cause the host computing device to copy the file from the first location through a network available to the host computing device. 
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the device provided by the host computing device is one of a printer, modem, monitor, or network accessible storage element. 
     
     
         30 . A method comprising:
 executing, by one or more processors of a host computing device, a guest computing environment provided by a media device external to the host computing device, where the guest computing environment lacks a device driver for a device provided by the host computing device;   determining, by a device discovery agent running on the host computing device, that the device provided by the host computing device is available to the guest computing environment; and   importing, by a device driver installation agent running on the host computing device, without user input, a copy of the device driver into the guest computing environment.   
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 30 , further comprising retrieving, by the host computing device, from the media device external to the host computing device, a virtual machine image associated with the guest computing environment. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein executing the guest computing environment comprises executing, by the host computing device, the second computing environment using the retrieved virtual machine image. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein executing the guest computing environment comprises executing, by an isolation environment on the host computing device, the second computing environment using data retrieved from the media device external to the host computing device. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 30 , comprising accessing the media device through a network available to the host computing device. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the media device external to the host computing device is a flash memory data storage device. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 30 , comprising
 accessing, by the device driver installation agent, a directory of driver-related information;   retrieving, from the directory of driver-related information, an information item identifying of at least one of:
 a location of at least one file to import, 
 a location of at least one environment setting to modify, 
 a modification to make to a registry, 
 a file to generate, and 
 a registry key to generate; and 
   installing the device driver in the guest computing environment using the retrieved information item.   
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein installing the device driver in the guest computing environment comprises copying a file from a first location external to the guest computing environment into a second location within the guest computing environment. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 37 , comprising copying the file from the first location through a network available to the host computing device. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the device provided by the host computing device is one of a printer, modem, monitor, or network accessible storage element.