Device driver and adapter binding technique

Abstract

An operating system in a digital computer environment is run as a virtual machine on a virtual resource manager. In order to provide a more dynamic environment for the operating system, linkages are made between the operating system device drivers and the corresponding real and virtual devices of the virtual resource manager. This is accomplished by assigning a "token" to the virtual resource manager. A device dependent information file corresponding to the device is created. This file contains adapter dependent information including a hardward port address for the physical device. The "token" is placed in the operating system device driver at the time it is initiated. When the operating system device driver is "opened" to drive the device, it uses the "token" to communicate with the virtual resource manager device driver thereby accomplishing driver to driver binding. This causes the virtual resource manager device driver to use the adapter dependent information in the special file corresponding to the "token" and placed in the process stack.

Having thus describe our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: 
     
       1. A device driver and adapter binding technique in which an operating system having device drivers is run as a virtual machine on a virtual resource manager having device drivers of real and virtual devices comprising the steps of .Iadd.in a computer system.Iaddend.: assigning a "token" to the virtual resource manager's device driver for the device to be bound to a device driver of said operating system;   creating a device dependent information file in said operating system corresponding to said device to be bound, said file including adapter dependent information for said device;   placing said "token" in a device driver of said operating system .[.at the time.]. .Iadd.when .Iaddend.said operating system is initiated; and   using said "token" placed in said device driver of said operating system to communicate with the corresponding virtual resource manager device driver when said device driver of said operating system is opened to drive said device, thereby binding the two drivers and using the device dependent information in said device dependent information file to drive the physical device.   
     
     
       2. A device driver and adaptive binding technique as recited in claim 1 wherein a user may modify a device configuration, said technique further comprising the steps of: specifying .[.the.]. .Iadd.a .Iaddend.port number of the device connection in a table of adapter characteristics; and   updating the device driver of said operating system for device characteristics including said "token" for the device if the device is not a new device before using said "token" when said device driver of said operating system is opened;   otherwise, repeating said steps of assigning, creating and placing if the device is a new device.   
     
     
       3. A device driver and adaptive binding technique as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of using said "token" is performed with the following steps: passing said "token" from said operating system device driver to said virtual resource manager;   retrieving device dependent information from the associated virtual resource manager device driver corresponding to said "token"; and   using said device dependent information to drive the device.   
     
     
       4. A method of linking device drivers of an operating system run as a virtual machine on a virtual resource manager with the device drivers of said virtual resource manager comprising the steps of .Iadd.in a computer system.Iaddend.: specifying .[.the.]. .Iadd.a .Iaddend.port number of a device connection in a table of adapter characteristics;   modifying the operating system configuration files and assigning a token number to said device;   reloading said operating system to define said device to said virtual resource manager with adapter characteristics and passing said token number to an associated device driver of said virtual resource manager;   opening the device driver of said operating system to use said device;   passing said token number from said device driver to said virtual resource manager;   retrieving .[.the.]. device dependent information from the associated virtual resource manager device driver corresponding to said token number; and   using said device dependent information to drive said device, thereby linking the device drivers of said operating system and said virtual resource manager.   
     
     
       5. The method recited in claim 4 wherein a user may modify a device configuration further comprising the steps of updating the device driver of said operating system for the device characteristics including the identical token number for the device if the device is not a new device. .Iadd. 
     
     
       6.  A method of linking device drivers of an operating system, run as a virtual machine on a virtual resource manager, with the device drivers of said virtual resource manager, comprising the steps of in a computer system: providing an intermediate layer operating as the virtual resource manager and having a plurality of first device drivers for driving devices within the computer system;   providing a system configuration file which describes a plurality of corresponding devices accessible by the operating system through the first device drivers;   loading the operating system into the computer system, wherein a plurality of second device drivers for the plurality of accessible devices are linked to the operating system, and wherein the second device drivers are linked to first device drivers from the intermediate layer;   providing, to the second device drivers, device dependent information for the plurality of accessible devices;   opening each second device driver to use a particular one of the plurality of accessible devices, wherein the device dependent information is accessed by the device driver to drive one of the plurality of accessible devices through a corresponding first device driver; and   using the device dependent information to drive the plurality of accessible devices through the first device drivers. .Iaddend..Iadd.   
     
     
       7.  A method for linking device drivers in a computer operating system, run as a virtual machine on a virtual resource manager, with the device drivers of said virtual resource manager, wherein a user may modify a device configuration, comprising the steps of: providing an intermediate layer operating as the virtual resource manager and having a plurality of first device drivers for driving devices within the computer system;   creating a device dependent information file in the operating system corresponding to a physical device to be bound, such file including device dependent information for such device;   specifying a port number of the device connection in a table of adapter characteristics;   updating a second device driver of the operating system with device characteristics if the device is not a new device when the device driver of the operating system is opened;   otherwise, repeating said creating step if the device is a new device; and   using, within the second device driver, the device dependent information in the device dependent information file to drive a first device driver within the intermediate layer, which in turn drives the physical device. .Iaddend..Iadd.   
     
     
       8.  A reconfigurable computer system having an operating system run as a virtual machine on a virtual resource manager, comprising: an operating system;   a plurality of devices attached to the computer system;   an intermediate layer operating as the virtual resource manager and having a plurality of first device drivers for driving the devices;   a plurality of second device drivers coupled to the operating system and directly callable therefrom, wherein the operating system communicates with the intermediate layer through the second device drivers, and wherein said devices communicate with said intermediate layer through said first device drivers; and   means, connected to said operating system, for communicating stored device dependent information describing said devices to said second device drivers when said operating system is initialized, wherein said second device drivers drive said first device drivers using the device dependent information. .Iaddend..Iadd.9. The system of claim 8, wherein said communicating means includes, for each attached device, a device dependent information file describing characteristics of such device.   
     
     
        .Iaddend..Iadd.0.  A reconfigurable computer system having an operating system run as a virtual machine on a virtual resource manager, comprising: an operating system;   a plurality of devices attached to the computer system;   an intermediate layer operating as a virtual resource manager and having a plurality of first device drivers for driving the devices;   a plurality of second device drivers coupled to the operating system and directly callable therefrom, wherein the operating system communicates with the intermediate layer through the second device drivers, and wherein said devices communicate with said intermediate layer through said first device drivers;   means, connected to said operating system, for communicating stored device dependent information describing said devices to said second device drivers when said operating system is initialized, wherein said second device drivers drive said first device drivers using the device dependent information; and   a system file, in the computer system, describing the attached devices, wherein said operating system reads said system file when said operating system is initialized, and wherein the second device drivers are coupled to said operating system according to the system file descriptions.   
     
     
        .Iaddend..Iadd.11.  A reconfigurable computer system having an operating system run as a virtual machine on a virtual resource manager, comprising: an operating system;   a plurality of devices attached to the computer system;   an intermediate layer operating as a virtual resource manager and having a plurality of first device drivers for driving the devices;   a plurality of second device drivers coupled to the operating system and directly callable therefrom, wherein the operating system communicates with the intermediate layer through the second device drivers, and wherein said devices communicate with said intermediate layer through said first device drivers;   means, connected to said operating system, for communicating stored device dependent information describing said devices to said second device drivers when said operating system is initialized, wherein said second device drivers drive said first device drivers using the device dependent information; and   wherein said device drivers have empty tables when they are coupled to said operating system, and wherein the device dependent information is placed into the empty tables when said operating system is initialized. .Iaddend..Iadd.12. The system of claim 11, wherein at least one second device driver has more than one table containing device dependent information, whereby one such second device driver communicates with more   
     
     
        than one device through a first device driver. .Iaddend..Iadd.13.  The system of claim 10, further comprising: a master file, in the computer system, containing template descriptions of devices which can communicate with said operating system through the first device drivers, wherein entries in said system file are copied from said master file when new devices are attached to the system. .Iaddend.