Device driver and adapter binding technique

• Main Authors: SPRINGEN; NANCY L, ADVANI; HIRA, LOUCKS; LARRY K
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 10.03.1987
• Edition: 4
• Subjects: CALCULATING; COMPUTING; COUNTING; ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING; PHYSICS

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.