초록 ▼

In an I/O subsystem comprising device drivers for controlling connection-oriented hardware adapters, a method, computer program product, and system is presented that allows the connection functionality for a particular media to be separated from a connection-oriented device driver. An integrating co

In an I/O subsystem comprising device drivers for controlling connection-oriented hardware adapters, a method, computer program product, and system is presented that allows the connection functionality for a particular media to be separated from a connection-oriented device driver. An integrating component allows data transport drivers and hardware device drivers to be "bound" together to form data communication channels in an arbitrary fashion without knowledge beforehand as to configuration; each are programmed to the integrating component. A connection interface in an enhanced integrating component allows the connection-oriented device driver development to be simplified and result in smaller, less complex device drivers because the driver is no longer required to provide a connection interface. By adding a connection manager interface to the integrating component, a connection manager component may be added to the system that handles connection management for a media type, such as ATM, ISDN, etc. A single connection manager component may support the hardware adapters provided by multiple manufacturers. This allows the manufacturers to develop connection-oriented device drivers more quickly since they will not have the connection management functionality, a sizable piece of work, nor will they be providing a connection interface.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A method for separating connection management out of a connection-oriented device driver in order to simplify connection-oriented device driver development and so that a connection management functionality need not be provided by a driver developer comprising:providing an integrating component ha

1. A method for separating connection management out of a connection-oriented device driver in order to simplify connection-oriented device driver development and so that a connection management functionality need not be provided by a driver developer comprising:providing an integrating component having an abstracted connection interface that receives connection creation and management instructions, a connection management interface, and a connection-oriented device driver interface; providing a connection manager component that interacts with the integrating component through the connection management interface, said connection manager handling all connection management for a particular media type in order to simplify the development of a connection-oriented device driver; controlling, by a simplified connection-oriented device driver, a particular connection-oriented media adapter attached to a media and interacting with the integrating component over the connection-oriented device driver interface, said device driver having minimal functionality in order to control the adapter; and interacting, by a client, with the abstracted connection interface of the integrating component to make a connection over the media with a desired destination, wherein the integrating component will cooperate with the connection manager component and the simplified connection-oriented device driver to make the connection.