Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Santosh Sharad Jodh

Jason T Cobb

Andrew J Ritz

James George Cavalaris

Ellsworth Davis Walker

Michael G Tricker

Lonny Dean McMichael

Eugene Seichi Lin

George Evangelos Roussos

Bjorn Benjamin Levidow

John A Strange

Mark Derbecker

Sriram Sampath

Narayanan Ganapathy

Ara Bernardi

Bruce John Sherwin, Jr

Jamie Hunter

Steven Adrian West

Vadim Bluvshteyn

Tim T Chao

Timothy Chao

Vadim Bluvshtevn

A method and apparatus for correlating the identities of hardware devices, such as processors or memory controllers, between a local operating system and a global management entity is described. In an embodiment a fault message including a local identifier of a faulting device is received from an operating system. A global identifier of the faulting device is determined that is different from the local identifier. An appropriate replacement device is then selected based on the global identifier of the faulting device, and the selected replacement device is mapped to the faulting device.

Correlating hardware devices between local operating system and global management entity

Apparatus and methods for replacing partition units are disclosed. Generic and platform-specific drivers based on a driver model that specify a plurality of callbacks are disclosed. The drivers enable the replacement of partition units without the firmware and/or software of a computing device having to be recompiled for each platform. The plurality of callbacks provide access to a plurality of functions that are safe to use when operating system services are not available. The plurality of callbacks include, but are not limited to, initialization, memory transfer, and transfer processor state callbacks. The methods use the drivers to replace partition units. Preferably, partition units are replaced using platform-specific partition unit replacement (PUR) drivers that take advantage of platform-specific capabilities.

Driver model for replacing core system hardware

A method and apparatus for correlating the identities of hardware devices, such as processors and memory controllers, between a local operating system and a global management entity is described. When the operating system detects a faulting device, the operating system generates a fault message and transmits the fault message to the global management entity. The global management entity determines the identity of the faulting device based on information contained in the fault message, selects an appropriate replacement device, changes a routing table to map to the replacement device to the identity of the faulting device, and transmits to the operating system a global identity of the replacement device. The operating system correlates the local identity of the replacement device with the global identity of the replacement device.

A system and method for entity management is provided. In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a system administrator is given control over device(s) that can be installed on a computer system(s), and/or how the installation can be performed. Thus, a system administrator can specify device installation policy that prevents the computer system from automatically installing device(s) (e.g., even when an appropriate driver is available to be installed). For example, this policy can be applied to substantially all new devices and/or only a subset of devices. Optionally, policy can also control how device(s) that are already installed will be made available to the computer system.

Privileged used control of device installation and/or availability

A method and apparatus for managing spare partition units in a partitionable computing device is disclosed. The method comprises detecting if a spare partition unit is required for addition or replacement in a local operating system and if a spare partition unit is required for addition, initiating an addition of a spare partition unit. If a spare partition unit is required for replacement, a replacement of a failing partition unit with a spare partition unit is initiated; part of the memory of the failing partition unit is passively migrated into the memory of the spare partition unit's partition; part of the memory of the failing partition unit is also actively migrated into the memory of the spare partition unit's partition; and the partitionable computing device is cleaned up. Partition units are replaced without requiring that computer-executable instructions be recompiled.

Replacing system hardware

A method and apparatus include comparing a called DLL file with DLL file names listed in a database. If a file name of the called DLL file is one of the DLL file names listed in the database, a compatibility mode associated with a DLL file name that matches the called DLL file is referenced. Based on the referenced compatibility mode, an operation of a processor is affected using the compatibility mode associated with the DLL file name.

Method and apparatus for providing DLL compatibility

A system and method for providing DP capabilities on a computer system is provided. The DP capabilities include hot-add and hot-replace of various hardware components such as a processor, memory, and an I/O device to the computer system. The namespace of the hardware components on a computer system is separately created and stored. Some portion of the hardware components is prevented from being recognized during an initial boot. The unrecognized hardware components can be recognized by manipulation of the namespace modules.

Simulating hardware dynamic partitioning capabilities

The present invention is directed to restricting device access per session. Entries in a device list are configured to store session ID values in addition to values for other device properties. A session ID value for a device can be set to the session ID value of a (e.g., RDP) session that registered the device such that the subsequent transfer of device related information for the device can be restricted to processes in the session. When a request for device related information is received from a process, an access check is performed by at least comparing a session ID value for the process to a session ID value stored in a device entry for the device. When the access check is successful, for example, when session ID values match, access to the requested device related information can be permitted.

Restricting device access per session

The subject invention relates to systems and methods that automatically monitor computer platform components and initiate automated resource recovery procedures based on detected periods of component inactivity. In one aspect, an automated maintenance system for computer resources is provided. The system includes a controller that monitors installation and removal of system components that cooperate to facilitate various operations of a computer. A threshold component supplies time out or decay values for the devices to determine inactive periods of the devices, whereby the controller removes persistent memory references for the devices based in part on the time out values. Supervisory threshold functions can be provided to cause the system to perform maintenance operations at other desired intervals in order to allow periods of device inactivity while maintaining desired component information on the respective system.

Un-installation of inactive or removed peripheral device drivers

Systems and methods are provided that prevent faulty drivers from being loaded and/or can prevent faulty drivers from being installed. Thus, instability of a computer system can be mitigated. Additionally, the occurrence of data corruption, system halting and the like can be reduced. A requested driver is compared to a list of faulty drivers from a faulty driver database. If the requested driver is in the list of faulty drivers, the requested driver is deemed faulty or defective, and is prevented from being loaded. Additionally, if the requested driver is in the list of faulty drivers, the requested driver can be prevented from being installed. Otherwise, the requested driver is operable and can be installed and/or loaded.

Faulty driver protection comparing list of driver faults

A method and system for avoiding the overwriting of drivers by subsequent versions or other commonly named drivers includes generating a unique identity for every eligible driver package. Driver files from the driver package, or the entire driver package itself, are then installed in a subdirectory location in a common storage based on the unique identity. The driver files may be loaded to a memory from the subdirectory location. Thus, multiple driver packages and driver files having the same name may be installed and loaded side-by-side.

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Sammamish, WA, United States of America

Santosh Sharad Jodh