Patent ID: 6378005
Filing Date: 2002-04-23
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
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.