Patent ID: 8413164
Filing Date: 2013-04-02
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method for performing diagnostics on a computer system having a plurality of physical hardware devices, the method comprising: associating a plurality of logical devices with the plurality of physical hardware devices of the computer system; providing each logical device with a programmatic interface that abstractly reproduces a functionality of the associated physical hardware device represented by the logical device and insulates the logical device from device-specific particulars needed to communicate with the physical hardware device; associating each logical device with a translator that is capable of communicating with the physical hardware device associated with the logical device using the device-specific particulars needed to communicate with the physical hardware device; providing a set of rules that define the plurality of logical devices; associating each rule with a match value to rank the rules and determine a governing rule; receiving, from an application program, a call to the programmatic interface of a given logical device of the plurality of logical devices; issuing, by the given logical device in response to the call from the application program, a request to the translator associated with the given logical device, to acquire a specific service that the translator associated with the given logical device is adapted to acquire from the physical hardware device associated with the given logical device; and controlling, by the translator associated with the given logical device in response to the request from the given logical device, the physical hardware device associated with the given logical device, so that the physical hardware device associated with the given logical device performs the specific service.