Patent ID: 6282586
Filing Date: 2001-08-28
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
In an operating system, a method for alternatively employing one of a plurality of port drivers from a software communication application having a single port interface, comprising the steps of:(a) opening a port from said communication application's single port interface to a port driver router, said port driver router being registered to said communication application as its registered port driver, said opening a port step comprising the steps of:(i) said port driver router determining one of a plurality of alternative hardware devices having a corresponding real port driver through which said single port interface of said communication application may communicate with said one of a plurality of alternative hardware devices, each of said plurality of possible hardware devices having a port driver associated therewith;(ii) said port driver router returning a port handle pointing to said real port driver's port function structure as modified to contain a pointer to said port driver router's close port function instead of a pointer to said real port driver's close port function;(b) during execution of said communication application, said single port interface interfacing with said real port driver and said corresponding one of said plurality of hardware devices via said real port driver's port function structure returned by said port driver router; and(c) closing said port to said real port driver when initiated by said communication application and as intercepted by said port driver router.