Patent ID: 7461141
Filing Date: 2008-12-02
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A system comprising: a server coupled to a network; a network adapter to couple said server to said network, said network adapter having a plurality of adapter ports; and an adapter driver executing on said server, said adapter driver having a plurality of instances corresponding to said plurality of adapter ports, wherein said adapter driver, in response to a graphical user interface of a driver management application request, selected from a group consisting of a driver parameter update request, a driver unload/load request, and a request to recognize a new device on said network, to change a configuration of a selected instance of said plurality of instances, is to, parse a configuration file of said selected instance into a name/value parameter list, retrieve a previous initialization time stamp for the selected instance, said previous initialization time stamp to indicate the last time said selected instance was initialized, clear a plurality of old driver parameters for said selected instance, define a plurality of new driver parameters based on said request for the configuration change, request that said adapter driver activate said plurality of new driver parameters, determine if there is data flow through the selected instance of said adapter driver, and if not, to block all subsequent data flow through the selected instance of said adapter driver, block all subsequent information requests to said adapter driver relating to the selected instance, reinitialize said selected instance of said plurality of instances without rebooting said server, following said reinitialization, request a new initialization time stamp for the selected instance, compare said new initialization time stamp to said previous initialization time stamp, and if said new initialization time stamp is later than said previous initialization time stamp, indicate that said reinitialization of said selected instance is successful.