Patent ID: 6041363
Filing Date: 2000-03-21
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
Apparatus for accessing a virtual device driver in an operating system in a computer from a test tool calling program to perform and verify the performance of requested operations of the virtual device driver, wherein the test tool calling program does not support communication to and from a DeviceIOControl interface that provides an interface to the virtual device driver, the apparatus comprising:a dynamic link library providing an interface to the calling program;a DeviceIOControl interface providing an interface to the virtual device driver;a connection connecting the dynamic link library to the DeviceIOControl interface;a decoder module in the dynamic link library for decoding a request received from the calling program to perform a requested operation accessing the virtual device driver, the request having request data identifying the requested operation;an acquisition module in the dynamic link library for acquiring an address of the virtual device driver from the operating system;a setup module in the dynamic link library for configuring data parameters in accordance with the request, the data parameters enabling the dynamic link library to access the virtual device driver through the DeviceIOControl interface;a calling module in the dynamic link library for calling the DeviceIOControl interface and for passing the data parameters, the acquired address, and the request data to the DeviceIOControl interface to enable the DeviceIOControl interface to request the virtual device driver to perform the requested operation;a receiver in the DeviceIOControl interface for receiving from the virtual device driver a return value after the virtual device driver has performed the requested operation, the return value indicating the success or failure of the requested operation; anda return module in the dynamic link library for receiving the return value from the DeviceIOControl interface and for passing the return value to the calling program.