Automated Driver Selection for OS Restore
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Solution Overview
Problem
Automated operating system restoration processes face challenges in identifying and managing device drivers, especially for mass storage device controllers and virtual hardware devices, leading to incorrect driver selection and installation issues during unattended system restores.
Innovation Solution
A computer accessible medium with instructions that parse input files to identify and select appropriate device drivers, including miniport drivers, and associate physical and virtual hardware devices to ensure correct driver installation across different hardware configurations during the text and graphical phases of operating system installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If automated operating system installation is performed without physical administrator presence, then restore process efficiency is improved, but driver identification accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-gathering driver information from multiple sources (txtsetup.oem files, inf files, and existing driver repositories) before the automated installation begins. This includes pre-processing driver catalogs and creating a comprehensive driver database that can be automatically matched to detected hardware devices during installation, eliminating the need for manual driver selection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary driver management system that acts as a mediator between hardware devices and the operating system installer. This intermediary component automatically detects hardware devices, searches for appropriate drivers in pre-gathered repositories, and installs the correct drivers without requiring administrator intervention, thus maintaining both automation and accuracy.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple mass storage device controllers are present in the system, then hardware versatility is improved, but driver selection complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the driver selection process into distinct phases: hardware detection, driver information gathering from multiple sources, driver matching algorithms, and installation. Each mass storage controller is independently detected and matched with its corresponding driver from the pre-gathered repository, allowing the system to handle multiple controllers systematically without overwhelming complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a universal driver repository that contains drivers for multiple mass storage controller types (IDE, SCSI, SATA, etc.). The driver management mechanism is designed to handle various controller types through a unified interface, automatically selecting the appropriate driver based on hardware detection rather than requiring separate handling procedures for each controller type.
3Quantity of substance
If driver information is gathered from multiple sources, then driver availability is improved, but information processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges driver information from multiple sources (txtsetup.oem files, inf files, and external driver repositories) into a unified driver catalog. This consolidation process combines scattered driver information into a single comprehensive repository that can be systematically searched and queried, reducing the complexity of managing multiple separate driver sources while maintaining full driver availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates copies of driver information from various sources and stores them in a standardized format within a central repository. This copying approach allows the system to have multiple versions and sources of driver information available while processing them through a single unified interface, thereby increasing driver availability without proportionally increasing processing complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, a computer accessible medium comprises a plurality of instructions which, when executed and if a computer system comprises at least one virtual hardware device, identify the virtual hardware device and a corresponding physical hardware device. The plurality of instructions also capture a device driver associated with the physical hardware device for use as the device driver in an install of an operating system on a second computer system having a same type of physical hardware device. Corresponding computer systems and methods are also described.