Driver Verifier Telemetry for Device Reliability
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing complexity of computing devices with numerous peripheral devices makes it difficult to track and verify the proper operation of device drivers, leading to challenges in troubleshooting and ensuring high-quality user experiences, as existing methods struggle to cover all possible scenarios and interactions before release.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for verifying device driver functionality using a driver verifier function that captures information based on predefined rules, allowing for error recovery without crashing the system and transmitting data to a centralized analysis service for further evaluation, enabling early detection and correction of driver issues during production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a driver verifier sets up tests and monitors driver behavior for violations, then driver operation reliability is improved, but system complexity increases due to the need to track and verify numerous device drivers across varying configurations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a driver verifier as an intermediary component that mediates between device drivers and the operating system. The verifier monitors driver behavior, checks for violations, and intercepts bug checks before they crash the system. This intermediary approach enables comprehensive driver verification without requiring complex manual testing of all possible driver configurations and interactions.
2Reliability
If traditional bug check mechanisms are used to enforce driver compliance, then driver behavior control is improved, but system availability deteriorates due to system crashes
Solution Approach 1:
The driver verifier implements beforehand cushioning by preparing compensatory measures in advance. When a driver violation is detected, the verifier has already logged the incident and prepared alternative actions, allowing the system to recover from driver errors without crashing. This preemptive approach cushions the system against the harmful effects of driver bugs while maintaining availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful effect of driver violations into a beneficial diagnostic opportunity. Instead of allowing driver bugs to crash the system, the verifier captures bug check information, logs violations, and uses this data to identify and correct driver issues. The harmful driver behavior is transformed into useful information that improves overall system reliability.
3Reliability
If comprehensive driver testing is performed before release, then driver quality is improved, but development time and cost increase due to the difficulty of covering all scenarios
Solution Approach 1:
The driver verifier performs preliminary actions by establishing verification rules and monitoring mechanisms before drivers are released. This allows continuous verification of driver behavior in production environments without requiring exhaustive pre-release testing of all possible scenarios. The verifier is configured with rules that automatically check driver compliance as drivers operate in the field.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback loops where driver verifier data is collected, analyzed, and used to improve driver quality continuously. Violation information is fed back to developers for correction, and the verifier is reconfigured to prevent recurrence. This feedback mechanism enables ongoing driver quality improvement without requiring complete re-testing of all scenarios.
Data Source
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AI summary
Systems and methods are described for verifying functionality of a computing device. Rules are received that are usable to configure a driver verifier function to capture information associated with a device driver identified by the rules. The configured driver verifier function is run on a computing device. The information is captured in response to driver conditions identified by the rules. The computing device is allowed to continue operation when the driver condition includes an error condition of the identified device driver. A communication is initiated to transmit the captured information to a driver verification analysis service.