Guest OS Driver Import via Host Discovery Agents
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for accessing a computing environment on an external media device often require users to manually identify and install device drivers, which can be time-consuming and impractical due to the variety of hardware devices and the need for large operating system images that may not include all necessary drivers.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for dynamically installing a device driver into a guest computing environment on a host computer without user input, using agents to discover and import the required driver from the host environment into the guest environment, ensuring compatibility with hardware devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If device drivers are manually installed by users, then driver installation can be completed, but user time and effort are consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service by enabling the guest operating system to automatically detect hardware devices, identify required drivers, and import them from the host system without user intervention. The driver import mechanism operates autonomously, with the guest OS requesting and receiving necessary drivers through the virtualization platform, eliminating manual driver installation steps for users.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies preliminary action by pre-storing driver packages in the host system's driver store before the guest OS needs them. When hardware is detected in the guest environment, the required drivers are already available on the host and can be rapidly imported without requiring users to search for or download drivers at the moment of need.
2Adaptability or versatility
If all device drivers are pre-installed in the operating system image, then hardware compatibility is improved, but the size of the operating system image increases
Solution Approach 1:
The driver library is segmented into two locations: essential drivers are included in the compact operating system image on external media, while additional drivers are stored separately in the host system's driver store. This segmentation allows the OS image to remain small while still providing access to a comprehensive driver set through the import mechanism when hardware is detected.
Solution Approach 2:
The host system's driver store serves multiple functions: it acts as a repository for drivers needed by the guest OS, a cache for frequently used drivers, and a source for importing drivers on-demand. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need to bloat the OS image with all possible drivers while ensuring hardware compatibility.
3Quantity of substance
If a compact operating system image is stored on external media, then storage requirements are reduced, but driver availability for various hardware devices is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The virtualization platform and host system act as intermediaries between the compact OS image and the comprehensive driver library. When the guest OS encounters hardware without the necessary driver, the intermediary mechanism automatically imports the required driver from the host's driver store into the guest environment, bridging the gap between the compact image and full driver availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution implements a nested structure where the compact operating system image is nested within the larger host system environment. The guest OS contains only essential components, while the host system's driver store provides an outer layer of driver availability. When needed, drivers from the outer layer are imported into the inner layer, creating a nested architecture that optimizes both storage efficiency and driver availability.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system for importing, from a host computer, a device driver into a guest computing environment provided by an external media device which does not include the device driver, includes a first computing environment, a second computing environment, a device discovery agent, a device driver discovery agent, and a device driver installation agent. A device driver associated with a device available to a first computing environment is installed on a computing device. The second computing environment is executed by a virtual machine on the computing device, based upon data retrieved from an external media device. The device discovery agent identifies a device available to the second computing environment. The device driver discovery agent determines that the installed device driver is associated with the device available to the second computing environment. The device driver installation agent imports the installed device driver into the second computing environment without user input.