Logical Device Interface for Diagnostic Test Code Reusability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Diagnostic testing of computer systems is hindered by the Open System Interconnection (OSI) model, which prioritizes successful data transmission over error reporting and deterministic results, making it difficult to test and control physical hardware devices effectively, especially when interacting with host layers like Presentation, Session, and Transport layers.
Innovation Solution
The method involves creating logical devices that abstractly reproduce the functionality of physical hardware devices, providing a programmatic interface that insulates the logical device from device-specific particulars and associates it with a translator capable of communicating with the physical device, allowing for testing of modular groups of electronic devices as a whole, independent of physical topology.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If diagnostic software interacts with physical hardware devices directly or through OSI layers, then the physical device can be tested, but the test code cannot be reused and must be rewritten for each new physical device
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a logical device as an intermediary between the diagnostic software and the physical hardware device. The logical device provides a standardized interface that abstracts away the physical device specifics, allowing the same diagnostic code to work with different physical devices through a common abstraction layer. This mediator enables test code reusability while maintaining device-specific functionality through the translator component.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a logical device that is a software copy or abstraction of the physical hardware device. This logical device replicates the functionality of the physical device in a simplified, standardized form that can be universally tested. The translator then maps operations on the logical device to the corresponding physical device, enabling reuse of diagnostic code across different hardware platforms.
2Reliability
If the OSI model is used for communication, then successful data transmission is achieved, but error reporting and deterministic results are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the communication layers by introducing a logical device layer that sits between the application layer and the physical device layer. This segmentation allows the diagnostic software to interact with the logical device through standardized interfaces while the translator handles the physical device communication. This separation enables deterministic testing at the logical layer while maintaining reliable physical layer communication.
3Ease of operation
If software drivers are used to manage physical devices, then device control is achieved, but the interface is designed to fit the OSI model rather than enabling functional testing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional driver interface approach by creating a logical device interface that is designed for functional testing rather than fitting the OSI model. Instead of having the diagnostic software adapt to the OSI layer structure, the logical device provides a simplified, function-oriented interface that inverts the traditional hierarchy, making it easier to test functional behavior without being constrained by protocol layers.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for performing diagnostics on a computer system having a plurality of physical hardware devices includes associating a logical device with a physical hardware device of the computer system. The logical device is provided with a programmatic interface that abstractly reproduces a functionality of the physical hardware device associated with the logical device and insulates the logical device from device-specific particulars needed to communicate with the physical hardware device. The logical device is associated with a translator that is capable of communicating with the physical hardware device associated with the logical device using the device-specific particulars needed to communicate with that physical hardware device.