Non-Volatile Driver Store Update Coordination
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing security systems face challenges in updating device drivers without causing system reboots, leading to downtime and reduced protection against cybersecurity threats during the update process, especially when multiple components need to be updated simultaneously.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a method that allows for the installation and updating of PnP drivers without triggering OS interactions like reboot notifications, enabling interfacing between PnP and non-PnP drivers with versioning to minimize interruptions, and coordinating updates to apply all changes in a single reboot, while maintaining protection between updates and reboots.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If device drivers are updated in the operating system, then security protection against cybersecurity threats is improved, but system downtime increases due to required reboots
Solution Approach 1:
The patent stages driver updates in advance within the driver store before they take effect. Drivers are prepared and validated beforehand, allowing the system to apply multiple updates simultaneously during a single reboot window, thus reducing total downtime while maintaining security.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple driver updates into a single reboot operation. Instead of requiring separate reboots for each driver update, the system coordinates and applies all staged updates together, merging what would be multiple downtime periods into one consolidated update window.
2Productivity
If multiple device components are updated simultaneously, then productivity is improved by reducing update frequency, but system complexity increases due to coordination requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic update coordination where the system adaptively manages multiple driver updates based on their interdependencies. The update coordinator dynamically determines the optimal sequence and timing for applying updates, adjusting to system state and update requirements rather than following a fixed process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an update coordinator as an intermediary component that manages the complex coordination of multiple driver updates. This mediator component orchestrates the staging, validation, and application of updates across multiple drivers, simplifying the complexity by centralizing coordination logic.
3Productivity
If device drivers are updated without reboots, then system availability is improved, but driver installation reliability deteriorates due to OS interaction requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the driver update process into distinct phases: staging (before reboot), validation (after reboot), and application (during/after reboot). This segmentation allows the system to prepare updates while maintaining availability, then ensure reliable installation during the controlled reboot window, separating availability-critical operations from installation-critical operations.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
In some examples, a processing unit can install a second driver to an installed-driver backing store on a non-volatile (nonV) memory, and replace a first driver in a driver store of the nonV memory with the second driver without replacing the first driver in the volatile memory with the second driver. The processing unit can, subsequently, determine that the second driver has been loaded into the volatile memory, and write, by the second driver loaded into the volatile memory, a driver-configuration entry in a configuration datastore. An example computing system can include the first driver in volatile memory, and the nonV memory. The nonV memory can include a driver-configuration file, a driver store holding a first copy of the second driver, and an installed-driver backing store holding a second copy of the second driver. Some examples can roll back failed installation operations.