A comparison of the Linux and Windows device driver architectures

ABSTRACT

In this paper the device driver architectures currently used by two of the most popular operating systems, Linux and Microsoft's Windows, are examined. Driver components required when implementing device drivers for each operating system are presented and compared. The process of implementing a driver, for each operating system, that performs I/O to a kernel buffer is also presented. The paper concludes by examining the device driver development environments and facilities provided to developers by each operating system.

REFERENCES

• 1: Michael Beck , Kunitz/Magnus/ Verworner , Harald Bohme , Mirko Dziadzka , Harold Bohme , Robert Magnus, Linux Kernel Internals with Cdrom, Addison-Wesley Longman Publishing Co., Inc., Boston, MA, 1997
• 2: {Cant C, 99} Cant C, Writing Windows WDM Device Drivers, CMP Books, 1999.
• 3: {Compuware, 01} Compuware, NuMega Driverstudio Version 2.5, http://www.compuware.com, 2001.
• 4: {Compuware, 01} Compuware, Using Driver Works, Version 2.5, Compuware, 2001.
• 5: Harvey M. Deitel, An introduction to operating systems (2nd ed.), Addison-Wesley Longman Publishing Co., Inc., Boston, MA, 1990
• 6: William S. Davis, Operating Systems: A Systematic View, Addison-Wesley Longman Publishing Co., Inc., Boston, MA, 1983
• 7: Ida M. Flynn , Ann McIver McHoes, Understanding operating systems, Brooks/Cole Publishing Co., Pacific Grove, CA, 1991
• 8: Harry Katzan, Jr., Operating Systems: A Pragmatic Approach, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, NY, 1973
• 9: {KDB, 02} KDB, The Linux Built in Kernel Debugger, http://oss.sgi.com/projects/kdb, 2002.
• 10: {Laywer, 01} Lawyer D S, Plug and Play HOWTO/Plug-and-Play-HOWTO-1.html, http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO, 2001.
• 11: {Linus FAQ, 02} The Rampantly Unofficial Linus Torvalds FAQ, http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/faqs/linus/index.html, 2002.
• 12: {Linux HQ, 02} The Linux Headquarters, http://www.linuxhq.com, 2002.
• 13: Harold Lorin , Harvey M. Deitel, Operating Systems, Addison-Wesley Longman Publishing Co., Inc., Boston, MA, 1981
• 14: {Microsoft DDK, 02} Microsoft, DDK- Kernel Mode Driver Architecture, Microsoft, 2002.
• 15: {Microsoft WDM, 02} Microsoft, Introduction to the Windows Driver Model, http://www.microsoft.com/hwdev/driver/wdm, 2002.
• 16: Walter Oney, Programming the Microsoft Windows Driver Model, Second Edition, Microsoft Press, Redmond, WA, 2002
• 17: {Open Group, 97} Open Group, Universal Unique Identifier, http://www.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9629399/apdxa.htm, 1997.
• 18: {Redhat, 02} Redhat, http://www.redhat.com, 2002.
• 19: {Rubini et al, 01} Rubini A, Corbet J, Linux Device Drivers, 2nd Edition, Oreilly, 2001.
• 20: {Russinovich, 98} Russinovich M, Windows NT Architecture, http://www.winnetmag.com/Articles/Index.cfm?ArticleID=2984, 1998.
• 21: {Russinovich, 01} Russinovich M, SysInternals, http://www.sysinternals.com, 2001.
• 22: {Rusling, 99} Rusling D A, The Linux Kernel, http://www.tldp.org/LDP/tlk/tlk.html, 1999.