A Critical Analysis of the Windows mLAN Driver

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A Critical Analysis of the Windows mLAN Driver

• Supervisor Prof. Foss
• By Shaun Miles

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What is mLAN?

• Yamaha using FireWire to connect studio devices
  via 1394 nodes implementing the mLAN architecture
• Allows easy connection of equipment in a
  professional environment
• Moving away from legacy studios
• peer-to-peer transfer of data no need for host
  server
• serial bus high speed
• standardised, structured architecture

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• Can have PC host controller
• modelling device connection
• connects input/output plugs between devices
• allows easy routing of audio/video
• To understand the approach taken by Yamaha, must
  understand the Windows Driver Model (WDM)
• drivers must conform to WDM architecture
• handle I/O requests (IRP) from system
• call system services in response
• issue IRPs to other drivers

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I am looking at

• Driver how the host controller communicates with
  the firewire bus and connected devices via
  interface card in PC
• Understand Driver design and development
• Understand yamahas mLAN driver approach

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WDM

• System creates Physical Device Object (PDO) on
  device detection
• contains physical attributes of device
• used for configuration and Power management
• PDO creates Functional Device Object (FDO)
• represents device
• models device functionality
• Driver creates instance of FDO on driver load
• associated with PDO
• interacts with device
• can have many instances

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• Windows Kernel
• Power Management
• handles device power management messages
• I/O Manager
• builds suitable IRPs from requests from
  applications
• passes IRPs to driver stack
• PnP Manager
• manages device objects that represent physical
  devices
• Manages PDOs and enumerates FDOs

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• Function driver
• understands how to make the hardware work
• implements functionality of device
• initiates I/O operations
• Bus driver
• manages connection between the hardware and
  computer
• Filter drivers
• optional secondary or support drivers
• usually implemented by vendor

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mLAN Driver Analysis

• CmLANBusDriver - extends KDevice
• handles driver initialisation, device management
• PDO of driver
• CmLanBus extends KPnPDevice
• implements PnP, Power and IRP management
  functionality
• FDO of driver

• KClass template class for driver Driver
  Development classes

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I Propose

• To make a critical analysis of the driver, and in
  doing so
• produce an OO design document model driver
• produce an API for the Windows mLAN Driver
• easier means to develop applications for mLAN
• for further research purposes
• attempt to improve or suggest relevant
  improvements to the driver

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Time Line

• due to nature of project, time line is not
  concrete and exact length can undetermined
• Second term
• Produce OO design document
• Evaluate Driver
• Literature Review
• Third Term
• Investigate driver for weaknesses
• Produce API
• Project Poster
• Improve driver
• Fourth Term
• Finish and test API
• Write short paper
• Write thesis

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Questions?

• Thank you