Getting class filter driver WHQL-signed

Greetings!

Yes, another post about driver signing, how exhausting! I’ve searched high and low and so far only received dead-ends so here I am :smile:

I’ve got a lower class filter driver for BTHUSB devices, designed for and tested under Windows 7, 8(.1) and 10. I prepared the whole WHQL pipeline of fun (HCK & HLK) and am now stuck on what’s “the right way” of getting a class filter driver through the test battery and ultimately signed by partner portal submission.

As a “fallback” plan I’ve also crafted a DUT-specific INF file but that extends the certification category by all the USB and Bluetooth tests I would then do just to waste time and burn electricity, since my filter has only a very small footprint on what it’s rectifying.

What am I missing here? Is “cheating” by some fabricated INF and a “piggy-back” device really the only way to get the binary signed for Windows 7 up to 10 and SecureBoot and Server Editions etc. etc.?

Thanks for reading, cheers!

Well, yes… sort of.

Filter drivers don’t get WHQL’ed… devices do. So choose a device category to which your filter applies. It’s cumbersome, but not quite as dumb as it first sounds, as the goal is to ensure that device(s) work without change with your filter installed.

Peter

Well, HLK studio AFAIK could detect some filter drivers as a software device. That is, it could be available in the target list as a “drivername.sys” and studio could apply some tests on it based on detected device features. Also be aware, that not all tests are essential and you could throw away a little with certification playlist - it can be found on partner portal.
As per HCK, then, yes there you should choose some kind of device to certify. Try to search for driver name or device instance path whilst in the target selection window - studio would filter matching targets even if they do not have visible strings related to searching expression. That is, if you develop driver called customdiskfltr.sys which is a filter for disk drives, then chances are that you won’t find it as a target directly, but if you search for ‘customdiskfltr.sys’ in target selection then studio could filter all the devices but the disk drives - beacuse your driver is a filter. That’s quite subtle feature of the studio

Outstanding advice, Mr. El Corona. And welcome to the Community.

you could throw away a little with certification playlist - it can be found on partner portal.

That is a great point that is often overlooked. And the tests that are removed as a result of applying the latest version of the playlist are often the most annoying or problematic to pass.

Peter

@“Peter_Viscarola_(OSR)” said:
Filter drivers don’t get WHQL’ed… devices do. So choose a device category to which your filter applies. It’s cumbersome, but not quite as dumb as it first sounds, as the goal is to ensure that device(s) work without change with your filter installed.

Well, after reading and reflecting on that statement it became quite obvious to test the functionality like that, thank you :sweat_smile: Pardon me; choosing a device category? I can not find my filter within the HCK unless I load it via the DUT INF first. Maybe I’m just not that familiar with the terminology within the HCK studio.

@el_corona said:
Well, HLK studio AFAIK could detect some filter drivers as a software device. That is, it could be available in the target list as a “drivername.sys” and studio could apply some tests on it based on detected device features. Also be aware, that not all tests are essential and you could throw away a little with certification playlist - it can be found on partner portal.

Ah, thanks for the advice, I will test that as soon as my new Windows 10 test hardware has arrived.

@el_corona said:
As per HCK, then, yes there you should choose some kind of device to certify. Try to search for driver name or device instance path whilst in the target selection window - studio would filter matching targets even if they do not have visible strings related to searching expression. That is, if you develop driver called customdiskfltr.sys which is a filter for disk drives, then chances are that you won’t find it as a target directly, but if you search for ‘customdiskfltr.sys’ in target selection then studio could filter all the devices but the disk drives - beacuse your driver is a filter. That’s quite subtle feature of the studio

Maybe I’ve done it wrong but I’m almost certain that I’ve searched high and low within the studio to discover my filter, even under software devices.

Right now I’m also questioning if I’d for now not simply forget about Windows 7 and 8(.1), will consult with my user-base :smiley:

Cheers

@“Benjamin_Höglinger” Were you finally able to get this done ? I know it has been quite some time since this thread went cold however we are also trying to certify a USB upper filter and would appreciate any advice on what device targets were selected and if any MUTT devices or other hardware was used to certify the driver.

@WinUser31 said:
@“Benjamin_Höglinger” Were you finally able to get this done ? I know it has been quite some time since this thread went cold however we are also trying to certify a USB upper filter and would appreciate any advice on what device targets were selected and if any MUTT devices or other hardware was used to certify the driver.

I’m afraid I have to tell you that in the end took the easy way out and simply left Windows 7/8.x support in the past and went for Attestation Signing. Sorry, pal!

OMG… necroposting that worked

I am eternal >:)