[newbie question] Driver naming conventions [ unique name?] and copyrights

NTDEV
1

Hi guys,

I am relatively new to developing drivers, just downloaded the DDK a week
ago, so please dont flame me too much if these questions have been answered
earlier. :o)

I have been working with and modifying one of the example drivers provided
with the XP SP1 DDK and it have all turned out surprisingly well so far. I
am pretty much done with the basic features I need and is starting to look
at other things such as

  1. What should I name “my” driver?

Must/does all .sys files have a unique name?
Is there a place where I should go to register a unique name?
Is the name limited to 8 bytes plus ‘.’ and file extenstion?

( Beginning to think there is a chapter in the DDK containing all this info
that I have missed…)

  1. Copyright issues. Is the modified driver ‘mine’ or Microsoft’s?

In the EULA they say we cannot use Microsoft’s name to promote the
product/driver etcetera, but on the other hand they say the driver should be
provided with a proper copyright notice ( something like that).

So must/should/can I include a copyright notice that says this driver was
derived from a Microsoft example driver?

Is a note stating something like “copyright Johan” etc. totally out of the
question?

TIA :slight_smile:

Johan

Lättare att hitta drömresan med MSN Resor http://www.msn.se/resor/

2

How did you ‘download’ the DDK. If you bought a MSDN subscription, you
should have received the CDs/DVDs. If not, the only way to get the DDK
is to pay Microsoft a S&H charge and they will ship it to you. The only
download site that is legal is the MSDN site and you have to have a MSDN
subscription to get it.

  1. There are rules mostly for boot drivers, but most are 8.3 compliant
    with .sys as the extension.
  2. You have to change the .rc file. See how it is done in the samples
    and do your own. Read the docs.

“DDK Developer” wrote in message
news:xxxxx@ntdev…
> Hi guys,
>
> I am relatively new to developing drivers, just downloaded the DDK a
week
> ago, so please dont flame me too much if these questions have been
answered
> earlier. :o)
>
> I have been working with and modifying one of the example drivers
provided
> with the XP SP1 DDK and it have all turned out surprisingly well so
far. I
> am pretty much done with the basic features I need and is starting to
look
> at other things such as
>
> 1) What should I name “my” driver?
>
> Must/does all .sys files have a unique name?
> Is there a place where I should go to register a unique name?
> Is the name limited to 8 bytes plus ‘.’ and file extenstion?
>
> ( Beginning to think there is a chapter in the DDK containing all this
info
> that I have missed…)
>
> 2) Copyright issues. Is the modified driver ‘mine’ or Microsoft’s?
>
> In the EULA they say we cannot use Microsoft’s name to promote the
> product/driver etcetera, but on the other hand they say the driver
should be
> provided with a proper copyright notice ( something like that).
>
> So must/should/can I include a copyright notice that says this driver
was
> derived from a Microsoft example driver?
>
> Is a note stating something like “copyright Johan” etc. totally out of
the
> question?
>
> TIA :slight_smile:
>
> Johan
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> Lättare att hitta drömresan med MSN Resor http://www.msn.se/resor/
>
>

3

>

I am relatively new to developing drivers, just downloaded
the DDK a week ago, so please dont flame me too much if these
questions have been answered earlier. :o)

Sorry, I can’t resist. How dare you ask questions without having memorized
the DDK? Never interrupt our endless flame wars over idiocy again with
actual questions about real problems. Consider yourself flamed you wretched
newbie.

I have been working with and modifying one of the example
drivers provided with the XP SP1 DDK and it have all turned
out surprisingly well so far. I am pretty much done with the
basic features I need and is starting to look at other things such as

  1. What should I name “my” driver?

Something appropriate :slight_smile: (Seriously.)

Must/does all .sys files have a unique name?

Yes, if you count the fully qualified path name.

Is there a place where I should go to register a unique name?

No. You could send me a cashier’s check for $1,000US and I will grant you a
Certified Driver Name unique within the Hollistech Windows Driver Name
Certification Process, but you would be stupid to do so.

Is the name limited to 8 bytes plus ‘.’ and file extenstion?

Only if you are a boot start driver, then it is the 8.3 rule.

( Beginning to think there is a chapter in the DDK containing
all this info that I have missed…)

  1. Copyright issues. Is the modified driver ‘mine’ or Microsoft’s?

Sorry, I am not qualified to address any legal issues whatever. On the other
hand I certainly don’t consider my work product to be Microsoft’s, and in my
experience the normal practice is to put your standard copyright on your
work product.

In the EULA they say we cannot use Microsoft’s name to
promote the product/driver etcetera, but on the other hand
they say the driver should be provided with a proper
copyright notice ( something like that).

So must/should/can I include a copyright notice that says
this driver was derived from a Microsoft example driver?

Is a note stating something like “copyright Johan” etc.
totally out of the question?

TIA :slight_smile:

Johan

L?ttare att hitta dr?mresan med MSN Resor http://www.msn.se/resor/

Questions? First check the Kernel Driver FAQ at
http://www.osronline.com/article.cfm?id=256

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4

>How did you ‘download’ the DDK. If you bought a MSDN subscription, you

should have received the CDs/DVDs. If not, the only way to get the DDK
is to pay Microsoft a S&H charge and they will ship it to you. The only
download site that is legal is the MSDN site and you have to have a MSDN
subscription to get it.

Don´t worry so much David. I paid the $25 S&H charge and received the DDK
about a year ago. I never actually needed it until a week ago and then I
could not find it. I did not see the point in ordering again and spending
another two weeks waiting for it to arrive, so I got it from someone who had
it. I would think this is ok since I am allready ‘licensed’.

  1. There are rules mostly for boot drivers, but most are 8.3 compliant
    with .sys as the extension.

Thanks.

  1. You have to change the .rc file. See how it is done in the samples
    and do your own.

Well, I am not sure what changing the .rc file has to do with copyright
issues. Removing every mention of ‘microsoft’ from the resources would be a
given though, even to a newbie. :slight_smile:

Read the docs.

Ah, you couldnt resist, could you!

Hitta rätt på nätet med MSN Sök http://search.msn.se/

5

>Sorry, I can’t resist. How dare you ask questions without having memorized

the DDK? Never interrupt our endless flame wars over idiocy again with
actual questions about real problems. Consider yourself flamed you wretched
newbie.

:slight_smile: Felt good, didnt it!

> 1) What should I name “my” driver?

Something appropriate :slight_smile: (Seriously.)

Ok!

> Must/does all .sys files have a unique name?

Yes, if you count the fully qualified path name.

Ah, thats what I was missing… thanks.

> Is there a place where I should go to register a unique name?

No. You could send me a cashier’s check for $1,000US and I will grant you a
Certified Driver Name unique within the Hollistech Windows Driver Name
Certification Process, but you would be stupid to do so.

Sounds tempting! I wish I could, but I dont write checks for such small
amounts :slight_smile:

> 2) Copyright issues. Is the modified driver ‘mine’ or Microsoft’s?
>

Sorry, I am not qualified to address any legal issues whatever. On the
other
hand I certainly don’t consider my work product to be Microsoft’s, and in
my
experience the normal practice is to put your standard copyright on your
work product.

Ok. If this is the normal practice, that is what I will do.

Thanks!

Johan

Hitta rätt på nätet med MSN Sök http://search.msn.se/

6

OK,. You didn’t really ‘download’ it. I don’t remember what the
version was a year ago, but probably not XP SP1. I also don’t want to
try interpret a bunch of shyster legalese as the license duration, but
of course nowadays with the laws in Maryland you could get something
today and the license take it away from you tomorrow. Look at your
driver in a hex viewer and see all the ‘Microsoft’ stuff in it. It
comes from the rc file via includes. Don’t do that!!! A shyster might
conclude that Microsoft now owns your driver and not you. You can also
use pragmas to put copyright info into the driver image and/or the
object modules. I have done it on a couple of drivers just to see how
obnoxious I could make it, so I recommend that you only put the strings
for the driver into the main file and not every source file.

“DDK Developer” wrote in message
news:xxxxx@ntdev…
> >How did you ‘download’ the DDK. If you bought a MSDN subscription,
you
> >should have received the CDs/DVDs. If not, the only way to get the
DDK
> >is to pay Microsoft a S&H charge and they will ship it to you. The
only
> >download site that is legal is the MSDN site and you have to have a
MSDN
> >subscription to get it.
>
> Don´t worry so much David. I paid the $25 S&H charge and received the
DDK
> about a year ago. I never actually needed it until a week ago and then
I
> could not find it. I did not see the point in ordering again and
spending
> another two weeks waiting for it to arrive, so I got it from someone
who had
> it. I would think this is ok since I am allready ‘licensed’.
>
> >1) There are rules mostly for boot drivers, but most are 8.3
compliant
> >with .sys as the extension.
>
> Thanks.
>
> >2) You have to change the .rc file. See how it is done in the
samples
> >and do your own.
>
> Well, I am not sure what changing the .rc file has to do with
copyright
> issues. Removing every mention of ‘microsoft’ from the resources would
be a
> given though, even to a newbie. :slight_smile:
>
> >Read the docs.
>
> Ah, you couldnt resist, could you!
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> Hitta rätt på nätet med MSN Sök http://search.msn.se/
>
>

7

> 1) What should I name “my” driver?

Any way which pleases your tastes. Note that Boot start drivers must have 8.3
names.

  1. Copyright issues. Is the modified driver ‘mine’ or Microsoft’s?

Yours.

Maxim Shatskih, Windows DDK MVP
StorageCraft Corporation
xxxxx@storagecraft.com
http://www.storagecraft.com