Updating NIC driver

When a user updates a NIC driver (newer version) via update diskette ,
will it stop the current NIC driver activity for reloading
or just replace the driver on disk, upadte Registry and will suggest the
user to reboot to have the new driver
up and running ?

Zvi Dubitzky
Storage Systems Technology Email: dubi@il.ibm.com
IBM Haifa Research Laboratory Phone: +972-4-8296182
Haifa, 31905, ISRAEL

Will stop and restart. Reboot will be requested only is stop failed due to some veto, which usually never occurs for a NIC.

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

----- Original Message -----
From: Zvi Dubitzky
To: Windows System Software Devs Interest List
Sent: Thursday, July 22, 2004 8:46 PM
Subject: [ntdev] Updating NIC driver

When a user updates a NIC driver (newer version) via update diskette , will it stop the current NIC driver activity for reloading
or just replace the driver on disk, upadte Registry and will suggest the user to reboot to have the new driver
up and running ?

Zvi Dubitzky
Storage Systems Technology Email: dubi@il.ibm.com
IBM Haifa Research Laboratory Phone: +972-4-8296182
Haifa, 31905, ISRAEL
— Questions? First check the Kernel Driver FAQ at http://www.osronline.com/article.cfm?id=256 You are currently subscribed to ntdev as: xxxxx@storagecraft.com To unsubscribe send a blank email to xxxxx@lists.osr.com

It depends upon your implementation. If your driver supports good PnP, you
should be able to stop/start the driver without rebooting the system.
Otherwise simple replace the files and system will take the new driver when
you reboots(not a good way)

  • Bill

From: Zvi Dubitzky
>Reply-To: “Windows System Software Devs Interest List”
>
>To: “Windows System Software Devs Interest List”
>Subject: [ntdev] Updating NIC driver
>Date: Thu, 22 Jul 2004 19:46:50 +0300
>
>When a user updates a NIC driver (newer version) via update diskette ,
>will it stop the current NIC driver activity for reloading
>or just replace the driver on disk, upadte Registry and will suggest the
>user to reboot to have the new driver
>up and running ?
>
>Zvi Dubitzky
>Storage Systems Technology Email: dubi@il.ibm.com
>IBM Haifa Research Laboratory Phone: +972-4-8296182
>Haifa, 31905, ISRAEL
>
>—
>Questions? First check the Kernel Driver FAQ at
>http://www.osronline.com/article.cfm?id=256
>
>You are currently subscribed to ntdev as: xxxxx@hotmail.com
>To unsubscribe send a blank email to xxxxx@lists.osr.com

_________________________________________________________________
Planning a family vacation? Check out the MSN Family Travel guide!
http://dollar.msn.com

If the current NIC driver correctly supports PnP remove and driver unload
operations then this can be done without rebooting the system, otherwise a
reboot will be required. I think the WHQL tests require this functionality,
so only broken drivers ought to cause this problem. That said, there are
lots of broken drivers out there, so it is always a possibility. Note also
that applications can prevent device removal by holding device references.
This is usually not a problem for NICs, but once again it is a possibility.

=====================
Mark Roddy


From: Zvi Dubitzky [mailto:DUBI@il.ibm.com]
Sent: Thursday, July 22, 2004 12:47 PM
To: Windows System Software Devs Interest List
Subject: [ntdev] Updating NIC driver

When a user updates a NIC driver (newer version) via update diskette , will
it stop the current NIC driver activity for reloading
or just replace the driver on disk, upadte Registry and will suggest the
user to reboot to have the new driver
up and running ?

Zvi Dubitzky
Storage Systems Technology Email: dubi@il.ibm.com
IBM Haifa Research Laboratory Phone: +972-4-8296182
Haifa, 31905, ISRAEL
— Questions? First check the Kernel Driver FAQ at
http://www.osronline.com/article.cfm?id=256 You are currently subscribed to
ntdev as: xxxxx@stratus.com To unsubscribe send a blank email to
xxxxx@lists.osr.com

Although I have not tested it , here is my question :
Suppose MS iscsi initiator is working in service of an application with a
remote iscsi disk using a NIC .
A user wants to update the NIC driver from a new distribution diskette/CD
. This procedure will stop/start
the NIC driver :

  1. That means the user will have to stop the iscsi application first ?
  2. After stopping the application will the MS initiator endure the NIC
    driver update , i.e. is it a PnP driver
    that will stop as the whole tcp stack stops when a NIC driver is
    stopped/started for replacement ?
  3. Is MS initiator driver a separate scsiport driver or it uses the
    existing OS scsiport as a miniport ?

Zvi,

in described scenario you’d be asked to reboot the machine after
updating NIC driver (I’ve just
tried to do so).

MS iSCSI initiator (just as virtually any other one I’ve personally
seen) is monolithic SCSI port
driver. From what I know from WinHEC 2004 MS has plans to release so
called “iSCSI
port driver DDK”. Exactly for your needs. For now monolithic SCSI port
drivers cannot be signed
and companies use ugly hacks to disable unsigned driver warning.

The only iSCSI initiator based on miniport design is IBM one. AFAIK.

Regards,
Anton A. Kolomyeytsev

RocketDivision.Com – Toolkits for Network and Storage Kernel Software
Developers

-----Original Message-----
From: xxxxx@lists.osr.com
[mailto:xxxxx@lists.osr.com] On Behalf Of Zvi Dubitzky
Sent: Friday, July 23, 2004 2:28 PM
To: Windows System Software Devs Interest List
Subject: [ntdev] Updating NIC driver

Although I have not tested it , here is my question :
Suppose MS iscsi initiator is working in service of an application with
a remote iscsi disk using a NIC . A user wants to update the NIC driver
from a new distribution diskette/CD . This procedure will stop/start
the NIC driver : 1. That means the user will have to stop the iscsi
application first ? 2. After stopping the application will the MS
initiator endure the NIC driver update , i.e. is it a PnP driver
that will stop as the whole tcp stack stops when a NIC driver is
stopped/started for replacement ? 3. Is MS initiator driver a separate
scsiport driver or it uses the existing OS scsiport as a miniport ?


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

You are currently subscribed to ntdev as: xxxxx@cooldev.com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to xxxxx@lists.osr.com

> A user wants to update the NIC driver from a new distribution diskette/CD

. This procedure will stop/start
the NIC driver :

  1. That means the user will have to stop the iscsi application first ?

Not necessary, but the app’s socket will be torn down, and thus the app will
possibly need a restart after this (unless it has its own auto-reconnect
logic).

  1. After stopping the application will the MS initiator endure the NIC
    driver update , i.e. is it a PnP driver
    that will stop as the whole tcp stack stops when a NIC driver is
    stopped/started for replacement ?

MS initiator will do none of this.

  1. Is MS initiator driver a separate scsiport driver

Separate full storage port. Like USBSTOR or SBP2PORT or ATAPI.

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

Hi,

It halts the driver and unload it and then try to load the new driver and until new driver successfull returns from DriverEntry it doesnt replace the new file and as it gets the successfull indication it replaces the file. If it fails then it doesnt replace the file.

 

luck,

yogi

From: Zvi Dubitzky

>Reply-To: “Windows System Software Devs Interest List”
>To: “Windows System Software Devs Interest List”
>Subject: [ntdev] Updating NIC driver
>Date: Thu, 22 Jul 2004 19:46:50 +0300
>
>When a user updates a NIC driver (newer version) via update diskette ,
>will it stop the current NIC driver activity for reloading
>or just replace the driver on disk, upadte Registry and will suggest the
>user to reboot to have the new driver
>up and running ?
>
>Zvi Dubitzky
>Storage Systems Technology Email: dubi@il.ibm.com
>IBM Haifa Research Laboratory Phone: +972-4-8296182
>Haifa, 31905, ISRAEL
>
>—
>Questions? First check the Kernel Driver FAQ at http://www.osronline.com/article.cfm?id=256
>
>You are currently subscribed to ntdev as: xxxxx@hotmail.com
>To unsubscribe send a blank email to xxxxx@lists.osr.com


NRIs ! FREE money transfers to India.