11

MANAGING DEVICE DRIVERS

Chapter 11

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OVERVIEW

Understand the relationship between hardware devices and drivers.

Install a device driver.

Use Device Manager to view and manage hardware devices and their device drivers.

Troubleshoot device driver problems.

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UNDERSTANDING DEVICE DRIVERS

What is a device driver?

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DEVICE DRIVER FUNCTIONS

A device driver exposes device-specific routines to device-independent functions in the operating system.

A device driver allows you to manipulate the physical properties of hardware devices.

A device driver can provide functionality through two separate driver components—a high-level driver and a low-level driver.

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DEVICES AND DRIVERS

Some drivers (standard keyboard, mouse) are generic, so a single driver can be used with hundreds of compatible devices.

Other drivers are very specific and work only with a specific model of device.

Generic drivers require less frequent updating and therefore present fewer challenges to the administrator.

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DEVICE DRIVERS AND HARDWARE RESOURCES

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CONFIGURING HARDWARE RESOURCES

Issues with manual configuration:

Limited resource settings

Resource depletion

Device conflicts

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PLUG AND PLAY

Detects new hardware

Installs the appropriate device driver

Determines what hardware resources the device requires

Scans the system for available hardware resources

Selects appropriate resource settings for the device

Configures both the device and the device driver that will use the selected resources

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CREATING A DRIVER MAINTENANCE STRATEGY

When a new driver is released by a manufacturer,administrators must decide:

If and when updates should be installed

How the updates should be installed

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TO UPDATE OR NOT?

Hardware manufacturers generally release new device drivers: To enhance performance

To implement new features

To address problems with previous driver releases

On a server system, all new drivers should be tested before installation. A new driver might cause issues with existing hardware.

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USERS, ADMINISTRATORS, AND DEVICE DRIVER INSTALLATION

Updating device drivers might require the administrator to visit every system. In large environments this can be problematic.

Many drivers can be included in “silent” installation packages or distributed via scripts or Group Policy.

Windows Server 2003 includes driver signing options and the ability to grant selective driver installation privileges to appropriate users.

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CONTROLLING DEVICE DRIVER ACCESS

Members of the Administrators group have full access to load, unload, configure, and manage devices and device drivers.

Users can install a new device if it requires no resource configuration and if a signed driver for that device already exists on the system.

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DRIVER SIGNING OPTIONS

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USING THE ADD HARDWARE WIZARD

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USING DEVICE MANAGER

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ENABLING AND DISABLING DEVICES

A device can be disabled and enabled through Device Manager.

Disabled devices appear in Device Manager with a red X on their icons in Device Manager.

A disabled device cannot be accessed by the operating system.

A disabled device can be assigned different hardware resources when it is reenabled.

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UNINSTALLING DEVICE DRIVERS

If the device was installed by Plug and Play, the device driver is removed and the hardware is deleted from Device Manager.

If the device was installed manually, the device driver is removed but the hardware remains in Device Manager and is marked as a device that cannot be started, is improperly configured, or does not have a device driver installed.

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MANAGING DEVICE PROPERTIES

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UPDATING DRIVERS

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ROLLING BACK DRIVERS

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MANAGING HARDWARE RESOURCES

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USING CONTROL PANEL

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TROUBLESHOOTING DEVICES AND DRIVERS

Device Manager status codes

Using hardware troubleshooters

Recovering from device disaster

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DEVICE MANAGER STATUS CODES

Provides a mechanism for the operating system to indicate the type of problem being experienced by the device

Can be viewed in the Device Status box on the General tab of the device’s Properties dialog box

Uses a numeric code to indicate the problem

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USING HARDWARE TROUBLESHOOTERS

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RECOVERING FROM DEVICE DISASTER

Driver Rollback

Last Known Good Configuration

Safe mode

Recovery Console

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SUMMARY

Device drivers are software components that enable applications and operating systems to communicate with specific hardware devices.

Plug and Play is a standard that enables computers to detect and identify hardware devices, and then install and configure drivers for those devices.

Drivers for a device might be included with Windows Server 2003, or you might need to obtain the latest driver from the device manufacturer.

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SUMMARY (continued)

The drivers included with Windows Server 2003 are all digitally signed, to ensure that they have not been tampered with.

Device Manager is an MMC snap-in that lists all hardware devices in the computer and indicates problems with identification or driver configuration.

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SUMMARY (continued)

Device Manager allows you to enable and disable devices, update and roll back drivers, manage device driver properties, and resolve hardware resource conflicts.

Users must have administrative privileges to install and manage hardware devices and their drivers, although users can install Plug and Play devices if no additional drivers or user interaction are required.

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SUMMARY (continued)

Many hardware manufacturers periodically release driver updates; it is up to system administrators to decide whether to install the updates, when, and how.

The Last Known Good Configuration option is useful for reverting to a previously used driver, but only if you have not logged on to the system after restarting.

Safe mode loads a minimal set of drivers, enabling you to access Device Manager and disable, uninstall, or roll back a driver that is causing a problem.