Help - question on Windows driver layers

[L]

Hi,

This is a newbi question. I would appreciate it if you could help.

Based on my understanding, Windows uses different driver layers. Is the
following top-down order correct?

File System driver
SCSI Class driver
SCSI Port driver
SCSI Miniport driver

I think SCSI Class driver and SCSI Port driver are part of Windows. What
about SCSI Miniport driver? Is SCSI Miniport driver part of Windows also,
or does it sit on a SCSI HBA (i.e. part of the firmware)?

Thanks,


T.

 

[Don Burn]

Well you have a few things wrong:

File System driver
Disk Class driver
SCSI Port Driver
SCSI Miniport driver

Normally all the drivers above execept the Miniport are part of the OS
(there are cases where people have written their own file systems or
replaced the SCSI Port Driver) and the Miniport is specific to a HBA.

 

[L]

Thanks for the info.

Q1: you didn't mention SCSI class driver. Does SCSI class driver exist?
Q2: when you say "the Miniport is specific to a HBA", do you mean Miniport
driver is the one comes with the SCSI HBA, and the one we install to make OS
recognize the HBA?

Thanks,

T.

 

[Don Burn]

There isn't a SCSI class driver, though the term has been used for
port/miniport combination. The miniport has the specific code to operate a
particular HBA.

 

[Maxim S. Shatskih]

I think SCSI Class driver and SCSI Port driver are part of Windows. What

about SCSI Miniport driver? Is SCSI Miniport driver part of Windows also,

It is a HBA's hardware driver. It is either in Windows distro, or provided on a
floppy with the HBA.

 

[Maxim S. Shatskih]

Q1: you didn't mention SCSI class driver. Does SCSI class driver exist?

Only as a common library ClassPnP.sys which contains the common parts of Disk
and CdRom drivers.

"SCSI Class Driver" is a generic term to denote the disk class driver, CD-ROM
class driver, tape class driver and so on.

Q2: when you say "the Miniport is specific to a HBA", do you mean Miniport
driver is the one comes with the SCSI HBA, and the one we install to make OS
recognize the HBA?

Yes.