Importance

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Abstract

A generic interface layer for providing a generic interface to a hardware environment for a program executing on the hardware environment. The generic interface layer, is interrupt-driven. It includes driver code for devices in the hardware environment that is executed in response to software interrupts from the program and interrupt handling code for handling interrupts from the hardware environment. The interrupt handling code responds to an interrupt by calling a callback in the program. The generic interface layer includes a loader for loading the program and a debugger for controlling execution of the program. Execution of code in the generic interface layer may be coordinated by the system timer interrupt code that is executed in response to a system timer interrupt. Code that is executing in the generic interface layer may register itself or other code with the system timer interrupt code, which then executes the code in response to a system timer interrupt. One use of the technique is to permit driver code to register other code and then quickly return to the program and thereby prevent long suspension of the program. Also disclosed is a technique for managing a statically-allocated array of buffers for receiving LAN packets to reduce the frequency of an 'out of resource' condition.

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First Claim