Device Drivers for  Microsoft Windows (WDM)

                      Dr. W. Koch

          Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany


In modern operating systems user application programs cannot directly
access hardware components. Otherwise, since user programs do run quasi
simultaneously, chaos or deadlocks would be the consequence.

Access to hardware only can be achieved through device drivers. These
are software components that can be loaded to the operating system and
run in kernel mode at the highest privilege level.\par

Writing device drivers is a complicated task. One has to have a good
acquaintance both with the hardware and the software aspect as well as
a real good knowledge of the function of the operating system. Bugs in
kernel mode software can be disastrous. That's one of the reasons why
books and information in the internet about writing drivers are so
scarce.

The goal of this series of lectures is a step-by-step introduction into
writing simple WDM drivers. They can be used in Microsoft Windows covering
versions W98, Me, W2000 and XP. Basic knowledge of the programming language
C is required.