Computer display adaptor interfacing.

This invention relates to a system and method for interfacing computer display adaptors. The present invention provides a system and method for interfacing between at least one program application and a plurality of hardware display adaptors. In particular, the program application can comprise a graphics package. A programming interface layer, positioned between the display subsystem portion of an operating system and the specific display adaptors being utilized, combines a number of device independent graphics models and device dependent display drivers such that the hardware and software capabilities of the overall system can be optimized. This combination of graphical models and device drivers is realized through a procedure known as "dynamic binding."

Originally, one or more independent drawing routine packages, such as GSL, X-Windows, or graPHIGS (all which are products of IBM Corp.) were utilized on the display subsystem. The packages tended to operate in a space sharing and time sharing mode in which each package utilized the full screen and in which the time sharing was controlled by commands input from the user. There was no sharing of the screen by two packages.

If more than one type of display adaptor could be installed on the display subsystem, each independent drawing routine package would support its own device dependent control of the display adaptor. The different types of display adaptors would generally have unique means of entering hardware commands and unique means of representation of graphical data.

The independent graphics routine packages each maintained their own "model" of graphics. The method of passing data and commands and the functionality of the programming interface to the routines were unique to each model. The uniqueness of the model determined pronounced differences between the ways the packages would implement device dependent control of the specific display adaptors.

A specific prior art graphics package provides an application interface (API) with several device drivers which are incorporated therein and associated with a specific display adaptor. These device drivers are dependent upon the type of display adaptor being utilized. Additionally, every package present must have a display driver for each display adaptor present. Therefore, a problem arises when it is desired to change a display adaptor, or add an additional display adaptor, since the device drivers are actually contained within the independent graphics routine packages and each package would have to be updated with the new device driver code. Another problem arises in that there is a need to construct a number of device drivers equal to the product of the number of packages times the number of types of devices.

Prior art systems are limited in that for each new or updated device, each of the graphics packages present must also be changed. This requirement forces a software vendor to rewrite the code contained in the graphics package for each new or enhanced device. Alternatively, the vendor must teach a software user to rewrite the code, which may cause problems with regard to proprietary and confidential information. Another problem with the prior art system exists in that any new functionality, provided by added devices (display adaptors), is limited to the installed graphics model. For example, if an enhanced type of display adaptor was added to a prior art system using a GSL graphics model, the user would not be able to use the new features except as permitted by GSL.

Therefore, it can be seen that there is a need for a graphics interface which provides flexibility between the graphics applications and the display adaptors. It would also be advantageous to provide an interface which allows multiple graphics models to operate in conjunction with a plurality of device dependent drivers such that the full capability of the graphics models and display adaptors can be exploited, without experiencing the redundancy problems present in the prior art.

The present invention provides a system for interfacing between at least one program application and a plurality of hardware display adaptors, each having specific functions, comprising:    a library of resource functions (40) containing data defining functions provided by said hardware display adaptors;    a plurality of device interfaces 10, 20, 30, matching the capability of said program application; and    means for associating selected resource functions with one of said device interfaces, for a particular combination of a display adaptor and said program application.

Such a system is able to reconfigure itself by dynamically binding an application such as a graphics package with the required RMS features and device specific model instance driver for the display adaptor being used. This process of dynamic binding uses a database or equivalent tabular representation to: (1) locate the specific graphics model desired; (2) retrieve this model; and (3) bind the model to the (a) device driver code for the specific display adaptor being utilized, and (b) the RMS function required by the particular graphics model.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention utilizes two levels of dynamic binding, the first being within the RMS. The RMS functions present are independent from the graphics model being used, and hence it is necessary first to dynamically bind the device driver code necessary to provide the color resource, font, adaptor resource, and the like, required for the specific graphics model. The second level of dynamic binding occurs between the dynamically bound RMS, the desired graphics package and the device specific model corresponding to the display adaptor being utilized.

There is further provided a method of interfacing between at least one program application and a plurality of hardware display adaptors, each having specific functions, said method comprising the steps of:    providing a library of resource functions (40) containing data defining functions provided by said hardware display adaptors;    providing a plurality of device interfaces (10, 20, 30) matching the capability of said program application; and    associating selected resource functions with one of said device interfaces, for a particular combination of a display adaptor and said program application.

The present invention will be described further, by way of example only, with reference to an embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which: <ul id="ul0001" list-style="none"><li>Figure 1 is a block diagram representing a prior art graphics display subsystem;</li><li>Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating a graphics display system including the programming interface of the present invention;</li><li>Figure 3 is a diagram showing the components of the graphic adaptor interface of the present invention and their relationship to the display adaptors;</li><li>Figure 4 is a table illustrating the means by which the present invention locates and associates the models and other components, with the display adaptors during dynamic binding;</li><li>Figure 5 is a block diagram showing the graphics adaptor interface of the present invention; and</li><li>Figure 6 is a block diagram depicting another embodiment of the present invention wherein a single graphics package is capable of providing an interface for a plurality of display adaptors, or a plurality of device driver interface models.</li></ul>

Referring to Figure 1, a prior art graphics application programming interface system is shown. Three separate application programs 51, 52, 53 are present. Application 51 is two-dimensional (2D), whereas applications 52 and 53 correspond to first and second three-dimensional (3D) applications. Next, a set of graphics packages 56, 57, 58, embodying models 10, 20, 30 are shown, each supporting applications 51, 52, 53, respectively. These packages provide a programming interface between a program application and display dependent device driver sets 70, 71, 72 as discussed in more detail below with reference to the present invention. It can be seen from Fig. 1 that each graphics package 56, 57, 58 includes a device driver set 70, 71, or 72, which must contain code that is dependent upon each display adaptor present.

The programming interfaces to device driver sets 70, 71, and 72 are not necessarily the same, and there is not any particular requirement that all of the device dependent sections within a device driver have the same programming interface. In this exemple, display adaptors 1, 2, 3, 4 are provided with corresponding dependent display driver code 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, and 92.

Therefore, the redundancy of the prior art system of Fig. 1 is apparent. That is, each device driver set 70, 71, 72 must contain code specifically written for each display adaptor present. Thus, device driver set 70 includes four sets of code 81, 82, 83, and 84; device driver set 71 includes four sets of code 85, 86, 87, and 88; and, device driver set 72 includes four sets of code 89, 90, 91, and 92. There are twelve sets of code in all, which is the product of the three models times the four types of display adaptors.

It can be seen that by adding or altering (by upgrading, or the like) any of the display adaptors 1, 2, 3, 4, the corresponding device driver code 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, and 92 (contained in device driver sets 70, 71, 72) must also be altered. Consequently, if display adaptor 4 (for example), were upgraded, then graphics package 56, 57, 58 would also need to be updated such that the display driver specific code 84, 88, and 92 would correspond to the upgraded adaptor 4. The desirability of eliminating this redundancy, in order to improve efficiency, is readily apparent.

The structure of the graphics adaptor interface (GAI) of the present invention will now be described with reference to Figure 2. Applications 51, 52, 53 are shown and represent the same program applications as previously described. That is, reference numeral 51 represents a 2D application and reference numerals 52 and 53 represent first and second 3D applications. Also, display adaptors 1, 2, 3, 4 are shown and represent the same components as described with regard to Figure 1.

Applications 51, 52, 53 all utilize specific independent graphics drawing routine packages 56, 57, 58 (graphics packages, or packages) which embody different graphical models. The application programming interfaces of these packages (APIs) implement their respective graphics models by calls to the Graphics Adapter Interface (GAI) 60, which incorporates device driver programming interface (device interface) models 10, 20 and 30. The programming interface of the device drivers is constructed to match the graphical model used by the various graphics packages 56, 57, 58. The GAI device drivers take the place of the device driver interfaces 70, 71, 72, as well as the device specific code 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, and 92. GAI 60 provides a common interface between the packages 56, 57, 58 and display adaptors 1, 2, 3, 4.

In addition to the graphics device driver models, or device interfaces, 10, 20, 30, a resource management services (RMS) library 40 is included, which is a library of routines which support the functions and characteristics, i.e. resources available on specific display adaptors 1, 2, 3, 4. In addition, the RMS library 40 provides a standard means for packages to select which model of device driver will be used to implement the graphics functions. These device driver interface models 10, 20, 30 are each a library of functions, i.e., a group of related routines which correspond to and implement the specific 2D, 3D, or other functions required within a device driver by graphics packages 56, 57, 58 under control of applications 51, 52, 53. For example, the 2D model 10 is based upon the X-Windows product, whereas 3D models 30 and 20 are based upon the Silicon Graphics, Inc., GL package and the IBM graPHIGS product. Therefore, it can be seen that the interface models 10, 20, 30 included within GAI 60 are a balanced collection of functions required by the specific models of different graphics packages. The aforementioned products are only used as examples and do not exclude other such functions from the scope of the present invention.

The RMS 40 library provides the mechanism by which applications 51, 52, 53, running within independent processes, manipulate the specific display adaptors 1, 2, 3, and/or 4, as is desired by the application, such that all of the available characteristics of that adaptor are utilized. RMS 40 is organized on the basis of resource headers, attributes and procedures. A header contains pointers which direct an application to the attributes and procedures of a resource. A header may also contain pointers to private data and to extensions. An attribute is defined as the data description of a resource. A procedure is a function pointer that operates on a resource. The combination of resource headers, resource attributes, and resource procedures is an organization typical of those used for object-oriented programming. Functions which may be included within RMS 40 of GAI 60 may initialize, reset or update the previously noted function pointers.

Each separate display adaptor 1, 2, 3, 4 may be capable of certain characteristics which enable the display adaptor to provide different functions to a user program application and may vary between adapt ers. The RMS 40 library provides a standard device driver programming interface to expose these functions to the graphics packages. The functions are embodied as RMS resources. These functions include: (1) monitor, which enables the communication between the display adaptor and a display (CRT); (2) group, the ability to have an object on a display adaptor such as set of planes, but may include cursor and color maps; (3) window, information regarding application clipping information, active groups and active buffers; (4) window geometry, information regarding the size and configuration of any windows in a windowing environment; (5) cursor, information regarding a screen locator; (6) color map, which is a set of color specifications for a specified group; (7) font, which is a definition of operating system fonts (assortment of characters) in raster, vector, or outline format; (8) model, which specifies which type of device driver interface the package requires for compatible operation with the graphics model embodied in the API; and (9) adaptor, which is the highest level resource and which contains attributes and procedures used in creating and controlling the other resources.

The aforementioned resources are generally included in display adaptors which are contemplated to be used in conjunction with present invention. However, other resources may be available and as such the present invention is not limited to a system having only those resources listed above.

Each of display adaptors 1, 2, 3, 4 may or may not utilize the same number and types of resources, i.e. each display adaptor will have its own associated RMS 40 library of function. Therefore, the resources which are capable of being exploited by a specific display adaptor must be configured and bound together when this specific display adaptor is utilized by a process within a program application.

In order to accomplish the configuration of display adaptor specific resources within RMS 40, a method of creating a path from RMS 40 to this specific object file of the resource required is utilized. In the present invention, dynamic binding is the mecha nism by which RMS 40 configures resources into a display adaptor specific library of function. It should be noted that other methods of linking these resources, such as shared libraries, are contemplated by the scope of the present invention.

Dynamic binding is a means of linking all of the resource codes and model specific libraries to the independent graphics drawing routine packages. This linking is implemented by means of operating system utilities, at the time of execution of the applications 51, 52, 53 as opposed to the time of compilation of the application or of the graphics package 56, 57, 58. Dynamic binding in GAI 60 is accomplished by rules contained in the device specific RMS library 40 using data supplied in the RMS adaptor resource by either the application or the API. Each display adaptor 1, 2, 3, 4 will have its own set of required RMS 40 library files (see Figure 5).

When the API desires access to the device drivers, a general GAI RMS call is invoked, to which is provided the ID of the display adaptor 1, 2, 3 or 4. The ID and other parameters from the call are used to access a look up table or configuration file and find a file system path to the required resource object file. The object file of the resource is then loaded and the entry point code is executed. In this manner, the dynamic binding of the RMS library 40 is accomplished for a particular device to a particular package 56, 57, or 58 for use by its respective application 51, 52, or 53.

When the package desires additional functionality not in place in the RMS library 40, it uses the RMS model resource to specify the model of GAI device driver 10, 20, or 30 required by the API. The RMS library 40 utilizes this model data to execute a second dynamic bind, loading the device-and model- specific GAI device driver and binding it to the package. The RMS library utilizes a similar lookup table or configuration file to find the path to the required model resource object file. The object file of the model resource is then loaded and the entry point code is executed. In this manner, the second level of dynamic binding of the package to a device specific, model specific device driver is accomplished.

An example of the dynamic binding which occurs within RMS 40 will now be discussed, allowing one skilled in the art to easily comprehend how to invoke this process (see Figure 2).

For example, assume application 51 implements a process to be displayed by a display adaptor 1, onto a display such as a CRT, or like (not shown). First, the package 56 would determine that display adaptor 1 is required. The package 56 would dynamically bind with the RMS library 40 which supports display adaptor 1. The outcome of the binding would determine which RMS library resources and functions are required by display adaptor 1, and dynamically allocate these resources, e.g. the cursor resource, font resource, and color map resources as required for display adaptor 1. Second, since application 51 uses a 2D package, 2D model 10 is required to support the package. The package 56 utilizes the model resource of the RMS library 40 to dynamically bind to the 2D model GAI device driver 10 (see Figure 3) for the display adaptor 1. Thus, application 51, is able to write to display adaptor 1 and utilize all of the characteristics associated with that particular hardware device.

Further, should a user of application 51 decide to write to display adaptor 3, then the package 56 would repeat the dynamic bind with the RMS library, this time for a device specific instance RMS library 42 supporting display adaptor 3 (the programming interface to each RMS instance is identical). The package 56 then manipulates the model resource of RMS library 42 to dynamically bind to the device specific 2D model device driver 12, which driver supports display adaptor 3. The programming interface to 2D device driver 10 and 2D device driver 12 are identical, with only the device specific output of the routines varying. It can be seen how a multitude of combinations exist between applications 51, 52, 53, display adaptors 1, 2, 3, 4, model specific device drivers 10-13, 20-23, and 30-33, and packages 56, 57, 58, thereby allowing each application the ability to utilize which ever display adaptor characteristics are most desirable in a given situation.

Concurrent use of multiple models from within a single process works because models are stateless. Any required state information is contained within resource attributes, which are shared by all models, or passed as parameters to the procedures.

The components of GAI 60 will now be further described with reference to Figure 3 which is a block diagram showing possible combinations of the compo nents contained within GAI 60. The output from GAI 60 to each display adaptor 1, 2, 3, 4 is shown such that the components required to be bound, for each adaptor to operate with a specific graphical model (as embodied by packages 56, 57, 58), can be determined. Particular RMS libraries 40, 41, 42, 43 correspond to display adaptors 1, 2, 3, 4, respectively and provide the required functions as previously discussed. Two-dimensional model specific device drivers 10, 11, 12, 13 directly relate to display adaptors 1, 2, 3, 4, respectively, and specific 3D model device interfaces 20, 21, 22, 23 respectively relate to display adaptors 1, 2, 3, 4. Finally, 3D model 30 includes display device driver models 30, 31, 32, 33 which also respectively relates to display adaptors 1, 2, 3, 4. For each new display adaptor in Fig. 3, the several device specific instances of a particular model-specific device driver library have an identical programming interface. Thus, an independent drawing routine package need only implement one device driver programming interface, to gain access to a variety of devices.

An example of the components which must be dynamically bound under given conditions will now be described with reference to Figures 2 and 3. Assume application 53 (Figure 2) desires to write to display adaptor 2. The package 58 loads the RMS library and is dynamically bound to RMS library 41, since display adaptor 2 is being used. Because application 53 utilizes the GL package 58, and since the GL package 58 embodies the graphical model 3D-M2, then the GL package 58 uses RMS library 41 to create a model resource and uses the model resource to dynamically bind the 3D-M2 device driver 31 with the package 58. This is because model 3D-M2 includes the graphics functions required by package 58 and application 53; and, the device specific implementation of the 3D-M2 device driver for display adaptor 2, shown on Figure 3 as item 31, converts the graphics functions into the corresponding device specific function provided by adaptor 2. Thus, by implementation of dynamic binding between the package 58, RMS 41 and graphics model 31, application 53 is capable of writing to display adaptor 2 and utilizing all of the specific functions contained therein.

Similarly, assume application 51 (2D) desires to utilize display adaptor 4. First, an initial level of dynamic binding will occur between package 56 and GAI 60 to bind the RMS library 43 to the package 56. RMS library 43 is the resource library specific to display adaptor 4. Next, the second level of dynamic binding will occur between the package 56 and the 2D graphics model 13. Thus, application 51 is now able to interface with and write to display adaptor 4 via the dynamically bound components within GAI 60.

It should be noted, that by way of example and not limitation, Figure 3 shows two display adaptors 3, 4 which are not capable of performing 3D operations. Thus, 3D models 22, 23, and 32, 33 are depicted, by dashed lines, as not containing any functional routines. However, this lack of function is due to a particularity of display adaptors 3, 4, discussed in this example and not to GAI 60. Should enhanced or upgraded display adaptors be provided for original display adaptors 3, 4 then 3D models would be included within the functional capabilities of GAI 60, i.e. substituted for 22, 23 and 32, 33. Similarly, should software be written in the device driver to emulate the missing 3D functions of adaptors 3 and 4, then the device drivers could be installed in place of 22, 23, 32, and 33 such that some functions would be passed to the display adaptors 3 or 4 and other functions would be emulated in the device driver. It can be seen how the interchangeability and the flexibility of GAI 60 allows ease of updating, enhancing and substitution of display adaptors without imposing a major reprogramming or re-linking burden on users of this computer graphics system. In the cases described above, no change would be required to any application or package.

Another function embodied in GAI 60 and depicted in Figure 3 is the ease of addition of a new adaptor into a system in which packages, applications, and display adaptors already exist. For example, the individual GAI libraries which must be added to accommodate a new display adaptor (e.g. display adaptor 5, RMS library 44 and device drivers 14, 24, 34) can be written independently and without regard to each other or to which packages 56, 57, 58 will use them. Similarly, no changes at all are required to the packages or applications themselves, to use the new display adaptors. This is in direct contrast to the prior art shown in Figure 1, in which new device drivers would be required in each package to support the new device. Although a single display adaptor 5 and associated RMS library 44 and device drivers 14, 24, 34 have been added in the previous example (and shown on Fig. 3), it should be understood that a virtually unlimited number of display adaptors may be added, without requiring any changes to the existing components, as described above.

Figure 4 illustrates a typical look up table and the commands used by the present invention to provide the dynamic binding that occurs within GAI 60. More particularly, the location and name in the file system of the operating system is stored in the table. The individual GAI instances of device specific code are each listed in the table. Additional columns associate each piece of code with the correct adaptor and model. In the table, the convention of assigning value 0 to the model column denotes the RMS library; 1 denotes the 2-D model device driver programming interface; 2 denotes the 32D-M1 device driver programming interface; and, 3 denotes the 3D-M2 device driver programming interface. Note that both the adaptor and the model entries must both be correctly matched in order to find the proper device specific device driver 10, 20, 30. Matching both values is accomplished by the analogous two layer dynamic bind.

The exemplary table of Figure 4 corresponds to the components shown in Figure 3. It can be seen that the first line corresponds to the resource management services functions (in this case RMS 40, associated with display adaptor 1 and noted as adaptor 1, model 0). Further, display adaptor 1 is capable of displaying 2D and 3D applications and therefore includes models 2D, 3D-M1, and 3D-M2, listed as being at adaptor 1, models, 1, 2, 3, respectively. Similarly, adaptor 2 is capable of utilizing 2D and 3D applications and contains the same entries as does adaptor 1. Of course, the adaptor specific display driver code and RMS code 41 will be different for adaptor 2 than they were for adaptor 1.

The lack of the capability of display adaptors 3 and 4 to accommodate 3D applications is apparent from Figure 4. Only two entries are included for each of adaptors 3 and 4, which are the RMS and 2D entries. Note that the absence of an entry for a particular model and particular adaptor can be exposed to applications, to enable them to select which packages are suitable. Similarly, the packages themselves can examine the table and determine which graphical model support is available on the display subsystems for adaptors of interest. The RMS library model resource provides a "Query Model" procedure to assist in this examination.

Figure 5 is a representation of the effect of the present invention in configuring the GAI with respect to each display adaptor 1, 2, 3, 4. GAI 60 presents the same interface to graphics packages 56, 57, 58 for each adaptor 1, 2, 3, 4 as would be accomplished if the programming interfaces shown in Figure 5 were actually present. The present invention allows an application to change the programming interface, specific to a graphics model, which is bound to a display adaptor. It can be reconfigured for each display adaptor by issuing a command to the RMS to destroy a model, upon which the dynamic binding previously implemented is released. The present invention then may, by subsequent dynamic binding, reconfigure GAI 60 to utilize the specific characteristics of the next display adaptor or graphics model desired to be used by a program application. Also, shown in Fig. 5, is the inclusion of a third (3/rd) party graphics model N (N being equal to the next available reference numeral after the one used for the last graphics model added to the system). Rather than adding a new adaptor, utilized by existing software packages, it is possible to introduce new drawing routine packages which embody a different graphical model than those shown in Figures 3 and 5. For such cases, a new device driver model is created, which is the equivalent of adding one new row to Figure 3. Applications or drawing routine packages based upon the new model remain uncoupled from the requirement of including device specific code. Thus it can be seen that, by dynamically binding the components of GAI 60 a virtually unlimited number of adaptors can be used in conjunction with plural graphics applications, such that the adaptors can be upgraded and enhanced by performing a single installation of an object code file. Conversely, prior art systems require a new installation of an object file for each application being utilized, every time any display adaptor hardware was substituted, enhanced, upgraded, or the like.

Referring to Figure 6, additional advantages of the GAI 60 can be seen. It is possible to introduce new graphics packages, such as graPHIGS+ 59 (a 3D graphics product provided by IBM Corp.), which take advantage of the abilities of GAI 60. GAI 60 has the flexibility to allow simultaneous connections to more than one device driver interface model and more than one display adaptor. Thus, application 54, utilizing the programming interface of the graPHIGS+ package 59, may directly communicate with adaptors 1, 2, 3 and 4 simultaneously.

The graphics package utilizes the GAI RMS 40 libraries of the specific display adaptors to create model resources. These graphics packages use the model resources to bind to the display device driver graphics model 10, 20, 30 desired. Note that adaptors 3 and 4, as mentioned previously in Figures 3 and 4, do not have hardware support for graphics model 3D-M1 or 3D-M2 and therefore do not have the corresponding device specific GAI device driver models 22 and 23 (Fig. 3) for 3D-M1 and 32 and 33 for 3D-M2. The graphics package graPHIGS+ manages this hardware dependency by instead utilizing a 2D graphics model 10 when displaying to adaptors 3 and 4. From the perspective of application 54, the package graPHIGS+ 59 has provided the ability to draw to all four adaptors. From the perspective of the graphics package graPHIGS+, the GAI 60 has provided a means of exploiting display hardware which can support 3D operations, by way of binding to GAI graphics model 20 (Fig. 6) device drivers for adaptors 1 and 2. In addition, from the perspective of the graphics package graPHIGS+ 59, the GAI 60 has provided a means for the package to exploit display hardware which can only support 2D operations, by way of binding to GAI graphics device driver model 10 for adaptors 3 and 4.

The ability of graphics packages to make choices among the graphics device driver models, and to connect to more than one model, and to connect to multiple models at the same time, on the same adaptor provides substantial flexibility over the prior art. In addition to the graphics packages, the present invention allows program applications the capability of providing this flexibility, given the standardized programming interface of the GAI RMS library 40 and the other GAI graphics model device drivers contained within GAI 60.