Introduction

This appendix offers a basic guide to writing drivers which can function in a hotplugging environment. The focus is on bus interfaces which provide a controlled environment for hot removal and insertion of cards.

The focus is on bus interfaces which provide a controlled environment for hot removal and insertion of cards. Before you can convert a driver to be hotplug-capable, you need to understand hotplug scenarios and how they affect device drivers. "Solaris Hotplugging Driver Issues" describes the requirements on device drivers and the flow of control during hot removal and insertion. "Hotplug-Capable Device Driver Development" outlines the steps required to make a device driver hotplug-capable. "Device Driver Testing" provides guidelines for testing hotplug-capable device drivers in Solaris 7.

For more information refer to the Solaris Sample Drivers. This package contains a number of sample drivers that are hotplug-capable and provide greater insight into the process.