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This newsletter contains archived content. No warranty is made as to technical accuracy of content or currency of URLs.
It's More Than Battery Life. With the challenges of modern loads doubled by the pressure to reduce energy consumption, the generational advances in power management in Windows Vista and Windows Server Code Name "Longhorn" are crucially important.
The Windows base team has provided a series of publications to help system and device engineers and individual developers understand how to design products to reach 21st century goals for energy efficiency.
Optimizing Windows Vista Platforms for Energy Efficiency:
The techniques in this paper explain how to evaluate system energy efficiency and how to use power policies to extend mobile PC battery life and reduce energy operation expenses for desktop and server PCs. Processor Power Management in Windows Vista and Windows Server Longhorn:
This paper describes updated support for ACPI features--including support for processor performance states and processor idle sleep states on multiprocessor systems. It provides guidelines for firmware developers and system designers, and describes how to tune Windows Vista to balance between performance and power savings. ACPI Driver Interface in Windows Vista:
This paper documents the mechanism for executing ACPI control methods and handling events from a kernel-mode driver in Windows Vista. XPSS ACPI Method Specification:
The Extended PSS (XPSS) method is an ACPI method that allows platform firmware to generically describe a model-specific register (MSR)-based interface for processor performance state controls. This enables the use of the generic processor driver included with Windows Vista and Windows Server Longhorn. (This paper requires a license agreement.)
At WinHEC, the Windows Base team members who design and implement power management solutions for the operating system will join with experts from Intel, representatives from the U.S. EnergyStar program, and other industry leaders to discuss implementation techniques and future directions for energy efficiency and the Windows hardware platform. See you at WinHEC in Los Angeles, May 15-17!
-- Annie Pearson
for the WHDC Web team
WHDC After Dark:
You might be coming to WinHEC just for the chance to enjoy the Revenge of the Mummy ride at Universal Studios with the Windows Server Team. But we think not--for most people, WinHEC represents the chance to make connections with peers and experts in the PC industry. Especially with the new Chalk Talk format, Windows team members are eager to make the connection--to explore opportunities for innovative design and to dig deep on Windows Vista and Windows Server Longhorn internals. Tell us ahead of time what's on your mind.
Windows Hardware Platform Advances
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The WDK release, timed with Windows Server Longhorn Beta 3, is now available through Microsoft Connect. Updates include build environments, new and updated samples, six new tools, versioned headers, Windows Driver Foundation, PREfast for Drivers, Call Usage Verifier, Static Driver Verifier (for both WDMD and KMDF), DIFx, Device Simulation Framework, and more. This release also represents significant progress on incorporating the feedback received from driver developers. The WDK team asks that driver developers install this build as soon as possible and provide feedback. Looking for the Latest WDK or WLK?
They're both available for download on the Microsoft Connect Web site. Just follow these instructions to enroll in the program called Microsoft Windows Driver Kit (WDK) and Windows Logo Kit (WLK) and download the kits, including the Windows Driver Foundation (WDF). If you're already enrolled in the program, sign in on Windows Connect and look on the My Participation page for the latest versions.
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The latest tools are available on the WHDC Web site. The current release includes new features, new command-line options, and changes to the default configuration. Read about these changes on the WHDC Web site. Best Practice: Develop and test with current releases, so that you have up-to-date tools, documentation, and fixes.
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The symbol packages for Windows Server Longhorn Beta 3 are scheduled to be available on the WHDC Web site on May 3.
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This new paper from the XPS team describes how to create and process XPS documents efficiently--and how to avoid problems while ensuring that users of XPS-capable applications can have the best experience.
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This paper provides guidelines and best practices for printer driver developers and hardware vendors to use in developing XPSDrv printer drivers. Hardware and software vendors who have existing printers or printer drivers can use this paper to help plan their strategy for migrating their existing code to the new print architecture.
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Tips and Community for Windows Driver Developers
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The Driver Test Manager (DTM) team has published a paper with information about the Device Selection Scripting Object (DSSO), providing guidelines for automating driver testing processes with DTM.
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To support your exploration of KMDF, UMDF, Static Driver Verifier, and PREfast for Drivers as described in our new book from Microsoft Press, we're providing links to blogs, white papers, and other resources: Hot Links for WDF References--Chapter-by-chapter links to Help topics, papers, and other references cited. Connect Link for Reporting Errata--This book went through an extraordinary technical review process with the WDF development team. But we recognize the need to continue to identify errors and to seek opportunities for improvements. If you find an issue while reading, you can send the problem to us directly.
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Edition for  May 2, 2007 |
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Windows Driver Developer Kits, Tools, and Programs
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Developing Drivers with Windows Driver Foundation
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Are your computers ready for Windows Vista?
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Hardware and Driver Developer Community
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