A key aspect of the Windows Driver Foundation (WDF) is to improve system reliability and reduce the number of blue screens by moving drivers out of the kernel and into user mode. The user-mode driver framework (UMDF) provides the infrastructure required to implement user-mode drivers in the WDF model. UMDF 1.0 is now available for release on the WHDC Web site.
Similar to its kernel-mode counterpart (KMDF), UMDF implements code for common driver requirements, such as power management and Plug and Play, and it defines intelligent defaults, so that driver writers can focus on supporting unique device features instead of cumbersome interactions with Windows. UMDF enables vendors to create user-mode drivers for protocol-based and serial-bus-based devices, such as USB and Windows SideShow devices.
UMDF 1.0 supports development of drivers for Windows XP. UMDF 1.5, which is currently available in the Windows Vista RC1 WDK, supports development of drivers for Windows XP and Windows Vista. Support for Windows Server 2003 is planned for the same timeframe as release of the Windows codename "Longhorn" Server WDK.
Download UMDF 1.0 from the UMDF home page on the WHDC Web site. The release includes header files, libraries, a redistributable co-installer, documentation, and development tools for creating user-mode drivers using the framework. You'll also need the
Windows Server 2003 SP1 DDK.
Your comments on this release will help us plan for the future. Please let us know what additional features you need to support your device class by sending email to
umdffdbk@microsoft.com or by posting comments in the UMDF Beta newsgroup at microsoft.beta.wdf.umdf.
- Annie Pearson
for the WHDC Web team
