| From the Editor
In the previous issue of this newsletter, we ran an article about the Debugging Tools for Windows that was inaccurate. In that article, the version number given for the Debugging Tools was a Microsoft internal build number and not the correct external release number. Also, a decision on where and how to release the Debugging Tools has not yet been made. For now, the current release of the Debugging Tools is available in the Windows Driver Kit (WDK) 7.1.0 release. We apologize for the misinformation, but we value the feedback we saw within the community as a result. For more information on this release of the Debugging Tools, see the Top Story in this issue.
Also in this issue we feature information about the new release of the WDK, the usual listing of new papers and recent blogs from the Windows team, and news highlights from the Windows Logo Program for Hardware.
As always, we hope you find this information useful.
- The WHDC Web Team
TOP STORY: Current Debugging Tools for Windows Available in WDK
The current version of the Debugging Tools for Windows (6.12.2.633) is available as part of the WDK 7.1.0 release. We also plan to make this version of the Debugging Tools available in the next release of the Windows Software Development Kit (SDK) later this year. To download the WDK and manually install the Debugging Tools for Windows: 1. Download the WDK ( http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/DevTools/WDK/WDKpkg.mspx) and burn the ISO to a DVD or other installation media. (The WDK ISO file is approximately 620 MB to download.) 2. Open the ISO from the installation media and open the Debuggers directory. 3. In the Debuggers directory, run the appropriate MSI or setup EXE and follow the instructions in the Setup Wizard. ( Note: This method installs the debugger to the default installation location of the debugger, which is under Program Files. To install to a directory other than the default, select Custom in the Setup Wizard and specify a different installation location.) 4. After installation is complete, you can find the debugger shortcuts by clicking Start, pointing to All Programs, and then pointing to Debugging Tools for Windows. For information on what's new in this release of the Debugging Tools, see the "What's New for Debugging Tools for Windows" Web page on the Windows Hardware Developer Central (WHDC) Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/devtools/debugging/whatsnew.mspx. Note: As of WDK release 7.0.0, the WDK build environments no longer support the development of drivers for Windows 2000. However, the Debugging Tools for Windows continue to support Windows 2000. By installing the Debugging Tools manually, as described above, you will be able to use the Debugging Tools on a system running Windows 2000. Note also: Windows Symbols Packages are not available in the WDK and are still available on WHDC ( http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/devtools/debugging/symbolpkg.mspx).
News for Windows Hardware and Driver Developers
Windows Driver Kit (WDK) 7.1.0 Now Available Download the WDK 7.1.0 release and get the most recent headers, libraries, build tools, build environments, code samples, documentation, and other tools used to create drivers and kernel-mode software. This latest version includes: . Support for Windows XP x64 as an installation platform . Debugger updates . Redistributable change: Update to Offreg.dll . Build Environment updates and additions . Sample improvements . Update to Sensor Adapter Test Suite Find out more about the changes in this release of the WDK here: http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/devtools/wdk/RelNotesW7.mspx. For information on how to download the current release of the WDK, visit http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/DevTools/WDK/WDKpkg.mspx.
Processor Power Management in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 include updated support for ACPI processor power management (PPM) features, including support for processor performance states and processor idle sleep states on multiprocessor systems. This paper provides details of the support in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, describes how PPM functions with the Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 power policy store, and provides guidelines for firmware developers and system designers. ( http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/system/pnppwr/powermgmt/ProcPowerMgmtWin7.mspx)
Power Policy Configuration and Deployment in Windows Windows Vista and later versions of Windows feature a new power policy storage mechanism and infrastructure called the power policy store that enables third-party extensibility and configuration using Windows Group Policy. Third-party device and application vendors can install additional power settings by customizing an existing Windows power plan. These custom power settings can be configured using the same tools and user interface elements as Windows-installed power settings. All power policy settings in Windows can be enforced to specific values using Group Policy, which enables enterprises to easily enforce display and sleep idle timeout power settings that can help reduce PC energy consumption and associated expenses. Users do not need administrative privileges to change most power policy preferences. However, system administrators can apply a consistent power management policy in the enterprise by restricting access to power settings on a per-user or per-group basis. This paper describes the Windows power policy store, demonstrates common power policy configuration tasks, and provides reference information about native power settings in Windows. In this update, the processor power management settings have been revised. ( http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/system/pnppwr/powermgmt/PMpolicy_Windows.mspx)
What's New in Blogs for Hardware and Driver Developers
"What is IRQL?" by Jake Oshins in Doron Holan's "A Hole in My Head" Blog Jake Oshins wanted to write about IRQLs and I am gladly letting him use my blog as a platform. Here it is. I've found myself explaining IRQL a lot lately, sometimes to people who want to know because they're trying to write Windows drivers and sometimes to people who are accustomed to Linux or some other variant of Unix and they want to know why something like IRQL is required within Windows when those systems so clearly get by without it. Penny Orwick covered this topic before, in the following two papers, with a lot of help from me and some others: http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/driver/kernel/irql.mspx and http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/driver/kernel/locks.mspx. I'll try to do it a little more briefly here. Read more: http://blogs.msdn.com/doronh/archive/2010/02/02/what-is-irql.aspx
"How to Generate and View WinUSB and 1394 Debug Trace Logs" in the "Windows USB Core Team Blog" The following are two recent posts from Don Miller, software developer on the Windows USB Core Team: How to generate and view a WinUSB debug trace log Hello, my name is Don Miller. I am a software developer on the Windows USB team. In this blog post, I'm going to describe how to get debug trace messages from WINUSB.SYS driver. WinUSB is a generic USB driver provided by Microsoft to enable user-mode applications to access simple USB devices through a software library. It uses WPP software tracing to log debug messages. Enabling and viewing the WinUSB debug log can be helpful to Windows device driver developers who are using WinUSB.SYS as the functional driver for their USB device(s). Read more: http://blogs.msdn.com/usbcoreblog/archive/2010/02/05/how-to-generate-and-view-a-winusb-debug-trace-log.aspxHow to generate and view a 1394 debug log Hello, my name is Don Miller. I am a software developer on the Windows USB team but also I am the developer responsible for the Windows 1394 driver stack. In this blog post, I'm going to describe how to get debug trace messages from the Windows 7 1394OHCI.SYS driver. The Microsoft 1394OHCI.SYS driver is new for Windows 7 and uses WPP software tracing to log debug messages. For more information on the new Windows 7 1394OHCI.SYS driver please refer to the 1394 Bus Driver in Windows 7 whitepaper ( http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/connect/1394_Windows7.mspx). Read more: http://blogs.msdn.com/usbcoreblog/archive/2010/02/10/how-to-generate-and-view-a-1394-debug-log.aspx
"Increase VMBus buffer sizes to increase network throughput to guest VMs" in the "Windows Server Performance Team Blog" Traffic jams happen every day, all across the world. Too many vehicles competing for the same stretch of road, gated by flow control devices like stop signs and traffic lights, conspire to ensnare drivers in a vicious web of metal and plastic and cell phones. In the technology world, networking traffic is notoriously plagued by traffic jams, resulting in all sorts of havoc, including delayed web pages, slow email downloads, robotic VOIP and choppy YouTube videos. (Oh, the humanity!) Read more: http://blogs.technet.com/winserverperformance/archive/2010/02/02/increase-vmbus-buffer-sizes-to-increase-network-throughput-to-guest-vms.aspx
"Guest Post: Intel Discusses iSCSI and One Million IOPs" in the "Windows Virtualization Team Blog" Hi, I'm Jordan Plawner, storage networking product planner from Intel. Today I'm doing a recap of the Intel Server and Ethernet Adapters and Windows 2008 R2 1m iSCSI IOPs announcement and HyperV performance Webcast. The number of comments and ongoing discussions has been impressive. There were two themes that ran through the blog questions and comments that I want to address. First: What does one million IOPs on a single 10GbE port performance mean? Second: What about features? Read more: http://blogs.technet.com/virtualization/archive/2010/02/25/Guest-post_3A00_-Intel-discusses-iSCSI-and-1-million-IOPs.aspx
Windows Logo Program News
Windows Vista SP2 Deadline Extension Based on feedback from original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partners, we are extending the deadline for testing with Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2) by two months. All Windows Vista logo program submissions must be tested with Windows Vista SP2 by May 1, 2010. For the latest Windows Logo Program news, subscribe to the Windows Logo Program Newsletter ( http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/newsreq.mspx).
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