Creating an INF File for Custom Devices
Before you can convert a device that RTX64 does not provide out-of-the-box support for, you must first create an INF file for that device. This topic walks you through the steps required to use the RTX64-provided RTX64Pnp (non-network) and/or RTX64PnpNet (network) INF files as templates to create new INF files for your custom devices.
RTX64-Provided INF Files
The RTX64 SDK installs two INF files:
RTX64Pnp.inf
– for standard RTX64-supported non-network drivers.RTX64PnpNet.inf
– for standard RTX64-supported network drivers.
You can use the contents of either INF file (depending on the device type) as a template to create an INF file for a device that RTX64 does not provide out-of-the-box support for.
Creating an INF File for a Custom Device
Follow the appropriate steps below to create an INF file for a custom non-network or network device.
Steps for a non-network device:
- Navigate to the RTX64
inf
folder. The default location isC:\Program Files\IntervalZero\RTX64\inf
- Make a copy of
RTX64Pnp.inf
. - Open the copy in an editor such as Notepad.
- Update the
name of the catalog (CAT) file specified by the
CatalogFile
entry to match the name of the new INF file.
NOTE: The CatalogFile
base name specified in the custom INF file must match the name of the custom INF.
- Scroll to the bottom of the file and remove all entries below the
[IntervalZero.NTamd64]
entry. - Add a new entry for your device under
[IntervalZero.NTamd64]
, using this format:
"Descriptive name (RTX64)"=RTX64pnp_Inst,"PCI\VEN_WWWW&DEV_XXXX&SUBSYS_YYYYYYYY&REV_ZZ"
where WWWW
, XXXX
, YYYYYYYY
, and ZZ
are hexadecimal digits that make this string match the Hardware ID of the device.
For example:
[IntervalZero.NTamd64] "Custom Device (RTX64)" = RTX64pnp_Inst,ACPI\PNP0500
IMPORTANT! The string "(RTX64)
" is required and must remain in the descriptive name to distinguish devices that have been converted to RTX64 from those that have not been converted.
For more information on device Hardware ID, see the MSDN article at http://msdn.microsoft.com/enus/library/windows/hardware/ff546152(v=vs.85).aspx.
NOTE: If you are adding multiple custom devices, each device must have its own entry. Add each new entry on a new line.
- Save the custom INF file.
- 64-bit operating systems require drivers and their CAT files to be signed. If you require signing assistance once you have created your INF file, contact IntervalZero Support to have us generate a digitally signed CAT file from your INF file. See Driver Signing below for more information.
- Convert the device using the new INF file. Use the Windows Device Manager to update the driver for the device and click the Have Disk... button to browse for the customized INF file that is in the same folder as the digitally-signed CAT file. The converted device should appear under either the Network Adapters (Net class) or RTX64 Drivers (RTX64 class) category in the Device Manager. For instructions on converting a device to RTX64 control, see the RTX64 Help topic Converting a PCI/PCIe Device to RTX64.
IMPORTANT! Do not change any instances of RTX64 in the INF file. Doing so will result in an INF file that cannot be used to convert a device to RTX64 control.
Steps for a network device:
- Navigate to the RTX64
inf
folder. The default location isC:\Program Files\IntervalZero\RTX64\inf
- Make a copy of
RTX64PnpNet.inf
. - Open the copy in an editor such as Notepad.
- Update the
name of the catalog (CAT) file specified by the
CatalogFile
entry to match the name of the custom INF file.
NOTE: The CatalogFile
base name specified in the custom INF file must match the name of the custom INF.
- Scroll to the bottom of the file and remove all entries below the
[IntervalZero.NTamd64]
entry. - Add a new entry for your device under
[IntervalZero.NTamd64]
, using this format:
"Descriptive name (RTX64)"=RTX64PnpNet_Inst,"PCI\VEN_WWWW&DEV_XXXX&SUBSYS_YYYYYYYY&REV_ZZ"
where WWWW
, XXXX
, YYYYYYYY
, and ZZ
are hexadecimal digits that make this string match the Hardware ID of the device.
For example:
[IntervalZero.NTamd64] "Custom Network Device (RTX64)" = RTX64PnpNet_Inst,"PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_10C9"
IMPORTANT! The string "(RTX64)
" is required and must remain in the descriptive name to distinguish devices that have been converted to RTX64 from those that have not been converted.
For more information on device Hardware ID, see the MSDN article at http://msdn.microsoft.com/enus/library/windows/hardware/ff546152(v=vs.85).aspx.
NOTE: If you are adding multiple custom devices, each device must have its own entry. Add each new entry on a new line.
- Save the custom INF file.
- 64-bit operating systems require drivers and their CAT files to be signed. If you require signing assistance once you have created your INF file, contact IntervalZero Support to have us generate a digitally signed CAT file from your INF file. See Driver Signing below for more information.
- Convert the device using the new INF file. Use the Windows Device Manager to update the driver for the device and click the Have Disk... button to browse for the signed copy of the INF file. The converted device should appear under either the Network Adapters (Net class) or RTX64 Drivers (RTX64 class) category in the Device Manager. For instructions on converting a device to RTX64 control, see the RTX64 Help topic Converting a PCI/PCIe Device to RTX64.
IMPORTANT! Do not change any instances of RTX64 in the INF file. Doing so will result in an INF file that cannot be used to convert a device to RTX64 control.
Driver Signing
64-bit operating systems require drivers to be signed. The type of signing required depends on the operating system version on which you plan to deploy:
- If you plan to deploy on Windows 10 (with or without Secure Boot enabled), an attestation-signed CAT file must be created.
- If you plan to deploy on Windows 8.1 or Windows 7 (with or without Secure Boot enabled), a cross-signed CAT file must be created.
NOTE: If you plan to deploy on both Windows 10 and Windows 8.1 or 7, two CAT files are needed: an attestation-signed CAT file for Windows 10, and a cross-signed CAT file for Windows 8.1 or 7.
- IntervalZero cross-signs all driver files for Windows 7, 8.1 and 10 in RTX64 releases previous to RTX64 3.5.
- Starting with RTX64 3.5, IntervalZero will cross-sign with a SHA-2 certificate, which will require installing Windows patch KB3033929 on Windows 7 systems. The RTX64 3.5 and later Runtime installs this patch automatically.
- Starting with RTX64 3.5, IntervalZero will begin attestation-signing Windows 10 drivers to support Secure Boot.
IntervalZero Support will generate the appropriately-signed CAT file for you. Contact support@intervalzero.com to request a signed CAT file for your custom device. You will need to provide the custom INF file.
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