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Driver resell & Driver signing FAQs

Driver resell & Driver signing FAQs

Chelladurai
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Community Manager
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What does mean if a driver is signed?

 

Windows device installation uses digital signatures to verify the integrity of driver packages and to verify the identity of the vendor (software publisher) who provides the driver packages. In addition, the kernel-mode code signing policy for 64-bit versions of Windows Vista and later versions of Windows specifies that the kernel-mode driver must be signed for the driver to load.

All drivers for Windows 10 (starting with version 1507, Threshold 1) signed by the Hardware Dev Center are SHA2 signed. For details specific to operating system versions, see Signing requirements by version.

What is Driver resell or sharing a driver with Partner?

 

Driver resell - is a process through which non-Microsoft organizations shares their Microsoft logo certified driver product with their customers and Partners. This process aids the partners to modify the driver package and get Microsoft Certification quickly without running certification test. This driver resell process follows Microsoft Driver Update Acceptable (DUA) process. So, driver package modification has few restrictions that are set by Microsoft DUA process.

Through this process, Infineon shares the Microsoft driver logo certification to the customer through the Windows Hardware Dashboard. By opting for driver resell, there is no need to run HLK compliance test for simple INF changes.

Why is Driver resell required?

 

Infineon provides device drivers for use with its USB devices and Bridge controllers ICs. These drivers are available for a number of Operating systems. However, many customers are interested in changing these drivers to reflect their corporate identity through custom USB VID, PID, product names, company names etc. This can be done by editing the driver INF files. However, the original driver logo certification gets cancelled due to the INF file changes.

This is when the customers can opt for Driver resell. The customers can obtain Microsoft certification for their device drivers.

What are the pre-requisites when opting for Driver resell?

 

Please refer to the following weblinks from Microsoft to understand about registering in the Windows Hardware Dashboard and obtaining an EV certificate:

>> Register for the hardware program

>> Get a code signing certificate

After creating an account in the Windows Hardware Dashboard, kindly reach out to Technical Support and provide the following details:

  • The modified INF file with custom VID/PID for verification.
  • The publisher display name.
  • The OS for which they want the driver resell? Also mention whether it is needed for x64 OS architecture or x86 OS architecture or both?
  • The driver version they want us to resell.
  • The silicon chip they are using- FX3 or FX2LP or USB-Serial.

What are a few points to ensure while submitting the modified driver package?

 

While submitting the modified driver package insure:

  • The modified INF file shared by the customer should not contain any IFX VID/PID (only valid for FX3/FX2 chips). FX2 and FX3 kits are used just for development purposes and not as end-products. Therefore, legally VID/PID of these kits should not be used by customers in their driver packages.
  • The driver file names (inf/sys) should not be changed by the customer. Driver updates are carried out through a process termed DUA (Driver Update Acceptable Process). Driver resell process follows the same process as DUA. The restrictions on changes allowed in the driver package are not imposed by Infineon rather fall under the guidelines of the DUA process. Please refer to Section 2.2 Reselling (Redistributing) Drivers and the Driver Update Acceptable Process in Driver publishing workflow for Windows 10 by Microsoft - Windows10 driver publishing workflow.docx
  • The INF files for different OS versions are different. To elaborate, the INF files for Windows XP and vista are the same. Similarly, the INF files for Windows 7-8.1 are the same but different from xp inf. The INF for Windows 10 is different from XP & Windows 7-8.1 INFs. Thus, the customers should submit different INF files corresponding to the OS versions for which they want us to do driver resell. For instance, if they want driver resell for all the OS versions, they need to submit 3 different INFs-
    •   for XP and Vista
    •   for Windows 7-8.1
    •   for Windows 10

Kindly check the Drivers folder in the FX3 SDK: EZ-USB™ FX3 Software Development Kit

Does Infineon performs driver resell for both the Infineon's CDC (Virtual COM port) driver and cyusb3 driver?

 

Yes, we do driver resell (Redistribution) for both CDC (Virtual COM port) driver and cyusb3 driver. The driver resell process is the same for both drivers. 

Does Infineon sign the driver files and create a new CAT file?

 

No, we do not sign the CAT file. Infineon is not allowed to sign driver package containing non-Infineon VID and PID due to legal constraints. We can help to sign drivers which contain only Infineon VID.

What should be done after receiving the driver package from Infineon?

 

Please refer to Section 3. Driver Resell in CyUSB.pdf (<Installation path>\EZ-USB FX3 SDK\1.3\doc\SuiteUSB\CyUSB.pdf) document present in EZ-USB FX3 SDK (EZ USB FX3 Software Development kit)

For details please refer to CyUSB.pdf in the EZ-USB FX3 SDK: EZ USB FX3 Software Development kit)

Windows Hardware Center Dashboard: Windows hardware drivers dashboard

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