VisualDDK Launcher

One of the complications related to classical driver debugging is the need to copy the driver file to the target machine each time it is rebuilt, as well as the need to start the driver by invoking some command (or enabling device in Device Manager). VisualDDK allows automating both this actions.

First, you need to copy the DDKLaunchMonitor.exe file from target\(platform) subfolder of your VisualDDK folder to the machine you are going to debug. Then you need to run it there and ensure that the firewall allows incoming TCP and UDP packets. The Launch Monitor will copy the driver file to the specified location and execute launch/stop commands, when VisualDDK requests it:

Then, you need to configure the VisualDDK launcher in Visual Studio. Note that the launch settings will be saved to a ".vddklaunch" file in your project directory:

In the configuration dialog you need to specify, how should VisualDDK connect to the remote machine, and how should the driver file be transferred:

When VisualDDK Launcher is set up, launching or stopping the driver will automatically cause the DDKLaunchMonitor to execute a selected command. You will see the progress of this operation in a popup window in Visual Studio:

Note that you can assign shortcut keys to VisualDDK launcher to improve usability: