Roadmap for Developing WFP Callout Drivers

To create a Windows Filtering Platform (WFP) callout driver, follow these steps:

• Step 1: Learn about WFP architecture.

  For information about WFP, see Windows Filtering Platform. You may find that you can develop a WFP user-mode application and avoid writing a WFP callout driver.

• Step 2: Learn about Windows architecture and drivers.

  You must understand the fundamentals of how drivers work in Windows operating systems. Knowing the fundamentals will help you make appropriate design decisions and let you streamline your development process. For more information about driver fundamentals, see Concepts for all driver developers.

• Step 3: Determine the Windows driver model for your WFP callout driver.

  WFP callout drivers can be written either by using the Windows Driver Model (WDM) or the Kernel Mode Driver Framework (KMDF). For more information about how to select a driver model, see Choosing a Driver Model. For more information about WDM, see Introduction to Windows Drivers and Writing WDM Drivers. For more information about KMDF, see WDF Driver Development Guide.

• Step 4: Determine additional Windows driver design decisions.

  For information about how to make additional Windows design decisions, see Creating Reliable Kernel-Mode Drivers, Programming Issues for 64-Bit Drivers, and Creating International INF Files.

• Step 5: Learn about the Windows driver build, test, and debug processes and tools.

  Building a driver differs from building a user-mode application. For information about Windows driver build, debug, and test processes, driver signing, and Windows Hardware Lab Kit (HLK) testing, see Building, Debugging, and Testing Drivers. For information about building, testing, verifying, and debugging tools, see Driver Development Tools.

• Step 6: Review the Windows Filtering Platform (WFP) driver samples in the Windows driver samples repository on GitHub.

• Step 7: Make design decisions about your WFP callout driver.

  For information about how to design WFP callout drivers, see Callout Driver Programming Considerations.

• Step 8: Develop, build, test, and debug your WFP callout driver.

  For information about WFP callout driver specifics, see Callout Driver Operations and Callout Driver Installation. For information about functions, structures, enumerations, or constants that are specific to WFP, see Windows Filtering Platform Callout Drivers Reference. For information about iterative building, testing, and debugging, see Overview of Build, Debug, and Test Process. This process will help ensure that you build a driver that works.

• Step 9: Create a driver package for your WFP callout driver.

  For more information, see Providing a Driver Package and Callout Driver Installation.

• Step 10: Sign and distribute your WFP callout driver.

  The final step is to sign (optional) and distribute the driver. If your driver meets the quality standards that are defined for the Windows Hardware Lab Kit (HLK), you can distribute it through the Microsoft Windows Update program. For more information about how to distribute a driver, see Get started with the hardware submission process.

These are the basic steps. Additional steps might be necessary based on the needs of your individual driver.