Knoppix (Knopper’s *nix) is an attempt to not only create a fully featured rescue/demo system on a single CD, but also to unburden the user from the task of hardware identification and configuration of drivers, devices and X11 for his or her specific hardware.

Operating system that only loads specific hardware support for the booting hardware.

Configures devices and optionally installs device software by running the programs specified in the Configuration Rules object class.

This article describes the IBM zSeries IPL process where a system load program (device driver) is loaded from the system SE (service element).

Systems and methods that provide for automatic device driver identification and installation. Each peripheral device to be added to a computer network or coupled to a personal computer is configured to have a uniform resource locator (URL) stored in its onboard firmware ... The Internet site downloads a driver installation package for the peripheral device to the browser that is appropriate to the personal computer and operating system, and that is capable of implementing a driver installation process without a user specifying any option selections.

Reads like the exact same thing.

The invention provides apparatus, computer program, and method for multiple operating system support and a fast startup capability in a computer or information appliance. It permits execution of one of a plurality of available operating systems at the time of powering on the device and where data generated within one of the plurality of operating systems is available to a different application program executing within a different operating system on the same device.

A dynamically configurable computer system which includes apparatus for storing former and sensed current system configuration data and for automatically reconfiguring the system without user interaction.

Methods and systems consistent with the present invention utilize a unique hardware address of a first network device to determine and locate an appropriate driver software for controlling the network device. Once the driver software has been located, it is installed on a network server, or other network device, capable of controlling the first network device. This method operates automatically, absent user intervention, each time a new device enters a network.

A method and system for providing device driver configurations on demand during runtime within a computer system is disclosed. In accordance with a method of the present invention, a Hardware Namespace is constructed by a Hardware Resource Manager and a Logical Device Namespace is constructed by a Logical Device Manager within the computer system. A determination is made as to whether or not the peripheral device is contained within the Hardware Namespace and whether or not a device driver for the peripheral device is also contained within the Logical Device Namespace, ...