What Is The Difference Between Device Driver and Device Controllers - Quora

5/7/2019 What is the difference between device driver and device controllers?
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Controllers Device Drivers Devices Computers Related Questions
What is the difference between device driver and What are the functions of a device controller and a
device controllers? device driver?
What is the difference between device driver and

module?
5 Answers
What is the difference between device drivers in
Linux and device drivers in Windows?
Raju Gautam, geeky about OS
Answered Oct 12, 2016
What is the definition of 'device driver'?
A General purpose computer system consists of CPUs and multiple device
Can a system have more than one device driver?
controllers that are connected through a common bus.
What is the difference between a device and a
Each device controller which is an electronic component inside the computer is in computer device?
charge of specific type of devices. Any device connected to the computer is
What's the difference of middleware and device
connected by a plug and socket, and the socket is connected to a device controller.
driver?
Device controller reads the signal coming out and going into the CPU and act as a What is device driver programming?
intermediary between the device and the Operating System.
Which kind of devices require drivers?
Device driver is just a code inside the OS which helps devices compatible ,
How do operating systems use device drivers?
recognizable and communicate with OS.
Clarification:
Device controller is an intermediary b/w Device and OS and the Device driver is an
interface b/w device controller and OS. Basically ,device drivers understand the
device controller and provides the rest of the OS with a uniform interface to the
device.
Here’s how it works(traditionally):
1. To start I/O operation , DEVICE DRIVER loads the appropriate registers

within the DEVICE CONTROLLER.
2. The DEVICE CONTROLLER in turn ,examines the content of these

registers(PCB) to determine what actions to take(e.g, to read a character from
keyboard).
3. The CONTROLLER starts the transfer of data from the device (keyboard) to
its local buffer storage area (it’s inside the controller).
4. Once the transfer of data is complete, the DEVICE CONTROLLER informs the
DEVICE DRIVER via an interrupt that it has finished its operation.
5. The DEVICE DRIVER then return its control to the operating system possibly
returning the data or pointer to the data to tell the OS task has been
completed.
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Related Questions More Answers Below
What are the functions of a device controller and a device driver?
What is the difference between device driver and module?
What is the difference between device drivers in Linux and device drivers in Windows?
What is the definition of 'device driver'?
Can a system have more than one device driver?
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5/7/2019 What is the difference between device driver and device controllers? - Quora
Harsha Vardhan Reddy, Hours on the computers feels like minutes. Minutes
studying feels like
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Answered Nov 7, 2016 · Author has 51 answers and 133.5k answer views
Device Drivers : low level programs written by hardware manufacturers which are
loaded as kernel modules and provide the kernel with the knowledge on how to
control the devices
Device Controllers:A device controller (hardware) understands "software" input. It

translates software input into something a hardware device understands. Controllers
sometimes have their own memory and their own CPU.
Device drivers are purely software, no matter where they are found. Device drivers
communicate between the operating system and the physical device controller.
Where a driver or controller is physically located can be a fuzzy concept, but what
they do is different.
Interaction with a device controller is managed through a device driver. Device

drivers are part of the operating system, but not necessarily part of the OS
kernel.Each device controller provides a mechanism through which the entire
current state of the device can be read by the CPU, stored somewhere, and restored
when the system wakes up.
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Jim Figlik, Pre/Post Sales Systemes Engineer, Consultant (1976-present)

Answered Feb 28, 2018 · Author has 526 answers and 296.5k answer views
A device controller is usually a piece of electronic equipment that controls devices.

While it also has software (embedded in its firmware (EEPROM), it is function
specific, such as a storage (disk) controller. It takes data from the CPU and places it on
a device, perhaps using a redundant array of inexpensive disk, perhaps using a USB
drive.
A device driver is the device specific computer code that lets a user, through the
device controller, use a specific version of a component, e.g. a a disk driver activates
the disk letting pictures, images and text files be stored on it. The device driver, while
functionally the same, will differ in implementation between a Western Digital disk
and a Hitachi disk.
The examples used here conveniently fit end to end in the process of moving data to a
device.
2k views · View 4 Upvoters · Answer requested by Mugisha Allan
Related Questions
What is the difference between a device and a computer device?
What's the difference of middleware and device driver?
What is device driver programming?
Which kind of devices require drivers?
How do operating systems use device drivers?
What are device drivers?
What is the difference between platform device drivers and normal device drivers?
How do I design a device driver for my own interfacing device?
What is the difference between computers and other devices?
What are some examples of device drivers? How are they used?
Why aren't device drivers shared between operating systems?
5/7/2019 What is the difference between device driver and device controllers? - Quora
What is the difference between pseudo device driver and platform device driver in Linux?
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How does device controller interact with device driver (how do they exchange data)?
What is the difference between a device driver and a system software?
What is the purpose of a device driver?
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Controllers Device Drivers Devices Computers Related Questions

What is the difference between device driver and

Here’s how it works(traditionally):

1. To start I/O operation , DEVICE DRIVER loads the appropriate registers

2. The DEVICE CONTROLLER in turn ,examines the content of these

15.6k views · View 47 Upvoters

Your feedback is private.

Is this answer still relevant and up to date? Yes No

Related Questions More Answers Below

What are the functions of a device controller and a device driver?

What is the difference between device driver and module?

What is the definition of 'device driver'?

Can a system have more than one device driver?

Device Controllers:A device controller (hardware) understands "software" input. It

Interaction with a device controller is managed through a device driver. Device

6k views · View 19 Upvoters

Your feedback is private.

Is this answer still relevant and up to date? Yes No

Jim Figlik, Pre/Post Sales Systemes Engineer, Consultant (1976-present)

A device controller is usually a piece of electronic equipment that controls devices.

2k views · View 4 Upvoters · Answer requested by Mugisha Allan

What is the difference between a device and a computer device?

What's the difference of middleware and device driver?

What is device driver programming?

Which kind of devices require drivers?

How do operating systems use device drivers?

What are device drivers?

How do I design a device driver for my own interfacing device?

What is the difference between computers and other devices?

Why aren't device drivers shared between operating systems?

What is the difference between a device driver and a system software?

What is the purpose of a device driver?

About · Careers · Privacy · Terms · Contact

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