Device drivers

A device driver provides a standardized interface for software applications to interact with a category of peripheral devices such as disk storage. This avoids the need for the application developer to understand and implement all of the technical details required for the proper operation of each device type. Device drivers also manage the coordination needed when applications written by different developers attempt to access the same device at the same time. Most device drivers allow multiple simultaneously executing applications to interact with multiple instances of associated peripherals in a secure and efficient manner.

At the lowest level, the device driver code provides software instructions that manage communication interactions with the peripheral, including handling interrupts generated by device service requests. A device driver controls the operation of hardware resources in the processor, in the peripheral device, and in other system components such...