Device Drivers (OCR A-Level Computer Science): Flashcards
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12 cards from this deck
What is a device driver?
What is a device driver?
Software enabling OS to communicate with hardware by translating commands
What are kernel-mode drivers?
What are kernel-mode drivers?
Low-level drivers with direct access to system resources & hardware
What are user-mode drivers?
What are user-mode drivers?
Higher-level drivers managing less critical devices, protecting system stability
Why are device drivers needed?
Why are device drivers needed?
Hardware diversity: each device has unique commands; enables compatibility & simplifies development
Driver compatibility benefit
Driver compatibility benefit
Enable devices to work with multiple operating systems
Driver initialisation process
Driver initialisation process
OS loads appropriate driver when device is connected
What do drivers translate?
What do drivers translate?
OS commands into device-specific instructions
What does a printer driver handle?
What does a printer driver handle?
Paper size, ink usage, and resolution
What does a graphics driver do?
What does a graphics driver do?
Renders visuals, controls resolution & colour depth
What does a network driver manage?
What does a network driver manage?
Network adapters (e.g., Wi-Fi), sends/receives data packets
Are device drivers applications?
Are device drivers applications?
No, they work behind the scenes enabling OS-hardware communication
Does the OS control hardware directly?
Does the OS control hardware directly?
No, it relies on drivers as intermediaries