Editing Device driver (section)

{{Short description|Software interface to attached devices}}
{{About|device drivers for hardware|other software drivers|Driver (software)}}
{{OS}}

In the context of an [[operating system]], a '''device driver''' is a [[computer program]] that operates or controls a particular type of [[Peripheral|device]] that is attached to a [[computer]] or [[automaton]].<ref name="dev1">{{cite web|title=What is all device driver?|url=http://searchenterprisedesktop.techtarget.com/definition/device-driver|website=WhatIs.com|publisher=TechTarget|access-date=19 March 2018|archive-date=13 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210213094525/https://searchenterprisedesktop.techtarget.com/definition/device-driver|url-status=live}}</ref> A driver provides a software [[Interface (computing)|interface]] to [[Computer hardware|hardware]] devices, enabling [[operating system]]s and other computer programs to access hardware functions without needing to know precise details about the hardware being used.

A driver communicates with the device through the [[computer bus]] or communications subsystem to which the hardware connects. When a [[System call|calling]] program invokes a [[subroutine|routine]] in the driver, the driver issues commands to the device (drives it). Once the device sends data back to the driver, the driver may invoke routines in the original calling program.

Drivers are hardware dependent and operating-system-specific. They usually provide the [[interrupt]] handling required for any necessary asynchronous time-dependent hardware interface.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sCCfRAj3aCgC&q=device+driver+hardware+dependent|title=Information Storage and Management: Storing, Managing, and Protecting Digital Information|year=2010|author=EMC Education Services|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=9780470618332|access-date=2020-11-10|archive-date=2021-02-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210213094529/https://books.google.com/books?id=sCCfRAj3aCgC&q=device+driver+hardware+dependent|url-status=live}}</ref>