Tell me more ×
Super User is a question and answer site for computer enthusiasts and power users. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 9 down vote favorite
1

Question:

  • What is the difference between a Device Driver and a Module (or Kernel module) in the context of both Linux and Windows specifically?

I understand the purpose of a device driver, can you refer to a module interchangeably?

share|improve this question

1 Answer

up vote 8 down vote accepted

A module is just a bunch of code that can be loaded into Linux. Note that this terminology is specific to Linux; windows typically calls everything a driver, I believe.

In Linux, frequently modules will be device drivers - that is, software that drives some specific piece of hardware (device). Likewise, on Windows, many drivers will be device drivers. However there are drivers and modules that don't drive hardware - for example, some Linux systems may have IPv6 support as a loadable module. Or filesystems such as ISO9660 may be drivers or modules.

share|improve this answer
OK, so with regards to Linux, a module is all that is required to 'communicate' with say for instance a graphic card? – Aaron Jul 26 '09 at 18:17
2  
Not necessarily. With graphics cards in particular, the driver is usually split up across one (or more) kernel modules, an X server component, and a GL library that's linked into all client programs. – bdonlan Jul 26 '09 at 21:42

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.