Is Kernel module is the same as a device driver? Post: 302518687

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Operating Systems Linux Fedora Is Kernel module is the same as a device driver? Post 302518687 by newlinuxuser1 on Sunday 1st of May 2011 09:08:40 AM

05-01-2011

Registered User

Is Kernel module is the same as a device driver?

I have been reading prep questions for my second unix academy exam, and there's a nuance, I'm not sure I understand it correctly.
I've been under impression from my readings of book by Evi Nemeth and from unix academy DVDs I've been watching, that kernel's modules are drivers. I think of it, as there are standard drivers that come precompiled as a part of a kernel, and some drivers that are not part of a "standard setup", so we load them when necessary as modules.
Now, I see in my readings and in the DVDs, modules and drivers are discussed on separate occasions, which makes me confused! Are they the same or they aren't? I mean, is this "module" and "driver" terminology is interchangeable and it is just figure of speech, or there's real difference between them?

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LEARN ABOUT SUNOS

intro_jfp

Intro_jfp(7)						   Device and Network Interfaces					      Intro_jfp(7)

NAME

       Intro_jfp, intro_jfp - introduction to JFP special files

DESCRIPTION

       This  section describes various device and network interfaces available on the system.  The types of interfaces described include character
       and block devices, STREAMS modules, network protocols, file systems, and ioctl requests for driver subsystems and classes.

       This section contains the following major collections:(7I)	This section describes ioctl requests which apply to a class of drivers or subsystems. Ioctl requests relevant to only a  specific
		device	are described on the man page for that device. The page for the device in question should still be examined for exceptions
		to the ioctls listed in section 7I.(7M)	This section describes STREAMS modules.  Note that STREAMS drivers are discussed in section 7D. streamio(7I) contains  a  list	of
		ioctl  requests used to manipulate STREAMS modules and interface with the STREAMS framework.  Ioctl requests specific to a STREAMS
		module will be discussed on the man page for that module.

SEE ALSO

       add_drv(1M), rem_drv(1M), intro(2), ioctl(2), socket(3SOCKET), driver.conf(4), intro(7), arp(7P),  icmp(7P),  inet(7P),	ip(7P),  mtio(7I),
       st(7D), streamio(7I), tcp(7P), udp(7P)

       STREAMS Programming Guide

       Writing Device Drivers

LIST

       Name		       Description

       Intro_jfp(7)	       introduction to JFP special files

       jaio(7I) 	       interface to Japanese I/O modules

       jconv7(7M)	       code conversion STREAMS module (7-bit JIS/Japanese EUC)

       jconv8(7M)	       code conversion STREAMS module (8-bit JIS/Japanese EUC)

       jconvrs(7M)	       code conversion STREAMS module (Japanese EUC/PC kanji)

       jconvru(7M)	       code conversion STREAMS module (Japanese EUC/UTF--8)

       jconvs(7M)	       code conversion STREAMS module (PC kanji/Japanese EUC)

       jconvu(7M)	       code conversion STREAMS module (UTF-8/Japanese EUC)

SunOS 5.10							    7 Dec 1999							      Intro_jfp(7)