If you are using a Linux system that includes the 2.6 kernel (as the latest versions of most major
Linux systems do), new kernel features have made it possible to change drastically the way hardware
devices are detected and managed. Features in, or closely related to, the kernel include Udev
(to dynamically name and create devices as hardware comes and goes), and Hotplug and HAL (to
pass information about hardware changes to user space). Then features such as fstab-sync and
gnome-volume-manager are used to react to hardware changes (for example, to mount a device or
launch an application to read the device).
If all this sounds a bit confusing, don??™t worry. It??™s actually designed to make your life as a Linux
user much easier. The end result of features built on the 2.6 kernel is that device handling in Linux
has become:
More automatic??”For most common hardware, when a hardware device is connected
or disconnected, it is automatically detected and identified. Interfaces to access the hardware
are added, so it is accessible to Linux. Then the fact that the hardware is present (or
removed) is passed to the user level, where applications listening for hardware changes
are ready to mount the hardware and/or launch an application (such as an image viewer
or music player).
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