Monday March 24, 2008

Extended Self-ID for USB devices

Most USB devices already have some sort of non-volatile memory that contains firmware and some self-identification data, presented to the host OS via USB descriptors - the kind of stuff you'd see as device properties in 'prtconf -v' output. This non-volatile memory is often in the form of tiny EEPROM arrays connected to the internal microcontroller via I2C, or something similar. Instead, now that USB flash memory is becoming dirt cheap, why not put a decent amount of it in every USB device, as an additional logical device ("interface" in USB speak, or "logical unit")?

It would be cool, for instance, if instead of lame, wasteful "installation CDs", devices could carry their own drivers (though it would be even cooler if all devices were class compliant). Just connect your shiny new webcam or a phone and the OS can install drivers right away. Or at least pick up a URI of a Web Service for finding the drivers. It's just a matter of standardizing on file formats and Web APIs. Kinda like a more generic version of U3.

(2008-03-24 15:43:58.0) Permalink Comments [2]