我们大多数人从不考虑我们的USB设备，我们只是把它们**去，然后忘记它们。但是，如果你是一个好奇的类型谁想知道更多的USB如何工作？今天的超级用户问答帖子回答了一位好奇的读者的问题。

今天的问答环节是由SuperUser提供的，SuperUser是Stack Exchange的一个分支，是一个由社区驱动的问答网站分组。

图片由埃维尔卡·科瓦尔斯基（Flickr）提供。

问题

超级用户读者**eeb想知道是否真的有USB通信协议：

According to Wikipedia, USB:

• Defines the cables, connectors, and communicati*** protocols used in a bus for connection, communication, and power supply between computers and electronic devices.

But is there an actual USB Communication Protocol? My understanding is that:

1. You connect a USB device to a machine (Ubuntu or any kind of Linux for example).
2. Linux finds the device driver for that device somehow (bonus if you know!) and loads it.
3. The device is now connected under /dev/theDevice.
4. User space apps can now read and write to /dev/theDevice and the driver handles the low-level input and output to the underlying device/hardware.

As far as I can tell, a USB Communication Protocol does not appear anywhere in this flow. If my understanding is correct, the USB is just the cable and electrical connection between the PC and the device.

Am I wrong here? Does USB actually implement some kind of low-level protocol that underscores the flow above? If so, what is it and how does it work at a 30,000 foot view?

有实际的USB通讯协议吗？

答案

超级用户贡献者RedGrittyBrick和projectdp为我们提供了答案。首先，红砖：

Yes (see USB protocols).

As I understand it, the USB spec defines a complex set of layered protocols and device profiles.

For example, USB devices can conform to high-level templates like mass-storage, keyboard, human interface device, etc. and be managed by a generic device driver. Some USB devices can communicate at a lower level such that the operating system’s low level USB support can recognize that device-specific higher level drivers are needed.

接着是projectdp的回答：

Question

Is there a low-level USB communication protocol in action and what is it?

Answer

Yes, there is. The USB specification includes the USB protocol which defines the way the bus is used on a bit level. This would be the low-level protocol that underlies the higher level protocols (i.e. mass-storage, HID, etc.).

For specifics on how the USB protocol works, this OSDev wiki is helpful. Here is another interesting description using sequence diagrams to describe the various data transacti*** per the USB protocol.

Bonus Question

How does Linux find and load the device driver for that device?

Bonus Answer

On Linux when using a USB-enabled kernel, a working USB device will be detected via the hardware and kernel due to the USB specification. On the hardware side, the detection is done by the USB Host Controller. Then in the kernel the Host Controller Driver takes over and translates the low-level bits on the wire to USB protocol formatted information. This information then gets populated in the u**core driver in the kernel.

I paraphrased from this excellent Opensourceforu article, which has much more detail and clarity about your question in the Linux context.

请务必通过下面共享的线程链接查看其余的生动讨论！

有什么要补充的解释吗？在评论中发出声音。想从其他精通技术的Stack Exchange用户那里了解更多答案吗？在这里查看完整的讨论主题。