Devices With Multiple Interfaces

Composite devices are devices that support multiple interfaces. Composite devices have a list of compatible names for each interface. This compatible names list ensures that the best available driver is bound to the interface. The most general multiple interface entry is usb,device.

For a USB audio composite device, the compatible names are as follows:

1. 'usb471,101.100'     Vendor 471, product 101, revision 100
2. 'usb471,101'         Vendor 471, product 101
3. 'usb,device'         Generic USB device

The name usb,device is a compatible name that represents any whole USB device. The usb_mid(7D) driver (USB multiple-interface driver) binds to the usb,device device node if no other driver has claimed the whole device. The usb_mid driver creates a child device node for each interface of the physical device. The usb_mid driver also generates a set of compatible names for each interface. Each of these generated compatible names begins with usbif. The system then uses these generated compatible names to find the best driver for each interface. In this way, different interfaces of one physical device can be bound to different drivers.

For example, the usb_mid driver binds to a multiple-interface audio device through the usb,device node name of that audio device. The usb_mid driver then creates interface-specific device nodes. Each of these interface-specific device nodes has its own compatible name list. For an audio control interface node, the compatible name list might look like the list shown in the following example.

1. 'usbif471,101.100.config1.0' Vend 471, prod 101, rev 100, cnfg 1, iface 0
2. 'usbif471,101.config1.0'     Vend 471, product 101, config 1, interface 0
3. 'usbif471,class1.1.0'    Vend 471, class 1, subclass 1, protocol 0
4. 'usbif471,class1.1'      Vend 471, class 1, subclass 1
5. 'usbif471,class1'        Vend 471, class 1
6. 'usbif,class1.1.0'       Class 1, subclass 1, protocol 0
7. 'usbif,class1.1'         Class 1, subclass 1
8. 'usbif,class1'           Class 1

Use the following command to bind a vendor-specific, device-specific client driver named vendor_model_audio_usb to the vendor-specific, device-specific configuration 1, interface 0 interface compatible name shown in Example 20–3.

add_drv -n -i '"usbif471,101.config1.0"' vendor_model_audio_usb

Use the following command to bind a class driver named audio_class_usb_if_driver to the more general class 1, subclass 1 interface compatible name shown in Example 20–3:

add_drv -n -i '"usbif,class1.1"' audio_class_usb_if_driver

Use the prtconf –D command to show a list of devices and their drivers. In the following example, the prtconf –D command shows that the usb_mid driver manages the audio device. The usb_mid driver is splitting the audio device into interfaces. Each interface is indented under the audio device name. For each interface shown in the indented list, the prtconf –D command shows which driver manages the interface.

audio, instance #0 (driver name: usb_mid)
    sound-control, instance #2 (driver name: usb_ac)
    sound, instance #2 (driver name: usb_as)
    input, instance #8 (driver name: hid)