USB 2.0 Features

This description is new in the Solaris Express 2/03 release and updated in the Solaris Express 9/03 release. For Solaris 9 users, USB 2.0 support is new in the Solaris 9 4/04 release.

The Software Express releases include the following USB 2.0 features:

• Better Performance – Increased data throughput for devices attached to USB 2.0 controllers, up to 40 times faster than USB 1.1 devices

  You can particularly benefit from the high-speed USB protocol when accessing high-speed mass storage devices, such as DVDs and hard drives.

• Backward Compatibility – Compatibility with 1.0 and 1.1 devices and drivers so that you can use the same connectors and software interfaces

  USB 1.x devices can also use the same 1.x cables as before or the newer USB 2.0 cables. USB 2.0 devices, per next description, require USB 2.0 cables.

For a description of USB devices and terminology, see “Overview of USB Devices” in the System Administration Guide: Devices and File Systems.