Access to a device by one or more application programs is controlled through the open(9E) and close(9E) entry points. An open(2) system call to a special file that represents a character device always causes a call to the open(9E) routine for the driver. For a particular minor device, open(9E) can be called many times. The close(9E) routine is called only when the final reference to a device is removed. If the device is accessed through file descriptors, the final call to close(9E) can occur as a result of a close(2) or exit(2) system call. If the device is accessed through memory mapping, the final call to close(9E) can occur as a result of a munmap(2) system call.