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Diffrence between Network int and device node?
Hello, I was wondering if someone could describe Diffrence between Device node file and Network interface file?
Why do we have to use Diffrent file for networking devices? Is communication Serial as in Character device file or parallel as in Block device file? Regards. G.B |
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If you are talking about network interfaces, like "eth0", then the answer is that they are not files nor special device files. So, please elaborate, give examples, tell us where you found the terms you want to have us explain to you, ... |
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Thanks for replying. Yes, i am talking about special device files in /dev that allow us to communicate with block and charcter devices...as we know communication is serial in case of character devices and parallel in case of block devies... I am wodering how application communicate with network interface..which is neither block device nor character device. i hope you got the point. G.B |
I wouldn't call it "serial" and "parallel", judging from my electronics background. Yes, the amount of data sent to the device is different (char-per-char or block-by-block) and may or may not include disk caching, but the physical interface can be either serial (ie SATA) or parallel (ie PATA), depending on the disk type and the bus (IDE/SCSI) the disk is connected to.
As for network interfaces, the story may be a little more complicated and may also depend on the network protocol considered. Ethernet cards (like the standard eth0 interface), for instance, support a typical TCP/IP protocol stack, which means that any data you give, is cut up into packets of a fixed maximum size (ie 1.5 KB) before they are physically transmitted over the network. So yes, applications can probably send the interface device more than just one char at a time. The hardware access to the card may be different though and may depend on the type of the network card. |
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