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XK0-004 · Question #268

A new IO card has been added to the security server to log the opening and closing of the main entrance. A switch is attached, so the interface card returns a 1 when the door is opened and a 0 when…

The correct answer is B. /dev/port. Linux exposes direct access to hardware I/O port address space through /dev/port, making it the appropriate device node for an add-in IO card that communicates via port-mapped I/O.

System Management

Question

A new IO card has been added to the security server to log the opening and closing of the main entrance. A switch is attached, so the interface card returns a 1 when the door is opened and a 0 when the door is closed. Which of the following describes the Linux device to which this switch is attached?

Options

  • A/dev/tty0
  • B/dev/port
  • C/dev/gpio
  • D/dev/sg0

How the community answered

(32 responses)
  • A
    3% (1)
  • B
    84% (27)
  • C
    3% (1)
  • D
    9% (3)

Why each option

Linux exposes direct access to hardware I/O port address space through /dev/port, making it the appropriate device node for an add-in IO card that communicates via port-mapped I/O.

A/dev/tty0

/dev/tty0 is the first virtual console terminal device and has nothing to do with hardware I/O ports or physical switch inputs.

B/dev/portCorrect

/dev/port provides character-device access to the system's I/O port address space (x86 in/out instructions). An IO expansion card added to a server communicates with the CPU through I/O ports, so reading or writing /dev/port at the appropriate offset reflects the card's input signals - including the 1/0 switch state reported by the door sensor.

C/dev/gpio

/dev/gpio is a sysfs/character interface for general-purpose I/O pins found on embedded platforms such as Raspberry Pi; it is not a standard device node present on general-purpose Linux servers for add-in IO cards.

D/dev/sg0

/dev/sg0 is a SCSI generic device node used to send raw SCSI commands to storage devices, unrelated to parallel I/O port hardware.

Concept tested: Linux /dev/port hardware I/O port access

Source: https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/admin-guide/devices.html

Topics

#/dev/port#I/O ports#device files#hardware interfaces

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