1 /proc/bus/usb filesystem output
2 ===============================
6 The usbfs filesystem for USB devices is traditionally mounted at
7 /proc/bus/usb. It provides the /proc/bus/usb/devices file, as well as
8 the /proc/bus/usb/BBB/DDD files.
11 **NOTE**: If /proc/bus/usb appears empty, and a host controller
12 driver has been linked, then you need to mount the
13 filesystem. Issue the command (as root):
15 mount -t usbfs none /proc/bus/usb
17 An alternative and more permanent method would be to add
19 none /proc/bus/usb usbfs defaults 0 0
21 to /etc/fstab. This will mount usbfs at each reboot.
22 You can then issue `cat /proc/bus/usb/devices` to extract
23 USB device information, and user mode drivers can use usbfs
24 to interact with USB devices.
26 There are a number of mount options supported by usbfs.
27 Consult the source code (linux/drivers/usb/core/inode.c) for
28 information about those options.
30 **NOTE**: The filesystem has been renamed from "usbdevfs" to
31 "usbfs", to reduce confusion with "devfs". You may
32 still see references to the older "usbdevfs" name.
34 For more information on mounting the usbfs file system, see the
35 "USB Device Filesystem" section of the USB Guide. The latest copy
36 of the USB Guide can be found at http://www.linux-usb.org/
39 THE /proc/bus/usb/BBB/DDD FILES:
40 --------------------------------
41 Each connected USB device has one file. The BBB indicates the bus
42 number. The DDD indicates the device address on that bus. Both
43 of these numbers are assigned sequentially, and can be reused, so
44 you can't rely on them for stable access to devices. For example,
45 it's relatively common for devices to re-enumerate while they are
46 still connected (perhaps someone jostled their power supply, hub,
47 or USB cable), so a device might be 002/027 when you first connect
48 it and 002/048 sometime later.
50 These files can be read as binary data. The binary data consists
51 of first the device descriptor, then the descriptors for each
52 configuration of the device. Multi-byte fields in the device and
53 configuration descriptors, but not other descriptors, are converted
54 to host endianness by the kernel. This information is also shown
55 in text form by the /proc/bus/usb/devices file, described later.
57 These files may also be used to write user-level drivers for the USB
58 devices. You would open the /proc/bus/usb/BBB/DDD file read/write,
59 read its descriptors to make sure it's the device you expect, and then
60 bind to an interface (or perhaps several) using an ioctl call. You
61 would issue more ioctls to the device to communicate to it using
62 control, bulk, or other kinds of USB transfers. The IOCTLs are
63 listed in the <linux/usbdevice_fs.h> file, and at this writing the
64 source code (linux/drivers/usb/core/devio.c) is the primary reference
65 for how to access devices through those files.
67 Note that since by default these BBB/DDD files are writable only by
68 root, only root can write such user mode drivers. You can selectively
69 grant read/write permissions to other users by using "chmod". Also,
70 usbfs mount options such as "devmode=0666" may be helpful.
74 THE /proc/bus/usb/devices FILE:
75 -------------------------------
76 In /proc/bus/usb/devices, each device's output has multiple
77 lines of ASCII output.
78 I made it ASCII instead of binary on purpose, so that someone
79 can obtain some useful data from it without the use of an
80 auxiliary program. However, with an auxiliary program, the numbers
81 in the first 4 columns of each "T:" line (topology info:
82 Lev, Prnt, Port, Cnt) can be used to build a USB topology diagram.
84 Each line is tagged with a one-character ID for that line:
87 B = Bandwidth (applies only to USB host controllers, which are
88 virtualized as root hubs)
89 D = Device descriptor info.
90 P = Product ID info. (from Device descriptor, but they won't fit
92 S = String descriptors.
93 C = Configuration descriptor info. (* = active configuration)
94 I = Interface descriptor info.
95 E = Endpoint descriptor info.
97 =======================================================================
99 /proc/bus/usb/devices output format:
102 d = decimal number (may have leading spaces or 0's)
103 x = hexadecimal number (may have leading spaces or 0's)
109 T: Bus=dd Lev=dd Prnt=dd Port=dd Cnt=dd Dev#=ddd Spd=ddd MxCh=dd
110 | | | | | | | | |__MaxChildren
111 | | | | | | | |__Device Speed in Mbps
112 | | | | | | |__DeviceNumber
113 | | | | | |__Count of devices at this level
114 | | | | |__Connector/Port on Parent for this device
115 | | | |__Parent DeviceNumber
116 | | |__Level in topology for this bus
121 1.5 Mbit/s for low speed USB
122 12 Mbit/s for full speed USB
123 480 Mbit/s for high speed USB (added for USB 2.0)
127 B: Alloc=ddd/ddd us (xx%), #Int=ddd, #Iso=ddd
128 | | | |__Number of isochronous requests
129 | | |__Number of interrupt requests
130 | |__Total Bandwidth allocated to this bus
131 |__Bandwidth info tag
133 Bandwidth allocation is an approximation of how much of one frame
134 (millisecond) is in use. It reflects only periodic transfers, which
135 are the only transfers that reserve bandwidth. Control and bulk
136 transfers use all other bandwidth, including reserved bandwidth that
137 is not used for transfers (such as for short packets).
139 The percentage is how much of the "reserved" bandwidth is scheduled by
140 those transfers. For a low or full speed bus (loosely, "USB 1.1"),
141 90% of the bus bandwidth is reserved. For a high speed bus (loosely,
142 "USB 2.0") 80% is reserved.
145 Device descriptor info & Product ID info:
147 D: Ver=x.xx Cls=xx(s) Sub=xx Prot=xx MxPS=dd #Cfgs=dd
148 P: Vendor=xxxx ProdID=xxxx Rev=xx.xx
151 D: Ver=x.xx Cls=xx(sssss) Sub=xx Prot=xx MxPS=dd #Cfgs=dd
152 | | | | | | |__NumberConfigurations
153 | | | | | |__MaxPacketSize of Default Endpoint
154 | | | | |__DeviceProtocol
155 | | | |__DeviceSubClass
157 | |__Device USB version
158 |__Device info tag #1
161 P: Vendor=xxxx ProdID=xxxx Rev=xx.xx
162 | | | |__Product revision number
163 | | |__Product ID code
165 |__Device info tag #2
168 String descriptor info:
171 | |__Manufacturer of this device as read from the device.
172 | For USB host controller drivers (virtual root hubs) this may
173 | be omitted, or (for newer drivers) will identify the kernel
174 | version and the driver which provides this hub emulation.
178 | |__Product description of this device as read from the device.
179 | For older USB host controller drivers (virtual root hubs) this
180 | indicates the driver; for newer ones, it's a product (and vendor)
181 | description that often comes from the kernel's PCI ID database.
185 | |__Serial Number of this device as read from the device.
186 | For USB host controller drivers (virtual root hubs) this is
187 | some unique ID, normally a bus ID (address or slot name) that
188 | can't be shared with any other device.
193 Configuration descriptor info:
195 C:* #Ifs=dd Cfg#=dd Atr=xx MPwr=dddmA
196 | | | | | |__MaxPower in mA
197 | | | | |__Attributes
198 | | | |__ConfiguratioNumber
199 | | |__NumberOfInterfaces
200 | |__ "*" indicates the active configuration (others are " ")
203 USB devices may have multiple configurations, each of which act
204 rather differently. For example, a bus-powered configuration
205 might be much less capable than one that is self-powered. Only
206 one device configuration can be active at a time; most devices
207 have only one configuration.
209 Each configuration consists of one or more interfaces. Each
210 interface serves a distinct "function", which is typically bound
211 to a different USB device driver. One common example is a USB
212 speaker with an audio interface for playback, and a HID interface
213 for use with software volume control.
216 Interface descriptor info (can be multiple per Config):
218 I:* If#=dd Alt=dd #EPs=dd Cls=xx(sssss) Sub=xx Prot=xx Driver=ssss
219 | | | | | | | | |__Driver name
220 | | | | | | | | or "(none)"
221 | | | | | | | |__InterfaceProtocol
222 | | | | | | |__InterfaceSubClass
223 | | | | | |__InterfaceClass
224 | | | | |__NumberOfEndpoints
225 | | | |__AlternateSettingNumber
226 | | |__InterfaceNumber
227 | |__ "*" indicates the active altsetting (others are " ")
228 |__Interface info tag
230 A given interface may have one or more "alternate" settings.
231 For example, default settings may not use more than a small
232 amount of periodic bandwidth. To use significant fractions
233 of bus bandwidth, drivers must select a non-default altsetting.
235 Only one setting for an interface may be active at a time, and
236 only one driver may bind to an interface at a time. Most devices
237 have only one alternate setting per interface.
240 Endpoint descriptor info (can be multiple per Interface):
242 E: Ad=xx(s) Atr=xx(ssss) MxPS=dddd Ivl=dddss
243 | | | | |__Interval (max) between transfers
244 | | | |__EndpointMaxPacketSize
245 | | |__Attributes(EndpointType)
246 | |__EndpointAddress(I=In,O=Out)
249 The interval is nonzero for all periodic (interrupt or isochronous)
250 endpoints. For high speed endpoints the transfer interval may be
251 measured in microseconds rather than milliseconds.
253 For high speed periodic endpoints, the "MaxPacketSize" reflects
254 the per-microframe data transfer size. For "high bandwidth"
255 endpoints, that can reflect two or three packets (for up to
256 3KBytes every 125 usec) per endpoint.
258 With the Linux-USB stack, periodic bandwidth reservations use the
259 transfer intervals and sizes provided by URBs, which can be less
260 than those found in endpoint descriptor.
263 =======================================================================
266 If a user or script is interested only in Topology info, for
267 example, use something like "grep ^T: /proc/bus/usb/devices"
268 for only the Topology lines. A command like
269 "grep -i ^[tdp]: /proc/bus/usb/devices" can be used to list
270 only the lines that begin with the characters in square brackets,
271 where the valid characters are TDPCIE. With a slightly more able
272 script, it can display any selected lines (for example, only T, D,
273 and P lines) and change their output format. (The "procusb"
274 Perl script is the beginning of this idea. It will list only
275 selected lines [selected from TBDPSCIE] or "All" lines from
276 /proc/bus/usb/devices.)
278 The Topology lines can be used to generate a graphic/pictorial
279 of the USB devices on a system's root hub. (See more below
282 The Interface lines can be used to determine what driver is
283 being used for each device, and which altsetting it activated.
285 The Configuration lines could be used to list maximum power
286 (in milliamps) that a system's USB devices are using.
287 For example, "grep ^C: /proc/bus/usb/devices".
290 Here's an example, from a system which has a UHCI root hub,
291 an external hub connected to the root hub, and a mouse and
292 a serial converter connected to the external hub.
294 T: Bus=00 Lev=00 Prnt=00 Port=00 Cnt=00 Dev#= 1 Spd=12 MxCh= 2
295 B: Alloc= 28/900 us ( 3%), #Int= 2, #Iso= 0
296 D: Ver= 1.00 Cls=09(hub ) Sub=00 Prot=00 MxPS= 8 #Cfgs= 1
297 P: Vendor=0000 ProdID=0000 Rev= 0.00
298 S: Product=USB UHCI Root Hub
300 C:* #Ifs= 1 Cfg#= 1 Atr=40 MxPwr= 0mA
301 I: If#= 0 Alt= 0 #EPs= 1 Cls=09(hub ) Sub=00 Prot=00 Driver=hub
302 E: Ad=81(I) Atr=03(Int.) MxPS= 8 Ivl=255ms
304 T: Bus=00 Lev=01 Prnt=01 Port=00 Cnt=01 Dev#= 2 Spd=12 MxCh= 4
305 D: Ver= 1.00 Cls=09(hub ) Sub=00 Prot=00 MxPS= 8 #Cfgs= 1
306 P: Vendor=0451 ProdID=1446 Rev= 1.00
307 C:* #Ifs= 1 Cfg#= 1 Atr=e0 MxPwr=100mA
308 I: If#= 0 Alt= 0 #EPs= 1 Cls=09(hub ) Sub=00 Prot=00 Driver=hub
309 E: Ad=81(I) Atr=03(Int.) MxPS= 1 Ivl=255ms
311 T: Bus=00 Lev=02 Prnt=02 Port=00 Cnt=01 Dev#= 3 Spd=1.5 MxCh= 0
312 D: Ver= 1.00 Cls=00(>ifc ) Sub=00 Prot=00 MxPS= 8 #Cfgs= 1
313 P: Vendor=04b4 ProdID=0001 Rev= 0.00
314 C:* #Ifs= 1 Cfg#= 1 Atr=80 MxPwr=100mA
315 I: If#= 0 Alt= 0 #EPs= 1 Cls=03(HID ) Sub=01 Prot=02 Driver=mouse
316 E: Ad=81(I) Atr=03(Int.) MxPS= 3 Ivl= 10ms
318 T: Bus=00 Lev=02 Prnt=02 Port=02 Cnt=02 Dev#= 4 Spd=12 MxCh= 0
319 D: Ver= 1.00 Cls=00(>ifc ) Sub=00 Prot=00 MxPS= 8 #Cfgs= 1
320 P: Vendor=0565 ProdID=0001 Rev= 1.08
321 S: Manufacturer=Peracom Networks, Inc.
322 S: Product=Peracom USB to Serial Converter
323 C:* #Ifs= 1 Cfg#= 1 Atr=a0 MxPwr=100mA
324 I: If#= 0 Alt= 0 #EPs= 3 Cls=00(>ifc ) Sub=00 Prot=00 Driver=serial
325 E: Ad=81(I) Atr=02(Bulk) MxPS= 64 Ivl= 16ms
326 E: Ad=01(O) Atr=02(Bulk) MxPS= 16 Ivl= 16ms
327 E: Ad=82(I) Atr=03(Int.) MxPS= 8 Ivl= 8ms
330 Selecting only the "T:" and "I:" lines from this (for example, by using
331 "procusb ti"), we have:
333 T: Bus=00 Lev=00 Prnt=00 Port=00 Cnt=00 Dev#= 1 Spd=12 MxCh= 2
334 T: Bus=00 Lev=01 Prnt=01 Port=00 Cnt=01 Dev#= 2 Spd=12 MxCh= 4
335 I: If#= 0 Alt= 0 #EPs= 1 Cls=09(hub ) Sub=00 Prot=00 Driver=hub
336 T: Bus=00 Lev=02 Prnt=02 Port=00 Cnt=01 Dev#= 3 Spd=1.5 MxCh= 0
337 I: If#= 0 Alt= 0 #EPs= 1 Cls=03(HID ) Sub=01 Prot=02 Driver=mouse
338 T: Bus=00 Lev=02 Prnt=02 Port=02 Cnt=02 Dev#= 4 Spd=12 MxCh= 0
339 I: If#= 0 Alt= 0 #EPs= 3 Cls=00(>ifc ) Sub=00 Prot=00 Driver=serial
342 Physically this looks like (or could be converted to):
345 | PC/root_hub (12)| Dev# = 1
346 +------------------+ (nn) is Mbps.
347 Level 0 | CN.0 | CN.1 | [CN = connector/port #]
351 +-----------------------+
352 Level 1 | Dev#2: 4-port hub (12)|
353 +-----------------------+
354 |CN.0 |CN.1 |CN.2 |CN.3 |
355 +-----------------------+
356 \ \____________________
359 +--------------------+ +--------------------+
360 Level 2 | Dev# 3: mouse (1.5)| | Dev# 4: serial (12)|
361 +--------------------+ +--------------------+
365 Or, in a more tree-like structure (ports [Connectors] without
366 connections could be omitted):
368 PC: Dev# 1, root hub, 2 ports, 12 Mbps
369 |_ CN.0: Dev# 2, hub, 4 ports, 12 Mbps
370 |_ CN.0: Dev #3, mouse, 1.5 Mbps
372 |_ CN.2: Dev #4, serial, 12 Mbps