For instance, if a user plugs in a flash device on their host computer and nothing happens, this would likely indicate a problem with the communication over the bus. If either one isn’t able to perform its job function, the communication between two devices would falter. It is important for host and peripheral devices to be able to effectively communicate with each other. Typically, peripheral devices include USB flash drives, computer mice and keyboards, cameras, and other such devices. The peripheral device, or the slave device, is connected to the host device, and is programmed to provide the host device with the information it needs to operate.
Typically, a computer or other controller are considered to be the master, only responding to other devices if requesting certain information. USB hosts are also known as master devices, and they initiate all the communication that occurs over the USB bus. How does the USB standard define how a USB cable or device should operate? There are a variety of mechanisms that must be adhered to, including how various USB devices should interact with each other upon enumeration and communication.
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Devices that are compliant to both the USB standard’s physical layer (mechanical and electrical) and software layer are approved to use the USB logo, informing consumers and other USB adopters that their cables or devices are safe to use. USB-IF enforces the standards and specifications that USB device manufactures must comply with in order to a be verified as a trusted USB source. The USB architecture was conceptualized with the juncture of companies including Compaq, Digital Equipment, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, and Northern Telecom, and is currently maintained and regulated by the USB Implementors Forum, or USB-IF.
With the increase in technological devices during this time, having a universal cable would help reduce the confusion and inconvenience of having a collection of cables needed for each individual device.
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The USB protocol, also known as Universal Serial Bus, was first created and introduced in 1996 as a way to institutionalize a more widespread, uniform cable and connector that could be used across a multitude of different devices. An Introduction to the USB Protocol The History of USB