Or with grep: $ dmesg | grep SOME_DRIVER_KEYWORDĪny driver that's recognized will show in the results. The dmesg command shows all device drivers recognized by the kernel: $ dmesg Or with grep: $ lscpci | grep SOME_DRIVER_KEYWORDįor example, you can type lspci | grep SAMSUNG if you want to know if a Samsung driver is installed. The lspci command shows detailed information about all PCI buses and devices on the system: $ lscpci This is beyond the scope of this article, but you should be able to find online guides if you choose to go this route.īefore jumping further into installing a driver in Linux, let's look at some commands that will determine whether the driver is already available on your system. This usually involves downloading a package directly from a website or using the wget command and running the configuration file and Makefile to install it.
This is similar to the homebrew command in MacOS. What if you can't find a driver through your nice user interface application? Or you only have access through the shell with no graphic interface whatsoever? Maybe you've even decided to expand your skills by using a console. Other Linux distributions provide helper programs, like Package Manager for GNOME, that you can check for available drivers. Ubuntu offers the Additional Drivers option. If you are new to Linux and coming from the Windows or MacOS world, you'll be glad to know that Linux offers ways to see whether a driver is available through wizard-like programs. To learn more about how Linux drivers work, I recommend reading An Introduction to Device Drivers in the book Linux Device Drivers. And Ubuntu asks users to avoid using proprietary or closed hardware. For example, Fedora prohibits including drivers that are proprietary, legally encumbered, or that violate US laws.
Third, license policies vary among the different Linux distributions.
Second, most default Linux drivers are open source and integrated into the system, which makes installing any drivers that are not included quite complicated, even though most hardware devices can be automatically detected. Each Linux operating system handles the driver installation process a different way. This means it's impossible to create one how-to guide that works for all Linux distros. For one reason, Linux is an open source operating system, so there are hundreds of Linux distribution variations. This process isn't as easy on a Linux operating system.
You can also download a driver from the internet, then just double-click it to run a wizard or import the driver through Device Manager. For example, when you plug in a new piece of hardware, Windows automatically detects it and shows a pop-up window asking if you want to continue with the driver's installation. This is understandable, as Windows and MacOS have mechanisms that make this process user-friendly. One of the most daunting challenges for people switching from a familiar Windows or MacOS system to Linux is installing and configuring a driver.