Description: The Universal Serial Bus (USB) is a connection standard that allows communication and electrical power supply between peripheral devices and computers. Managed by the operating system kernel, USB facilitates the interconnection of a wide variety of devices, such as printers, scanners, cameras, keyboards, and storage units. Its modular design and ability to support multiple devices through a single port have revolutionized the way we interact with technology. USB enables high-speed data transfer and hot-swapping, meaning devices can be connected and disconnected without needing to restart the system. Over the years, the standard has evolved from its early versions that offered transfer speeds of 1.5 Mbps to current versions that reach speeds of up to 40 Gbps with USB 4.0. This evolution has made USB an essential component in the architecture of modern computing environments, facilitating virtualization and efficient resource management.
History: The USB standard was developed in 1994 by a group of companies, including Intel, Microsoft, and Compaq, with the aim of simplifying the connection of peripheral devices to computers. The first version, USB 1.0, was released in 1996, offering transfer speeds of up to 1.5 Mbps. In 1998, USB 1.1 was introduced, improving stability and compatibility. Subsequently, USB 2.0 was released in 2000, increasing the speed to 480 Mbps. The evolution continued with USB 3.0 in 2008, which offered speeds of up to 5 Gbps, and USB 3.1 in 2013, reaching up to 10 Gbps. The latest version, USB 4.0, was announced in 2019, allowing speeds of up to 40 Gbps and improving compatibility with Thunderbolt 3.
Uses: USB is used in a wide variety of applications, from connecting external storage devices, such as hard drives and USB flash drives, to connecting peripherals like printers, scanners, and cameras. It is also common in mobile devices for charging and data transfer. In virtualization environments, USB allows the connection of virtual devices to virtual machines, facilitating resource management and interaction with physical hardware. Additionally, USB is used in embedded systems and IoT devices for communication and power supply.
Examples: Examples of USB usage include connecting a printer to a computer via a USB cable, transferring files from a USB flash drive to a computer, and charging a smartphone using a USB-C cable. In virtualization environments, a USB device can be assigned to a virtual machine to allow access to a scanner or camera, enhancing the functionality of the virtualized system.
