---
name: "usbmodules"
section: "8"
platform: "linux"
package: "usbutils"
version: "0.72-7"
release: "Debian 4.0 (Etch)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/usbmodules/8"
---

# usbmodules(8)

List kernel driver modules available for a plugged in USB device

## NAME

usbmodules - List kernel driver modules available for a plugged in USB device

## SYNOPSIS

**usbmodules** \[**--device** /proc/bus/usb/NNN/NNN \| **--product** xx/xx/xx **--type** dd/dd/dd **--interface** dd/dd/dd**\]** \[**--check** modulename**\]** \[**--help**\] \[**--mapfile** pathname**\]** \[**--version** pathname**\]**

## DESCRIPTION

**usbmodules** lists driver modules that may be able to manage interfaces on currently plugged in USB devices. **usbmodules** may be used on 2.4 kernels by /sbin/hotplug or one of its agents (normally */etc/hotplug/usb.agent*) when USB devices are "hot plugged" into the system.  This can be done by the following Bourne shell syntax:

-

  	for module in $(usbmodules --device $DEVICE) ; do

-

  		modprobe -s -k "$module"

-

  	done

or

-

  	for module in $(usbmodules --product $PRODUCT --type $TYPE --interface $INTERFACE) ; do

-

  		modprobe -s -k "$module"

-

  	done

Note that the -k option of modprobe is not yet implemented on 2.6 kernels and simply ignored.

The DEVICE environment variable is passed from the kernel to /sbin/hotplug during USB hotplugging if the kernel was configured using *usbdevfs.* The environment variables PRODUCT, TYPE and INTERFACE are set when /sbin/hotplug is called during hotplugging. **usbmodules** can operate with both configurations.

When a USB device is removed from the system, the Linux kernel will decrement a usage count on USB driver module.  If this count drops to zero (i.e., there are no clients for the USB device driver), then the **modprobe -r** process that is normally configured to run from cron every few minutes will eventually remove the unneeded module.

## OPTIONS

- **--check** *modulename*

  Instead of listing the relevant modules, just exit with code 0 (success) if the given module's exported USB ID patterns matches.  Otherwise, return failure.   **usbmodules** emits no output either way.

- **--device** */proc/bus/usb/MMM/NNN*

  Selects which device **usbmodules** will examine.  The argument is mandatory unless **--product** , **--type** and **--interface** are used together.

- **--product** *xx/xx/xx* **--type** *dd/dd/dd* **--interface** *dd/dd/dd*

  Alternative way to select the device **usbmodules** will examine. These arguments are mandatory unless **--device** is given.

- **--help, -h**

  Print a help message

- **--mapfile** */etc/hotplug/usb.handmap*

  Use the specified file instead of the /lib/modules/.../modules.usbmap file corresponding to the running kernel.

- **--version**

  Identifies the version of *usbutils* this tool was built with.

## FILES

- **/lib/modules/\<kernel-version\>/modules.usbmap**

  This file is automatically generated by **depmod,** versions 2.4.2 and later, and is used by **usbmodules** to determine which modules correspond to which USB ID's.

- **/proc/bus/usb**

  An optional interface to USB devices provided by Linux kernels with versions of the 2.4 USB support. Contains per-bus subdirectories with per-device files (offering a usermode driver API as well as access to device and configuration descriptors), a *devices* file containing a list of all USB devices, and a  *drivers* file listing USB device drivers known to the USB subsystem.

## SEE ALSO

[**lsusb**(8)](/lsusb/8.md), *http://linux-hotplug.sourceforge.net*

## AUTHOR

**usbmodules** was written by Adam J. Richter \<adam@yggdrasil.com\>, and is based partly on **lsusb,** which was written by Thomas Sailer \<sailer@ife.ee.ethz.ch\>.

## COPYRIGHT

**usbmodules** is copyright 2000, Yggdrasil Computing, Incorporated, and copyright 1999, Thomas Sailer. **usbmodules** may may be copied under the terms and conditions of version 2 of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation (Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America).