What's the fxp?

Question

When I read this article:

fxp -- Intel EtherExpress PRO/100 Ethernet device driver

I have several questions about it:

I know Ethernet, but what's the EtherExpress?
what's PRO/100 mean? is the 100 mean 100Mbps?
there say fxp is Ethernet device driver, what's the meaning of device driver? is it a software?

If i were to guess Ether is shorthand for Ethernet. Intel EtherExpress PRO is the name of the device series. Your Ethernet device is a device and requires a driver to function. — Ramhound, Commented Feb 8, 2021 at 1:21
It's a 10/100 MB/sec Ethernet device. Most product names don't actually mean anything. — Ramhound, Commented Feb 8, 2021 at 1:35

Jörg W Mittag · Accepted Answer · 2021-02-08 08:45:11Z

I know Ethernet, but what's the EtherExpress?

EtherExpress is the brand name for a series of network cards by Intel.

what's PRO/100 mean?

PRO/100 is the brand name for a network card from the mid-1990s in the EtherExpress family by Intel.

is the 100 mean 100Mbps?

The Intel EtherExpress PRO/100 supports 10Base-T and 100Base-TX media types.

there say fxp is Ethernet device driver, what's the meaning of device driver? is it a software?

A device driver is a piece of software that knows how to "talk to" a device. Without a device driver, a device is useless.

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