A hardware device or software program that operates, controls, or regulates another device or network element. A line driver, for example, converts a digital electrical signal into a low voltage, low impedance signal that can travel longer distances over a dedicated copper circuit. A software driver is a device-specific program that controls the operation of a peripheral device, such as a monitor or printer. As a separate software program, a driver relieves the computer operating system (OS) of the burden of dealing with mundane, device-specific tasks. See also hardware, OS, program, and software.