F16 USB pass-through to VirtualBox

[Joachim Backes]

On 02/22/2012 07:58 AM, Dave Close wrote:
> I have no previous experience with VirtualBox but have been trying to
> use it for the last couple of weeks. Now I'm having what ought to be
> a simple problem, but I'm stuck. I can't get a VBox guest to see a
> connected USB flash drive.
> 
> Host: Fedora 16
> Guest: Fedora 8
> VirtualBox: 4.1.8 with (the only) extension
> 
> Host uses a USB keyboard and mouse which are attached normally
> during boot and are visible and useable by both the host and the
> guest. However, I'm usually running the guest headless. A VBox blank
> USB "filter" is installed. When connecting a flash drive, the host
> immediately reports detection but the guest does not see anything. These
> are the only USB devices anticipated. Host /var/log/messages extract:
> 
> Feb 18 20:37:04 sunvale kernel: [  208.186078] usb 1-5: new high-speed USB device number 4 using 
> ehci_hcd
> Feb 18 20:37:04 sunvale kernel: [  208.304139] usb 1-5: New USB device found, id Vendor=0dd8, id 
> Product=c100
> Feb 18 20:37:04 sunvale kernel: [  208.304148] usb 1-5: New USB device strings: Mfr=2, Product=1, 
> SerialNumber=3
> Feb 18 20:37:04 sunvale kernel: [  208.304156] usb 1-5: Product: USB Flash Disk
> Feb 18 20:37:04 sunvale kernel: [  208.304162] usb 1-5: Manufacturer: Netac
> Feb 18 20:37:04 sunvale kernel: [  208.304167] usb 1-5: SerialNumber: 4880787365A536E3
> Feb 18 20:37:04 sunvale kernel: [  208.304980] scsi5 : usb-storage 1-5:1.0
> Feb 18 20:37:04 sunvale mtp-probe: checking bus 1, device 4: 
> "/sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:12.2/usb1/1-5"
> Feb 18 20:37:04 sunvale mtp-probe: bus: 1, device: 4 was not an MTP device
> Feb 18 20:37:05 sunvale kernel: [  209.308678] scsi 5:0:0:0: Direct-Access     Netac    OnlyDisk    
> 1.00 PQ: 0 ANSI: 2
> Feb 18 20:37:05 sunvale kernel: [  209.311032] sd 5:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg6 type 0
> Feb 18 20:37:05 sunvale kernel: [  209.649594] sd 5:0:0:0: [sdf] Assuming drive cache: write through
> Feb 18 20:37:05 sunvale kernel: [  209.649602] sd 5:0:0:0: [sdf] Attached SCSI removable disk
> 
> There are no new lines added to /var/log/messages on the guest. (Yes,
> the flash drive referenced here is ancient. It is just a test device.)
> Further information:
> 
>   # VBoxManage list usbhost
>   Host USB Devices:
>      ...
>   UUID:               c85d93b6-59a0-43b2-a347-e4f2d52dd924
>   VendorId:           0x0dd8 (0DD8)
>   ProductId:          0xc100 (C100)
>   Revision:           1.0 (0100)
>   Manufacturer:       Netac
>   Product:            USB Flash Disk
>   SerialNumber:       4880787365A536E3
>   Address:            sysfs:/sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:12.2/usb1/1-5//device:/dev/vboxusb/001/0
> 04
>   Current State:      Busy
> 
> The VBox manual seems to say that USB pass-through will not work if
> the USB device is actively used by the host. I presume this attachment
> constitutes active use, especially since it is reported as busy, but
> the drive is not mounted. (I have explicitly disabled auto-mount.) What
> do I need to do to let this device (and any other USB flash drives
> inserted) be seen by the guest?
> 
> Searching online finds only references to using auto-mount on the
> host, then sharing the mount directory with the guest. That is not
> an ideal solution in this case as software on the guest expects to
> mount the drive and would need to be extensively modified. Besides,
> I hate auto-mount.
> 
> The issue is the flash drive. What can't the guest see it?

Hi Dave,

If you are using VirtualBox-OSE from rpmfusion, there is no USB support.
If you need USB support, you must install VirtualBox *and* the
VirtualBox Extension pack, both from VirtualBox.org.

Kind regards

-- 
Joachim Backes <joachim.backes at rhrk.uni-kl.de>

http://www.rhrk.uni-kl.de/~backes

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