Specifications

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VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide
device name here, such as /dev/parport0. If you are connecting with a
Linux console to add a physical parallel port to a virtual machine on a remote
Windows host, be sure to specify a Windows device name here, such as LPT1.
6. Click OK to add the parallel port.
Configuring a Parallel Port on a Linux Host
For the parallel port to work properly in a guest, it must first be configured properly on
the host. Most issues involving parallel port functionality are a result of the host
configuration. Check these areas of concern: the version of your Linux kernel, your
device access permissions and the required modules.
Parallel Ports and Linux 2.6.x Kernels
Be sure that PC Style Hardware (CONFIG_PARPORT_PC) is loaded as a module as
mentioned at the beginning of Using Parallel Ports on page 290. If you are using a
2.6.x kernel, the modules that provide parallel port functionality are parport_pc
and ppdev.
To see if these modules are installed and running on your system, run the lsmod
command as the root user. You can also look at the /proc/modules file for the
same list.
With a 2.6.x kernel, loading parport_pc does not load both modules. If neither of
the listed parallel port modules is running, use this command:
modprobe parport_pc && modprobe ppdev
This command inserts both modules needed for a parallel port.
If you continue to see problems, it is possible that the lp module is running. If it is, the
virtual machine cannot use the parallel port correctly. To remove the lp module, run
this command as the root user:
rmmod lp
You should also ensure that the line referring to the lp module in the /etc/
modules.conf or /etc/conf.modules file is removed or commented out by
inserting a hash character (#) at the beginning of the line. The name of the
configuration file depends on the Linux distribution you are using. When you reboot
the host after removing this line, the configuration file no longer starts the lp
module.
To ensure that the proper modules for the parallel port are loaded at boot time, add
this line to the /etc/modules.conf or /etc/conf.modules file:
alias parport_lowlevel parport_pc