Specifications

CHAPTER 8 Configuring Devices
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Connecting USB Devices
When a virtual machine is running, its window is the active window and a USB device
is plugged into the host computer, the device automatically connects to the guest
instead of the host. This autoconnect feature can be disabled in the USB Controller
panel of the virtual machine settings editor (VM > Settings). If all of the virtual
machine’s USB ports are already occupied when it is trying to connect automatically
to a new device, a dialog box gives you a choice: you can either disconnect one of the
existing USB devices to free its port, or ignore the new device, allowing the device to
connect to the host.
Choose VM > Removable Devices to connect specific USB devices to your virtual
machine. You can connect up to two USB devices at a time. If the physical USB devices
are connected to the host computer through a hub, the virtual machine sees only the
USB devices, not the hub.
There is a menu item for each of the USB ports. Move the mouse over one of these
items to see a cascading menu of devices that are plugged into your host computer
and available for use. To connect a device to the virtual machine, click its name.
If a device is already connected to that port, click the name of a new device to release
the first device and connect the new one.
To release a connected device, click None on the cascading menu for the port to
which it is connected.
If you physically plug a new device into the host computer and the autoconnect
feature does not connect it to a virtual machine, the device is initially connected to
the host. Its name is also added to the Removable Devices submenu so you can
connect it to the virtual machine manually.
Using USB with a Windows Host
When a particular USB device is connected to a virtual machine for the first time, the
host detects it as a new device named VMware USB Device and installs the
appropriate VMware driver.
On a Windows Server 2003 host, User confirmation is required in the Found New
Hardware Wizard. Select the default action — Install the software automatically.
Once the software is installed, the guest operating system detects the USB device and
searches for a suitable driver.
When you are synchronizing a PDA, such as a Palm handheld or Handspring Visor, to a
virtual machine for the first time, the total time required to load the VMware USB
device driver in the host and the PDA driver in the guest may exceed the device’s
connection timeout value. This causes the device to disconnect itself from the