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Table Of Contents
Disable Smart Card Sharing
By default, you can share a smart card between virtual machines or between the host system and one or
more virtual machines. You might want to disable smart card sharing if you are using a PCMCIA smart card
reader, deploying virtual machines for enterprise use and do not want to support drivers for various smart
card readers, or the host system has drivers but the virtual machines do not.
The setting that controls smart card sharing is located in the Player global configuration file.
Procedure
1 Find the global configuration file on the host system.
Operating System Location
Most Windows hosts
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application
Data\VMware\VMware Player\config.ini
Windows Vista and Windows 7
hosts
C:\ProgramData\VMware\VMware Player\config.ini
Linux hosts
/etc/vmware/config
2 If the global configuration file does not yet exist on the host system, select Player > File > Player
Preferences and change at least one Player preference settings.
Player creates the global configuration file when you change Player preference settings.
3 Open the global configuration file in a text editor and set the usb.ccid.useSharedMode property to
FALSE.
For example: usb.ccid.useSharedMode = "FALSE"
4 Save and close the global configuration file.
5 Set permissions on the global configuration file so that other users cannot change it.
Switch to a Virtual Smart Card Reader on a Linux Host
Because of the way smart card reader functionality is implemented on Linux hosts, you must exit Player and
restart the pcscd daemon on the host system before you can switch from the non-virtual smart card reader to
the virtual smart card reader.
Procedure
1 Select the virtual machine, select Virtual Machine > Removable Devices, select the smart card reader,
and select Disconnect.
2 Power off the virtual machine and exit Player.
3 Physically disconnect the smart card reader from the host system.
4 Restart the pcscd daemon on the host system.
5 Physically connect the smart card reader to the host system.
6 Start Player and start the virtual machine.
7 Select the virtual machine, select Virtual Machine > Removable Devices, select the smart card reader,
and select Connect.
Chapter 4 Using Virtual Machines
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