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Table Of Contents
VMware, Inc. 163
Chapter 8 Configuring Virtual Machine Hardware
Using USB with a Linux Host
OnLinuxhosts,VMwareServerusestheUSBdevicefilesystemtoconnecttoUSB
devices.InLinuxsystemsthatsupportUSB,theUSBdevicefilesystemisusually
/proc/bus/usb.
IfyourhostoperatingsystemusesadifferentpathtotheUSBdevicefilesystem,run
thefollowingcommandas
roottomountthefilesystemtotheexpectedlocation:
mount -t usbfs none /proc/bus/usb
DonotattempttoaddaUSBdrive’sdevicenode(forexample,/dev/sda)directoryto
thevirtualmachineasaharddisk.
How Device Control Is Shared Between Host and Guest
OnlythehostortheguestcanhavecontrolofaUSBdeviceatanyonetime.Device
controloperatesdifferently,dependingonwhetherthehostisaLinuxoraWindows
computer.
Device Control on a Windows Host
Whenyouconnectadevicetoavirtualmachine,itis“unplugged”fromthehostor
fromthe
virtualmachinethatpreviouslyhadcontrolofthedevice.Whenyou
disconnectadevicefromavirtualmachine,itis“pluggedin”tothehost.
OnWindowshosts,whenyouconnectaUSBnetworkorstoragedevicetoavirtual
machine,youmightseeamessageonyourhostthatsays
thedevicecanberemoved
safely.Thisisnormalbehavior ,andyoucandismissthedialogbox.However,donot
removethedevicefromyourphysicalcomputer.
Undersomecircumstances,ifaUSBstoragedeviceisinuseonthehost(forexample,
oneormorefilesstoredonthe
deviceareopenonthehost),anerrorappearsinthe
virtualmachinewhenyoutrytoconnecttothedevice.Youmustletthehostcomplete
itsoperationorcloseanyapplicationconnectedtothedeviceonthehost,andthen
connecttothedeviceinthevirtualmachineagain.
CAUTIONOnWindows2000andWindowsServer2003hosts,youneedtotakea
specialsteptodisconnectUSBnetworkandstoragedevicesfromthehostbefore
connectingthemtoavirtualmachine.Usetheappropriatesystemtrayiconto
disconnectthedevicefromthehost.OnWindows2000,theicon
iscalledEject
Hardware,andonWindowsServer2003,itiscalledSafelyRemoveHardware.