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Certain hubs can cause USB device connections to be unreliable, so use care when you add a new hub
to an existing setup. Connecting certain USB devices directly to the client computer rather than to a hub
or extension cable might resolve their connection or performance issues. In some cases, you must
remove and reattach the device and hub to restore the device to a working state.
USB Compound Devices
For compound devices, the virtualization process filters out the USB hub so that it is not visible to the virtual
machine. The remaining USB devices in the compound appear to the virtual machine as separate devices.
You can add each device to the same virtual machine or to different virtual machines if they run on the same
host.
For example, the Aladdin HASP HL Drive USB dongle package contains three devices (0529:0001 HASP
dongle, 13fe:1a00 Hub, 13fe:1d00 Kingston Drive). The virtualization process filters out the USB hub. The
remaining Aladdin HASP HL Drive USB dongle devices (one Aladdin HASP dongle and one Kingston
Drive) appear to the virtual machine as individual devices. You must add each device separately to make it
accessible to the virtual machine.
Connect USB Devices to a Client Computer
You can connect multiple USB devices to a client computer so that virtual machines can access the devices.
The number of devices that you can add depends on several factors, such as how the devices and hubs chain
together and the device type.
The number of ports on each client computer depends on the physical setup of the client. When you
calculate the depth of hub chaining, remember that on a typical server the front ports connect to an internal
hub.
The USB arbitrator can monitor a maximum of 15 USB controllers. If your system includes controllers that
exceed the 15 controller limit and you connect USB devices to them, the devices are not available to the
virtual machine.
Prerequisites
Verify that you know the requirements for configuring USB devices from a remote computer to a virtual
machine. See “USB Configuration from a Client Computer to a Virtual Machine,” on page 146.
Procedure
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To add a USB device to a client computer, connect the device to an available port or hub.
The USB device appears in the toolbar menu.
What to do next
You can now add the USB device to the virtual machine. See “Add USB Devices from a Client Computer to
a Virtual Machine in the vSphere Web Client,” on page 149.
Add a USB Controller to a Virtual Machine
USB controllers are available to add to virtual machines to support USB passthrough from an ESXi host or
from a client computer to a virtual machine.
You can add one virtual xHCI controller, one virtual EHCI controller, and one virtual UHCI controller per
virtual machine. With Hardware Version 11, the supported number of root hub ports per xHCI controller is
eight (four logical USB 3.0 ports and four logical USB 2.0 ports).
The conditions for adding a controller vary, depending on the device version, the type of passthrough (host
or client computer), and the guest operating system.
vSphere Virtual Machine Administration
148 VMware, Inc.