USB SUPPORT

[silentbob30]

Hello All,

I have just installed a test version of ESXi 4. As part of a VM setup you can add a USB controller. Does this mean that the VM in question will be able to see USB storage plugged into it. Basically I have a VM of XP and I want to add an external drive but I cant seem to do this. As it has a USB controller what am I doing wrong??

thanks

[brunnenguk]

Then what is the purpose of the virtual USB controller? It just seems like a strange thing to add. (Other than for tricking windows in to installing with USB driver support, useful for those going down the AnywhereUSB route. I remember I had to copy and renmae files to system32 from the windows CD when I was settting up my initial templates)

[AntonVZhbankov]

Could you please comment this screenshot?

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VMware vExpert '2009

http://blog.vadmin.ru

[ImedecsIT]

I also saw that screen, but I agree with brunnenguk, what is the point? Just because there is a USB controller what good does it do if it can't connect to Host attached USB devices? Can someone please explain the purpose behind the USB controller?

[isi]

Perhaps it's in preparation for the new vdi stuff ?

[sorrillo]

Using ESX4 we plugged an external usb harddisk, added an USB controller to a VM and executed this command from console:

vim-cmd vmsvc/device.connusbdev 16 054:02a

(lsusb was used to get the id)

This error was logged on /var/log/vmware/hostd.log: "No hot-plug license available"

So we tested this when powered off, this was logged: "Pass through USB device is currently not supported"

This definitely seems like an unfinished feature. We hope to see an update to make this work

[TechNut]

If you have vSphere, and a VT-d compatible chipset, you can pass USB controllers, via VMDirectPath into the VM itself. The VM will see the USB root hub on the PCI bus, like a regular device, and you are free to plug any USB key/dongle into it.

VT-d is supported on most enterprise class chipsets. It should be a option in your BIOS to enable.

Once you have enabled the device for pass-through, using the VI client, edit the settings of your VM and add a "PCI device". Select the one you have allowed for passthrough, and then save the settings. Do not use the "USB controller" as this is not the same thing, it's a different feature. Once the vSphere USB controller feature is added, you can stop using the pass-through device you just created.

Of course, as others have noted, you cannot VMotion any VM's using

this. However, for those who need this functionality it works just

fine.

[Formatter]

So if your T610 for example uses a usb for the card installed with the Vmware os on it how do you tell in the vmdirectpath which one is that usb so that you dont mistakenly make it one that you use?

[TechNut]

In ESXi 3.5, you could use "lspci -v" to determine that, in 4.0 it's a little different. The USB disk is vmhba32, so, you just need to find that mapping in the system. You could try some of the esxcfg-info commands to see if you can find it.

[TomKeough]

First, I want to thank the community for sharing this information. I have been looking at several solutions for this issue while awaiting a VMWare implementation of the USB in virtual machines. I, also, have dongle protected software that I want to run in the VMs and this passthrough solution looks like the best one I have seen yet. I am not doing a cloud implementation. I am developing an online trading system and I run multiple VMs rather than having dedicated PCs. I am using an AMD based server and am in the middle of upgrading from a Santa Anna based Opteron system to a Barcelona based one.

I found the AMD implementation of the Intel VT-d passthrough searching with Google, it is called IOMMU. I have ordered a new systemboard (Tyan S2915-E) for an AMD dual Barcelona Opteron based server for ESXi 4 and looking at the BIOS settings for this board on the Tyan web site, I see an option to enable IOMMU and one to configure the IOMMU size with a range from 32 MB to 2 GB. Anyone here had experience configuring this setting?

[TechNut]

Tom,

In just a cursory search of the web, it looks like people are using the 256MB option on the AMD systems and the Tyan boards. I'm a Intel person myself, so, I'm not sure of the options needed for AMD systems to work.

Here's the link to the VMware VMDirectPath troubleshooting guide,

In my playing with this feature, most devices work just fine. The AMD support is experimental, but I'm sure for USB you should be ok. Just be sure to pick the right controller if you are booting off of the USB key. You don't want to knock out your ESXi installation by accident. Despite what the manual says, I've managed to get this to work with a Q6600 and a Supermicro C2SBC-Q board.

Good luck!

[johnoscott2]

It looks like as of ESX4.1 (and ESXi 4.1) you can attach a USB device to a VM.

ESX 4.1 supports USB device passthrough from an ESX or ESXi to a virtual machine. This article provides information about USB device passthrough requirements and limitations, as well as steps to add a USB controller and a USB device.

KB: 1022290 - USB support for ESX/ESXi 4.1

http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1022290

Using USB devices with VMware vSphere 4.1

http://www.virtualizationadmin.com/articles-tutorials/general-virtualization-articles/using-usb-devi...

[J1mbo]

You can indeed, however performance is not great and devices identifying themselves as CD-ROMs can't be used at all unforutnately.

More info here: http://blog.peacon.co.uk/usb-passthrough-with-esxi-4-1/

Also an idea of the devices that do and don'twork.

http://blog.peacon.co.uk

Please award points to any useful answer.