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How to Enable USB Support in VirtualBox
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Comments (14)
Since version 4.0.0 (GPL licence) VirtualBox has supported local guest USB without requiring an extension pack. The Oracle proprietary extension is used for providing remote VM support via VRDP. See section 3.10 of the VirtualBox User Manual.
VirtualBox 4.2 just complained to me that in order to use USB on my Linux guests, the extension pack must be installed. I obeyed and everything went well. So explain in better detail what you're talking about. The once-locatable "OSE" version has disappeared from their site (if that's the version you speak of that doesn't require an extension).
Calling the article "incompetent" is a bit of an overreaction, eh?
Calling the article "incompetent" is a bit of an overreaction, eh?
@HoTMetaL
My experience has been exactly as described above. The old Open Source Edition did not support removable USB devices. Before VirtualBox-4.0.0, USB was only supported in the proprietary builds. Since 4.0.0 there has only been a GPL versions which do support USB without needing any extension. I observe this with both Linux and WinXP guests (plus VB Guest Additions) on openSuSE 11.4 and 12.2 hosts. Everything appears to work as described in the VirtualBox User Manual.
I do not understand how you appear to be getting a message from VBox when presumably trying to mount a USB device in the guest. The guest should not normally be running VBox.
. Perhaps for some reason a distribution has compiled a build without USB support. I am using VirtualBox-4.2-4.2.0_80737_openSUSE114-1.x86_64.rpm. from http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/4.2.0/
I mostly run VBox headless. I need to create at least one "usbfilter" before mounting a USB drive. This can be either global or for a spcific VM (target) e.g.
Then after inserting a USB memory stick on the host, and starting the VM.
On the guest:
And yes I think that the article is incompetent, if it "solves" a non-existent problem.
My experience has been exactly as described above. The old Open Source Edition did not support removable USB devices. Before VirtualBox-4.0.0, USB was only supported in the proprietary builds. Since 4.0.0 there has only been a GPL versions which do support USB without needing any extension. I observe this with both Linux and WinXP guests (plus VB Guest Additions) on openSuSE 11.4 and 12.2 hosts. Everything appears to work as described in the VirtualBox User Manual.
I do not understand how you appear to be getting a message from VBox when presumably trying to mount a USB device in the guest. The guest should not normally be running VBox.
. Perhaps for some reason a distribution has compiled a build without USB support. I am using VirtualBox-4.2-4.2.0_80737_openSUSE114-1.x86_64.rpm. from http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/4.2.0/
I mostly run VBox headless. I need to create at least one "usbfilter" before mounting a USB drive. This can be either global or for a spcific VM (target) e.g.
sysman@valeria:~> VBoxManage usbfilter add 0 --target sipXecs --name 'Generic USB Flash Disk [0100]' --active yes --vendorid 08EC --manufacturer Generic --product "USB Flash Disk" --productid 0845 --revision 0100 --serialnumber 1F53040014E5 --remote 0
sysman@valeria:~> VBoxManage list extpacks Extension Packs: 0 sysman@valeria:~>
Then after inserting a USB memory stick on the host, and starting the VM.
On the guest:
[root@Vigor23 ~]# fdisk -l ...
Disk /dev/sdb: 128 MB, 128974848 bytes 16 heads, 32 sectors/track, 492 cylinders Units = cylinders of 512 * 512 = 262144 bytes
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System /dev/sdb1 * 1 492 125936 b W95 FAT32 [root@Vigor23 ~]#
And yes I think that the article is incompetent, if it "solves" a non-existent problem.
I'm running 4.2.0 r80737 on a Linux host with both Windows and Linux guests. The particular dialog popped up after trying to open any of my VMs created with VirtualBox 3.2.14 and earlier with a newly-installed VirtualBox 4.2.0. Perhaps that triggered the issue, but why would 4.2.0 tell me that I must have this extension in order to use USB if I do not? Disabling USB in my guests would stop the popup from warning me, but I needed USB in some of my guests and the only remedy was to install the extension.
It appears you know what you're talking about wrt VirtualBox, and you're probably correct about what you're saying, but my experience was very different. Perhaps I can remove the extension and try to get a screenshot of the popup. I don't use VRDP in any of my VMs.
It appears you know what you're talking about wrt VirtualBox, and you're probably correct about what you're saying, but my experience was very different. Perhaps I can remove the extension and try to get a screenshot of the popup. I don't use VRDP in any of my VMs.
Update: I'm a dumbass. My issue was due to USB 2.0 being enabled in my guest VMs. VirtualBox could make it a little more obvious to users who don't require the EHCI controller that an extension isn't required for old-school USB. Grrrr.
Removing the extension and re-reading the warning dialog more carefully provided the answers I expected. I previously ignored it almost entirely because coming from 3.2.x, I pretty much assumed that the extension had to be installed again for any USB. So I just did it. I don't keep up with vbox developments very closely, so thanks for the info! I think there are probably a few others (like the author of that article) who jumped the gun and just installed the extension without carefully RTFM.
The article should have been titled "How To Enable USB 2.0 in VirtualBox." Good catch.
Removing the extension and re-reading the warning dialog more carefully provided the answers I expected. I previously ignored it almost entirely because coming from 3.2.x, I pretty much assumed that the extension had to be installed again for any USB. So I just did it. I don't keep up with vbox developments very closely, so thanks for the info! I think there are probably a few others (like the author of that article) who jumped the gun and just installed the extension without carefully RTFM.
The article should have been titled "How To Enable USB 2.0 in VirtualBox." Good catch.
The Oct 04, 2012 7:29 AM UTC post by " anvelope" is spam promoting betting, property, tyres, ...
Wow! That is the most articulate spam EVER! They're getting VERY creative with their posts. What would it take to become an LXer with spam-deleting priviledges? I'm volunteering some time here.
`sudo rm -rf _anvelope`
^ The comment by anvelope is spam! Don't follow the link. I was suspicious so used private browsing mode...
Seen several of those kind here lately, but those were more obvious than this one... Spammers getting more clever it seems. Probably now paying people to do what anvelope did.
Edit: How to report to mods or higher, when noticed?
Seen several of those kind here lately, but those were more obvious than this one... Spammers getting more clever it seems. Probably now paying people to do what anvelope did.
Edit: How to report to mods or higher, when noticed?
LOL! Must ... type ... faster ... :)
@shem
> How to report to mods or higher, when noticed?
I had already reported this.
There is a "Contact" link right at the top of the page, above the title banner. On the contact page there is a menu where one of the options is "I have SPAM abuse to report".
I think that they are all in North America, and probably sleeping for a couple of hours yet.
> How to report to mods or higher, when noticed?
I had already reported this.
There is a "Contact" link right at the top of the page, above the title banner. On the contact page there is a menu where one of the options is "I have SPAM abuse to report".
I think that they are all in North America, and probably sleeping for a couple of hours yet.
@HoTMetaL
"How To Enable USB 2.0 in VirtualBox."
Thanks, I had been unaware that the EHCI controller was in the extension pack. Your post prompted me to load a desktop and look at the VBox GUI. I could then see the warning dialogue on selecting the USB 2 check-box. I probably would have been caught out sometime by trying to transfer more than a few MB on a remote host.
"How To Enable USB 2.0 in VirtualBox."
Thanks, I had been unaware that the EHCI controller was in the extension pack. Your post prompted me to load a desktop and look at the VBox GUI. I could then see the warning dialogue on selecting the USB 2 check-box. I probably would have been caught out sometime by trying to transfer more than a few MB on a remote host.
@vagabondo
Thanks :)
Thanks :)
The most likely explanation for the articulate nature of the spam is that it's a random comment pulled from a Linux site (perhaps even this one) and regurgitated with a link at the end. This is a common practice for fraudulent posts on Craigslist, for example, so I guess we shouldn't be surprised to see similar tactics from spammers.
So... Can we take this as a sign of growth of the Linux desktop "market share"? .
;-)
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