USB basics and troubleshooting
Posted: 11. Apr 2017, 16:13
Despite its reputation, USB is not always plug and play, even more so in a virtual environment. You have to talk almost directly to the hardware via a series of software layers. The more layers, the more complicated things become. That explains the length of this article. If things were so easy, this FAQ would be very small and it wouldn't require a Table Of Contents:
USB devices cannot be shared at the bus level. That means that two computers (a host and a guest) cannot share the same device. Think of it as having a USB stick, a printer, a webcam or a WiFi adapter hooked into two computers at the same time. You simply can't.
There are other means of sharing for some device categories. Such as: shared or network folders for mass storage devices, printer sharing for printer/scanners/fax devices. You simply cannot have direct resource sharing.
IMPORTANT
- Sharing USB devices
- Capturing a USB device in VirtualBox
- Device categories
- USB Filters
- Common problems
- Guest support
- Troubleshooting
- Asking for help
- Distinguish multiple identical USB devices
USB devices cannot be shared at the bus level. That means that two computers (a host and a guest) cannot share the same device. Think of it as having a USB stick, a printer, a webcam or a WiFi adapter hooked into two computers at the same time. You simply can't.
There are other means of sharing for some device categories. Such as: shared or network folders for mass storage devices, printer sharing for printer/scanners/fax devices. You simply cannot have direct resource sharing.
IMPORTANT
- If you can share the device from the host (be it Shared/Network Folders, or Printer sharing), go for that option! It's much easier, and both the host and the guest can access the shared USB resources.