VB Manager shows USB device with "state: unavailable"

Discussions related to using VirtualBox on Linux hosts.
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Emerson Prado
Posts: 15
Joined: 1. Sep 2010, 18:36
Primary OS: Debian other
VBox Version: OSE Debian
Guest OSses: Windows XP

VB Manager shows USB device with "state: unavailable"

Post by Emerson Prado »

Hi all,
I connected a USB device (Keyspan serial to USB adapter) to my Linux host in order to route it to a Windows guest. But I can't find the device in the VM settings window, specifically in the USB filters section. Tried to add directly from the guest OS, but it just doesn't recognize it.
I added successfully another device (Dymo printer) - when I clicked on "add from device", the printer is shown in the dialog, and the guest accesses the device normally.
I am not using the device in the host, but I'm not sure the host OS isn't accessing it somehow, which would indeed prevent VB to open it. The host sees the device.
Does someone have a hint on how to start? Maybe disabling the host's access to the device, but I haven't the slightest idea on how to do it...
Relevant info below.
Thanks,
Emerson

Output from inxi -F:
System: Host Emerson Kernel 2.6.32-5-686 i686 (32 bit) Distro Linux Mint Debian Edition
CPU: Single core Intel Pentium 4 (-HT-) cache 1024 KB flags (lm sse sse2 sse3) bmips 6000.09
Clock Speeds: (1) 3000.048 MHz (2) 3000.048 MHz
Graphics: Card Intel 82865G Integrated Graphics Controller X.Org 1.7.7 Res: 1280x1024@75.0hz
GLX Renderer Mesa DRI Intel 865G GEM 20091221 2009Q4 x86/MMX/SSE2 GLX Version 1.3 Mesa 7.7.1 Direct Rendering Yes
Audio: Card Intel 82801EB/ER (ICH5/ICH5R) AC'97 Audio Controller driver Intel ICH at ports c000 b800 BusID: 00:1f.5
Sound: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture Version 1.0.21
Network: Card Realtek RTL-8139/8139C/8139C+ driver 8139too v: 0.9.28 at port e800 BusID: 01:0d.0
Disks: HDD Total Size: 180.1GB (65.3% used) 1: /dev/sda SAMSUNG_SV2011H 20.1GB
2: /dev/sdb ST3160813AS 160.0GB
Partition: ID:/ size: 7.4G used: 5.1G (73%) fs: ext4 ID:/home size: 133G used: 105G (83%) fs: ext4
ID:swap-1 size: 2.15GB used: 0.12GB (6%) fs: swap
Info: Processes 148 Uptime 2:40 Memory 764.3/1509.8MB Runlevel 2 Client Shell inxi 1.4.23

Output from lsusb:
Bus 005 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 003 Device 004: ID 06cd:0121 Keyspan USA-19hs serial adapter <-- This is the one VB can't see
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 002 Device 002: ID 0922:0010 Dymo-CoStar Corp. <-- VB accesses this normally
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Last edited by Emerson Prado on 30. Nov 2011, 20:28, edited 1 time in total.
Emerson Prado
Posts: 15
Joined: 1. Sep 2010, 18:36
Primary OS: Debian other
VBox Version: OSE Debian
Guest OSses: Windows XP

Re: VB Manager can't see USB device

Post by Emerson Prado »

One step further. The Linux host was indeed accessing the device, making it unavailable to VirtualBox. I blacklisted one of its drivers by adding the following line to /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf:
blacklist keyspan
and restarted. So it didn't load the keyspan driver, letting the device available.
Opening the settings for the VM and going to USB, I could add a filter using the button "add from device". Opening the VM, the device shows in the USB device list (from the VM top menu). But it carries a "state: unsupported" or "state: unavailable" warning, and the guest system (win2k SP4) still can't see it.
Thinking it could be a permissions issue, I changed the group for the device file associated to the keyspan adapter:

lsusb | grep Keyspan
Bus 003 Device 003: ID 06cd:0121 Keyspan USA-19hs serial adapter
cd /dev/bus/usb/003
ls -l 003
crw-rw-r-- 1 root root 189, 258 Nov 30 15:50 003
sudo chgrp vboxusers 003
sudo chmod g+x 003
ls -l 003
crw-rwxr-- 1 root vboxusers 189, 258 Nov 30 15:50 003

This didn't change anything except making you more sure of how newbie I am.

Any hints? Maybe blacklisting more drivers? Changing any config from VB itself? Or do I have to deal with the device (chills...)?
Thanks,
Emerson

Another info I forgot to mention before: VB version is 4.1.4 r74291
Emerson Prado
Posts: 15
Joined: 1. Sep 2010, 18:36
Primary OS: Debian other
VBox Version: OSE Debian
Guest OSses: Windows XP

Re: VB Manager shows USB device with "state: unavailable"

Post by Emerson Prado »

Emerson Prado
Posts: 15
Joined: 1. Sep 2010, 18:36
Primary OS: Debian other
VBox Version: OSE Debian
Guest OSses: Windows XP

Re: VB Manager shows USB device with "state: unavailable"

Post by Emerson Prado »

That was solved just by rebooting the host. I had purged and reinstalled VirtualBox, and added myself to the vboxusers group - but this is not effective until restart. So VB just didn't have access to the device.
:oops:
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