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Connecting USB devices to VMware Lab Manager virtual machines
Details
There are various solutions available for using USB and virtual machines.
Solution
AnywhereUSB: This is a hardware solution that allows attached USB device access via IP. See www.vmware.com/pdf/esx_anywhereusb2.pdf. Although this document is written specifically for ESX Server, its concepts can be applied to Microsoft Virtual Server and GSX Server as well.
The VMware website describes a method of attaching USB devices to VMware hosted operating systems. However, access to the machine that is hosting the virtual machine is required. This is not typical in a Slingshot installation. See www.vmware.com/support/gsx3/doc/devices_usb_gsx.html
USB over IP Project: The USB/IP Project aims to develop a general USB device sharing system over IP network. To share USB devices between computers with their full functionality, USB/IP encapsulates "USB protocols" into IP packets and transmits them between computers. Original USB device drivers and applications also can be used for remote USB devices without any modification. See http://usbip.sourceforge.net/
USB over Network: This is a software solution that allows multiple clients to share a USB device. See http://www.usb-over-network.com/.
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