ZStack Cloud 5.2.0>Tutorials>Private Cloud>USB Passthrough Tutorial>Attach a USB Device to a VM Instance

Attach a USB Device to a VM Instance

To pass through a USB device to a VM instance, make sure that the USB device is connected to the host and that the host is added to ZStack Cloud.

Note:

A USB device can be passed through to only one VM instance at a time.
A VM instance can have a maximum of one USB 1.0 device, six USB 2.0 devices, and four USB 3.0 devices attached.
If a VM instance is running or has its local storage disabled, you can only attach USB devices that are connected to the same host as the VM instance.
If a VM instance uses shared storage and is stopped, you can attach one or more USB devices of a host that is located in the same cluster as the VM instance.

On the main menu of ZStack Cloud, choose Resource Center > Resource Pool > Virtual Resource > VM Instance. On the VM Instance page, choose a VM instance and enter its details page. Then, choose Configuration Info > USB Device to enter the details page where you can attach USB devices by clicking Attach. Then, follow these steps:

Choose the attach mode.
You can attach a USB device by passthrough or forwarding.
- Passthrough: Attach a USB device from the host where the VM instance is located to the VM instance. If you want to migrate the VM instance, detach the USB device first.
- Forward: Attach a USB device from the host that is in the same zone as the VM instance to the VM instance. If you want to migrate the VM instance, you do not need to detach the USB device.
Figure 1. Choose Attach Mode
Select a USB device.
The Select USB Device page displays a list of USB devices filtered according to the attach mode you choose. Select a USB device to be attached to the VM instance and click OK.
Figure 2. Select USB Device
Check the attached USB devices.
Launch the console of the VM instance, and run the lsusb command to view all the attached USB devices.
Figure 3. Check Attached USB Devices

Note: You can run yum install usbutils or apt install usbutils to install the lsusb command. Make sure that the VM instance has access to the public network.

Additional Information

You can perform the following actions on a USB device:

Edit Device Name: Edit the name of a USB device to make it more identifiable.
Enable: Enable a USB device. An enabled USB can be attached to a VM instance.
Disable: Disable a USB device. A disabled USB cannot be attached to a VM instance.
Attach VM Instance: Pass through a USB device to a VM instance.
Detach VM Instance: Detach a passed-through USB device from a VM instance.

Next Chapter: Install a USB 3.0 Driver (Optional)

Attach a USB Device to a VM Instance

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