Slackware 13.1 and VirtualBox USB
By default, USB support does not work when installing VirtualBox PUEL on a Slackware host. Essentially it is a permissions issue. There are a number of ways around it, but the simplest is this ridiculously small change to rc.S.
rc.S (downloadable rc.S.diff.gz):
--- ./rc.S.orig 2010-03-20 00:14:51.000000000 +0000
+++ ./rc.S 2010-06-14 11:31:16.067169967 +0100
@@ -297,7 +297,7 @@
if grep -wq usbfs /proc/filesystems; then
if ! grep -wq usbfs /proc/mounts ; then
if ! grep -wq usbfs /etc/fstab; then
- /sbin/mount -v usbfs /proc/bus/usb -t usbfs
+ /sbin/mount -v usbfs /proc/bus/usb -t usbfs -o devgid=83,devmode=0664
else
/sbin/mount -v /proc/bus/usb
fi
+++ ./rc.S 2010-06-14 11:31:16.067169967 +0100
@@ -297,7 +297,7 @@
if grep -wq usbfs /proc/filesystems; then
if ! grep -wq usbfs /proc/mounts ; then
if ! grep -wq usbfs /etc/fstab; then
- /sbin/mount -v usbfs /proc/bus/usb -t usbfs
+ /sbin/mount -v usbfs /proc/bus/usb -t usbfs -o devgid=83,devmode=0664
else
/sbin/mount -v /proc/bus/usb
fi
This patch effectively changes the automatic permissions on USB devices so that the group owner is the plugdev group and so the group owner has write permissions. Make sure any users in the vboxusers group are also in the plugdev group… but you knew that.
In order to apply the above patch, do the following as root:
# cd /etc/rc.d
# wget http://blog.tpa.me.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/rc.S.diff.gz
# zcat rc.inet2.diff.gz | patch -p1
# wget http://blog.tpa.me.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/rc.S.diff.gz
# zcat rc.inet2.diff.gz | patch -p1
Or just make the change by hand, given how small it is.
This is actually a long known issue with most (all?) distros. Thanks for documenting this easy fix for Slackware Zordak
I used to use this – > http://en.gentoo-wiki.com/wiki/VirtualBox#USB_Devices_Grayed_Out
And about time you posted something to your blog!
Thank you, Zordrak. This issue bothered me for quite a while, but I never had enough inclination to investigate the cause
Now there’s a simple fix. \o/
It can also be fixed by renaming /etc/udev/rules.d/10-vboxdrv.rules as 91-vboxdrv.rules.
I don’t understand why and investigation by progressively reducing 91 back toward 10 have displayed a history effect that is persistent across boots. Reduce the number until breakage (41 in my testing) and then increase the number to the last one that worked (55 in my testing) and it is still broken. Implement the fstab workaround, reboot, remove the fstab workaround, reboot and it’s working with 55.
Some more info in a LQ thread: http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-virtualization-90/virtualbox-usb-device-is-being-exclusively-used-by-the-host-computer-798620/page2.html
in line:
/sbin/mount -v usbfs /proc/bus/usb -t usbfs -o devgid=83,devmode=0664
few people as myself too came up with the problem that a zero character before 664 holds usb devices unreadable.
@pupit
wfm.