Virtualbox and KVM/qemu cannot connect USB-devices

[vaxinf]

For my project I need to access an external USB-DVD-drive to my x86-OVMS system.

I've checked the connection with a virtual windows 11 system and I can access the DVD-drive without problems. So I'm sure that the x86-OVMS system is the problem. Are there any plan to add the USB-connectivity to the x86 version?

A not happy vms fan
Eberhard

[alexwong]

If it works with physical servers I agree with sms it's likely VB-related. Passthrough feature for USB DVD writer is an 'experimental' feature according to Oracle. Could be worth raising with them and send logs and diagnostics as feedback.

https://docs.oracle.com/en/virtualizati ... torage-cds

[pjacobi]

What you are attempting is to pass a physical USB DVD on VBOX to a virtual SATA interface. VMS sees the device as a SATA DVD (DK) and not a USB DVD (DN).

It is unclear if the SATA/USB emulation layer provided by VBOX supports writable DVDs. That functionality is totally dependent on the VM code and not VMS. You would have to check with VBOX for that functionality. It's possible that VBOX emulation layer may be missing functionality to convent certain SATA DVD write command for USB DVD drives.

USB is officially *not* supported on any X86 VMS versions. USB was on the x86 roadmap at one time, but it has since been replaced by projects of higher priority.


Paul A. Jacobi
VMS Software

Added in 17 minutes 31 seconds:
See the following link on how to unofficially enable USB on X86 VMS.

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=9062

For VBOX, you need the following entries in SYS$CONFIG.DAT

Code: Select all

device          = "Apple/VBOX USB 1.1 Controller"
  name          = OH
  driver        = SYS$OHCIDRIVER
  adapter       = PCI
  id            = 0x003F106B
end_device

device          = "Intel/VBOX EHCI USB 2.0 Controller"
  name          = EH
  driver        = SYS$EHCIDRIVER
  adapter       = PCI
  id            = 0x265C8086
  boot_class    = DN
  boot_flags    = HW_CTRL_LTR, UNIT_0
  flags         = PORT, BOOT
  ASSOC         = UCM, USB
end_device

[roberbrooks]

> I cannot understand why the OpenVMS x86 is unable to use a USB-connection!

See viewtopic.php?f=21&t=9062

Short answer -- it's not supported on X86_64.

[arne_v]

I think most understand that in the x86-64 world there are a gazillion different HW options and that it is impossible for VSI to support everything. It is necessary to prioritize.

I take it as a given that the vision is to extend supported HW options over time, so there is something that needs prioritization for the future.

But how does VSI get the feedback needed to prioritize based on users actual needs?

Customers -> VSI sales rep -> VSI engineering?

Posts here -> VSI engineering?

Surveys -> VSI marketing -> VSI engineering?

[vaxinf]

After activating the USB driver according to another posting (viewtopic.php?f=21&t=9062), I successfully managed to save data to a Blu-Ray device that has a USB interface:

$ mc []dvdwrite /write lda1: dna0:
Accessing target "DNA0:" Result: OK
DVR Vendor: PLEXTOR
DVR Product: BD-R PX-B900A
FW Version: 1.01
DVDwrite Version 7.00
Mounted medium appears to be a BD-RE (SL/DL/TL).
Recording speed set to 2.
* 24.2GB BD-RE medium detected.
Formatting. This will take a while ...
100 % done.
LDA1: mounted.
Accessing source "LDA1:" Result: OK
Recording speed set to 2.
* 24.2GB BD-RE medium detected.
Medium capacity: 47304704 blocks.
100 % done. Estimated time left: 00:00:00
Fixating.
100 % done.
LDA1: dismounted.
ELAPSED TIME = 0 01:23:27.22
CPU TIME = 0:04:56.97
BUFFERED I/O COUNT = 125
DIRECT I/O COUNT = 1224886
PAGE FAULT COUNT = 90

[dvdwrite]

Now I'm happy to say that the X86-Version of DVDwrite (a Blu-Ray recording software) behaves just the same as the IA64 version.

What bothers me is the slow I/O-Rate of the qemu emulation under Ubuntu.
I can show that the I/O-rate is half of that of a IA64-rx2660 machine.

Here's my whishlist: you can only enable USB2 even though the qemu is capable to talk USB3.x. So please add a USB3-driver for OpenVMS X86_64!!!

[roberbrooks]

> Here's my whishlist: you can only enable USB2 even though the qemu is capable to talk USB3.x.
> So please add a USB3-driver for OpenVMS X86_64!!!

Sorry; that's not on any project plan. Those of us who work in the I/O space are dealing with
fibre channel stuff, like 32Gb adapters and PCI passthrough for both KVM and ESXi.

[pocketprobe]

Would requesting uhcidriver to make an appearance on x86 be a big ask? Seeing as both ohcidriver and ehcidriver are both present.

[dvdwrite]

Would requesting uhcidriver to make an appearance on x86 be a big ask? Seeing as both ohcidriver and ehcidriver are both present.

I agree!!!