[CentOS] vmware, rhel4(or us) problems w/virtual usb ports

Fri Sep 22 05:39:38 UTC 2006
rado <rado at rivers-bend.com>

I ran across this and glad I did...saved my .10 worth of sanity I got
left:

It came from:
http://kb.vmware.com/KanisaPlatform/Publishing/612/774_f.SAL_Public.html

Guest Cannot See USB Device on RHEL4-x64 Host


This problem was identified on VMware Server, but may affect other
VMware products.


When you connect a USB device to a host running the RHEL4-x64 operating
system, then try to access the USB from the VMware guest, the following
error message appears:
 The Existing driver (usbhid) could not be successfully disconnected.
(operation not permitted) Unload the driver manually then try again
<OK>.


In this situation, you cannot unload the driver manually from the host,
because it does not exist as a module—it is compiled directly into the
RHEL4-x64 kernel. Normally, this situation is not a problem for VMware
software, but the kernel does not support the required ioctl (control
device) function to allow VMware to disconnect the device from the
usbhid driver.


As a workaround, you can recompile the host's kernel with usbhid as a
module, then manage its removal with rmmod. However, because the usbhid
driver is necessary to allow the host and guest operating systems to
interact with a USB mouse and keyboard, removing the module from the
recompiled kernel may not be appropriate for your system. You may need
to use an upgraded kernel or a different operating system instead.

thx

John Rose