This section gives a brief overview on how to set up a Linux based system to act as a USB device server. The system on the server requires that the usbip-core.ko and usbip-host.ko kernel drivers are available, and that the USB/IP tools package is installed. The particular installation method for the necessary tools depends on which distribution is used. For example, for Debian based systems, use the following command to install the required tools:

$ apt-get install usbip-utils

To check whether the necessary tools are already installed use the following command:

$ usbip list -l
      

This should produce output similar to that shown in the example below:

 - busid 4-2 (0bda:0301)
   Realtek Semiconductor Corp. : multicard reader (0bda:0301)

 - busid 5-1 (046d:c52b)
   Logitech, Inc. : Unifying Receiver (046d:c52b)
      

If everything is installed, the USB/IP server needs to be started as root using the following command:

# usbipd -D

See the documentation for the installed distribution to determine how to start the service when the system boots.

By default, no device on the server is exported. This must be done manually for each device. To export a device use the following command:

# usbip bind -b "bus identifier"

To export the multicard reader in the previous example:

# usbip bind -b 4-2