USB failure with Ubuntu Gutsy -> fixed in 2.1.2

[ffm]

Error message: " Could not load the Host USB Proxy Service (VERR_FILE_NOT_FOUND). The service might be not installed on the host computer.

Result Code: 0x80004005 Component: Host Interface: IHost {81729c26-1aec-46f5-b7c0-cc7364738fdb} Callee: IMachine {31f7169f-14da-4c55-8cb6-a3665186e35e}

" Running Ubuntu Gutsy dev version. Installed virtualbox using .run file.

[Sander van Leeuwen]

Could not load the Host USB Proxy Service (VERR_FILE_NOT_FOUND). The service might be not installed on the host computer. Result Code: 0x80004005 Component: Host Interface: IHost {81729c26-1aec-46f5-b7c0-cc7364738fdb} Callee: IMachine {31f7169f-14da-4c55-8cb6-a3665186e35e} USB not working (VERR_FILE_NOT_FOUND)

[victor]

The usbfs support has been disable in the gutsy version by default.

It works well after turning it on in the /etc/init.d/mountdevsubfs.sh file.

[victor]

/etc/init.d/mountdevsubfs

    #
    # Magic to make /proc/bus/usb work
    #
    #mkdir -p /dev/bus/usb/.usbfs
    #domount usbfs "" /dev/bus/usb/.usbfs -obusmode=0700,devmode=0600,listmode=0644
    #ln -s .usbfs/devices /dev/bus/usb/devices
    #mount --rbind /dev/bus/usb /proc/bus/usb

[ffm]

Thanks. That seemed to fix it.

[blueyed]

I've found the corresponding changelog entry from the initscripts package I think:

sysvinit (2.86.ds1-14.1ubuntu22) gutsy; urgency=low

• Drop /proc/bus/usb again; software should all be ported to check

/dev/bus/usb first by now.

-- Scott James Remnant <scott@…> Wed, 11 Jul 2007 13:47:24 +0100

It appears that virtualbox should check /dev/bus/usb first.

See ​https://launchpad.net/bugs/151585 for the bug report in Ubuntu.

[Frank Mehnert]

That's right but even the problem with the missing devices file would persist.

[Randy Noseworthy]

Well, I uncommented them, but still no go. I can now see, without an error my USB devices, and I can add the USB drive from within Virtual Box. Something that I wasn't able to do before. But still nothing...

Running Gutsy Gibbon Ubuntu 7.10 with Win XP as guest.

[sibidiba]

The /proc/bus/usb interface is deprecated for a long time. This is true not just for Ubuntu, but for even more Linux distros. (​https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/virtualbox/+bug/151585)

VirtualBox should use the /dev/bus/usb instead.

[Michael Thayer]

Replying to sibidiba:

The /proc/bus/usb interface is deprecated for a long time. This is true not just for Ubuntu, but for even more Linux distros. (​https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/virtualbox/+bug/151585)

VirtualBox should use the /dev/bus/usb instead.

We are aware of this, and it will be done as soon as available developer time permits.

[chandra]

I am facing the same problems with VirtualBox 1.6.0 installed from

virtualbox_1.6.0-30421_Ubuntu_hardy_i386.deb

running on a Kubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron system.

I have followed the workaround at:

​http://www.ubuntu-unleashed.com/2008/04/howto-install-virtualbox-in-hardy-heron.html

and am able to get USB functionality for now.

But I have read that

"Support for /proc/bus/usb has been dropped because it is racey, and permissions are difficult to set -- compared with /dev/bus/usb which is maintained by udev and doesn't have these issues." --Scott James Remnant ​https://bugs.launchpad.net/virtualbox/+bug/156085

So, when will a workaround be available and how will we know, because the .deb is not part of a Debian archive that can be apt-get at.

Thanks to the developers for a great product.

[D W]

have this same problem. aware of possible work around for /proc but also aware dev is prefered for reasons mentioned above over proc so what do i do to fix this? using ubuntu 8.04 hardy, gnome, EHCI Host Controller (5) Manufacturer: Linux 2.6.24-19-generic ehci_hcd, virtual box 1.6.2

"/proc/bus/usb/devices" doesnt exist for me.

root@NOC6:/proc/bus/usb# ls -alF
total 0
dr-xr-xr-x 2 root root 0 2008-07-18 15:08 ./
dr-xr-xr-x 5 root root 0 2008-07-18 13:37 ../
root@NOC6:/proc/bus/usb#

Could not load the Host USB Proxy Service (VERR_FILE_NOT_FOUND). The service might be not installed on the host computer.

Result Code: 
0x00004005
Component: 
Host
Interface: 
IHost {81729c26-1aec-46f5-b7c0-cc7364738fdb}
Callee: 
IMachine {f95c0793-7737-49a1-85d9-6da81097173b}

so is there something different for me to do or should i just do

sudo gedit /etc/init.d/mountdevsubfs.sh

and uncomment the 4 lines???

	mkdir -p /dev/bus/usb/.usbfs
	domount usbfs "" /dev/bus/usb/.usbfs -obusmode=0700,devmode=0600,listmode=0644
	ln -s .usbfs/devices /dev/bus/usb/devices
	mount --rbind /dev/bus/usb /proc/bus/usb

ok so i did that uncommenting of the 4 lines i also did:

root@NOC6:/home/dw# sudo gedit /etc/fstab
root@NOC6:/home/dw# sudo gedit /etc/init.d/mountkernfs.sh 
root@NOC6:/home/dw# sudo /etc/init.d/mountkernfs.sh

as instructed at ​http://www.ubuntu-unleashed.com/2008/04/howto-install-virtualbox-in-hardy-heron.html then i got this warning when i did sudo /etc/init.d/mountkernfs.sh

Warning: mountvirtfs should be called with the 'start' argument.
root@NOC6:/home/dw# 

but NOW FINALLY when i open the Sun xVM VirtualBox and click on settings or CTRL+S i no longer get the dreaded error "Could not load the Host USB Proxy Service (VERR_FILE_NOT_FOUND). The service might be not installed on the host computer."

important note: i did not have to reboot. also when i did the "grep vbox /etc/group" it showed it as 124 and when i tried to add root and my user to that group it said i was already part of it. reference: i used virtualbox_1.6.2-31466_Ubuntu_hardy_i386.deb to install virtual box AFTER removing the older OSE of vbox. ok now on to installing xp and other os's on this to see what works and does not.

thanks very much doctorrx

[Erik Vandamme]

I tried to do this with 8.10 (Ibex) but the mountdevsubfs.sh does not look anything like this #! /bin/sh ### BEGIN INIT INFO # Provides: mountdevsubfs # Required-Start: mountkernfs # Required-Stop: # Should-Start: udev # Default-Start: S # Default-Stop: # Short-Description: Mount special file systems under /dev. # Description: Mount the virtual filesystems the kernel provides # that ordinarily live under the /dev filesystem. ### END INIT INFO # # This script gets called multiple times during boot #

PATH=/lib/init:/sbin:/bin TTYGRP=5 TTYMODE=620 [ -f /etc/default/devpts ] && . /etc/default/devpts

TMPFS_SIZE= [ -f /etc/default/tmpfs ] && . /etc/default/tmpfs

KERNEL="$(uname -s)"

. /lib/lsb/init-functions . /lib/init/mount-functions.sh

do_start () {

# # Mount a tmpfs on /dev/shm # SHM_OPT= [ "${SHM_SIZE:=$TMPFS_SIZE}" ] && SHM_OPT=",size=$SHM_SIZE" domount tmpfs shmfs /dev/shm tmpfs -onosuid,nodev$SHM_OPT

# # Mount /dev/pts. Master ptmx node is already created by udev. # domount devpts "" /dev/pts devpts -onoexec,nosuid,gid=$TTYGRP,mode=$TTYMODE

}

case "$1" in

"")

echo "Warning: mountdevsubfs should be called with the 'start' argument." >&2 do_start ;;

start)

do_start ;;

restart|reload|force-reload)

echo "Error: argument '$1' not supported" >&2 exit 3 ;;

stop)

# No-op ;;

*)

echo "Usage: mountdevsubfs [start|stop]" >&2 exit 3 ;;

esac

[Frank Mehnert]

Updated the FAQ at ​http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/User_FAQ.

[Marc Portier]

Unlike what the user_faq is saying the recommended way for intrepid ibex ubuntu 8.10 seems not to add the 'magic' in /etc/init.d/mountdevusbfs.sh but rather add a simple line inside /etc/fstab.

See ​http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=946268

Less cumbersome and worked for me.

[Frank Mehnert]

Of course this is less cumbersome but this isn't exactly the same. The solution proposed there allows to access a vboxuser every USB device. This might be a security risk but I admit that this is often desired. I've added a note to use the openSUSE proposal in that case.

[Despo Pentara]

I had the same problem in Intrepid Ubuntu and it only worked after I did the following steps

Grab the vboxusers group id: grep vbox /etc/group vboxusers:x:124:ionstorm

Edit the fstab with the group id # in bold: sudo gedit /etc/fstab

Append this to the fstab then save/exit: ## usbfs is the USB group in fstab file: none /proc/bus/usb usbfs devgid=124,devmode=664 0 0

Now lets edit the mountkernfs.sh file with the gid in bold: sudo gedit /etc/init.d/mountkernfs.sh Paste the 2 lines below above the line: "# Mount spufs, if Cell Broadband processor is detected"

## Mount the usbfs for use with Virtual Box domount usbfs usbdevfs /proc/bus/usb -onoexec,nosuid,nodev,devgid=124,devmode=664

You may not need to reboot, try doing: sudo /etc/init.d/mountkernfs.sh

(I had to reboot)

from ​http://www.ubuntu-unleashed.com/2008/04/howto-install-virtualbox-in-hardy-heron.html

[Michael Thayer]

2.1.2 should fix this. You just need to make sure that users who need access to USB in guests are members of the vboxusers group.