Group Build at the Mason Dixon Hamfest

[Mike O'Dell]

Parallels on MacOS X also does a great job of forwarding USB devices
to VMs. My sister-in-law runs her computer-controlled embroidery machine
from inside Windoze-in-a-VM-baggie just fine.

USB these days is pretty-much completely encapsulated by software APIs.
even USB Class Drivers don't really see hardware except
what's at the end of the "pipes" (a real USB construct).
and since the USB transfers are highly-structured, only
the payload, either async or isochronous, is what matters.
yes, there are commands and responses, but the nature of
USB constrains real-time events to isochronous transfers.

from the standpoint of virtualizability, this is a huge
improvement over the days when pins on a parallel port
were used as GPIOs stroked in real-time by spin-loops
in x86 ASM code. (see "bit-banging serial port")

	-mo


On 10/25/10 7:44 PM, Louis Mamakos wrote:
>
> On Oct 25, 2010, at 6:23 PM, wb4jfi wrote:
>
>> On 10/25/2010 5:44 PM, Louis Mamakos wrote:
>>> On Oct 25, 2010, at 3:23 PM, Frank Gentges wrote:
>>>
>>>> In addition to assembling the boards, we had the Quisk HF radio software up and running as a demonstration that also caught peoples attention.  We are now getting a version of Ubuntu that can be run that includes the files for Quisk and the Charleston receiver.  We should be able to distribute DVD disks that will bring up Charleston/Quisk/Ubuntu on a computer either as a live load or as a hard drive install.  AMRAD member Rob Bowers has been working on this and a big tip of the AMRAD hat to Rob.   Stay tuned.
>>> What would be slick is if this could be also available as a VMware virtual machine image of an installation of Quisk on an Ubuntu operating system.  For those that don't run Linux on their desktop, it would be an easy way to use the software.  There's a free VMware Player<http://www.vmware.com/products/player/>   that could be used on Linux and Windows to run VMware appliance images.
>>>
>>> louie
>>> WA3YMH
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>> http://www.amrad.org/mailman/listinfo/tacos
>>>
>>>
>> I'm not sure that this would work, since the Charleston board uses a high-speed USB connection to Quisk.  The software will probably function, but the USB drivers may not play right.  I've heard of other USB-based devices having trouble in virtual machines.  But, I do not have any first-hand knowledge.
>> Terry
>> WB4JFI
>>
>
> Good point, I don't know if the VMware Player exposes the USB peripherals.  I do know that VMware Fusion on the Mac does a great job of exposing USB peripherals.  I routinely run Windows XP inside a VM, and use USB serial devices as well as specialized CCD cameras for astrophotography, also connected via USB to the host (and into the VM).  At least in the environment, I'd expect it ought to work..
>
> louie
> wa3ymh
>
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