How to Setup a Raspberry Pi as a USB-over-IP Server - A Comprehensive Guide

Ben
Ben
@benjislab

USB/IP encapsulates 'USB I/O messages' into TCP/IP payloads, allowing for the seamless sharing of USB devices between computers with full functionality. This can be a valuable resource, especially in the case of virtual machines that don't have direct access to the host system's hardware.

USB-over-IP can also be useful when working remotely or across different operating systems. In this comprehensive guide, we will walk through the steps to set up a Raspberry Pi (or any Linux server) as a USB-over-IP server. This will allow the server to share its USB port over a network, and we will also detail how to access it from a client computer.

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have the following:

  • A Raspberry Pi or any Linux-based server.
  • A USB device that you wish to share over the network.
  • An understanding of basic Linux terminal commands and system administration.

It's also helpful to have a good understanding of the underlying concepts and terminology involved. Some of these include:

  • Raspberry Pi: This is a small, affordable computer popular for many projects. It runs the Raspbian OS, which is based on Debian Linux.
  • USB-over-IP: This is the method we're using to share USB devices over the network. It essentially allows a computer to use a USB device connected to a different computer on the same network.
  • SSH: Secure Shell (SSH) is a network protocol used for secure remote login and other secure network services over an insecure network.
  • lsusb: This is a standard Linux command that lists USB devices connected to the computer.
  • USBIP: This is the Linux tool we're using to create the USB-over-IP server and client.

Step 1: Setting up the USB/IP Server on the Raspberry Pi

First, SSH into your Raspberry Pi or Linux server and update the package list by running:

sudo apt-get update

Next, install the usbip package, which contains the necessary tools to set up a USB/IP server:

sudo apt-get install usbip

Once installed, use the lsusb command to list all connected USB devices. This will output a list, with each device on a separate line, displaying the bus number and device ID:

lsusb

Identify the USB device that you wish to share. It will have a format like Bus XXX Device XXX: ID YYYY:ZZZZ. Note down the ID YYYY:ZZZZ of your device.

You will then bind your USB device to the usbip-host driver. Replace BUSID with your device's bus number and device ID in the following command:

sudo usbip bind --busid=BUSID

Finally, to start sharing the USB device, start the USB/IP system daemon and bind the USB device:

sudo usbipd -D

This starts the USB/IP host daemon, which will listen for incoming connections from USB/IP clients.

Step 2: Setting up the USB/IP Client

On the client computer, first update the package list and then install the necessary software using the following commands:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install linux-tools-generic

Next, load the vhci-hcd kernel module. This is the virtual host controller driver for the USB/IP client:

sudo modprobe vhci-hcd

Finally, connect to the USB/IP server and attach the shared USB device. Replace SERVERIP with the IP address of your Raspberry Pi and BUSID with the bus ID of the USB device that you're sharing:

sudo usbip attach --remote=SERVERIP --busid=BUSID

Congratulations! You have successfully set up the USB/IP client. The client machine should now be connected to the shared USB device as if it was directly connected. Use lsusb on the client machine to verify that your device is correctly attached.

Conclusion and Troubleshooting

With your Raspberry Pi set up as a USB-over-IP server, you can now share USB devices over your network. While this guide should cover the basics, your specific scenario may require additional steps or tweaks. It's important to understand the basics of Linux system administration to troubleshoot any issues you may encounter.

For instance, if you're unable to see the shared USB device on the client machine, ensure that your firewall isn't blocking the necessary ports and that you have correctly entered the server IP and bus ID. Also, the USB/IP project's GitHub repository and the various Linux community forums are excellent resources if you encounter any issues.

Sharing USB devices across the network can be incredibly useful, from remotely accessing storage devices to sharing printers or even dongles. We hope this comprehensive guide has been a valuable resource as you set up your Raspberry Pi or Linux server as a USB-over-IP server!