After a few tribulations, I managed to get VMWare server installed. The only problem is that it will not recognize any usb devices. I installed usb in the virtual machine using the VMWare interface and in preparation for that, I followed the instructions in the tutorial to the letter regarding fstab and the vmx file. Supposedly, at least according to Windows control panel, the usb controllers and interfaces are installed. The VMware web interface says the same thing. However, neither the Device tab on VMWare nor VMware Tools show any usb devices. The usb devices - a printer, removable drive, and magicjack - are all recognized by Linux. How can I get the virtual Windows machine to recognize the devices?
This is crucial since my major use for it is to run the magicjack which is not supported in Linux.
> This is crucial since my major use for it is to run the magicjack which
> is not supported in Linux.
how does that compare with Skype: runs native on Linux (no VM or
Windows inside needed), and is free to download and gives completely
free calls on Skype’s net, and less than 3 cents (US) per minute to
most any house phone (a little more to mobiles) in the world http://www.skype.com/intl/en/prices/
AND, you can do video phone with others on skype, free…
pretty cool…
–
goldie
caveat: i am not associated with Skype in anyway and this should not
be considered an ‘ad’…but, delete if you wish…
in the VMWare server web console, highlight the running VM. Quite at the top you should see the buttons for STOP, PAUSE, RESET and a USB button. Plugin the USB device, click the USB button and you should see the USB device in the drop-down. Enable the checkbox. This emulates plugging the device into the guest machine.
> how does that compare with Skype: runs native on Linux (no VM or
> Windows inside needed)
$20 a year and you can call any house phone in the US free. A regular phone can be plugged into the usb device and can be used just like any landline. I have a cordless phone plugged in and have a few extensions around the house.
Actually you can run Magicjack from Linux as a softphone with several programs. No need for the usb dongle. However, you can’t plug in a regular phone.
The company promises Linux support soon, or at least so they say.