How to Use VirtualBox to Boot USB in Linux

In this third installment of our VirtualBox tutorial series, we will explore how to access a flash drive mounted on your Debian host from within your guest operating system using VirtualBox. This process requires some configuration and setup, but it is well worth the effort as it allows you to easily share files between your virtual machine and physical computer.

Before we begin, make sure that the VirtualBox extension pack is installed on your host machine. This pack provides additional functionality, including USB support, which is essential for this tutorial.

To start, open the VirtualBox Manager and click on the gear icon next to the 'Machine' menu to access the settings. From here, select the 'USB' option from the list of available settings.

Before you can change the USB controller protocol, your virtual machine must be powered off. This is because the changes you make will only take effect once the machine is restarted.

Modern hardware uses USB Controller 2.0 (EHCI) and USB Controller 3.0 (xHCI), but VirtualBox defaults to using USB Controller 1.1 (OHCI). To change this, select 'USB Controllers' from the settings menu, then click on the 'Add new USB controller' button.

Choose a USB controller that matches your host machine's capabilities. If you're unsure which one to choose, you can refer to your computer's documentation or consult with the manufacturer.

Once you've selected a USB controller, you'll need to add each VirtualBox user (e.g., peter) to the vboxusers group as root on the host machine. This is necessary because VirtualBox access to the host's USB drives is only granted to users of this group.

To do this, run the following command in your terminal:

sudo usermod -aG vboxusers username

Replace 'username' with the actual name of the user you want to add to the group. Once you've added the user, restart VirtualBox and try accessing a USB drive again.

Configuring USB Devices in VirtualBox

To configure USB devices in VirtualBox, follow these steps:

1. Open VirtualBox Manager.

2. Click on 'Settings' and select 'USB'.

3. Before changing the USB controller protocol, make sure your virtual machine is powered off.

4. Select a USB controller that matches your host machine's capabilities.

5. Add each VirtualBox user to the vboxusers group as root on the host machine.

By following these steps, you should now be able to access your flash drive mounted on the Debian host from within your guest operating system using VirtualBox. This is a powerful feature that can greatly enhance your virtualization experience and make it easier to share files between your virtual machines and physical computer.

In this three-part series, we have covered how to install VirtualBox on a Debian host and build a FreeBSD virtual machine. We hope you have found these tutorials helpful and informative. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please don't hesitate to contact us.

How to use virtualbox to boot usb in linux