RE: Virtualize USB Port Through IBM i -- MIDRANGE-L

Worked like a charm!!!

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Jacob
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-----Original Message-----
From: Larry "DrFranken" Bolhuis <midrange@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, August 24, 2024 8:52 PM
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion <midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Jacob Banda <jnbanda@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: Virtualize USB Port Through IBM i

I can tell you that image catalogs DO work for this. Create a vSCSI host device on the IBM i partition and allow the guest to the resource name of the virtual Optical device. NOTE it's the RESOURCE name not the name of the virtual optical device. OFTEN these are the same but sometimes you CRTDEVOPT of type *VRT and name the thing OPTVRT02 but this is the fifth one created over time and the resource is OPTVRT05. On the NWSD you need to share OPTVRT05.

But then load the RedHat media into and image catalogue and mount it in OPTVRT02. So long as the guest partition has a matching vSCSI connection to the IBM i partition it will happily see that catalog an allow install from there.

- L

On 8/24/2024 7:39 PM, Jacob Banda via MIDRANGE-L wrote:

Jim,
That's also what I always do through the HMC.
I was just curious if anyone had ever attempted to virtualize it.

Larry,
Indeed, I see it as a Storage Resource on my hosting partition, and
anything I hook up there shows up fine in /QOPT on the host.

IBM responded to my ticket and said that it is not supported.
They suggested using image catalogs if I were attempting to install a
partition, but I'm curious if image catalogs will work for installing
RHEL. I'm going to try some scenarios on Monday once I get into the
office.

IBM Reference:
https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/installing-hosted-partition-image-ca
talog

Basically, RHEL 9 is too large for a single-sided dual-layer DVD, and
I'm making things more difficult on myself by not wanting to allocate
the USB resource to the client partition.

I was treating this as an exercise, but if I can't figure it out, I'll
just reallocate the resource to the client partition.

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Jacob
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-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Oberholtzer <midrangel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, August 24, 2024 6:09 PM
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion
<midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Jacob Banda <jnbanda@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: Virtualize USB Port Through IBM i

I’ve always just moved the USB resource from the host to the client. Of course I think you need an HMC to do this and it can’t be required anywhere.

Jim Oberholtzer
Agile Technology Architects

On Aug 24, 2024, at 6:03 PM, Larry "DrFranken" Bolhuis <midrange@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Believe it or not I have never tried this.

But the thing is treated as an optical device so I wonder if you could add the device name to the NWSD and share it to a guest? My guess is this won't work but worth a try.

You should be able to share the directory it mounts but that's rather indirect.

- DrF

On 8/23/2024 5:56 PM, Jacob Banda via MIDRANGE-L wrote:
Has anybody ever virtualized the USB port on an IBM i hosting
partition to client partitions?
I see TAPE/OPTICAL just fine through my separate NWSD dedicated for
those devices.
But USB?
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Jacob
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