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I am trying to automate the below process:

  • Operator executes operation on field device and generates local data that is stored on the field device. (NOT a PC)
  • Operator inserts USB into field device and executes a local export function.
  • Operator takes USB to network machine and transfer files to secure file location.

The USB connection is the ONLY method of data transfer.

I would like to have a direct USB to USB connection, which I believe can be done if you can trick the field device into thinking a USB connection to the network machine (over VLAN/IP USB Hub/some sort of networked hardware) is a flash drive. The field device is commercial off the shelf so it cannot be modified, which drives the need for an emulated flash drive. The new process would look like:

  • Operator executes operation on field device and generates local data that is stored on the field device.
  • Operator executes a local export function.
  • File is transferred over USB connection to emulated flash drive on virtual network machine.

So in summary, the question is how do I configure a virtual machine to have an emulated flash drive that can be hooked into a physical USB port?

meehog527
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  • Please edit the question to limit it to a specific problem with enough detail to identify an adequate answer. – Community Sep 03 '21 at 15:50
  • Welcome. You need to be very specific for anyone to answer this question. For every type of hardware on the field device, os on said device, virtual machine program the answer / procedure would be different. It might also be that some of these questions already have an answer, e.g. https://stackoverflow.com/questions/34801126/cant-connect-guests-adb-to-hardware-device-using-usb-passthrough-virtualbox also, it might be that this is not 100% programming question and that answer is related to another overflow comunity e.g. https://superuser.com/ – ntg Sep 03 '21 at 15:56
  • @ntg I would say the field device is not important in this scenario. The setup I am trying to achieve is something on the VM side that when any device is connect via usb port it recognize it as removable storage. Since I posted this question the closest thing I was able to find was a NAS device that also allowed DAS, linked below. QNAP TS-251A https://www.qnap.com/en-us/product/ts-251a This would allow the generic field device to drop in files, and then a networked program to retrieve. I am hesitant to share the SPECIFIC device I am trying to communicate with due to confidentially. – meehog527 Sep 07 '21 at 00:51

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