Configuring A Parallel Port On A Linux Host - VMware 4 User Manual

Under Device status, the default setting is Connect at power on. Clear the
check box if you want to deselect this setting.
Click Finish.
In a Windows 95 or Windows 98 guest, after you add the port, run the guest operating
system's Add New Hardware Wizard (Start > Settings > Control Panel > Add New
Hardware) and let Windows detect the new device.

Configuring a Parallel Port on a Linux Host

For the parallel port to work properly in a guest, it must first be configured properly on
the host. Most issues involving parallel port functionality are a result of the host
configuration. Check these areas of concern: the version of your Linux kernel, your
device access permissions and the required modules.
Parallel Ports and Linux 2.2.x Kernels
The 2.2.x kernels that support parallel ports use the parport, parport_pc and
vmppuser modules. Be sure that PC Style Hardware (CONFIG_PARPORT_PC) is
loaded as a module, as mentioned at the beginning of
page 250. The vmppuser module is supplied by VMware Workstation to give virtual
machines user-level access to the parallel port.
To see if these modules are installed and running on your system, run the lsmod
command as the root user. These three modules should be included in the listing of
running modules. You can also look at the /proc/modules file for the same list.
To load the proper modules, run this command:
insmod –k <modulename>
If none of the listed parallel port modules is running, use this command:
insmod –k parport_pc
This command inserts the three modules needed for a parallel port.
If you continue to see problems, it is possible that the lp module is running. If it is, the
virtual machine cannot use the parallel port correctly. To remove the lp module, run
this command as the root user:
rmmod lp
You should also ensure that the line referring to the lp module in the /etc/
modules.conf or /etc/conf.modules file is removed or commented out by
inserting a hash character (#) at the beginning of the line. The name of the
configuration file depends on the Linux distribution you are using. When you reboot
Using Parallel Ports on
C H A P T E R 1 1 Connecting Devices
251