Install the AnywhereUSB Manager: Linux

You can use distros using RPM or DEB package managers to install the awusbmanager package.

You can install the Linux awusbmanager package as headless only, or as headless and stand-alone. Only root has the rights to install the awusbmanager package.

Note If you have previously installed an anywhereusb package on your PC, Digi recommends uninstalling the existing awusbmanager package before installing the desired version.

Prerequisite

Client ID: A client ID is required during the awusbmanager package installation. Before you begin you should determine the client ID you want to use for this computer. The client ID is associated with the user currently logged on to the computer, and is used by your computer and the Hub to create a connection. See Client ID overview for more information.

Step 1: Download the Linux awusbmanager package

  1. Navigate to the AnywhereUSB Plus support page.

    Note This link navigates to the AnywhereUSB 2 Plus support page, but you can also navigate to any of the AnywhereUSB Plus support pages. The Linux AnywhereUSB Manager package is the same on all support pages.

  2. Click the Product Resources tab. This should be selected by default.

  3. In the Drivers & Patches section, click AnywhereUSB Manager.

  4. From the drop-down list box, select Linux.

  5. Click the download link. The Linux AnywhereUSB Manager package is downloaded to your computer. If necessary, transfer it to your Linux PC.

  6. Confirm the integrity of the 40003060_C.tgz tarball.

    1. Use this command to display the SHA256 hash.

      $ sha256sum ./40003060_C.tgz

    2. Download the release notes.

    3. In the release notes, scroll to the Change Log section.

    4. Compare the hash on your computer to the hash included in the Change Log section.

  7. Extract the files from the downloaded package so that you can access the file you want to install.

    $ tar xvzf ./40003060_C.tgz

  8. Review the release notes to ensure that you have all of the information you may need.

Step 2: Choose the Linux AnywhereUSB Manager package

You need to choose the awusbmanager package for your distro from the packages that were extracted in the previous step.

Stand-alone or headless

For ease of use, Digi recommends that you choose a stand-alone package, which includes both the stand-alone awusbmanager and the awusbmanager-headless binaries.

Note The headless package is intended for advanced Linux users.

Distro type

Step 3: Install the Linux AnywhereUSB Manager package

  1. Install the selected awusbmanager package.

    • DEB: Debian, Ubuntu, Kubuntu and similar distros (aptitude/apt/apt-get/dpkg):

      apt install

      $ sudo apt install ./SELECTED.RPM

      where SELECTED.RPM is the name of the anywhereusb package

      Note The dot and slash notation (./) is required to install the file.

      dpkg

      On some distros you may need to use dpkg:

      $ sudo dpkg -i SELECTED.RPM

      where SELECTED.RPM is the name of the anywhereusb package

    • RPM: RedHat and similar distros (dnf/yum/zypper/rpm):

      $ sudo dnf install ./SELECTED.RPM

      where SELECTED.RPM is the name of the anywhereusb package

      Note The dot and slash notation (./) is required to install the file.

  2. Reboot the PC.

    This ensures that the user becomes a member of the new awusb group. Being a member of the awusb group allows that user to successfully use the Manager for configuration and monitoring.

    Note On some distros, log out and log back in is not enough and a reboot is required.

  3. Install vhci_hcd if necessary. Some distributions (RHEL/Rocky/AlmaLinux/CentOS) do not provide the vhci_hcd kernel module.

    1. Verify that the kernel module is not already available on your system.

      $ modinfo vhci-hcd
modinfo: ERROR: Module vhci-hcd not found.

    2. If you see this error message, you must manually install the vhci-hcd module.

      For RPM distros (RedHat-derived), the vhci-hcd module is available in the kmod-usbip package from the add-on El Repo (https://elrepo.org) repository.

      Note The release you pick must match the release version of the OS. For example, elrepo-release-8.el8 for RHEL 8, elrepo-release-9.el9 for RHEL 9, etc.

      You can install the El Repo versions with:

      $ sudo rpm --import https://www.elrepo.org/RPM-GPG-KEY-elrepo.org
$ sudo yum install https://www.elrepo.org/elrepo-release-8.el8.elrepo.noarch.rpm
      $ sudo yum --enablerepo=elrepo install kmod-usbip

    3. When complete, re-run the modinfo to confirm the presence of the vhci-hcd driver.

      $ modinfo vhci-hcd

    Note For additional information on this topic, see /usr/share/doc/awusbmanager/README after installation is complete.

  1. Run the awusbmanager stand-alone binary.

    Note If you chose a headless package, stop at this step and follow the installation process for the headless package. When that is complete, proceed to Additional information: Get started with the Manager and configuring the Hub. 

    $ awusbmanager

    Note The Manager is not normally run as root on Linux systems.

  2. You are prompted to enter a client ID for this PC.

    1. Enter a unique client ID. This client ID is associated with the login credentials for the user currently logged on to the computer.

    2. Click OK.

  3. The AnywhereUSB Manager is launched. Look for your Hub in the Manager. If it does not appear, you can add the Hub's IP address to the list of known Hubs.

    1. Click Configure > Known Hubs. The Known Hubs dialog appears.

    2. Enter the Hub's IP address.

    3. Click OK. The Hub appears in the Hub list in the Known Hubs dialog.

  4. Add the client ID for the PC to the AnywhereUSB Hub client ID list.

    1. Right-click on the Hub name in the AnywhereUSB Manager and choose the Open Web UI menu option. The web UI for the Hub launches.

    2. Log in to the web UI using the Hub's user name and password.

    3. Select System > AnywhereUSB Configuration.

    4. In the Client Settings section, click Add Client.

    5. In the Client ID field, enter the client ID.

    6. A list of the group numbers displays beneath the Group Access field. Click the check box next to a group to which this client ID is allowed access. As you select groups, the selected group numbers appear in the Group Access field. As an alternative, you can enter group numbers in the Group Access field, for example: 1, 5-8, 10-24.

    7. Click Apply.

    8. Return to the AnywhereUSB Manager. The Manager should connect to the Hub within 60 seconds. You can select File > Refresh to have the Manager immediately try to connect to the Hub.

  5. Verify that you can see a USB device in the AnywhereUSB Manager that is connected to the Hub.

    1. Insert a USB memory stick into port 1 on the Hub. The memory stick appears in the AnywhereUSB Manager.

    2. Double-click on the group the memory stick is in to connect to the group.

    3. Look for the inserted notification or find the USB device as /dev/sd*.

 

AnywhereUSB Manager installation is complete!

 

NEXT STEP: If you are performing the initial device set-up, you can return to Get started with your AnywhereUSB Plus or get started on the next step: Assemble the AnywhereUSB Plus hardware.

 

Additional information: Get started with the Manager and configuring the Hub

Review additional information about using the Manager with Linux and configuring your Hub.