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System Administration Guide: Devices and File Systems     Oracle Solaris 10 8/11 Information Library
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Document Information

About This Book

1.  Managing Removable Media (Overview)

2.  Managing Removable Media (Tasks)

3.  Accessing Removable Media (Tasks)

4.  Writing CDs and DVDs (Tasks)

5.  Managing Devices (Overview/Tasks)

6.  Dynamically Configuring Devices (Tasks)

7.  Using USB Devices (Overview)

8.  Using USB Devices (Tasks)

Managing USB Devices in the Oracle Solaris OS (Roadmap)

Using USB Mass Storage Devices (Task Map)

Using USB Mass Storage Devices

Using USB Diskette Devices

Using Non-Compliant USB Mass Storage Devices

How to Use a Non-Complaint USB Mass Storage Device

Hot-Plugging USB Mass Storage Devices

How to Add a USB Mass Storage Device Without vold Running

How to Add a USB Camera

How to Remove a USB Mass Storage Device Without vold Running

Preparing to Use a USB Mass Storage Device With vold Running

How to Display USB Device Information

How to Create a File System on a USB Mass Storage Device

How to Create a File System on a USB Mass Storage Device Without vold Running

How to Modify Partitions and Create a PCFS File System on a USB Mass Storage Device Without vold Running

How to Create a Solaris Partition and Modify the Slices on a USB Mass Storage Device Without vold Running

How to Mount or Unmount a USB Mass Storage Device Without vold Running

Troubleshooting Tips for USB Mass Storage Devices

Disabling Specific USB Drivers

How to Disable Specific USB Drivers

How to Remove Unused USB Device Links

Using USB Audio Devices (Task Map)

Using USB Audio Devices

Hot-Plugging Multiple USB Audio Devices

How to Add USB Audio Devices

How to Identify Your System's Primary Audio Device

How to Change the Primary USB Audio Device

Troubleshooting USB Audio Device Problems

Key Points of Audio Device Ownership

Hot-Plugging USB Devices With the cfgadm Command (Task Map)

Hot-Plugging USB Devices With the cfgadm Command

How to Display USB Bus Information (cfgadm)

How to Unconfigure a USB Device

How to Configure a USB Device

How to Logically Disconnect a USB Device

How to Logically Connect a USB Device

How to Logically Disconnect a USB Device Subtree

How to Reset a USB Device

How to Change the Default Configuration of a Multi-Configuration USB Device

9.  Using InfiniBand Devices (Overview/Tasks)

10.  Managing Disks (Overview)

11.  Administering Disks (Tasks)

12.  SPARC: Setting Up Disks (Tasks)

13.  x86: Setting Up Disks (Tasks)

14.  Configuring Oracle Solaris iSCSI Targets and Initiators (Tasks)

15.  The format Utility (Reference)

16.  Managing File Systems (Overview)

17.  Creating and Mounting File Systems (Tasks)

18.  Using The CacheFS File System (Tasks)

19.  Configuring Additional Swap Space (Tasks)

20.  Checking UFS File System Consistency (Tasks)

21.  UFS File System (Reference)

22.  Backing Up and Restoring UFS File Systems (Overview)

23.  Backing Up UFS Files and File Systems (Tasks)

24.  Using UFS Snapshots (Tasks)

25.  Restoring UFS Files and File Systems (Tasks)

26.  UFS Backup and Restore Commands (Reference)

27.  Copying Files and File Systems (Tasks)

28.  Managing Tape Drives (Tasks)

Index

Using USB Audio Devices

For information about USB audio support in specific Oracle Solaris releases, see Oracle Solaris Support for USB Devices.

This Oracle Solaris release provides USB audio support that is implemented by a pair of cooperating drivers, usb_ac and usb_as. The audio control driver, usb_ac, is a Solaris USB Architecture compliant client driver that provides the controlling interface to user applications. The audio streaming driver, usb_as, processes audio data messages during play and record. It sets sample frequency and precision, and encodes requests from the usb_ac driver. Both drivers comply with the USB audio class 1.0 specification.

Some audio devices can set volume under software control. A STREAMS module, usb_ah, is pushed on top of the HID driver for managing this function.

Oracle Solaris supports USB audio devices that are play-only, record-only, or record and play. Hot-plugging of USB audio devices is supported.

The primary audio device is /dev/audio. You can verify that /dev/audio is pointing to USB audio by using the following command:

% mixerctl
Device /dev/audioctl:
  Name    = USB Audio
  Version = 1.0
  Config  = external

Audio mixer for /dev/audioctl is enabled

After you connect your USB audio devices, you access them with the audioplay and audiorecord command through the /dev/sound/N device links.

Note that the /dev/audio and /dev/sound/N devices can refer to speakers, microphones, or combination devices. If you refer to the incorrect device type, the command fails. For example, the audioplay command fails if you try to use it with a microphone.

You can select a specific default audio device for most Oracle audio applications, such as audioplay and audiorecord, by setting the AUDIODEV shell variable or by specifying the -d option for these commands. However, setting AUDIODEV does not work for third-party applications that have /dev/audio hardcoded as the audio file.

When you plug in a USB audio device, it automatically becomes the primary audio device, /dev/audio, unless /dev/audio is in use. For instructions on changing /dev/audio from on-board audio to USB audio and vice versa, refer to How to Change the Primary USB Audio Device, and usb_ac(7D).

Hot-Plugging Multiple USB Audio Devices

If a USB audio device is plugged into a system, it becomes the primary audio device, /dev/audio. It remains the primary audio device even after the system is rebooted. If additional USB audio devices are plugged in, the last one becomes the primary audio device.

For additional information on troubleshooting USB audio device problems, see usb_ac(7D).

How to Add USB Audio Devices

  1. Plug in the USB speaker.

    The primary audio device, /dev/audio, points to the USB speaker.

    % ls -l /dev/audio
    lrwxrwxrwx   1 root     root    10 Feb 13 08:46 /dev/audio -> usb/audio0
  2. (Optional) Remove the speaker. Then, plug it back in.

    If you remove the speaker, the /dev/audio device reverts back to on-board audio.

    % ls -l /dev/audio
    lrwxrwxrwx   1 root     root   7 Feb 13 08:47 /dev/audio -> sound/0
  3. Add a USB microphone.
    % ls -l /dev/audio
    lrwxrwxrwx   1 root     root    10 Feb 13 08:54 /dev/audio -> usb/audio1

How to Identify Your System's Primary Audio Device

This procedure assumes that you have already connected the USB audio devices.

How to Change the Primary USB Audio Device

Troubleshooting USB Audio Device Problems

Sometimes, USB speakers do not produce any sound, even though the driver is attached and the volume is set to high. Hot-plugging the device might not change this behavior.

The workaround is to power cycle the USB speakers.

Key Points of Audio Device Ownership

Keep the following key points of audio device ownership in mind when working with audio devices: