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DISCUS in a VM

 
 
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Author willferre
ZRO
#1 | Posted: 2 Aug 2018 15:29 
Hi!

I'm wondering if there are any users around here who would use a DISCUS in a Virtual Machine on a MacBook Pro?

I've been trying to make my DISCUS work within a VM to be able to perform calibration using my MacBook, but unfortunately it didn't go so well.
The usual suspects (DISCUS checked in the Discoverable Probes, license allows to use a DISCUS, DISCUS rotated to first · position ) are checked.

My other probe, an i1 Pro 2, is working well in the VM. Networking was also taken care of, Resolve connexion is successfully set up.
The DISCUS probe is working flawlessly within native Win 8.1 on my workstation, no need to install any driver. The device is seen in the Windows Devices Manager as "USB Serial Converter" with FTDI drivers.

In the VM (VirtualBox Win 8.1 guest running in High Sierra host, USB set to 2.0) the device is seen as "other device" named "DISCUS" and missing drivers, so I assumed FTDI drivers were needed.

BasICColor recommends to install the probe drivers through their basICColor display software, so I did that. The DISCUS is connecting without issue within basICColor display software, but still not discovered in LightSpace.

I uninstalled basICColor display software to make sure it isn't preventing the probe to connect to LightSpace, asked basICColor to send the drivers without the software, and re-installed the drivers. Still no luck.

I wiped the VM and made a clean Win 8.1 installation, then installed the up-to-date generic FTDI drivers that Ted Aspiotis refered to on LiftGammaGain, to clean the mess and rule out driver version or conflict issue, but still no luck.

I pasted the VM to my workstation and ran the VM with my workstation as the VirtualBox host to rule out MacBook or USB port specific issue, still no luck.

I made a clean Win 10 install in Parallels on my MacBook to rule out specific VirtualBox issue, the probe is seen correctly by the Devices Manager but still not discovered in LightSpace. I tried with USB 3.0 enabled and disabled.

I'm quite running out of ideas to try at this point, apart from setting up a dual-boot on my MacBook, but I would prefer to make it work in a VM.
I feel it's related to the way the hypervisor is presenting the device to the VM guest OS, and the USB/COM ports thing, but I can't find much more infos about that.
Maybe drivers at the host level do the USB-Serial conversion, taking control of the serial bus, then pass the USB device to the VM, which tries to do the USB-Serial conversion, but the serial bus is already under the host control. What bugs me is that it's working fine in the VM within basICColor software.

If you happen to have a setup allowing a DISCUS (or maybe JETI/Klein probe as the connexion should be use a similar serial port) to work in a VM, or if you have any idea of something to try out, I'd be more than happy to hear from you or provide additionnal info about my setups if needed.

Thanks in advance!

Author Steve

INF
Male
#2 | Posted: 2 Aug 2018 15:37 
Hi Will - I know we've been discussing this, and have run out of ideas.
As the Discus works on LightSpace on a Windows PC we really have no idea what can be wrong with the Mac setup.
Hopefully another LightSpace user on Mac will be able to assist.

The info provided so far on Mac issues is in this thread, which I know you have looked through without success.

https://www.lightillusion.com/forums/index.php?action=vthread&forum=17&topic=358

Steve
Steve Shaw
Mob Boss at Light Illusion

Author Mat
ZRO
#3 | Posted: 2 Aug 2018 17:42 
I have the same problem with discus and i1Display pro [ Calman c6] with parallel not recognize by LightSpace.
And it makes me switch to my old windows laptop.

I think the problem is the LightSpace software , as other software can recognize the discus and i1 display pro.

Author Steve

INF
Male
#4 | Posted: 2 Aug 2018 18:08 
The C6 obviously has nothing to do with LightSpace, as we do not directly Support it.

But, that suggests the DLL is part of the issue, specifically the way that Mac is handling the DLL, as it works natively on Windows.

I 'think' the DLL for the Discus we use is from basICColor, but will have to check.
If it is, then that too is not directly a LightSpace issue.

Such COMs issues are why we have always shied away from a Mac native LightSpace system.

Steve
Steve Shaw
Mob Boss at Light Illusion

Author Mat
ZRO
#5 | Posted: 2 Aug 2018 18:23 
Actually I got it work by changing the discus DLL in Lightspace with DLL from another software.
And It's older version, than DLL in Lightspace.

Author willferre
ZRO
#6 | Posted: 2 Aug 2018 18:27 
Hi Mat, thanks for sharing this.

Would you mind to name the software you pull the DLL from?
I actually tried to replace the LightSpace's Discus DLL with the ColorNavigator's one as I had it in my system, which was older, but it didn't work out.
Did this trick made the probe work with LightSpace within the VM?

Author Mat
ZRO
#7 | Posted: 2 Aug 2018 18:32 
I am using DLL from Chro..Pu..
The probe work on Lightspace with parallels desktop.

Author willferre
ZRO
#8 | Posted: 2 Aug 2018 18:52 
That's great news!
Would you be willing to send me the DLL? My email adress is in my profile.

Author jfinnie
ZRO
#9 | Posted: 2 Aug 2018 19:04 
I guess if it gets you working then great, but it would be better to try and communicate this issue with BasiCColor to get the newest DLL fixed.

There are some problems on native Windows machines (and I guess VM) with the older Discus DLLs with all software, including BasICColor's own. If you enable the patch generator and measure in the Lightspace calibration interface, and then change the patches between light and dark, you will find the Discus DLL reports what are spurious overload error conditions which Lightspace passes up to the UI. The DLL basically breaks any time a measure has started with a dark patch and the patch changes mid-read to a bright patch.

Author willferre
ZRO
#10 | Posted: 2 Aug 2018 19:16 
When I contacted BasICColor about this issue, their response was that if the probe was working in their software within my setup, then it's not on their side, which makes sense.
Linking the issue to the DLL used in LightSpace, and assuming they did provide it , it's indeed a good idea to pass the info to them for fixing the DLL.

Thanks for sharing the patch-changing issue. Using old software when updates have been made might not be a solution I'd be confident working with.

Author jfinnie
ZRO
#11 | Posted: 2 Aug 2018 20:22 
Have you tried using the newer (broken in LS) DLL with their software? (their software might also ship with the older DLL). The new DLL was made in Oct 2017 when I reported the issues with patch changing. They made the DLL currently shipping with LS in response to this. I think LS might be the only SW that is updated to this DLL (I don't care about CP or CM so I'm not going to suggest it to them...)

Author Steve

INF
Male
#12 | Posted: 2 Aug 2018 20:30 
I have gone back over the history James has commented (now he's reminded me) and he is totally correct.
basICColor did indeed provide a replacement DLL, and as such it would seem the issue is related to that DLL.
I suspect we are the only people to be using that DLL...
I'll contact them directly too.

Steve
Steve Shaw
Mob Boss at Light Illusion

Author Mat
ZRO
#13 | Posted: 3 Aug 2018 01:25 
It is great if Steve can get the new DLL working on VM.

Author jfinnie
ZRO
#14 | Posted: 3 Aug 2018 07:43 
Be interesting to see at which point in the DLL history it stopped working in the VM. It might be that the version previously used by Lightspace also fails in the VM. When looking at this briefly I noticed that there is quite a significant difference in file size for some of the old discus.DLLs I have from "other software", which is a little unusual and hints that there might have been different options selected at compile time.

Author Steve

INF
Male
#15 | Posted: 3 Aug 2018 07:52 
This looks to be a basICColor issue, so it will down to them to find a solution - not us.
I have pointed basICColor at this thread, and they have responded that as soon as the holiday period is over they will get their engineers to look at the issue.

Steve
Steve Shaw
Mob Boss at Light Illusion

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