Overview

This process enables a Docker container running Ubuntu to access USB peripherals connected to the Windows host system, a common requirement for device-dependent software development and debugging.

Prerequisites

1. Docker Desktop for Windows installed and running.
2. The official Ubuntu container image available locally. It can be obtained using the command:

docker pull ubuntu:latest

Step 1: Locate the Windows USB Device Path

USB device identifiers on Windows are not directly compatible with Linux. Identify the correct path using Windows PowerShell or Command Prompt.

1. Open a PowerShell or Command Prompt window with administrative privileges.
2. Run the following command to list physical disk drives (for storage devices) or COM ports:

# For disk-like USB devices (e.g., flash drives)
wmic diskdrive list brief

# For serial USB devices (e.g., Arduino, USB-to-Serial adapters)
mode

3. Note the physical ID (e.g., \\.\PHYSICALDRIVE1) or COM port number (e.g., COM3).

Step 2: Start the Container with Device Mapping

To pass the USB device into the container, the --device flag is used. The syntax maps the Windows device path to a corrresponding node within the container's /dev directory.

The basic command structure is:

docker run -it --device=<windows_device_path>:<container_device_path> ubuntu

Replace the placeholders as follows:

• <windows_device_path>: Use the path discovered in Step 1.
• <container_device_path>: Choose an appropriate Linux device file path in side the container, commonly /dev/sda1 for a disk partition or /dev/ttyUSB0 for a serial device.

Example for a serial device on COM3:

docker run -it --device=\\.\COM3:/dev/ttyUSB0 ubuntu

Example for a physical disk (e.g., PHYSICALDRIVE1):

docker run -it --device=\\.\PHYSICALDRIVE1:/dev/sdb ubuntu

After execution, you will be inside the Ubuntu container's shell. Verify the device is acessible:

# Check for the device file
ls -l /dev/sdb  # or /dev/ttyUSB0, etc.

Accessing USB via Raw Bus Path (Alternative Method)

If direct mapping fails, you can attempt to mount the entire USB bus using a volume bind mount, which exposes the Windows host's USB device tree to the container. This requires enabling the --privileged flag for elevated container permissions.

docker run -it --privileged -v /dev/bus/usb:/dev/bus/usb ubuntu

Inside the container, tools like lsusb can then be used to list connected USB devices.

apt-get update && apt-get install -y usbutils
lsusb

Notes on Permissions and Use

• The --privileged flag grants extensive system access to the container, which can be a security risk. Use it only in trusted development environments.
• Device file permissions within the container may require adjustment using chmod if the application running inside lacks sufficient access rights.
• The specific device node name (/dev/ttyUSB0, /dev/sdb1, etc.) can vary. Use ls /dev/ inside the running container to identify the correct node after attachment.