Will a USB DRM Dongle work in Visualization (VMWare or Parallels)?

[ottsk]

Errr, Virtualization rather.

Hi,

I'm thinking of moving one of my family members over to a Mac from a PC running XP. This person has a single application that is Windows only and requires a USB DRM dongle to run the program.

I hope to use VMware Fusion or Parallels to allow the person to access the program through virtualization. However, I worry that there may be extra complications related to getting the USB DRM dongle to work in virtualization.

I believe that it should theoretically work once I assign the usb port to the virtual machine.

I'm wondering if anyone has had experience with this type of setup (USB DRM dongle) in a virtualization environment, and whether VMWare or Parallels would be better suited for this type of application.

Unfortunately, I don't have a Mac to try this on before I purchase the machine and required software.

Thanks for your help/comments!

 

[TEG]

It should work, as you can dedicate devices to the VM, so that it will appear that it is only plugged into the Windows Machine. I use it from time-to-time to transfer files from my Mac's desktop to my XP machine.

 

[JTSmeed]

It should

We use a USB DRM key for some Kubotek products using Parallels Desktop 6 and it works without issue. You just need to "connect" the key to the virtual machine in Parallels.

 

[Panch0]

It should work, but it might be a good idea to specify the program you're trying to run. Also, You might want to check on the software vendor's support forum to see if anyone there is running the program through virtualization. It's a pretty safe bet that the vendor will consider this an "unsupported configuration", so if you ever need support from them, you will probably be out of luck.

 

[jdelgado]

Used one USB dongle too with Parallels. Worked OK. With the VM running, you plug in the dongle and you will have to select where do you want the device "assigned" to: the VM or the Mac.

 

[ottsk]

Thanks for your comments, everyone.

The Program is called 3D Embroidery Studio. It's a Husqvarna/Viking Product. I just saw an embroidery thread, so I might ask in there as well. I have not found anything within their meager online support to suggest if it will work or not. I've also send their support team an email.

Again, Thanks!

-S