macos 14.7.3 broke usb device functionality within Fusion VMs (Ubuntu, Debian)

[Matthew Eshleman]

I updated to MacOS 14.7.3 recently. Running with VMWARE Fusion Professional Version 13.6.2 (24409261).

Multiple versions of Ubuntu and Debian VMs, all I have tried so far, no longer properly handle various USB devices, such as mass storage.

I noticed this first in an Ubuntu 24.04 VM working an stlink usb device (STM32 Nucleo microcontroller dev board). This setup was working great, then updated to MacOS 14.7.3, and stopped working. I've tried regular mass storage devices since as well, and none are fully recognized. I've tried with and without usb hubs, the results are the same.

With STLINK on Ubuntu 24.04, I see errors (within the linux vm) such as:

[   55.525516] usb 3-2: new full-speed USB device number 6 using xhci_hcd
[   55.659088] usb 3-2: New USB device found, idVendor=0483, idProduct=374b, bcdDevice= 1.00
[   55.659095] usb 3-2: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
[   55.659098] usb 3-2: Product: STM32 STLink
[   55.659100] usb 3-2: Manufacturer: STMicroelectronics
[   55.659101] usb 3-2: SerialNumber: 0673FF363154413043234457
[   55.765477] usb-storage 3-2:1.1: USB Mass Storage device detected
[   55.767763] scsi host33: usb-storage 3-2:1.1
[   55.769455] cdc_acm 3-2:1.2: ttyACM0: USB ACM device
[   61.005741] xhci_hcd 0000:03:00.0: ERROR Transfer event TRB DMA ptr not part of current TD ep_index 10 comp_code 4
[   61.005757] xhci_hcd 0000:03:00.0: Looking for event-dma 0000000120efb010 trb-start 0000000120efb000 trb-end 0000000120efb000 seg-start 0000000120efb000 seg-end 0000000120efbff0
[   62.798941] xhci_hcd 0000:03:00.0: ERROR Transfer event TRB DMA ptr not part of current TD ep_index 9 comp_code 4
[   62.798959] xhci_hcd 0000:03:00.0: Looking for event-dma 0000000133ca9010 trb-start 0000000133ca9000 trb-end 0000000133ca9000 seg-start 0000000133ca9000 seg-end 0000000133ca9ff0
[   77.569739] usb 3-2: reset full-speed USB device number 6 using xhci_hcd
[   77.816812] cdc_acm 3-2:1.2: ttyACM0: USB ACM device

Is there anything I should do/try to fix? Or is it time to move to MacOS 15.x...

Thank you very much for any help,

Matthew Eshleman (long time paying VMWARE Fusion customer)

[Matthew Eshleman]

solved it later, MacOS security issue, I guess the update added that particular setting or flipped it for some random reason.

System Settings -> Privacy & Security -> Files and Folders -> Removable Volumes

example photo attached, enabling that fixed this issue.

[Technogeezer]

Apple Silicon or Intel Mac? Mac Model?

If everything worked before the macOS upgrade, and the version of Fusion didn't change, then I'd suspect something changed in macOS 14.7.3. Is there a way to try this out in macOS natively to see if it has the same behavior there?

Are there any entries in either the vmware.log in the VM's bundle or the vmware-usbarb-*.logs found in /Library/Logs/VMware that might give a clue to what's happening?

There's no guarantee that macOS 15 will fix this, but it might be worth a try.

Hopefully this thread gets the attention of someone from Broadcom who might be able to help out. 

[Smiler2]

I had this problem yesterday using MacOs 15.3.1 using VMWare Fusion 13 when plugging in an STLink programmer/debugger box.  The STLink was not being recognised properly and the folder window did not pop up (it normally creates a folder window which pops up).  The same VM running on VMWare Workstation on my home PC worked with no problem.  Interestingly, this problem happened a few weeks ago but went away - not sure if I altered anything on the Mac to fix it or not.

I just tried going to

System Settings -> Privacy & Security -> Files and Folders -> Removable Volumes

as you later posted and this fixed the problem.  This seems to be a new setting introduced recently and it evidentially works by messing with the USB driver.  Thanks for finding it!