Problems with Zoom client on Bionicpup64 in Virtualbox/Win10

[cdmain]

Hi all,

This is my first post!

I have recently installed Puppy Linux bionic 64 (uname -r 4.19.23) using Virtualbox running on a Win 10 host.

I want to install Zoom client and I used the link to download the sfs file , loaded it and seemed to have success because the program loaded but the camera was not detected. Expecting this to be an issue with my Virtualbox configuration I shutdown puppy linux and later restarted it. But now Zoom client does not launch at all. When go to Network> Zoom and click nothing happens.

Not sure what has happened. I did try unloading the sfs file and reloading it. But it made no difference.

Thank you for your assistance.

cdmain

[mikewalsh]

Hallo, cdmain. And to the 'kennels'.

As far as Zoom is concerned, I too began by using step's SFS packages.....until I realised they'd been built for FatDog, which runs a bit differently to Puppies. it's also probably way out of date by now, since Zoom are like Skype; the darn thing gets an update at least once a week, and you have to uninstall the old & re-boot before installing the new. I've found the better option is to download direct from Zoom's website; you want the .deb package, but do make sure you get the Ubuntu .deb package.....the Debian .deb package is slightly different, and doesn't behave itself in Bionic.

https://zoom.us/download?os=linux

However, from the sound of it the issue could simply be your webcam. Can you get us an ID, please?

Enter the following in the terminal, then post the output in your next reply, please:-

Code: Select all

lsusb

What we need is the 8-digit code with a colon (:) in the middle. (In Linux, hardware 'issues' almost always boil down to whether the chipset in use is recognised by the kernel, since these days it's better than 90% nothing but reverse-engineered drivers..!)

Hint; copy & paste in Puppy's default URXVT terminal is a bit odd. Highlight what you want to copy, then it's middle-click to paste. Over to you....


Mike.

[cdmain]

Hi mikewalsh,

Thank you for your prompt reply and the jolly welcome.

I expected to get notified via email of a post reply but got nothing. Anyway.....I ran the command

root# lsusb
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 80ee:0021 VirtualBox USB Tablet
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub

I will give it a go installing the ubuntu .deb file and see.

The curious thing is the first time I installed zoom using sfs, the program launched. But the webcam would not work. Then the next day the program would not launch at all.

Thanks again for your assistance.

cdmain.

[cdmain]

Hi mikewalsh,

I added all the usb controller devices I could in virtualbox:

root# lsusb
Bus 001 Device 004: ID 0bda:c123 Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
Bus 001 Device 003: ID 06cb:00da Synaptics, Inc.
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 80ee:0021 VirtualBox USB Tablet
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub

Doesn't look like camera is there.

Zoom has installed using .deb file and it launches. Thank you. Now I need help to figure out the camera please.

cdmain

[mikewalsh]

Hi, Lekium.

D'oh! My bad.....I'd forgotten, you're doing this with Virtualbox, aren't you?

Mm. Personally, I've never had an awful lot of luck running Pups from a VM. I do know, however, that for a guest OS, running in Virtualbox, to be able to "communicate" with the host OS's hardware, you also need to install what's known as the "guest additions package". This lets your guest do just that.....communicate with the host's hardware, because you'll have no success otherwise.

Coupla questions, if I may?

Where did you get Virtualbox from? I assume, since this is running in Win 10, that you went to the Oracle website and obtained Virtualbox that way, yes? If this is the case, you'll need to re-visit the Oracle site, and download & install the "guest additions" installer package that matches the version of Virtualbox you're running.

Annnnd.....is your webcam a built-in one, or is it a separate, plug-in type? I ask, because some laptop's 'built-in' cams do in fact run from the PCI express bus, not the USB root hub.

Over to you...


Mike.

[cdmain]

Hi Mike,

Thanks again for the reply.

So I do have guest additions installed. I installed it to get the screen resolution working on the VM. I installed virtual box from Oracle website and guest additions too.

Yes I am running Win10, experimenting with Puppy Linux. I read somewhere that puppy Linux is not meant to be installed but to be run from a USB stick. If this is how it's recommended then I can do that. I was using virtual box just to see which flavour of Linux I preferred.

The webcam is Integrated , so makes sense that it would not be USB bus. I will try again and see.

Thanks for your assistance.

cdmain.

[mikewalsh]

Hi Mike,

Thanks again for the reply.

So I do have guest additions installed. I installed it to get the screen resolution working on the VM. I installed virtual box from Oracle website and guest additions too.

Yes I am running Win10, experimenting with Puppy Linux. I read somewhere that puppy Linux is not meant to be installed but to be run from a USB stick. If this is how it's recommended then I can do that. I was using virtual box just to see which flavour of Linux I preferred.

The webcam is Integrated , so makes sense that it would not be USB bus. I will try again and see.

Thanks for your assistance.

cdmain.

@cdmain :-

O-kay. Fair enough! Well, yes; Pup was always intended to be run from a flash drive.....and to keep elderly hardware still usable, and productive.

Don't get me wrong. I know VMs are a very popular way of trying distros out, seeing if you like them, etc.....but Puppy just works better if she's run from one of her intended 'destinations', shall we say.

Put it this way; I've recently upgraded to new, far more powerful desktop hardware; my old desktop (circa 2005) died just after Xmas this year. I didn't enjoy running VMs on that; I still don't enjoy running VMs on this new one, even though it's far more capable. I prefer running Pup from 'bare metal', so to speak; at least that way, you don't have the added complication of a layer of virtualization.....and we should be able to get to the bottom of your webcam issue more easily if it's able to access the hardware directly.

One piece of advice; make sure you choose the 'frugal' install option. Don't ever go for the 'full' install.....I know it SOUNDS better, but it's really a last-gasp resort for resource-starved, low-power machines. (Yes, I know; it's a bit misleading, that, isn't it?)

Put it this way; if you choose the 'full' install, you're voluntarily robbing yourself of all the best things Puppy has to offer. Seriously...!


Mike.

[cdmain]

Hi Mike,

Well I got the webcam working thanks to your advice. I had to install the virtual box extension pack to enable webcam passthrough.

I was reading the another topic on the forum on why people like using Puppy Linux compared to other forums. Well my laptop is brand new so I don't have an issue with resources but I just like the OS.....so far.

Interesting about the 'frugal' usb install. Are you still able to enable persistent state and save files to hard disk with puppy running from usb?

Thanks.

cdmain

[mikewalsh]

Hi Mike,

Well I got the webcam working thanks to your advice. I had to install the virtual box extension pack to enable webcam passthrough.

I was reading the another topic on the forum on why people like using Puppy Linux compared to other forums. Well my laptop is brand new so I don't have an issue with resources but I just like the OS.....so far.

Interesting about the 'frugal' usb install. Are you still able to enable persistent state and save files to hard disk with puppy running from usb?

Thanks.

cdmain

Mm-hm.

Well, the idea of creating the 'save' (-folder OR -file, your choice) on the same location as the USB install (i.e., the stick itself) is that it of course then makes the entire thing portable between various different machines. However, yes; it is perfectly possible to run Puppy from a USB and make use of a 'save' that is on the computer's hard drive. Some people do exactly that.

It's probably more common to create the entire thing ('frugal' Puppy + 'save') on the machine's hard drive. This is what I do myself. I run multiple Puppies; I have a single large partition for all my Pups, and each one is installed to a sub-directory within that partition.....because Puppy's 'native' bootloader, Grub4DOS, is a 'forked' version of the original Grub4DOS that in our case has been re-written to search TWO layers 'deep' to find a bootable kernel. And this is what makes the sub-directory approach viable.

Puppy is unbelievably versatile, trust me. If you're interested in continuing your Puppy 'journey', stick around; between us all, I'm fairly certain we can make it a thoroughly enjoyable experience for you..!


Mike.