Sharing a USB camera with usbipd in a docker container

[guillaumenibert]

Hello everyone, thank you for your work, I am looking to share my USB camera to a docker container.

I am not sure this is a WSL issue, so I am posting my problem here.

Windows version

Microsoft Windows [version 10.0.22631.3155]

WSL Version

2.0.14

Are you using WSL 1 or WSL 2?

• WSL 2
• WSL 1

Kernel Version

WSL kernel compiled with USB Camera drivers based on version 5.15.133.1; Tutorial provided by @AgileDevArt available here: https://youtu.be/t_YnACEPmrM?feature=shared&t=183.

Distro Version

Docker Desktop for Windows v4.28.0; docker-desktop distro.

Other Software

usbipd-win v4.1.1-dev from dorssel/usbipd-win#856 (comment).

Repro Steps

Based on discussion dorssel/usbipd-win#315, I performed these steps:

1. I recompiled the Linux kernel for WSL with camera driver support,
2. then attached my camera to WSL using usbipd,
3. tested the camera on the Ubuntu default WSL distribution with cheese: it works.
4. /dev/video0 is visible in the docker-desktop distro.
5. I tried this tip ubdipd and docker container dorssel/usbipd-win#315 (comment) from @NikLeberg :

Hi @salvatoreTorsello I use usbipd successfully to forward a USB device to a docker container. For that I had to map -v /dev:/dev and add --privileged so the container can access the devices. Depending on you device you have to install drivers for it in WSL2 thought.

Adapting it, I tried these configurations (docker compose file), with or without privileges, with or without the devices part,

...
privileged: true
volumes:
   - /dev:/dev
   - /run/desktop/dev:/dev
   - /run/desktop/dev/video0:/dev/video0

devices:
   - /dev:/dev
   - /run/desktop/dev:/dev
   - /dev/video0:/dev/video0
...

Expected behaviour

I should see /dev/video0 in my container.

Actual behaviour

/dev/video0 is visible in the docker-desktop distro, but not in the container: when I do lsusb in my container, the camera is visible, but the output of ls /dev does not list video0.

Diagnostic logs

No response

Additional information

Copy of this post in the Docker for Windows GitHub repository: docker/for-win#13940 and in the usbipd project discussions: dorssel/usbipd-win#879; @dorssel advised me to also post my problem to WSL's GitHub repository.

---

I am interested in any advice, whether or not it concerns WSL or rather Docker Desktop for Windows.

Best regards,

Guillaume Nibert

[PompIsaac123]

did you figure it out? im triying to do the same with wsl2. probably just better to not use docker ? idk. looking for answers.

[guillaumenibert]

Hello,

Here is what I did to make it work (docker/for-win#13940 (comment)):

@guillaumenibert any updates on this?

I have tried again, and it seems that rebooting the computer has made /dev/video0 visible. Unfortunately, despite the presence of /dev/video0 in the container I cannot access the device. I have tried :

* setting the container to be `privileged`

* adding my container user to the `video` group

It does not work.

The only solution I have found which works is to enter the docker-desktop system

wsl --distribution docker-desktop

and change the owner of /dev/video0 to one with UID:GID = 1000:1000

chown 1000:1000 /dev/video0

The container now has access to the host's camera.

Best regards,

Guillaume Nibert