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UsbHub not working on Ubuntu 18.04 LTS.

I have a notebook with only one USB 3.0 port and two USB Type-C ports.

I tried to insert a USB hub (I guess USB 2.0 hub) in the USB 3.0 slot, but Ubuntu did not recognize it.

Also I tried to insert Logitech k330 keyboard - same result.

But usb-flash that use USB 3.0 works perfectly on this slot.

dmesg result:

[  411.156178] usb 1-7: new full-speed USB device number 12 using xhci_hcd
[  411.284575] usb 1-7: device descriptor read/64, error -71
[  411.521344] usb 1-7: device descriptor read/64, error -71
[  411.629659] usb usb1-port7: unable to enumerate USB device

I tried:

sudo vi /etc/default/grub

and changing to this:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash usbcore.autosuspend=-1 usbcore.old_scheme_first=1"

Am I missing something?

I don't think that the problem is with the hub, because on Windows 10 this hub works perfectly and the wireless keyboard too. I hope the problem is in configuration. I have Lenovo yoga with very ugly BIOS configuration. There are no buttons in BIOS to change USB settings.

Unfortunately I don't have a powered USB 2.0 hub. But I have a USB 3.0 hub. Today I tried to use the USB 3.0 hub. It's a Qilive USB 3.0 hub with 7 out USB 3.0 ports. This hub was successfully connected, but only 4 USB 3.0 ports were recognised:

[ 4694.376640] usb 1-7.4: new high-speed USB device number 16 using xhci_hcd
[ 4694.401994] usb 1-7.4: New USB device found, idVendor=05e3, idProduct=0610
[ 4694.402000] usb 1-7.4: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=0
[ 4694.402005] usb 1-7.4: Product: USB2.0 Hub
[ 4694.402009] usb 1-7.4: Manufacturer: GenesysLogic
[ 4694.403092] hub 1-7.4:1.0: USB hub found
[ 4694.403535] hub 1-7.4:1.0: 4 ports 

It's something like a power issue, but why are USB 2.0 devices not working if connected to USB 3.0 still unknown. And why on Windows are there no USB 3.0 or USB 2.0 issues?

Tried to connect USB mouse directly via USB 3.0 slot.

mouse[USB2.0]<->notebook[USB3.0]

It didn't connect. But when I tried to connect USB mouse via USB 3.0 hub, It connects perfectly.

mouse[USB2.0]<->[USB3.0]hub[USB3.0]<->notebook[USB3.0]

Something like I cannot plug USB 2.0 devices in USB 3.0 slot directly in Ubuntu... But if i connect USB 3.0 hub, and connect USB 2.0 device to this hub - everything works... Will be glad of any help.

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  • sometimes this error could be because the hub is not getting adequate power. have you tried with a powered hub? Aug 17, 2018 at 17:45
  • also have you tried fiddling with your USB setting in your BIOS? Aug 17, 2018 at 17:51

1 Answer 1

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I've had this problem on other distros like Linux Mint. They sometimes get out of sync with the central repository. Personally I think it is how firmware is managed and it's quite possible that the drivers you have for your hub are out of date with current Ubuntu firmware. If you're using an older machine don't bother trying to 'update firmware' cos you may brick your machine if you're unfamiliar with that. What you can do to confirm the problem is to run:

sudo lshw | more

to see if the usb-driver is loaded or use the modprobe -l utility.

If you don't see it in any of these listings then the firmware is not recognizing it and has blocked it. I think this has to do with new security features built into Ubuntu to lock down USB ports like secure mode. You may have to update how your boot-strap works by managing your uEFI bootstrap better with SHIM/MKO. See this site for help in fixing bootstrap. It describes how secure mode works and suggests other tools on how to manage / sign a USB driver.

If you have disabled secure mode in BIOS then most likely the new firmware (ucode) has locked out your hub. I often hit this bug after doing a distro update. If you did this recently or update-grub then you most likely got something out of sync. Distro upgrade utilities can run into problems and leave the system in a mess, and that's why some users avoid them then go for a fresh install. There are better tools out there for managing usb-utilities which Rod Smith describes in his book.

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  • Don't you mean lshw instead?
    – Byte Commander
    Jun 4, 2019 at 21:31

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