Raising money for a hackable, open hardware-based USB protocol analyzer

A stellar pair of reverse engineers, bushing and pytey from iPhone DevTeam/Team Twiizers, have launched a Kickstarter fundraiser to back OpenVizsla, a open/hackable hardware-based USB protocol analyzer. They've got my support -- this work will continue to enable free/open drivers for everything from iPods to 3G modems, and allow indie software developers to continue making tools that interact with our hardware:

USB has a standard, published interface that is properly described (at great length) but the actual protocols for connected devices are not common and are often proprietary to the individual vendors or manufacturers. USB succeeded at eliminating most strange cables, but requires custom drivers for many types of hardware. Often, these USB protocols are intentionally obfuscated to make them confusing and complex in order to attempt to restrict support to the original manufacturer of the device. In this case the USB packets themselves hold the key to the information that is necessary to write independent third party drivers.
Protocol analysis and reverse engineering is needed to create such drivers and these tasks rely on the real-time capture of USB traffic. Software-based analyzers are available, but only useful in certain limited applications. Hardware based protocol analyzers are expensive and are usually out of the reach of most independent developers, hobbyists and hackers. The most popular products cost $1400+ and, with few exceptions, use proprietary Windows-only client software, proprietary protocols, and proprietary data formats that are hard to export for use with other software.
OpenVizsla will be a completely open design of a device that can capture USB 1.1/2.0 (high-speed, full-speed and low-speed) traffic passively between a target USB device and the connected host (usually a PC, but potentially anything that has a USB host port -- think Xbox 360 and PS3). It will be controlled by any computer using open-source client software or potentially in standalone mode (where captured traffic is stored onto an on-board SD card).

"OpenVizsla" Open Source USB Protocol Analyzer

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braininavat

“USB succeeded at eliminating most strange cables” – well, at one end of the cord anyhow. I have several USB cables that appear to have the same connector at the other end but are incompatible. These are all supplied by well known manufacturers.
CANTFIGHTTHEDITE

Count me in for at least a tenner. What a great project, me thinks!
nixiebunny

The kickstarter page indicates that they’ve already passed their monetary goal. That was quick!

I really like the idea of an open tool to do this work. I’ve always been peeved at the closed interfaces that commercial logic/protocol analyzers typically provide.

I’m interested to see what great software tools are released for this gizmo. Once you get the raw bits, then the fun really begins.
salvarsan

“think Xbox 360 and PS3″

Not just on Xbox and friends.

Think about any USB appliance that can’t run under Linux because the manufacturor is short-sightedly proprietary about the USB protocol — the list includes scanners, cameras, phones, printers, random audio equipment, et.al..

Canon, are you listening?
That includes every cheap HP scanner, too.
Anonymous

I had been thinking of getting the $400 Beagle USB analyzer, but curious.. how do these things actually work?

I have a printer for example, that I’d like to send maintence commands from my own application rather than using the application that came with the printer.

I installed a ‘soft’ usb analyzer, but how would a hardware based one work differently?
chris

usbmon / wireshark

source: i’ve done this before
joe blough

yeah… i havent looked at this too carefully, but i don’t see how this is different than a beagle. the beagle software is actually cross platform and is pretty reasonable.

a hardware based analyzer is completely passive as far as the SUT is concerned. it can sit on the bus and snoop all the transactions without interfering with what’s going on between the USB host and target. i imagine that a software based analyzer could possibly change the timing or order of USB transactions on the bus, if the soft analyzer runs on the same PC that is the USB host.
The .invalid

It’s got a dog wearing glasses. I’m donating the shit out of this! :)

Seriously though, great idea. Will donate next payday!
Anonymous

I see no need for this project.
-Just use VirtualBox w/ Windows on Linux:
http://wiki.wireshark.org/CaptureSetup/USB#Windows