You can add virtual parallel (LPT) ports and virtual serial (COM) ports to a virtual machine. A Workstation Pro virtual machine can use up to three parallel ports and up to four virtual serial ports. Add a Virtual Parallel Port to a Virtual MachineYou can attach up to three bidirectional parallel (LPT) ports to a virtual machine. Virtual parallel ports can output to parallel ports or to files on the host system. Configure a Virtual Parallel Port on a Linux 2.6.x Kernel HostLinux 2.6.x kernels that support parallel ports use the modprobe modulename and modprobe parport_pc modules. Workstation Pro requires that the parallel port PC-style hardware option (CONFIG_PARPORT_PC) is built and loaded as a kernel module. Configure Permissions for a Parallel Port Device on a Linux HostSome Linux distributions do not grant a virtual machine access to the lp and parport devices by default. If this is the case on your Linux host system, you must add the VMware user to the group that has permission to access those devices. Troubleshoot ECR Errors for Parallel PortsA parallel port on the host system does not have an Extended Control Register (ECR). Add a Virtual Serial Port to a Virtual MachineYou can add up to four serial (COM) ports to a virtual machine. Virtual serial ports can output to physical serial ports, files, or named pipes. Change the Input Speed of a Serial ConnectionYou can increase the speed of a serial connection over a pipe to a virtual machine. Parent topic: Configuring and Managing Devices