USB/IP project are working on a protocol to enable the mapping of USB devices over a network.
There are loads of great opportunities this provides:
- USB keyboards/mice across multiple systems – virtual KVM (although DesktopRover (win32) and x2VNC (win32/*nix) are both good, stable alternatives)
- USB Printers
- USB Webcams
- etc
This is such a great idea, and I’m surprised it hasn’t been thought of before (maybe it has, if so let me know!).
They have only made a pre-alpha release for linux – but I’m sure this is a project worth watching.