I was finally able to resolve this. So that maybe other users can find how
to fix this if they run into the same issues:
tl;dr:
Edit the virtual machine in question, go under Console, make sure SPICE is
chosen for graphics, and under "USB Redirection" choose "Native." When
you
reboot the VM, it will have both UHCI and EHCI (2.0) controllers. Now, any
USB 2.0 devices that you attach will work correctly.
Long version:
I struggled with this for quite a while. While doing some additional
research, I found a note in the 4.1.0 release notes referencing BZ 1373223.
This particular note was for ppc64 architecture systems, but it curiously
said that enabling USB Redirection under SPICE would change the USB
controllers available on the host. I dug a little deeper into the bug
thread and found a couple of references that seemed to indicate that
x86/x86_64 exhibited the same behavior. Apparently, UHCI (1.1) is the
default because it supports SmartCards, but the EHCI (2.0) controller does
not. So, turning on USB Redirection under SPICE settings for the console
enables an EHCI controller, thereby enabling devices that require USB 2.0.
Personal opinion:
This is really obfuscated. It would be great if this switch lived somewhere
more obvious. Even if that doesn't happen, this should exist in a document
somewhere. Maybe it does and I couldn't find it, but I tried!
jonathan
--
Jonathan Woytek
http://www.dryrose.com
KB3HOZ
PGP: 462C 5F50 144D 6B09 3B65 FCE8 C1DC DEC4 E8B6 AABC