Script a reset of specific USB port

[bgalfond]

I operate a remote system that I connect to via a sprint mobile broadband usb dongle. Occasionally, this connection fails, and so I have a fail-safe setup to restart the computer twice a week unless I send it an all-clear signal. This way, the connection can be reestablished most of the time.

Recently however the problem has required the physical removal and plugin of the dongle itself, which is problematic as I am a few thousand miles away from it. My next plan is to replicate my script for restarting the computer but instead restart that specific usb port. Unfortunately, there are crucial connections on other USB ports that I can not interrupt, and this must be all scripted so it can run offline when I don't have physical access.

Any suggestions on how to do this? Thanks!

 

[PhilFrisbie]

The problem with this idea is that many motherboards have just one or two actual internal USB ports, which are connected to internal hubs, which THEN connect to the external ports.

So the first issue is that you will need to figure out what other external ports are tied to the same hub as your broadband device and not plug anything critical into those ports.

The next issue is whether the driver will allow you to choose a specific port to reset, or if the driver will only reset all.

One way around both these issues would be to install a USB card that uses a different driver than the motherboard. Then you could simply reset that driver.