linux / libusb get usb device path - linux

Question

I use libusb to enumerate over a few usb-devices. Now i like to get the "device-path". I think it's not called usb device-path, because i was not successful with google.
If i connect a usb-device with linux, i get a message in dmesg, here are a few examples for such a "device-path" with an usb temperature sensor (something like this):
Directly to a usb port:
[68448.099682] generic-usb 0003:0C45:7401.0056: input,hidraw1: USB HID v1.10 Keyboard [RDing TEMPer1V1.2] on usb-0000:00:12.0-1/input0 => 12.0-1
Directly to another port:
[68560.853108] generic-usb 0003:0C45:7401.0058: input,hidraw1: USB HID v1.10 Keyboard [RDing TEMPer1V1.2] on usb-0000:00:13.0-1/input0 => 13.0-1
To a usb hub on the first used port:
[68600.245809] generic-usb 0003:0C45:7401.005A: input,hidraw1: USB HID v1.10 Keyboard [RDing TEMPer1V1.2] on usb-0000:00:12.2-1.4/input0 => 12.2-1.4
To another port on the same usb hub:
[68647.925092] generic-usb 0003:0C45:7401.005C: input,hidraw1: USB HID v1.10 Keyboard [RDing TEMPer1V1.2] on usb-0000:00:12.2-1.3/input0 => 12.2-1.3
An now to a usb hub on the usb hub used before:
[68740.715518] generic-usb 0003:0C45:7401.005E: input,hidraw1: USB HID v1.10 Keyboard [RDing TEMPer1V1.2] on usb-0000:00:12.2-1.4.4/input0 => 12.2-1.4.4
Long story short:
The kernel message always contains a unique path for the physical usb device location (see the bold text before). Is it possible to get this "path" in the user space via libusb? I tried many things with struct usb_bus and struct usb_device, but i always was unsuccessfully.
I need this to identify multiple of these usb thermometers, because they don't have a unique serial number and sometimes they just "reconnect" at runtime, so they get different usb id's. So i think the only way to identify them is via the physical location.
Thanks for the help,
Best Regards
Kevin M.
-edit-
Currently i use the following code to search my usb device:
usb_dev_handle *find_lvr_winusb() {
struct usb_bus *bus;
struct usb_device *dev;
for (bus = usb_busses; bus; bus = bus->next) {
for (dev = bus->devices; dev; dev = dev->next) {
if (dev->descriptor.idVendor == VENDOR_ID &&
dev->descriptor.idProduct == PRODUCT_ID ) {
usb_dev_handle *handle;
if(debug) {
printf("lvr_winusb with Vendor Id: %x and Product Id: %x found.\n", VENDOR_ID, PRODUCT_ID);
printf("INFO: %d\n", dev->bus->location);
printf("INFO: %d %s\n", bus->location, bus->dirname);
}
if (!(handle = usb_open(dev))) {
printf("Could not open USB device\n");
return NULL;
}
return handle;
}
}
}
return NULL;
}
But with this code i cannot get a unique physical position id. The bus->location returns an integer (bus->dirname contains the same, but as string), which is not unique. I know usb has a hierarchy and in the dmesg i can see this hierarchys path.
With libusb i only can get the bus-id (?) and some device id's. But they don't help me, because i need to identify two or more of these temperature sensors. The device-id always changes when the temperature sensor reset's the connection (every 5 to 60 seconds) and the bus id is not unique. Unfortunately the temperature sensor has no unique serial id.
So i think the physical path is the only way to identify the device.
Best regards
Kevin M.

Answer 1

Since libusb 1.0.12, they have introduced libusb_get_port_path(), and in 1.0.16 replaced it with libusb_get_port_numbers() which allows you to query the bus topology.

Answer 2

Overall summery of the sysfs structure path:
1-1.3:1.0
|_usb root hub - bus number - 1
|_ port number - 1 of root hub
|_port number - 3 of intermediate hub
|_current configuration number - 1
|_ current interface number - 0
More information here

Answer 3

It's possible, like here.
Just scan all USB devices at all busses. When you find needed VID/PID — that's your device.
Or you can do simpler: write an udev-rule which would create symlink like /dev/thermoX when you attach you device. All you need after is to open needed /dev/thermoX.