For anyone familiar with Linux, this is a trivial task. But for those new to Linux or VMware it might not seem straightforward. After many fruitless Google searches, I hope someone finds this helpful.The following worked on an HP DL380 G5. Your mileage may vary on different hardware.
Mounting a USB drive:
The “mount” command by itself will show you the currently mounted volumes.
# mount
First create a mount point:
# mkdir /mnt/usbkey
Now mount the drive:
# mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/usbkey -t vfat
Don’t forget to unmount it when your done.
# umount /dev/sda1