Request for keyboard indormation.

[James Wilkinson]

akonstam at trinity.edu wrote:
> This strikes a vague chord in my mind but I can't pin it down. In the
> xorg.conf machines with pc keyboards report the same device driver for
> the keyboard as the machines with usb keyboards. Does this make sense?
> 
> I am back to keyboard locking problems. It seems to me it must be
> caused by the software (presumably the keyboard device driver)
> failing.
> Does that make sense? However, if a keyboard is absent the BIOS
> generates a missing keyboard error which seems ti indicate that a BIOS
> routine is handling the keyboard. Does anyone have this straight in
> their minds and can explain it?

Sorry, I've been meaning to experiment with this and get back to you.

I've just got a USB keyboard out of storage and hotplugged it. It worked
immediately, as does my PS/2 keyboard (I'm typing this partly on the
PS/2 keyboard, and partly on the USB keyboard). My understanding is that
the Linux kernel virtualises keyboards in the same way it does mice, so
keyboard events on any keyboard will appear through the same device
(like /dev/input/mice for mice).

Your last couple of sentences indicate that you've got "legacy" USB
keyboard support turned on in the BIOS. (Unfortunately, this is one of
those settings with a number of different names).

Is it possible for you to plug a PS/2 keyboard into these machines in an
emergency? Can you try turning this off? (You may find that the USB
keyboard still works in the BIOS without explicit "legacy" support).

While researching this, I came across
/usr/src/linux/Documentation/i386/usb-legacy-support.txt , which seems
to be on-line at http://www.kernelhq.cc/history-view.py?fv_nr=185552 .
Have you checked this?

This USB keyboard I've got is pretty dire. Every keypress I make reminds
me why I keep it as an emergency keyboard. (There's one PC I
occasionally support with broken BIOS support for PS/2 keyboards...they
work in Linux and Windows, but not in DOS or the BIOS. Or when
installing OSes.)

Hope this helps,

James.

-- 
E-mail address: james | Despite what Bob had said, Snocket knew his attack egg
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