Re: kernel 2.5.59: multiple keyboard devices

[Vojtech P. <vo...@su...>]

On Fri, Jan 24, 2003 at 01:33:01PM -0800, Wayne Whitney wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> Sorry if this is an FAQ, but I couldn't find any archives for
> linuxconsole-dev or linux-input.  I have an x86 machine with two
> keyboards, one PS/2 and one USB.  Under linux 2.5.59, both keyboards work,
> and the console receives keystrokes from either one.  However, I would
> like to bind the keyboards to separate devices, with only the PS/2
> keystrokes going to the console.  Then I could access the USB keyboard via
> /dev/input/eventX.  How can I do this?  Even better would be
> /dev/input/keyboardX, but I've not heard of that.

keyboardX isn't needed, since eventX gives you all the info. jsX and
mouseX are there for backwards compatibility only, and there is no
historical /dev device for keyboards.

> If I disable CONFIG_USB_HIDINPUT in my kernel configuration, then the USB
> keystrokes don't make it to the input layer, so the console doesn't get
> them.  Of course, then they also don't show up in /dev/input/eventX.  
> They do seem to show up in /dev/usb/hiddevX, but this device I'm not
> familiar with.  For example, if I point XFree86 to my USB mouse on
> /dev/usb/hiddevX, it won't start up.
> 
> Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.  I did look at the ruby CVS,
> but it seems to be against 2.5.51, and I'm also not clear on what to do
> with the CVS files.  The BitKeeper repository is not accessible to me.
> 
> Thanks,
> Wayne
> 
> P.S.  My application for this is to run a second X server, divorced from
> the VT system and using its own video card, keyboard and mouse, to achieve
> multidesktop without explicit kernel or X support.  I understand that the
> 2.5 ruby multidesktop support is not quite there yet.

Indeed, this cannot be easily done in 2.5 - the only reasonable way
would be to modify drivers/char/keyboard.c: connect() function to only
accept the PS/2 keyboard as a system keyboard by checking for the
dev->phys field.

-- 
Vojtech Pavlik
SuSE Labs