Re: Solaris 10 x86, Thinkpad and mouse configuration

From: Alan Coopersmith (alanc_at_alum.calberkeley.org)
Date: 05/25/05 

Date: Wed, 25 May 2005 05:02:45 +0000 (UTC)

"Bernd.Schemmer" <bnsmb@online.de> writes in comp.unix.solaris:
|I asked this question in a Solaris x86 newgroup but did not get any
|answer.

You didn't even wait 24 hours - have a little patience.

|While using my Thinkpad in the docking station I use an external USB
|mouse. If the Thinkpad is not in the docking station I use the internal
|mouse (PS/2) of the Thinkpad.
|
|Now everytime I switch from Dockingstation use to non-dockingstation use
|(and vice versa) I need to run kdmconfig to reconfigure the mouse.
|
|Can I avoid this?
|
|I'm using Solaris 10 x86 and the Sun xserver (not xorg).

Right now, this is much much easier to set up with Xorg than Xsun.
Xorg can be configured to just use multiple mice at once, while Xsun
only recognizes one mouse at a time as controlling the cursor.

You can configure Xsun to use multiple mice, but will still have to run
a program to switch which mouse is active (you won't have to exit your
session and restart though).

For Xsun with a USB & a PS/2 mouse:

1. pkgrm SUNWxwmod and reboot

2. For each mouse device (leave the one you want to be default
   until last to make things easier), run kdmconfig and configure the mouse
   device. After each one is successfully configured, go into
   /etc/openwin/server/etc/OWconfig and save the class="XINPUT" section
   for the mouse device.

3. Once you've got all the correct sections and have kdmconfig set
   to the device you want to be default, vi the OWconfig file and paste in
   the sections for all the other devices. Make sure each XINPUT class
   entry has a unique "name" field. There should be a section
   class="XDISPLAY" name="0" with corePointer= the device name you chose to
   be default.

4. vi /usr/openwin/server/etc/OWconfig and comment out the lines
   for class="XINPUT" and name="NKBD" & name="NMOUSE". (Otherwise it will
   be difficult to tell which devices are real devices and which are the
   virtual "null" devices.)

5. Download and build xinput from
        http://www.x.org/contrib/utilities/xinput-1.2.tar.gz
   (README at http://www.x.org/contrib/utilities/xinput.README )

6. Restart Xsun and login. You should be able to move the mouse
   with the default device, use "xinput list" to list all the devices, and
   "xinput set-pointer <device-name> to switch the mouse pointer to be
   controlled by a different device. (Unfortunately, it's hard to tell
   which device is which from the xinputdev list, but if you only have
   two it should be easy to tell which is currently "core" (controlling
   the mouse cursor) and which is "extension" (not controlling the mouse
   cursor).

For Xorg with a USB & PS/2 mouse:

1) Create an xorg.conf using either xorgconfig or by running
   "Xorg -configure".

2) Edit xorg.conf and add this line to the "ServerLayout" section:
        InputDevice "Mouse1" "AlwaysCore"

   Change the "InputDevice" section for "Mouse0" to look like this:

Section "InputDevice"
        Identifier "Mouse0"
        Driver "mouse"
        Option "Protocol" "PS/2"
        Option "Device" "/dev/kdmouse"
        Option "SendCoreEvents"
# Uncomment/set if needed:
# Option "Emulate3Buttons" "true"
# Option "Buttons" "7"
EndSection

   and add this new section:

Section "InputDevice"
        Identifier "Mouse1"
        Driver "mouse"
        Option "Protocol" "VUID"
        Option "Device" "/dev/mouse"
EndSection
                                
And just for completeness/future reference - in Solaris Express 6/05
& newer, and eventually in a Solaris 10 update release, you should be
able to use this simplified procedure:

1) Configure either Xorg or Xsun for USB mouse as the one and only
   mouse pointer. Use any PS/2 or USB mouse you want at any time.

[The kernel will automatically combine all mouse devices into a single
 virtual USB mouse device, taking care of hotplugging, PS/2 vs. USB,
 and all other details behind the scenes for you.] 

-- 
________________________________________________________________________
Alan Coopersmith * alanc@alum.calberkeley.org * Alan.Coopersmith@Sun.COM
 http://www.csua.berkeley.edu/~alanc/   *   http://blogs.sun.com/alanc/
  Working for, but definitely not speaking for, Sun Microsystems, Inc.