So has anyone else got a USB keyboard plugged in to their Sun
workstation where the keyboard actually works correctly?

I'm wondering if this problem is keyboard specific and whether there
might be some mileage in trying an alternative keyboard (if I can find
one!)

(Got loads of Sun keyboards - dont suppose they do a sun keyboard-USB
adaptor do they?)

"BertieBigBollox@gmail.com" <BertieBigBollox@gmail.com> writes:

>So has anyone else got a USB keyboard plugged in to their Sun
>workstation where the keyboard actually works correctly?

A non-Sun USB keyboard you mean?

I've been using Sun USB keyboards exclusively (including on
PCs) but those certainly work.

It's possible that your particular keyboard is broken; have
you tried it on another system.

>(Got loads of Sun keyboards - dont suppose they do a sun keyboard-USB
>adaptor do they?)

I think they do but there probably isn't much of a market for those
these days as Sun now exclusively sells USB keyboards.

(Types 4/5/5c came in "Sun Keyboard" versions only; type 6 came in
USB and non-USB and type 7 only comes in USB)

Casper
--
Expressed in this posting are my opinions. They are in no way related
to opinions held by my employer, Sun Microsystems.
Statements on Sun products included here are not gospel and may
be fiction rather than truth.

On Mar 5, 10:35*am, Casper H.S. Dik <Casper....@Sun.COM> wrote:
> "BertieBigBol...@gmail.com" <BertieBigBol...@gmail.com> writes:
> >So has anyone else got a USB keyboard plugged in to their Sun
> >workstation where the keyboard actually works correctly?
>
> A non-Sun USB keyboard you mean?
>
> I've been using Sun USB keyboards exclusively (including on
> PCs) but those certainly work.
>
> It's possible that your particular keyboard is broken; have
> you tried it on another system.

Tried two keyboards and they're both the same. They're both Compaq
keyboards so unless there is a problem with Compaq USB keyboards on
the Sun?

In article <47ce5d89$0$14354$e4fe514c@news.xs4all.nl>, Casper H.S. Dik <Casper.Dik@Sun.COM> writes:
> Alan Coopersmith <alanc@alum.calberkeley.org> writes:
>
>>Because that's not the way the USB HID standard was written 10 years
>>ago - it sends "shift" then "2" and you have to know the layout to
>>figure out what character is in that position on your keyboard.
>
> Surely there's a way to do that correctly? (I understand that lots
> of applicaitons want to see all the modifers as separate events but
> it should be possible to properly communicate the shifted values)
>

Think about when the shift key itself _is_ the value, for example, when
selecting items within a GUI environment.

That's why events like "shift is down" do actually need to be separate events.

Simon.

--
Simon Clubley, clubley@remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP
Microsoft: Bringing you 1980's technology to a 21st century world

BertieBigBollox@gmail.com wrote:
> Installed Solaris 9 on my Blade 1500 to which is attached a standard
> UK USB PC keyboard and mouse.
>
> Trouble is its not working properly. For starters (and most
> importantly!) I cant get the pipe character - instead I get ^@ when I
> hit the pipe key.
>
> Any ideas?
>
> Yes. I installed Solaris with UK support.

This is just a poor rehashing of the things I have learned from "ottomeister", a
Sun employee working on Sun Ray firmware who fully understands keyboards, and
you are better off searching the Sun Ray mailing list archives for information
on keyboards from him/her.

http://www.sun-rays.org/mailing-list.html

One such short email on the subject is:
http://www.mail-archive.com/sunray-u.../msg00434.html

However, there are longer ones that go into more detail both for Linux and Solaris.

That being said, keyboards need to have their layout properly set in their
firmware, so that when the X server queries the keyboard it can apply the proper
layout. Sun as a responsible keyboard manufacturer always ensures that their
keyboards report the proper keyboard layout code; however, many PC keyboard
manufacturer's just set the layout value to '0'. In the land of UNIX, this will
cause the X server to use a US keyboard layout instead of the appropriate one.

If you are only going to be connecting UK layout keyboards that report
themselves as layout '0' keyboards on this machine, you can edit the default
keytable mappings to change all type '0' keyboards to be UK keyboards.

I think this would be done by editing:
/usr/openwin/etc/keytables/keytable.map

And change:
0 0 US4.kt

to:
0 0 UK4.kt

There is also an xkbtable.map that may need to be edited if you are using xkb.

Again my understanding of this problem and solution is completely 2nd hand, and
I have never had to use it in the past having always purchased Sun keyboards.

Neal

On 2008-03-05, BertieBigBollox@gmail.com <BertieBigBollox@gmail.com> wrote:
> So has anyone else got a USB keyboard plugged in to their Sun
> workstation where the keyboard actually works correctly?

Well ... if you leave out the requirement that it bea UK PC
keyboard -- yes. I have Sun USB keyboards plugged into:

2 each Sun Blade 1000
1 each Sun Fire 280r
1 each intel-based Mac Mini

and all work -- three into Suns, and one into a Mac -- because I prefer
the location of the Control key on the Sun keyboards (at least, on some
of them, such as:

Model 6 type USB
3201273-01
(the one with the Control key to the left of the 'A' key.)

> I'm wondering if this problem is keyboard specific and whether there
> might be some mileage in trying an alternative keyboard (if I can find
> one!)

Try a Sun USB keyboard. If you still have problems with it,
then it is time to examine what key maps are loaded and from where.

> (Got loads of Sun keyboards - dont suppose they do a sun keyboard-USB
> adaptor do they?)

I don't know. I'm happy with the Sun USB keyboards, and not so
with PC keyboards.

On ebay at the moment I find two lots with that keyboard:

360030066888 (it has six keyboards in one lot)

130203445172 (one keyboard and one mouse)

It looks as though the same vendor is offering both lots.

Now -- what is the difference between a UK keyboard and the Sun
US keyboard? The Sun keyboard has the Euro symbol beside the number 4
but you have to use an alt sequence to get a Pounds Sterling symbol. Is
there anything else that matters to you?

If you prefer the layout with Caps-Lock to the left of the 'A',
Sun sells them, too. I've got some, because my wife prefers them.

Good Luck,
DoN.

--
Email: <dnichols@d-and-d.com> | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

"DoN. Nichols" <dnichols@d-and-d.com> writes:

> Model 6 type USB
> 3201273-01
> (the one with the Control key to the left of the 'A' key.)

That's what we call the "UNIX layout" (I have a stack of those)
(Control in the proper place, caps lock out of the way and ESC next to the
1 plus a blank key between F1 and Help)

Casper
--
Expressed in this posting are my opinions. They are in no way related
to opinions held by my employer, Sun Microsystems.
Statements on Sun products included here are not gospel and may
be fiction rather than truth.

On Mar 5, 11:03*pm, "Neal A. Lucier" <nluc...@math.purdue.edu> wrote:
> BertieBigBol...@gmail.com wrote:
> > Installed Solaris 9 on my Blade 1500 to which is attached a standard
> > UK USB PC keyboard and mouse.
>
> > Trouble is its not working properly. For starters (and most
> > importantly!) I cant get the pipe character - instead I get ^@ when I
> > hit the pipe key.
>
> > Any ideas?
>
> > Yes. I installed Solaris with UK support.
>
> This is just a poor rehashing of the things I have learned from "ottomeister", a
> Sun employee working on Sun Ray firmware who fully understands keyboards, and
> you are better off searching the Sun Ray mailing list archives for information
> on keyboards from him/her.
>
> http://www.sun-rays.org/mailing-list.html
>
> One such short email on the subject is:
> http://www.mail-archive.com/sunray-u.../msg00434.html
>
> However, there are longer ones that go into more detail both for Linux andSolaris.
>
> That being said, keyboards need to have their layout properly set in their
> firmware, so that when the X server queries the keyboard it can apply the proper
> layout. *Sun as a responsible keyboard manufacturer always ensures that their
> keyboards report the proper keyboard layout code; however, many PC keyboard
> manufacturer's just set the layout value to '0'. *In the land of UNIX, this will
> cause the X server to use a US keyboard layout instead of the appropriate one.
>
> If you are only going to be connecting UK layout keyboards that report
> themselves as layout '0' keyboards on this machine, you can edit the default
> keytable mappings to change all type '0' keyboards to be UK keyboards.
>
> I think this would be done by editing:
> /usr/openwin/etc/keytables/keytable.map
>
> And change:
> 0 * * * 0 * * * US4.kt
>
> to:
> 0 * * * 0 * * * UK4.kt
>
> There is also an xkbtable.map that may need to be edited if you are using xkb.
>
> Again my understanding of this problem and solution is completely 2nd hand, and
> I have never had to use it in the past having always purchased Sun keyboards.
>
> Neal

Neal,

Thanks - I'll try that....

Any idea if theres any way to detemine what layout value the keyboard
is transmitting?

On 2008-03-06, Casper H.S Dik <Casper.Dik@Sun.COM> wrote:
> "DoN. Nichols" <dnichols@d-and-d.com> writes:
>
>> Model 6 type USB
>> 3201273-01
>> (the one with the Control key to the left of the 'A' key.)
>
> That's what we call the "UNIX layout" (I have a stack of those)
> (Control in the proper place, caps lock out of the way and ESC next to the
> 1 plus a blank key between F1 and Help)

Yes -- my preferred layout. Unfortunately, my wife prefers the
other layout, so I've got some of each type (though not enough of my
favorite).

And did I encounter mention of the Model 7 having a USB socket
on the keyboard for the mouse? Glad to see that back -- though I
actually use the Logitech optical trackball by preference on the arm of
my chair where I sit wit the keyboard in my lap.

Enjoy,
DoN.

--
Email: <dnichols@d-and-d.com> | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

"DoN. Nichols" <dnichols@d-and-d.com> writes:

> Yes -- my preferred layout. Unfortunately, my wife prefers the
>other layout, so I've got some of each type (though not enough of my
>favorite).

My wife uses a laptop (supplied by her employer); other than that
I have 1 PC and 2 Sun Rays with UNIX layour type 6 and one Sun Ray 2
with Unix type 7 (all USB) Most with logitec scroll mice
(Sun was very late in adopting the scroll mouse) but one with the type 7
mouse.

> And did I encounter mention of the Model 7 having a USB socket
>on the keyboard for the mouse? Glad to see that back -- though I
>actually use the Logitech optical trackball by preference on the arm of
>my chair where I sit wit the keyboard in my lap.

Yes, the type 7 keyboard has a builtin unpowered hub with three USB
connectors (one hidden in the location where type 5 used to have the
mouse connector)

Casper
--
Expressed in this posting are my opinions. They are in no way related
to opinions held by my employer, Sun Microsystems.
Statements on Sun products included here are not gospel and may
be fiction rather than truth.