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Date:      Thu, 27 Apr 2000 19:19:11 -0700
From:      Dragos Ruiu <dr@dursec.com>
To:        Kazutaka YOKOTA <yokota@zodiac.mech.utsunomiya-u.ac.jp>
Cc:        hackers@freebsd.org, yokota@zodiac.mech.utsunomiya-u.ac.jp, fygrave@scorpions.net
Subject:   Re: Mouse Sync Problems with KVM
Message-ID:  <00042719342207.00575@kyxbot.zorg>
In-Reply-To: <200004280223.LAA04611@zodiac.mech.utsunomiya-u.ac.jp>
References:  <0004271752300E.00332@kyxbot.zorg> <200004280223.LAA04611@zodiac.mech.utsunomiya-u.ac.jp>

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On Thu, 27 Apr 2000, Kazutaka YOKOTA wrote:
> >I have a freebsd system(3.4S) on a KVM.... and every time the monitored
> >system is switched, the mouse driver gets fuxored, and when you switch
> >back to the system the driver starts outputting oodles of the following
> >messages to syslog every time the mouse is moved:

> Which model is it?  I suspect it is one of those mice with the "wheel".

Yep, Logitech TrackBall... love them because they are optical and easy to clean.
Yep, it has the stupid wheel .... I hate it.... But no-one sells the old model
without it. (I find it uncomfortable and long for the simple old middle button)

> Well, if the mouse works fine when you directly connect the mouse to
> the host computer, but it doesn't work as expected when you use a KVM,
> I would say the KVM is not compatible enough and is the cause of the
> problem....

> Some other KVMs are said to be smart enough to remember settings or
> understand wheel mouse protocols, and are free from such problem.
> But, the fact is, it appears that the firmware in many KVMs knows very
> limited number of various protocols (IntelliMouse protocol is not the
> only wheel mouse protocol in the market, you know), and can be easily
> confused and is not able to forward mouse data properly in a timely
> manner to the host computer.

Mouse works fine until you switch.... Yes, KVM is a smart one that spoofs
monitor/mouse... but it you hit it on the nose when you said that it doesn't
recognize anything beyond a simple set of drivers... as a matter of fact
it makes the wheel inoperative even on Wintendo with the special Logitech
drivers.


> I wonder how many KVM products can handle dual-wheel mice from A4
> Tech, IBM ScrollPoint mouse, and Logitech wheel mice when their
> proprietary drivers are installed in W*ndows95/98...
 
None that I've found :-(

> >But the KVM works with Wintendo/NT, 
> >Linux and OpenBSD just fine... on the same HW.

> If your mouse is a wheel mouse, do you have its driver installed on
> NT?  If it isn't, the mouse is just acting as the standard 2 button
> mouse without wheel's functionality.  That's why you don't see any
> problem with NT.
> 
> The PS/2 mouse drivers in Linux and OpenBSD do not detect and
> initialize the wheel mouse.  XFree86 servers try to activate the
> wheel, if you specify an appropriate wheel mouse protocol in
> XF86Config.  I suspect you will see the mouse cursor go crazy if you
> switch KVM away from and back to the Linux/OpenBSD box while running
> the X server in this case.
> 
Doesn't go crazy... just starts to lose button input, and movements quickly
saturate syslog with a zillion alternating (different dammit so the duplicate
entry logic doesn't even kick in!) lines.

> You can force FreeBSD to use the mouse as the standard PS/2 mouse by
> specifying the flags 0x200 to the psm driver.  This way, the mouse
> should always work.  But, you cannot use the wheel.

I really couldn't give a damn about the pesky wheel.  I will try this.
Where are the flags set?  Kernel Config? boot manager? Where is that 
handbook again... :-) I'll report back if this is succesfull.

BTW this sounds very promising.... MANY THANKS.

cheers,
--dr

-- 
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