*BSD News Article 81084


Return to BSD News archive

Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.carno.net.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!news.mira.net.au!news.netspace.net.au!news.mel.connect.com.au!munnari.OZ.AU!spool.mu.edu!newspump.sol.net!howland.erols.net!newsfeed.internetmci.com!in3.uu.net!news.iij.ad.jp!triton.ad.jp!news1.pu-toyama.ac.jp!icews5!newssinet!news.nc.u-tokyo.ac.jp!train.ad.jp!iroha.utsunomiya-u.ac.jp!nikko.utsunomiya-u.ac.jp!yokota
From: yokota@zodiac.mech.utsunomiya-u.ac.jp. (Kazutaka YOKOTA)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
Subject: Re: FreeBSD and X and Ps/2 mouse
Date: 19 Oct 1996 07:04:27 GMT
Organization: Utsunomiya University, Utsunomiya, Japan
Lines: 69
Message-ID: <549uhr$mdn@nikko.utsunomiya-u.ac.jp>
References: <32516415.4E8F@alfa.its.berkeley.edu>
	<53lvv3$h07@newshost.lanl.gov>
NNTP-Posting-Host: zodiac.mech.utsunomiya-u.ac.jp
X-Newsreader: mnews [version 1.18] 1994-05/16(Mon)

hlu@retro.lanl.gov wrote:

hlu>>Daniel Wiesmann (danielw@alfa.its.berkeley.edu) wrote:
hlu>>: I have finished installing FreeBSD 2.1, but I can't run X because the
hlu>>: system can't find my Ps/2 mouse.  I looked in the XF86Config file, and
hlu>>: changed the Device and Protocol to "PS/2" and "/dev/psm0", but when the
hlu>>: system boots, it does not look for any psm0 device.  When I boot with
hlu>>: the "-c" (configure) and try to "enable psm0", it tells me that psm0
hlu>>: does not exist. I heard something about having to "reconfigure the
hlu>>: kernel".  What's that? How do I do it? Will anybody get hurt?
hlu>>
hlu>>: Thanks for all the help...
hlu>>
hlu>>: Daniel
hlu>>
hlu>>I have similar problem with ps/2 .  I recompiled the kernel and delete word
hlu>>"disable" in device psm0 as FAQ suggested. No luck with ps/2 , When I boot I
hlu>>got message "ps/2 not found at address .. " .
hlu>>
hlu>>If you got anything working, please inform me. 
hlu>>
hlu>>Henry Lu
hlu>>honglu@rt66.com

Hi as I had troubles with a PS/2 mouse myself, I would share my
experience with you.

I am running FreeBSD 2.1.0-RELEASE. It doesn't contain the `psm'
driver in the default GENERIC kernel. To include the driver, the
kernel must be reconfigured as instructed in the handbook
(/usr/share/doc/handbook).

I understand that under 2.1.5-RELEASE, 2.2-SNAPs and -current, the
`psm' driver is included in the default GENERIC kernel but is
disabled.  It must be enabled by entering the `-c' option at the
`Boot:' prompt and typing `enable psm0'.

The main trouble with the current implementation of the `psm' driver
is, to my understanding, its probe routine, which probes the mouse
port and tries to detect a PS/2 mouse, is rather unreliable. Reported
symptoms are:

1. It successfully detects a mouse on some systems, but fails on 
   others. Or, even if it once succeeds, it doesn't always.
2. It somehow hangs keyboard on some systems (mostly laptops?).
3. When it works, the driver works fine. XFree86 servers happily
   use the PS/2 mouse. 

With my hardware combination (CPU: Pentium 120Mhz, MB: ASUS
P/I-P55TP4XE, PS/2 mouse: Logitech Serial-PS/2), the probe routine
only occasionally succeeds (I think my hardware is hardly called
exotic, is it?)

Some people suggests adding `options PSM_NO_RESET' in the kernel
configuration file when reconfiguring the kernel. But it doesn't seem
to fundamentally solve the problem. What we need is robust and reliable
probe routine.

I myself looked at the source code of the `psm' driver
(/usr/src/sys/i386/isa/psm.c), and tried to fix the problem. I managed
to modify the driver to work reliably with my system. I verified it
also works with a couple of other systems.  If you are interested in
looking at my hacked, replacement driver, contact me.

By the way, I have sent my modifications to hackers@freebsd.org, so my
change might be included in the future release or someone may come up
with better fix...

Kazu