*BSD News Article 95139


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From: yokota@zodiac.mech.utsunomiya-u.ac.jp. (Kazutaka YOKOTA)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
Subject: Re: Kayboard Reset Problem on Dells
Date: 11 May 1997 11:26:27 GMT
Organization: Utsunomiya University, Utsunomiya, Japan
Lines: 63
Message-ID: <5l4ad3$l99$1@nikko.utsunomiya-u.ac.jp>
References: <337441A9.41C67EA6@mail.net>
NNTP-Posting-Host: zodiac.mech.utsunomiya-u.ac.jp
X-Newsreader: mnews [version 1.19PL2] 1996-01/26(Fri)
Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:40735

In article <337441A9.41C67EA6@mail.net> for comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
Mike Kerr wrote:

mkerr>>When I boot my machine (a Dell OptiPlex GS, P166 with the PS2 connectors
mkerr>>for the keyboard) I get the following during a probe:
mkerr>>
mkerr>>May 10 05:22:32 wraith /kernel: scprobe: keyboard RESET failed (result =
mkerr>>0xfe)

You are using FreeBSD 2.1.X, right?

mkerr>>I have compiled my kernel with
mkerr>>
mkerr>>option "BROKEN_KEYBOARD_RESET"
mkerr>>
mkerr>>as listed in the LINT kernel config yet the probe still catches it. 
mkerr>>Does that matter?  

I am afraid not. The above option is for "CPU" reset via the keyboard
controller. Sounds odd? But, that's the reality. We can reset the CPU
by instructing the keyboard controller. However, there are some
motherboards which are not able to do this properly. If your
motherboard is one of those, the above option forces the kernel to use
the alternative method to reset CPU when rebooting.

No, the option has nothing to do with "keyboard" reset.

mkerr>>Previous to the kernel rebuild with the above option
mkerr>>(which I just did a few minutes ago) the keyboard would lock up on me
mkerr>>every so often.  Usually I could end my X session and get back to the
mkerr>>xdm login and it would be fine, but sometimes I'm unable to do that, so
mkerr>>end up having to reboot.
mkerr>>
mkerr>>Is this a problem that should go away with that option, or is it a Dell
mkerr>>problem, or is it a ps2 port problem?  Incidentally, I am using a serial
mkerr>>mouse, not the ps2 mouse port.

There are known problems with the keyboard and PS/2 mouse drivers in
2.1.X. 2.2 has better drivers, and I would recommend you to move to
that version if you don't have particular reasons to stick with 2.1.X.

If you need to use 2.1.X, try the following patch. Apply it to
/sys/i386/isa/syscons.c and rebuild the kernel. If keyboard reset
still fails, try increasing the values for DELAY().

The patch may make keyboard reset succeed, but it won't stop
occasional keyboard lock up on your system.

Kazu

--- ../syscons.c-1.117.4.16	Thu May  8 09:38:29 1997
+++ syscons.c	Sun May 11 20:29:23 1997
@@ -182,8 +182,8 @@
 	i = 10;			/* At most 10 retries. */
 gotack:
 	DELAY(100);
-	j = 1000;		/* Wait at most 1 s. */
-	while ((inb(KB_STAT) & KB_BUF_FULL) == 0 && --j > 0) DELAY(1000);
+	j = 1000;		/* Wait at most 5 s. */
+	while ((inb(KB_STAT) & KB_BUF_FULL) == 0 && --j > 0) DELAY(5000);
 	DELAY(1000);
 	val = inb(KB_DATA);
 	if (val == KB_ACK && --i > 0)