Subject: Re: USB mouse goes dark
To: None <current-users@NetBSD.org>
From: Matthieu Herrb <matthieu.herrb@laas.fr>
List: current-users
Date: 04/28/2005 19:37:33
Bill Studenmund wrote:
> 
> Switching away and back fixes things.
> 
> I have a PowerBook running MacOS 10.3.9 that's also hooked into the same 
> KVM via USB, and it does the same thing.


Most recent mouses can be programmed from the host. When you use one
with a kvm, there's no way to make sure that each machine connected to 
the kvm  has set the same internal state in the mouse. So unless you 
reinitialise it after a switching the output of the kvm, the mouse gets 
out of synch with the OS, and probably won't work.

Switching to a text console and back in X closes and open /dev/wsmouse, 
and reinitialises it.

iirc someoone added code to the pms driver in NetBSD to reinitialize the 
mouse when protocol errors are detected. I don't know if this catches 
all the cases, and if it can be applied to usb mouses as well.
-- 
Matthieu Herrb