Re: serio / atkbd / PS/2 Strangeness with Serial port adapter

[Matt Causey <matt.causey@gmail.com>]

On Mon, Aug 10, 2009 at 1:34 AM, Dmitry
Torokhov<dmitry.torokhov@gmail.com> wrote:

>> [  459.004227] drivers/input/serio/i8042.c: fe <- i8042 (interrupt, 1,
>> 12, timeout) [445118]
>> [20171.684870] drivers/input/serio/i8042.c: 0b <- i8042 (interrupt, 0,
>> 1) [20162195]
>>
>> However - the atkbd driver does not pick the device up at all.
>>
>
> Your device is steadely refusing to say that it is a keyboard - and so
> atkbd driver does not bind to it.
>
>> So, I did find a workaround (which is NOT acceptable for this
>> deployment).  Remember the PS/2 'wedge' I mentioned?  Well, it has an
>> extra PS/2 port for your keyboard.  If I connect a PS/2 keyboard to
>> that thing, suddenly my scanner starts working.
>>
>> We see some chatter from the controller driver, then one of these:
>>
>> [23811.805578] input: AT Translated Set 2 keyboard as
>> /devices/platform/i8042/serio0/input/input6
>>
>
> That happened because apparently the 'wedge' passes the inquirys to
> the real keyboard and it answers propery.
>
> I think the "i8042.dumbkbd" kernel parameter will solve your issue.
>
> --
> Dmitry
>

That's great.  I think it's the only option that I did not try.  ;-)
Works great!

In case it matters:

blah blah/ # dmesg | grep i8042
[    0.000000] Kernel command line: initrd=ramdisk.gz
video="vesafb:mtrr,ywrap,1024x768-32@85" i8042.dumbkbd
BOOT_IMAGE=bzImage auto
[   14.046511] serio: i8042 KBD port at 0x60,0x64 irq 1
[   14.046578] serio: i8042 AUX port at 0x60,0x64 irq 12
[   15.804210] input: AT Translated Set 2 keyboard as
/devices/platform/i8042/serio0/input/input2
blah blah/ #

Looks like it just decides that there must be a keyboard there,
whether or not there really is one.

Are there any downsides to using this kernel parameter?

Thanks!

--
Matt