SUMMARY: Re: Sun Blade connections (USB, PS2, etc)

Ok.  Thanks to:
"Mitchell, Andrew" <guestafm@rand.org>
Eric Paul <epaul@powershare.net>
Jon Allen <jon@slurpee.org>
"Fletcher, Joe" <joe.fletcher@Metapack.com>
Tim Chipman <chipman@ecopiabio.com>
Douglas Palmer <palmer@nyed.uscourts.gov>

The mysterious part of all this is that the monitor goes blank instead of
dropping to the OK prompt.  However, setting /etc/default/kbd to not
abort and issuing a kbd -i seems to have solved the problem.  I can switch
away from the machine without it going into never-never land.

A few other tidbits:
1) I grabbed the latest Solaris 8 recommended and security patch cluster
and installed that.
2) When using the Belkin PS2->USB converter box, the regular USB keyboard
and mouse will not get recognized in the other USB slots.  This is
unfortunate.  However, the wheel on my PC mouse *is* recognized as the
middle mouse button on the Blade (it isn't recognized on my Ultra 1), so
this is not too bad.
3) There's one key, the backslash/pipe key, that is not getting recognized
on the Blade.  It beeps.  The key is under the backspace and above the
normal-sized enter key on my PC keyboard.  I don't know why this is
happening, but I'm going to have to fix it because I can't live without
pipes and backslashes.  Confusing the issue is the fact that I've got
xmodmap converting my keyboard to a Dvorak layout.  However, the
backslash/pipe key remains in the same place (untouched in my keymap
file).

Finally, Douglas Palmer mentioned a potentially better switchbox available
from Rose Electronics at http://www.rosel.com/htm/svpro.htm .  It claims
to support multi-platform switching for PC, Sun, Mac, etc, as well as USB
and PS2 stuff.  It might be something to look into.

-Adam

On Wed, 11 Jul 2001, Adam and Christine Levin wrote:
>
> This new Sun hardware is going to be the death of me.
>
> I just took delivery of a brand new Sun Blade 100 workstation with a
> SunPCI card.  Nevermind the SunPCI card -- I haven't even gotten there
> yet.
>
> I have a regular PC, and I have a Sun monitor with two inputs, one Sun
> graphics input and one standard HD15 input.  Nevermind that the Sun Blade
> uses standard HD15.
>
> Since I'm going to have a Sun and *two* PCs, I have a Belkin OmniView SE 4
> port KVM switch.
>
> I also have a nifty split keyboard (Lexmark SelectEase) which I will not
> give up.
>
> Now, I have to connect all this junk together.  Problem is, the Sun Blade
> is USB, the KVM switch is PS2, and the keyboard is PS2.  I don't care
> about using more than one mouse, but I only want the one keyboard.
>
> So, I bought a Belkin PS2 to USB converter box.  It lets you plug two PS2
> devices (*any* PS2 devices) into one USB port.  The lines from channel 2
> on the KVM are going to this box.  The lines from channel 3 are for the
> regular PC, and the lines from channel 4 are currently for the Ultra 1
> that I am trying to move away from.
>
> Except that when I use the KVM switch to switch away from the Sun Blade,
> the Sun Blade just stops.  No more video, no more network, no keyboard, no
> mouse, no nothing.  I have to shut power and then power on again.
>
> I'm guessing this is because it's losing connection from either the
> keyboard, the mouse, or both.  I've tried leaving the mouse connected
> directly to one of the USB ports, but it doesn't behave nicely with the
> Belkin PS2 to USB box, for some reason (no mouse works at that point, but
> the keyboard does).
>
> Any thoughts?  Am I just SOL?
>
> -Adam
>
>
>