Redhat Linux 4 No Keyboard/Mouse??

[FlasHBurN]

I just installed RHEL 4 on a Dell Optiplex GX280. The install went smoothly, until it started up after the install. Before it gets to the login prompt I completely lose my keyboard and mouse.

I tried doing the text based install and GUI install, and in the end had pretty much the same results. The only difference when I chose GUI was I lost my keyboard when it started to probe for devices.

They are both USB devices, as this computer does not have PS2 ports.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Is there a setting in the BIOS for USB keyboards?
Any errors during the boot?

 

[cleverhandle]

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey
Is there a setting in the BIOS for USB keyboards?

Wouldn't those settings ("Legacy USB" or similar) only affect keyboards at the pre-kernel stage (i.e. LILO or Grub)? I thought that other than that, a USB port will always work for keyboards - it's only the higher-end stuff that might need a special BIOS setting.

Any errors during the boot?

Yeah, those would be helpful. You may need to press a key early in the boot sequence to see the messages, which may or may not work given that you're having keyboard issues in the first place. My first guess, which is pretty much wild given the lack of error messages, would be that the system loses the IRQ of the keyboard. Check the BIOS for a setting like "Plug-and-Play OS", and make sure it's set to "No".

It might also be the case that the BIOS is trying to run the USB ports with 2.0 protocols, and the Linux USB driver isn't handling that properly. But I think that USB2 support is pretty solid these days, so I kind of doubt it. In any event, turning the ports down to USB1.1 in the BIOS is certainly safe if you don't have USB devices that need the extra speed.

This isn't any kind of weird keyboard by any chance, is it?

edit: typo

 

[sparkyclarky]

Why redhat 4? Isn't that very old at this point?

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: cleverhandle
Wouldn't those settings ("Legacy USB" or similar) only affect keyboards at the pre-kernel stage (i.e. LILO or Grub)? I thought that other than that, a USB port will always work for keyboards - it's only the higher-end stuff that might need a special BIOS setting.

No clue.

 

[cleverhandle]

Originally posted by: sparkyclarky
Why redhat 4? Isn't that very old at this point?

RHEL4, not old RH4. It just came out.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: sparkyclarky
Why redhat 4? Isn't that very old at this point?

I figured he meant RedHat Enterprise Linux v.4.

 

[sparkyclarky]

Originally posted by: cleverhandle

Originally posted by: sparkyclarky
Why redhat 4? Isn't that very old at this point?

RHEL4, not old RH4. It just came out.

Ah, I see. Thanks for the clarification!

 

[drag]

It may be something as stupid as you have to unplug and replug in the keyboard and mouse. Hopefully the hotplug system will notice the event and load up the modules or set the usb devices.

It sounds very Redhat specific, some error they did in some kernel patch or something in the init script.


One trick that I always do with mouse and keyboard stuff is if the caps lock and numlock keys work. You see on ancient keyboards they controlled the numlock lights themselves, but you would get to the point were you rebooted the computer and the OS would think the numlock is on when the light is off or visa versa. Now with reasonably new keyboards they require response from the computer to turn the light on and off.

So if the lights don't work either the computer is completley locked up, or it is not aware of the keyboards existance. If the lights work then it's a missconfiguration X Windows or terminal or whatnot.

also if you can use the keyboard indication lights and access the bios using the USB keyboard boot-up, then you know the BIOS and the computer itself is physicaly ok and the connection is fine. So it's the OS that is screwed up.

I'd probably call Redhat themselves or look thru Redhat's bugtraq stuff, or file a bug report yourself. Seems likely a very Redhat-specific problem to me. If you paid fo the OS you should have at least a limited support contract.. maybe a 30 day configuration and install support at the very minimum, I beleive. You'll have to check for yourself to be certain though.

 

[FlasHBurN]

Originally posted by: drag
It may be something as stupid as you have to unplug and replug in the keyboard and mouse. Hopefully the hotplug system will notice the event and load up the modules or set the usb devices.

It sounds very Redhat specific, some error they did in some kernel patch or something in the init script.


One trick that I always do with mouse and keyboard stuff is if the caps lock and numlock keys work. You see on ancient keyboards they controlled the numlock lights themselves, but you would get to the point were you rebooted the computer and the OS would think the numlock is on when the light is off or visa versa. Now with reasonably new keyboards they require response from the computer to turn the light on and off.

So if the lights don't work either the computer is completley locked up, or it is not aware of the keyboards existance. If the lights work then it's a missconfiguration X Windows or terminal or whatnot.

also if you can use the keyboard indication lights and access the bios using the USB keyboard boot-up, then you know the BIOS and the computer itself is physicaly ok and the connection is fine. So it's the OS that is screwed up.

I'd probably call Redhat themselves or look thru Redhat's bugtraq stuff, or file a bug report yourself. Seems likely a very Redhat-specific problem to me. If you paid fo the OS you should have at least a limited support contract.. maybe a 30 day configuration and install support at the very minimum, I beleive. You'll have to check for yourself to be certain though.

I've tried unplugging and replugging in the keyboard/mouse, and it didn't make a difference.

However, the NUMLOCK light does work, but nothing else does. I can also access the BIOS with my keyboard and it is fine.

I do not see any sort of error messages being displayed.

 

[FlasHBurN]

Any ideas? I am really at a loss here.

I think I will just stick with RHEL4 on another non-Dell machine, that solves the problem.

 

[cleverhandle]

Did you check the BIOS settings that n0cmonkey and I mentioned?

 

[FlasHBurN]

Originally posted by: cleverhandle
Did you check the BIOS settings that n0cmonkey and I mentioned?

Yep, there isn't any options for PNP OS or Keyboard options. I went ahead and installed it on a different machine. Stupid Dells...

 

[TonyRic]

Flash, there is a bios option for legacy devices on USB, this is specifically for keyboards in text environments.

 

[FlasHBurN]

Originally posted by: TonyRic
Flash, there is a bios option for legacy devices on USB, this is specifically for keyboards in text environments.

And like I said, there is no such option.

 

[backroger]

Well....you could ask the RHN/Support Service. After all you paid them about USD 1,500.00 for it.