sys_attrs_gpc_input(5) File Formats Manual sys_attrs_gpc_input(5)NAME
sys_attrs_gpc_input - gpc_input subsystem attributes
DESCRIPTION
This reference page lists and describes attributes for the GPC Input (gpc_input) kernel subsystem. This subsystem handles mouse and key-
board input for both old style LK* keyboards and serial mice, and the newer PC-style (PS/2) keyboards and mice. In all supported scan code-
sets, unique single-byte scan codes differentiate the standalone Insert, Home, Page Up, Page Down, Delete, and End keys from the same keys
on the numeric keypad (with Num Lock toggled to off).
Refer to the sys_attrs(5) reference page for an introduction to the topic of kernel subsystem attributes.
The gpc subsystem has a number of visible attributes. Of these, only the following should ever be modified:
A value that identifies the scan codeset generated by the keyboard. Only two values are supported for this attribute. The scan code-
sets that these values identify differ in how internal keyboard hardware distinguishes between the numeric keypad's Up Arrow
(entered with with Num Lock toggled off) and the standalone Up Arrow key. Keyboard hardware sends different single-byte scan codes
to distinguish the standalone Up Arrow and the Up Arrow entered through the numeric keyboard (with Num Lock toggled off). Keyboard
hardware sends two bytes for the standalone Up Arrow and a single-byte scan code for the Up Arrow entered through the numeric key-
board.
These values are intended to be set by system software, not users. Although both values (scan codesets) work with most of the Compaq
keyboards (both LK* and PC-style) used with Tru64 UNIX systems, 3 identifies the scan codeset that is most efficient for these key-
boards. The keyboard of the AlphaBook (laptop) computer is the only supported keyboard that requires the 2 setting. The scan code-
sets identified by these values may work with other (third-party) keyboards; however, Compaq does not test or support other key-
boards for use with Tru64 UNIX systems.
It is possible to set kbd_scancode to a 0 or 1 value. These values are currently undefined and will result in one of the following
console errors:
gpc_input_configure: scan code not supported
ps2_input_configure: scan code not supported
These errors are displayed independently of the setting for the gpc_developer_debug attribute.
Enables (1) or disables (0) boot- and run-time console messages used by systems programmers to debug device driver configuration
problems.
Default value: 0 (disabled)
SEE ALSO sys_attrs(5)sys_attrs_gpc_input(5)
Check Out this Related Man Page
SHOWKEY(1) General Commands Manual SHOWKEY(1)NAME
showkey - examine the codes sent by the keyboard
SYNOPSIS
showkey [-h|--help] [-a|--ascii] [-s|--scancodes] [-k|--keycodes] [-V|--version]
DESCRIPTION
showkey prints to standard output either the scan codes or the keycode or the `ascii' code of each key pressed. In the first two modes the
program runs until 10 seconds have elapsed since the last key press or release event, or until it receives a suitable signal, like SIGTERM,
from another process. In `ascii' mode the program terminates when the user types ^D.
When in scancode dump mode, showkey prints in hexadecimal format each byte received from the keyboard to the standard output. A new line is
printed when an interval of about 0.1 seconds occurs between the bytes received, or when the internal receive buffer fills up. This can be
used to determine roughly, what byte sequences the keyboard sends at once on a given key press. The scan code dumping mode is primarily
intended for debugging the keyboard driver or other low level interfaces. As such it shouldn't be of much interest to the regular end-user.
However, some modern keyboards have keys or buttons that produce scancodes to which the kernel does not associate a keycode, and, after
finding out what these are, the user can assign keycodes with setkeycodes(8).
When in the default keycode dump mode, showkey prints to the standard output the keycode number or each key pressed or released. The kind
of the event, press or release, is also reported. Keycodes are numbers assigned by the kernel to each individual physical key. Every key
has always only one associated keycode number, whether the keyboard sends single or multiple scan codes when pressing it. Using showkey in
this mode, you can find out what numbers to use in your personalized keymap files.
When in `ascii' dump mode, showkey prints to the standard output the decimal, octal, and hexadecimal value(s) of the key pressed, according
to he present keymap.
OPTIONS -h --help
showkey prints to the standard error output its version number, a compile option and a short usage message, then exits.
-s --scancodes
Starts showkey in scan code dump mode.
-k --keycodes
Starts showkey in keycode dump mode. This is the default, when no command line options are present.
-a --ascii
Starts showkey in `ascii' dump mode.
-V --version
showkey prints version number and exits.
2.6 KERNELS
In 2.6 kernels key codes lie in the range 1-255, instead of 1-127. Key codes larger than 127 are returned as three bytes of which the low
order 7 bits are: zero, bits 13-7, and bits 6-0 of the key code. The high order bits are: 0/1 for make/break, 1, 1.
In 2.6 kernels raw mode, or scancode mode, is not very raw at all. Scan codes are first translated to key codes, and when scancodes are
desired, the key codes are translated back. Various transformations are involved, and there is no guarantee at all that the final result
corresponds to what the keyboard hardware did send. So, if you want to know the scan codes sent by various keys it is better to boot a 2.4
kernel. Since 2.6.9 there also is the boot option atkbd.softraw=0 that tells the 2.6 kernel to return the actual scan codes.
SEE ALSO loadkeys(1), dumpkeys(1), keymaps(5), setkeycodes(8)
1 Feb 1998 SHOWKEY(1)