Keyboard with built in USB ports not working

Tyke · 01-29-2006, 08:55 PM

Hi.

I have a USB keyboard which has two USB ports built into it, and acts as a USB hub. It works fine under windows, but I'm having real problems with it under Linux.

When I plug a device in, the keyboard stops working. The device plugged in through the keyboard works fine, but the keyboard is dead. The only way to get it working again is to unplug the device from the keyboard, unplug the keyboard from the PC, then plug the whole thing back in.

I'm using Suse 10.0, although I had the same problem under Fedora 3/4. The keyboard is a Z-Board gaming keyboard.

Any help at all would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

haertig · 01-29-2006, 09:37 PM

Does the USB port on your computer have enough power to supply both the keyboard and whatever it is your have plugged into the keyboard? You said this setup worked under Windows. Do you mean Windows running on the SAME computer that you're now running Linux on? If instead you're talking different computers, then it could be that one has more power available at its USB connector than the other, with the particular OS in use being irrelevent.

Tyke · 01-29-2006, 10:18 PM

Sorry, should have specified. Yes, I tried it under windows on the same computer. It works fine.

haertig · 01-30-2006, 11:06 AM

If you can remotely login to the problem computer, I'd try this WHILE the keyboard is still working normally:

Code:

From a remote computer...
$ ssh -l userid the.problem.computer.ip.address
$ cat /proc/bus/usb/devices

You should see your keyboard displayed somewhere in the output. It might not say "keyboard" specifically. My wireless/USB keyboard/mouse shows up like this:

Code:

T:  Bus=03 Lev=01 Prnt=01 Port=00 Cnt=01 Dev#=  2 Spd=1.5 MxCh= 0
D:  Ver= 1.10 Cls=00(>ifc ) Sub=00 Prot=00 MxPS= 8 #Cfgs=  1
P:  Vendor=046d ProdID=c509 Rev=19.04
S:  Manufacturer=Logitech
S:  Product=USB Receiver
C:* #Ifs= 2 Cfg#= 1 Atr=a0 MxPwr= 98mA
I:  If#= 0 Alt= 0 #EPs= 1 Cls=03(HID  ) Sub=01 Prot=01 Driver=usbkbd
E:  Ad=81(I) Atr=03(Int.) MxPS=   8 Ivl=10ms
I:  If#= 1 Alt= 0 #EPs= 1 Cls=03(HID  ) Sub=01 Prot=02 Driver=usbhid
E:  Ad=82(I) Atr=03(Int.) MxPS=   8 Ivl=10ms

The clue that it's my keyboard is "Manufacturer=Logitech". Yours may be different.

Now walk over to the problem computer and plug the other device into the keyboard's USB port. This should trigger your failure.

From the remote computer, look at /proc/bus/usb/devices again. Has anything changed? Did the keyboard get nuked totally out of the display? Did the other device you plugged in get added? Also while remotely logged in, check /var/log/syslog, /var/log/messages, and look for any other logfile that might appear applicable. This data gathering might provide you with some clues as to what's going on.

If you can afford to take your system down, remotely edit /etc/default/bootlogd and make sure the entry there says "BOOTLOGD_ENABLE=YES". This is where the bootlog config file is on my distro (Debian) ... it may be different on yours. While still remotely logged in and with the keyboard/other_device plugged in and in failure mode, reboot the system from your remote connection. Does the system then come up normally? Do both your devices work now? We're still gathering information here - trying to determine if the problem is the two devices under any circumstance, or only when you hotplug the thing into your keyboard. Again check your /var/log/syslog, /var/log/messages, and the new file that our bootlogd change should have made available ... /var/log/boot.

Unfortunately, none of the above has actually told you how to "fix" anything. It's just gathering data to hopefully point to something that needs fixin'. What that might be .. I have no idea yet. I've never personally used a keyboard/usb_hub combo thingy.