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Old 07-09-2005, 03:41 AM   #1
Ebisu_Dave
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Looking for user-friendly guides for configuration of tablet


I've recently installed Fedora Core 4 on my desktop PC, with a Wacom intuous tablet.

The tablet was autodetected in installation, and works, but is stuck in "screen" mode, when I want it to be in mouse mode.
In any case, I have absolutely no interface for configuring it's speed, buttons or anything.

A Google search seems to always end me up at one place:
(I can't post URLS, apparently, so it's linuxwacom dot sourceforge dot net.)
Which looks to be the authorative source for Linux/Wacom
But it is far, far from comprehensible to a newbie. It's full of advice that might as well be written in Swahilli, like "Anywhere you see "modprobe wacom", you'll instead need to "insmod ./wacom.o". You'll also need to be careful that you are in the package's src directory. If you instead use the less-specific command "insmod wacom.o" from a directory other than the package's src directory, insmod will load the driver from the kernel modules directory instead..."

Can anyone point me to a step by step guide to getting my tablet to work with Fedora?
 
Old 07-10-2005, 07:45 PM   #2
Ebisu_Dave
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I thought I'd move this thread over to the hardware section where it would be more relevant, but I've been told I have to continue this thread here because this is where it started.

So here is the more detailed posting I had placed in the hardware forum:

Details
Wacom CTE-430 Tablet
Fedora Core 4
Kernel 2.6.12-1.1390_FC4
Desktop Pentium 3

Problems:

I'm a newbie to Fedora and Linux in general. Nonetheless, I'm looking forward to using Fedora as my primary OS for home us, and my Wacom tablet as my primary pointing device.

I installed Fedora Core 4 two days ago, and used "yum" to upgrade everything as of a couple hours before writing this.

Despite FC4 successfully detecting my tablet on install, it is stuck in "screen" (or "absolute") mode, and there is no interface or anything anywhere to configure it's buttons or anything about it.

I went to the "Linux Wacom Project" home page and followed the instructions there. Almost right away, there were confusions and differences. I will try to list them accurately here so someone who may be able to help me can pinpoint the problem easily.

First, on the "Before We start page" it says I should disconnect my USB Wacom. I did that before booting. Then I should run "lsmod | grep wacom", in super user mode. I do that, but it returns no results at all, unlike what the instructions say it should.

Nonetheless, I press on and use "rmmod wacom evdev", and it says these don't exist, so I'm guessing that might mean my tablet is already not installed in my system.

Next it says to go to "/dev/input" where there should be "114 devices". But in that directory on my machine, I have only 4 devices that I can see. I do have "mouse0 and event0" which is what I'm looking for. Then, as instructed, I type in "xxd mouse0". Nothing happens, and the prompt doesn't come back. Then I move my PS2 4 button mouse, and all sorts of crazy characters start showing up on the screen. It's showing output from my mouse (which i've only hooked up so I can use the interface while I sort out my tablet). I can't seem to break or get out of this mode, so I close the window.

Since everything is unlike the instructions, I'm thinking this won't go well from this point on, but why not try?

I download and uncompress linuxwacom-0.6.8.tar.bz2. I go to the directory created and type in "./configure --enable-wacom". Seems to work. The output is very similar to what the instructions say I should see. The kernal option says "yes", so I think that's good. I then run "make".
Again, the system looks happy. The instructions say there should be a " wacom.o" file in one of the "src" directories. I look, but it's not there. I can't find it anywhere.

But hope springs eternal. Maybe I just didn't see it. I move on to the next set of instructions and type "./configure --enable-wacom". Again, the output looks very much like what the instructions say they should look like. The kernel option is showing "yes", I do the "make" thing, and the output looks like the instructions. I use the cd command to go to "src/2.6.9", and then I type "cp wacom.ko /lib/modules/2.6.12-1.1390_FC4/kernel/drivers/usb/input"
No errors, i'm thinking this could be good.

Upon getting back to the system, I type in "sync", "rmmod wacom", and "insmod ./wacom.o". But "wacom.o" is not found.

Okay, after this, the instructions go on about installing kernels. Huh? I thought I had the latest and greatest kernel? This is where my newbie head explodes, and I'm thinking I've already gone where few newbies have gone before, and I need to ask someone what the heck to do.

What the heck do I do?
 
Old 07-11-2005, 03:06 PM   #3
Shade
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Relax, my friend.

You're doing the right thing in taking the instructions literally. However, not every system is set up exactly the same, and the instructions you read failed to note that I'll attempt to explain what's going on as best I can, but I don't have a wacom tablet or any experience with these particular drivers.

Quote:
First, on the "Before We start page" it says I should disconnect my USB Wacom. I did that before booting. Then I should run "lsmod | grep wacom", in super user mode. I do that, but it returns no results at all, unlike what the instructions say it should.
Your tablet was functioning at a very bare level. That command was looking to see if a driver was loaded for your tablet -- it wasn't, for one of two reasons: FC4 doesn't have a 'wacom' driver, or the system didn't load the driver because it wasn't plugged in on boot. No matter, this is an extreneous step. As long as there's no module loaded, we may go on.

Quote:
Next it says to go to "/dev/input" where there should be "114 devices". But in that directory on my machine, I have only 4 devices that I can see. I do have "mouse0 and event0" which is what I'm looking for. Then, as instructed, I type in "xxd mouse0". Nothing happens, and the prompt doesn't come back. Then I move my PS2 4 button mouse, and all sorts of crazy characters start showing up on the screen. It's showing output from my mouse (which i've only hooked up so I can use the interface while I sort out my tablet). I can't seem to break or get out of this mode, so I close the window.
There are only 4 devices in your /dev/input directory because you're running a recent kernel with hotplug and udev -- these create device entries dynamically, only for what is present.

xxd is a 'hexdump' utility. It takes the raw data from whatever file or input source, and dumps it to the screen. The purpose of having you run this was to determine which /dev/input/ entry the mouse was using, I'm guessing.

By the way, any time an app or utility doesn't terminate at the command line, use CONTROL-C to exit it.

Quote:
Since everything is unlike the instructions, I'm thinking this won't go well from this point on, but why not try?
You've hit no roadblocks so far, things are just slightly different. Perhaps the instructions are badly written.

Quote:
The instructions say there should be a " wacom.o" file in one of the "src" directories. I look, but it's not there. I can't find it anywhere.
This is what gives away how badly written the instructions you're reading are. 'wacom.o' should be the resulting driver, but it will really be 'wacom.ko' since you're on a 2.6 series kernel. Things have changed a little.

Quote:
Upon getting back to the system, I type in "sync", "rmmod wacom", and "insmod ./wacom.o". But "wacom.o" is not found.
Stop. It just had you do the *exact* same thing twice. (the configure, make bit). I have a hunch that there were two sections, one for the 2.4.x series kernels and one for the 2.6.x series kernels. Anyway. Things are a little confusing.

You can't insmod wacom.o, because it doesn't exist. That's the old name. You're almost done, though! You mentioned that you copied wacom.ko successfully into your /lib/modules/kernel directory. Instead of their 'insmod ./wacom.o' command, try
Code:
depmod -ae
modprobe wacom
That sequence should return you back to the prompt without errors after adding the wacom.ko driver to its database and loading it into the kernel. Now that your driver is installed, you need to configure it. Unfortunately, this is where my help with the wacom stops. I just wanted to lend you a hand in getting the darned thing compiled and installed.

Hope this helps you past a hurdle.

--Shade

Last edited by Shade; 07-11-2005 at 03:10 PM.
 
Old 07-11-2005, 10:40 PM   #4
Ebisu_Dave
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Registered: Jul 2005
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Shade,

Wow, thanks for the nice, calm, explanation. That gives me a much better idea of what's going on.

I did the depmod and modprobe command you suggested, and it seemed to go without any errors. So, I'm guessing that means my Wacom is installed now...? I guess I'll go back to the instructions and read what they say to do, assuming everything worked, and see if I get the results I'm looking for.
 
Old 07-12-2005, 10:44 PM   #5
Ebisu_Dave
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Registered: Jul 2005
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Unfortunately, after going back and seeing if there was any difference to my system, it looks as though there has been no progress.

All I can say at this point is that something has been compiled, and something has been installed somewhere, but Fedora still does not acknowledge it.

Is there nothing else I can do?
 
  


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