[ltp] Re: Mouse/Trackpoint issues with mini-dock (and KVM switch)

[André Wyrwa]

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

Hi,

> Okay, I have just rebooted and the BIOS config utility told me that "the
> internal trackpoint/touchpad will be disabled on plugging an external
> mouse", with no apparent option to change that.

It's a long time since i fiddled with these things. Are there more
mouse/trackpoint related options in ntpctl than the ones you quotet? I
think that the ones you quotet only report the state of the ps/2 ports.
But i'm sure that there was a setting to change the behaviour in tpctl
(look for an option to set it to automatic - that is the mode where the
trackpoint switches itself off when an externel device is plugged).
(BTW: the functionality of ntpctl and tpctl is basically the same, only
that ntpctl is ncurses and tpctl is command line - the latter might have
a very few more options.)

> Maybe a Windows application *can* change that setting? (This is a T41).

If it's possible, the ThinkPad Configuration Utility will have an
option...mom...hmm...on my T41p it only has the automatic and inactive
modes left. That looks not too promising.

> Mmm... Does anything happen at all, is any event sent when the KVM
> switch switches to the thinkpad? An ACPI event, maybe?

I'd guess that the KVM wouldn't trigger an event. Though something
obviously happens. If tpctl runs for you, you can check for an external
pointing device by parsing the state output you just quotet above. If
the external pointing device is reported as enabled, it is present. This
could be used by a little daemon like shell script which would parse the
config lets say every second. Of course an event would be more elegant.

So...if i'm not mistaken, ibm-acpi is able to report a docking/undocking
event. But this has proven to malfunction on some models. You'll have to
try.

> I use a combo to switch the KVM, and I sure could set up a similar combo
> to run the above command. (if this is what you meant).

Precisely. You have to take care that the combo get's through to the KVM
still. But i think that should be possible.

Good luck.
André.
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.4.2 (MingW32)

iD8DBQFD8TMYEOp8fsnyxsQRAprrAJ0bDAalth5aUDubhaCNp97CfyeVWQCeJuwE
IrguDscrr1AdLWqh4pGCXc8=
=AgHP
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----