Seting up a USB Mouse for X11

Support knowledgebase (mlasars-mbanse_usbmouse)
Applies to

SuSE Linux: Version 7.0
This article refers to an older version of SuSE Linux. Some of the information in this article may be outdated. Also, some links may not be valid.

Kernel: Version 2.2.16

Symptom:

Your USB mouse is not working after the SuSE Linux installation.

Cause:

The USB support setup fails during installation.

Solution:

If you want to use a USB mouse with SuSE Linux 7.0, check first if the needed modules are already loaded. To check, open a terminal (symbol with the shell on the KDE desktop) and change to the root user with su. Enter the root password if prompted.

lsmod shows the loaded modules. For using a USB mouse, you need the modules usbcore, input, hid, and mousedev. To test the needed modules through manual loading, use the commands:

modprobe usbcore
modprobe input
modprobe hid
modprobe mousedev

To verify the functionality of the loaded usb modules, use

tail -f /var/log/messages
Now plug in the mouse. If detected, you should see:
Oct 13 00:29:05 linux kernel: usb.c: USB new device connect, assigned device number 2
Oct 13 00:29:05 linux kernel: mouse0: PS/2 mouse device for input0
Oct 13 00:29:05 linux kernel: input0: USB HID v1.00 Mouse [Agiler 3D USB Mouse] on usb1:2.0
To stop the output view press CTRL c.

Check, with the following command, which XFree86 version is running:

xdpyinfo | grep release

Using the mouse wheel under XFree86 version 3.3.6:

Open the file /etc/XF86Config with an editor of your choice, for example, pico /etc/XF86Config. If you want only the USB mouse (without PS/2 mouse) modify merely the section "Pointer":

Section "Pointer"
  Device        "/dev/input/mice"
  Protocol      "IMPS/2"
EndSection
This example is for a mouse with wheel. For a mouse without a wheel, select the protocol ps/2.

If you want a PS/2 mouse and an USB mouse at the same time, look for the Xinput Section in the file XF86Config and modify the file as follows:

Section "XInput"
  SubSection    "Mouse"
        DeviceName      "USB Mice"
        Protocol        "IMPS/2"
        ZAxisMapping    4 5
        Port            "/dev/input/mice"
        AlwaysCore
  EndSubSection
EndSection
This change to a wheel mouse and enables simultaneous operating with the previous mouse device. If your mouse does not have a wheel, do not type in the line for ZAxisMapping. Use only the protocol ps/2.

Wheel mouse under XFree86 version 4.0.x:

To use the wheel with XFree86 version 4.0.x, edit the Section "InputDevice" in the configuration file /etc/X11/XF86Config as follows:

Section "InputDevice"
  Driver        "mouse"
  Identifier    "Mouse[1]"
  Option        "Device"        "/dev/input/mice"
  Option        "Protocol"      "imps/2"
  Option        "ZAxisMapping"  "4 5"
EndSection
You could also set up the wheel with SaX2. Refer to the article Configuration of the X server with SaX and SaX2 and note for the set up of a USB mouse that you are using the device file: /dev/input/mice instead of /dev/psaux

To use two devices simultaneously, edit the section "ServerLayout" and the matching section "InputDevice", for example:

Section "ServerLayout"
  Identifier    "Layout[all]"
  InputDevice   "Keyboard[0]"   "CoreKeyboard"
  InputDevice   "Mouse[1]"      "CorePointer"
  InputDevice   "Mouse[2]"      "SendCoreEvents"
 Screen "Screen[0]"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
  Driver        "mouse"
  Identifier    "Mouse[1]"
  Option        "Device"        "/dev/psaux"
  Option        "Protocol"      "imps/2"
  Option        "ZAxisMapping"  "4 5"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
  Driver        "mouse"
  Identifier    "Mouse[2]"
  Option        "Device"        "/dev/input/mice"
  Option        "Protocol"      "imps/2"
  Option        "ZAxisMapping"  "4 5"
EndSection
Above you see the Section for a PS/2 and an USB wheel mouse setup.

Additional Strategy for Both XFree86 Versions:

After modifying, save the XF86Config file and start the X server again. Log out of KDE or press the CTRL-ALT-Backspace (<- key above return). Log in as a regular user and verify the function of your mouse. To activate the wheel support, open a terminal and enter:

imwheel

If the package imwheel is not installed, install it with YaST, series ap. Test the function of the wheel with Netscape or, in KDE, with KFM. If the wheel of your mouse is not working as desired, change the behavior in the configuration file:

/etc/imwheelrc
If the mouse working fine including the wheel, the settings should be made permanent. To do this, open the file /etc/rc.config and modify as follows:
pico /etc/rc.config
Look for the entry START_USB and activate the function:
START_USB="yes"
After modifying, save the file.

Now open the file /etc/rc.config.d/usb.rc.config and look for the line:

USB_DRIVERS="usb-keyboard mouse"
Edit it as follows:
USB_DRIVERS="keybdev mouse input hid mousedev"

For automatic initialization during the boot sequence, edit the file .xinitrc in the home directory of the user who should use the wheel. Look for the following section and edit it as the next part describes:

#
# start some stuff
#
imwheel -k
Repeat the imwheel entry for every user that should be able to use the wheel.

Now you can reboot the system to check the USB mouse support.


Keywords: USB, MOUSE, WHEEL

Categories: USB

SDB-mlasars-mbanse_usbmouse, Copyright SuSE Linux AG, Nürnberg, Germany - Version: 18. Jan 2001
SuSE Linux AG - Last generated: 14. Oct 2002 by mlasars (sdb_gen 1.40.0)