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golinux

Administrator

Registered: 2016-11-25

Posts: 3,317  

keyboard behavior changed - why and how to fix it

I am finally starting to move off of jessie.  (You can pick up your jaw now . . . )

First step was to install ascii 2.1 i386 on my other machine an older gigabyte board and 1TB WD black (that previously contained Ubuntu Hardy LOL!) in an Antec case.  When I start this project I hadn't booted this machine for 800 and some days. I am going  to customize ascii there, then take a snapshot to install on my primary machine.

On both machines, I have always been able to come out of suspend with Ctrl or any other key but now I have to press the power button to wake up the Antec.  That's annoying because it sticks and I have to fiddle with it to get it to work.

I did switch out the keyboard to a generic Logitech USB a month or two ago and it still worked OK with squeeze. It is identical to the keyboard connected to the other computer that works just fine to wake up from suspend.

Am I missing a pkg for this functionality?  Or is it an obscure setting.  I did go through all the Xfce Power Management options.

Before you ask why ascii . . . because I want to spend some time with it before moving on . . .

Thanks,
golinux

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Altoid

Member

Registered: 2017-05-07

Posts: 1,581  

Re: keyboard behavior changed - why and how to fix it

Hello:

... ascii 2.1 i386 on my other machine an older gigabyte board ...

One of the things I have learnt with Linux is that a properly written BIOS is crucial to getting ACPI things to work properly.

All the 'S''states that relate to power control settings such as suspend, sleep, etc. depend on properly written BIOS/ACPI tables.
ie: a BIOS that is written correctly observing published ACPI guidelines.

Of all the S states, S3 (the sleep/suspend stuff) is the most difficult to get right because it involves different hardware from different OEMs doing the same thing at the same time, not just the motherboard.

Now, one would think that any and all OEMs would follow ACPI guidelines to the letter, but unfortunately that is not the case.
From the very start, OEMs have followed ACPI guidelines in the way Microsoft interprets them (not the same thing) and this is because ...

But I digress.

You may want to (first) try to get the latest BIOS version for your gigabyte board and see if the issue gets worked out.
There may also be a BIOS setting you need to change.
eg: advanced power management settings -> what 'S' state 'Sleep Mode' is set to.

Bear in mind that as kernel development has advanced, at the same time it has also revealed previously undetected BIOS problems in older hardware.

Best,

A.

golinux

Administrator

Registered: 2016-11-25

Posts: 3,317  

Re: keyboard behavior changed - why and how to fix it

Thanks Altoid.  A BIOS issue is never good news.  It had crossed my mind but the sheer terror of having to flash a board dismissed the possibility.  For now, I'm going to live with it on the old board.  If it is also a problem on the newer board I will reassess my options.

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Altoid

Member

Registered: 2017-05-07

Posts: 1,581  

Re: keyboard behavior changed - why and how to fix it

Hello:

Thanks ...

You're welcome.

... BIOS issue is never good news.

Quite so.

But check the installed version anyhow.
You may already have the latest one available for that board.

... terror of having to flash a board ...

I don't like it either.

The usual lack of properly written BIOSs aside, gigabyte is a reputed brand and their hardware can be considered trustworthy.
They may also have BIOS recovery tools in case something goes wrong.
Unless the board is very old, it is quite straightforward to flash a BIOS.

... going to live with it on the old board.

You may have seen that I run a Sun MS U24 workstation, very expensive when it hit the market in 2007.
My present full monty configuration would have cost me well over $4.000 at the time.
Obviously, I got my box second hand.

Well ...
The BIOS on this box was a real POS from day one.

As it is not a laptop, does not need to run on solar panels or be up 24/7, I have disabled all the power management settings I could disable.
Processor throttling is taken care of by cpuidle but the rest is off or disabled.
Curiously enough, attempting to disable S states in BIOS put the box in an unusable state, requiring a BIOS wipe and reflash. (!)

In any case, you may want to consider if having any S states enabled (ie: standby/sleep/hibernate) is really necessary for you.

Best,

A.