Using tinycore as an RDP client, loaded from a PXE server.

[PCManiac]

Hello again!

I have been using TC the last 2 weeks trying to refactor a Linux OS image for our thin clients.
Tiny Core looked to be up for the job as it is small and fast.

I could (with help here and there but mainly from the community and wiki) get a remastered gz file with the needed files to boot with no major problems those clients, loaded using PXE into RAM.

Those clients will be running a popup waiting till the user presses it to start working on a Windows terminal server through rdesktop.

I have configured the keymaps and I have the keyboard localization working but I am unable to make the numpad to work.
With bare TC (no X), numlock and the numpad numbers work as expected yet, I am unable to make it work on Xvesa.

Any suggestions?

Thank you once again.

[curaga]

How do you mean? Does the led react, can you input numpad numbers to a shell, etc?

Xorg has more complete keyboard handling, but is larger.

[PCManiac]

Greetings curaga,

Inside Xvesa, the LED does not "react" nor I can input numpad numbers.
If I change to the Shell (Ctrl+Alt+F1 for instance) it does work.

Yeah.. Xorg would render the image to be too big.. :\

[curaga]

I meant a shell in X, ie aterm, to isolate if it's RDP or any X app. Maybe also try xev (found in Xorg-7.7-bin).

[PCManiac]

I just tried on aterm and it does indeed work there. But the keyboard led is dead.
I just noticed too that if I start rdesktop with numlock on (keypad writing numbers) it stays like that.. at least, until some one presses it again where it reverts to the old function.

And noticed as well, and this may be a show stopper for me, the caps lock LED doesn't work properly either.

Do you have any clue how the ppl from thin station deal with keyboard? (well, with the whole embedded OS, keeping it so small)
Our aged terminals use an old thin station image but it deals with the keyboard issues pretty well.

Thank you.

[gerald_clark]

Is this a PS2 keyboard, or a USB keyboard?

[PCManiac]

gerald_clark: PS2 keyboard

[gerald_clark]

Try a USB keyboard.

[PCManiac]

Same issue unfortunately.. 

[Zendrael]

Hi!
Maybe a silly question but, are you using some keyboard configuration other than english with boot codes?

[PCManiac]

I apologize for my absence but I have been on vacations 

yes, I am, as quoted

Code: [Select]

prompt
default linux

label linux
  kernel /test1/vmlinuz
  append initrd=/test1/core.gz tce=/cde ramdisk_size=9216 noapic acpi=off kmap=pt-latin9

[PCManiac]

Any clue, anyone? :/

[Alatun]

I'm also using Tinycore with RDP and noticed the same problem. I also had problems with the support for Window Menu Key, etc.

I could fix the problem with the Windows special keys with xmodmap.  After multiple hours of research I found out that the
Num_Lock problem seems to be a bug/restriction of the Xvesa (TinyX) server. Seems the Num_Lock has been hard coded using the number keys.

When using Xorg Num_Lock is working as it should (also when connected with RDP).

[curaga]

After multiple hours of research I found out that the
Num_Lock problem seems to be a bug/restriction of the Xvesa (TinyX) server. Seems the Num_Lock has been hard coded using the number keys.

It's actually the reverse. The kernel sends a bare code, and each keyboard driver has to translate depending on the lock led state. Xorg keyboard drivers had hardcoded such translation, tinyX hadn't (until July when I added such - only in git for now, extensions not updated).

I mainly use laptops that do not have a numpad or any Windows keys, and so far I'm the only contributor.

[Alatun]

It's actually the reverse. The kernel sends a bare code, and each keyboard driver has to translate depending on the lock led state. Xorg keyboard drivers had hardcoded such translation, tinyX hadn't (until July when I added such - only in git for now, extensions not updated).

It was just a guess. But TinyX is different here and it's not the usual behavior that end users expect.

Maybe we can get the fixed version in the near future?