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dweigert
Contributor
Contributor

Workstation 6 under Linux, Xorg 7.3 Keyboard

Hello folks,

I'm running Workstation 6 64 bit under Gentoo Linux. Recently the Xorg 7.3 release happened and after install, I started experiencing the following:

1) as long as I don't enter fullscreen mode, all is well.

2) once fullscreen mode is entered, when I switch back to the Linux desktop, the shift, control, and capslock keys no longer function. Nothing will get this back to normal, short of restarting X. xev shows key presses and releases as normal.

I'm not sure if this is due to the API change in the latest version of X, or if it is a bug in X.

Has anyone run itnto this, or have a workaround?

Dan

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jra_vm
Contributor
Contributor

Hello,

I have the exact same problem. I'm using VMware 6 Workstation for Linux (Debian GNU/Linux 4.0) and VMware Server Console 1.0.3 and 1.0.4 for Linux (same host operating system).

Since the update to X.Org 7.3, my keyboard is gone crazy every time I go fullscreen in VMware!

May we expect to see a VMware update for this issue?

Thank you

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Sillern
Contributor
Contributor

Hi.

I'm having the same problem, and as you say, the only remedy is to restart X, which is a bit too cumbersome.

I'm running VMware Server 1.0.4 build-56528 on Gentoo x86_64, on Xorg 7.2.

I noticed the problem when I updated vmware.

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mrenouf
Contributor
Contributor

Hi guys,

I ran into the same issue. Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon). Xorg 7.3 I beleive as well...

Are you using the default "Ctrl-Alt" escape sequence to ungrab the keyboard?

I haven't completely solved this issue, but I have noticed that when this happens, my default keyboard layout has been switched to "Generic 105-key International" (on Ubuntu: System->Preferences->Keyboard, Layouts tab)

You will sometimes need to press "Reset to Defaults" to refresh the setting because the applet will not notice it's been changed.

Anyway, selecting either "Evdev-managed keyboard" or "Generic 104-key PC" fixes it again.

I don't think this is related to VMware. As a test. you can reproduce the problem by just pressing "Ctrl-Alt", then click "Reset to defaults" and notice the problem is back and the layout has again switched "Generic 105-key PC Intl".

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thewalrus
Contributor
Contributor

I have a separate, but perhaps related keyboard issue. I am running Gentoo on x86 (32-bit) with xorg 7.3 and VMware Workstation 6.0.2. I am a fast typist, and when I type into a virtual machine, the many key presses are swapped. Interestingly, for a given word, it is always the same mutation. Example: I type 'report' and it gets consistently mutated to 'rperot'--the 'ep' and 'or' in the middle of the word are swapped. Anyone have any ideas?

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jra_vm
Contributor
Contributor

Le Wed, 28 Nov 2007, thewalrus <communities-emailer@vmware.com> a dit:

I have a separate, but perhaps related keyboard issue. I am running

Gentoo on x86 (32-bit) with xorg 7.3 and VMware Workstation 6.0.2.

I am a fast typist, and when I type into a virtual machine, the

many key presses are swapped. Interestingly, for a given word, it

is always the same mutation. Example: I type 'report' and it gets

consistently mutated to 'rperot'--the 'ep' and 'or' in the middle

of the word are swapped. Anyone have any ideas?I noticed that it only happens when I enter full-screen in VMware

(Workstation 6.x or VMware Server 1.x, this was not tested on other

versions) using the key combination (CTRLALTENTER or whatever I

changed it for).

If I use the GUI button for "Fullscreen", nothing unusual happens to

my keyboard.

Anyway, when the keyboard map is ****** up, I only have to use

"setxkbmap" to restore it:

setxkbmap -rules xorg -layout "fr" -model thinkpad

I tried to use several different layouts and models before entering

full-screen mode, and everytime the same thing happened with the

keyboard.

I'm using Debian GNU/Linux 4.1 (sid) on my Laptop (IBM T41).

Oh and, on my desktop computer, I'm using Ubuntu 7.10 and everything

works fine, although I have the exact same configuration...

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daedius
Contributor
Contributor

Wow, glad I found this thread. Thought I was losing my mind! So the current fix is to just not go into fullscreen mode?

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webograph
Contributor
Contributor

same happens to me with 6.0.3-80004 on ubuntu hardy beta. the control key locks up at the moment ctrl-alt-return is used to escape from fullscreen mode (ctrl-alt-return is safe for entering full screen, as is using ctrl-alt to ungrab the input or using the bar at the top to leave full screen).

moreover, when i press the ctrl key after having left full screen with ctrl-alt-return, the currently focused application dies (tested for nautilus and gnome-terminal).

the setxkbmap fix does not work for me.

this looks very much like a bug in vmware and should be fixed!

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jra_vm
Contributor
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Ok, I'm glad some people are continuing this thread Smiley Happy

My "fix" as you call it is only temporary, and should be applied every time the problem pops out. So it's not really a fix...

As I said in my previous message, this problem doesn't happen on my Ubuntu 7.10 computer.

I use VMware Workstation 6.02 on this computer, and VMware-server-console 1.05.

I'm going to make a diff of every configuration file I have on my Ubuntu system with the files on my Debian laptop, where the bug still happens despite several updates, either of VMware products, or libraries and programs (including the X.Org server).

I'll keep you updated and I really hope to find a solution.

Note: a workmate is having exactly the same issue on his T60 laptop, with an Intel graphics adapter (I have a radeon mobility 7500 in mine, using the free "radeon" driver). We are going to find this out Smiley Happy

Note 2 : it happens sometimes when I'm not using the full-screen mode, but juste making copy/paste or installing the VMware tools... could be a lead!

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daedius
Contributor
Contributor

Thanks for your effort jra_vm ! Looking forward to what you have to say. This bug has been annoying me so much on VMWare Linux. As more and more distros upgrade to 7.3, this problem will only become larger. I implore VMware to pay attention to this thread before you have more than a handful of us complaining.

- Daedius

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thool
Contributor
Contributor

Just to keep the thread alive :-)..

I've got the exact same problem and I've runned VMware on hosts Arch x64 and Xubuntu x64.

Would really like this to be solved.

BR

//thool

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dhurst
Contributor
Contributor

:smileygrin: Well, on a Gateway laptop using the Kubuntu Hardy Beta and VMplayer 2.03, I found that I had the problem every time just like everyone else. However, after using the KDE System Settings tools to turn on in Language and Regional settings in the keyboard layout area the specific layout that I use, which is the US english pc104, that the problem went away. I can go fullscreen with the player and minimize and return back and my Linux host keymap is no longer switching to the pc105.

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mattskr
Contributor
Contributor

I installed VMWare Workstation onto a fresh install of Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy (64-bit final release) and am experiencing the same problem. Just to let people know that the problem has not been fixed with either an update to Hardy or Workstation. It is very annoying, but I have not checked the keyboard settings. If it is as simple as setting it back to to the proper layout at least I can live with that until a fix is released. Restarting X after leaving fullscreen is not acceptable!

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pondo
Contributor
Contributor

Same problem with VMWare Server 1.0.5 under Ubuntu 8.04. I even tried to reinstall the whole machine again but the only thing that happened was that I could reproduce this problem.

BTW: I did not have any problems with former versions of VMWare Server under Ubuntu 7.10 and 7.04.

VMWare: You really need to fix this!!!!!!

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eholme
Contributor
Contributor

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OK, so I have been testing. And have been able to

confirm this issue with Workstation 6.02, Server 1.05 and player 2

under Linux using a couple of distributions that utilize XORG 7.3.

There has been talk in other forums of a possible video card issue

as well so I tried a couple of cards and drivers from ATI, INTEL,

and NVIDIA which all had the same results.

If there are any other thoughts or other workarounds out there that

would be greatly appreciated, as my distro of choice is Ubuntu and I

have ditched Gutsy and gone to Hardy which suffers from this issue, but lacks the high IO wait issues. The workaround mentioned for KDE does work, but only if

you have the flag for the keyboard layout and language show in the

sys tray area. So for anyone who does not know how to enable this

here is a quick step by step.

  1. Open kcontrol

  2. Choose Regional and Accessibility

  3. Go to Keyboard Layout

  4. Enable Keyboard Layouts needs to be checked

  5. switch to the Switching Options tab

  6. Check Show indicator for single layout

Apply changes and logout and back into KDE, this has worked for

me 50% of the time, otherwise its still a mystery.

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Prometheus00
Contributor
Contributor

I have had this issue pop up in vmware server beta 2 when copying foreign characters into the vm. (German)

Switching keyboard layout helps but it is an issue that should be fixed, not patched

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simla
Contributor
Contributor

I have this problem too, but not only the modifier keys are affected. Normal keys seem to "aquire" new functionality in that typing in a terminal or any other app will crash it.

I thought this was the same issue as reported here (among other places): but I only have this problem when entering/leaving fullscreen mode in VMWare.

VMWare does not yet officially support Workstation on Ubuntu Hardy, so I've had to apply the any-any update (rev 116), but this should still be fixed.

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Prometheus00
Contributor
Contributor

I think that this is more of an issue with vmware's compatability with Xorg 7.3

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PDub
Contributor
Contributor

This issue also occurs with VMware Workstation 6.5 Beta. Only happens for me when entering full screen mode with ctrlaltenter and then leaveing full screen with same sequence. Using icons to enter and leave full screen is fine.

My config is:

Ubuntu 8.04 i386 - upgrade from Gutsy and VMware Workstation 6.03

Ubuntu 8.04 x64 - clean install and VMware Workstation 6.03 and 6.5 Beta

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martinforsberg
Contributor
Contributor

Same problem, when enter full screen the keybord f****** up...

Everything is working inside the virtual machine, but not in the host.

My config: clean installed Ubuntu Hardy Heron and VMware 6.0.3.

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