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Date:      Mon, 28 Feb 2000 08:51:05 -0700 (MST)
From:      John Reynolds~ <jreynold@sedona.ch.intel.com>
To:        current@freebsd.org, qa@freebsd.org
Subject:   Installation floppies and USB
Message-ID:  <14522.39273.53653.511902@hip186.ch.intel.com>

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[forwarded from -questions to the above groups because this seems to be a
legit "problem" and I wanted the "right eyes" in -current to see it. ]

------- start of forwarded message -------
From: "John Daniels" <jmd526@hotmail.com>
Subject: Installation floppies and USB
Date: Sun, 27 Feb 2000 21:19:50 EST

I have a system with only a *USB* keyboard port (no PS/2 or AT-style ports). 
  When I boot the installation floppies I get the message:
  keyboard:no
After reading errata,release notes, etc., I learned that I should hit
'enter' and type '-Dh' at the prompt, which I did.  Now the installation 
proceeds until the kernel is booted and the kernel configuration menu is 
displayed (with 3 options: skip config, full-screen, CLI-mode).  At that 
point my keyboard becomes unusable.  I believe that this may be because the 
kernel ('GENERIC'?) doesn't include USB support.  USB support is supposed to 
be compiled in *after* an install.

For my system, this is unacceptable.  I now have a catch-22: I can't get USB 
support until the kernel is recompiled, and I can't recompile the kernel 
unless I can use the keyboard to install FreeBSD.

My system was created by a major PC Manufacturer (Acer) and I'm sure that 
they have sold thousands like it.  I'm sure that they are not/will not be 
the only manufacturer to create USB-only systems.  My system uses Human 
Interface Devices (HID) USB.  It is *CRUCIAL* that USB keyboards be 
recognized "out-of-the-box" for current and future systems that only support
USB keyboards.

QUESTION: Are there work currently andy arounds/solutions in FreeBSD?  When 
can USB be available "out-of-the-box?" (I was hoping it would be in 4.0) 
Lastly, the NetBSD install floppy recognizes my keyboard and lets me use it 
during the install.  Is there any possible workaround that includes booting 
the NetBSD install disk, or installing FreeBSD over/after NetBSD?

NOTE: There has already been at least one other FreeBSD newbie who has 
encountered this problem (also with an Acer box), and there seems to be a 
fair amount of USB questions/discussion online.

Any info/help is greatly appreciated

John
jmd526@hotmail.com

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------- end of forwarded message -------

-- 
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
| John Reynolds               WCCG, CCE, Higher Levels of Abstraction       |
| Intel Corporation   MS: CH6-210   Phone: 480-554-9092   pgr: 602-868-6512 |
| jreynold@sedona.ch.intel.com  http://www-aec.ch.intel.com/~jreynold/      |
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=


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