Why does virtmanager (VNC) console get stuck in caps lock mode?

Why does virtmanager (VNC) console get stuck in caps lock mode?

[Stephen Hemminger]

As an emacs user, I remap caps-lock to CTRL key in normal usage.
But often in KVM console VNC window, it gets stuck in caps lock mode.
This appears to be a new mis-feature, since it never used to get stuck
before (not sure whether is kernel, virt-manager or QEMU).

Any clues?

Re: Why does virtmanager (VNC) console get stuck in caps lock mode?

[Anthony Liguori]

On 07/30/2010 03:39 PM, Stephen Hemminger wrote:
> As an emacs user, I remap caps-lock to CTRL key in normal usage.
> But often in KVM console VNC window, it gets stuck in caps lock mode.
>    

Try passing no-lock-key-sync to the -vnc option.  If you're using 
virt-manger, that may be challenging without hacking libvirt.

But you could also try using qemu directly and then using gvncviewer.

> This appears to be a new mis-feature, since it never used to get stuck
> before (not sure whether is kernel, virt-manager or QEMU).
>
> Any clues?
>    

There's a few possibilities.  The first is that you don't have the 
guest's keymap setup to treat caps lock as ctrl.  I imagine you do though.

The second, more likely, possibility is that our caps lock detection 
heuristics are being defeated because you're remapping the key.

The above option disables our heuristics.  If that "fixes" the problem 
then we probably need to add some bits to further handle it.  The real 
source of the problem is that we can receive key down events but if 
focus moves we won't receive the key up.  That can create subtle 
problems where you're pressing control and release it after switching 
windows.  The effect is the guest sees control as being stuck.

We do our best to work out this situation but it's not necessarily perfect.

Regards,

Anthony Liguori

> --
> To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe kvm" in
> the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org
> More majordomo info at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
>    

Re: Why does virtmanager (VNC) console get stuck in caps lock mode?

[Stephen Hemminger]

On Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:11:50 -0500
Anthony Liguori <anthony@codemonkey.ws> wrote:

> On 07/30/2010 03:39 PM, Stephen Hemminger wrote:
> > As an emacs user, I remap caps-lock to CTRL key in normal usage.
> > But often in KVM console VNC window, it gets stuck in caps lock mode.
> >    
> 
> Try passing no-lock-key-sync to the -vnc option.  If you're using 
> virt-manger, that may be challenging without hacking libvirt.
> 
> But you could also try using qemu directly and then using gvncviewer.

And I could go back to telnet as well...

> > This appears to be a new mis-feature, since it never used to get stuck
> > before (not sure whether is kernel, virt-manager or QEMU).
> >
> > Any clues?
> >    
> 
> There's a few possibilities.  The first is that you don't have the 
> guest's keymap setup to treat caps lock as ctrl.  I imagine you do though.

Already done (via Gnome preferences)

> The second, more likely, possibility is that our caps lock detection 
> heuristics are being defeated because you're remapping the key.
> 
> The above option disables our heuristics.  If that "fixes" the problem 
> then we probably need to add some bits to further handle it.  The real 
> source of the problem is that we can receive key down events but if 
> focus moves we won't receive the key up.  That can create subtle 
> problems where you're pressing control and release it after switching 
> windows.  The effect is the guest sees control as being stuck.
> 
> We do our best to work out this situation but it's not necessarily perfect.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Anthony Liguori

Ideally you could read keymap and respond accordingly, but that maybe
too hard.


--