Synaptic PS2 touchpad not working and not shown in devices

English Hardware
#1

Hi,

I bought a sony vaio VPCZ1190X laptop and have been trying to install opensuse 11.2 on that.

I have done that and so far got some main things working like wireless and graphics. However ever since the installation I have not been able to get the touch pad working.

If I connect a mouse though to the laptop it works, I was reading up some threads on the possible issues:

1 - I have tried logging in with ROOT and still the touchpad is not detected
2 - In windows it shows up as a Synaptics PS/2 touchpad
3 - I give the listing of /proc/bus/input/devices

I: Bus=0011 Vendor=0001 Product=0001 Version=ab41
N: Name=“AT Translated Set 2 keyboard”
P: Phys=isa0060/serio0/input0
S: Sysfs=/devices/platform/i8042/serio0/input/input0
U: Uniq=
H: Handlers=kbd event0
B: EV=120013
B: KEY=402000000 3803078f800d001 feffffdfffefffff fffffffffffffffe
B: MSC=10
B: LED=7

I: Bus=0003 Vendor=046d Product=c03d Version=0110
N: Name=“Logitech USB-PS/2 Optical Mouse”
P: Phys=usb-0000:00:1d.0-1.1/input0
S: Sysfs=/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.0/usb2/2-1/2-1.1/2-1.1:1.0/input/input1
U: Uniq=
H: Handlers=mouse0 event1
B: EV=17
B: KEY=70000 0 0 0 0
B: REL=103
B: MSC=10

I: Bus=0019 Vendor=0000 Product=0005 Version=0000
N: Name=“Lid Switch”
P: Phys=PNP0C0D/button/input0
S: Sysfs=/devices/LNXSYSTM:00/device:00/PNP0C0D:00/input/input2
U: Uniq=
H: Handlers=event2
B: EV=21
B: SW=1

I: Bus=0019 Vendor=0000 Product=0001 Version=0000
N: Name=“Power Button”
P: Phys=PNP0C0C/button/input0
S: Sysfs=/devices/LNXSYSTM:00/device:00/PNP0C0C:00/input/input3
U: Uniq=
H: Handlers=kbd event3
B: EV=3
B: KEY=10000000000000 0

I: Bus=0019 Vendor=0000 Product=0006 Version=0000
N: Name=“Video Bus”
P: Phys=/video/input0
S: Sysfs=/devices/LNXSYSTM:00/device:00/PNP0A08:00/device:06/device:07/input/input4
U: Uniq=
H: Handlers=kbd event4
B: EV=3
B: KEY=3f000b00000000 0 0 0

I: Bus=0010 Vendor=001f Product=0001 Version=0100
N: Name=“PC Speaker”
P: Phys=isa0061/input0
S: Sysfs=/devices/platform/pcspkr/input/input5
U: Uniq=
H: Handlers=kbd event5
B: EV=40001
B: SND=6

I: Bus=0010 Vendor=104d Product=0000 Version=0000
N: Name=“Sony Vaio Keys”
P: Phys=
S: Sysfs=/devices/LNXSYSTM:00/device:00/PNP0A08:00/device:0d/SNY5001:00/input/input6
U: Uniq=
H: Handlers=kbd event6 rfkill
B: EV=13
B: KEY=1f160f0000 c00000000 10000000000000 200000000 600b00102c00 380000240300400 e000000000000 0
B: MSC=10

I: Bus=0010 Vendor=104d Product=0000 Version=0000
N: Name=“Sony Vaio Jogdial”
P: Phys=
S: Sysfs=/devices/virtual/input/input7
U: Uniq=
H: Handlers=mouse1 event7
B: EV=7
B: KEY=40000 0 0 0 0
B: REL=100

I: Bus=0003 Vendor=05ca Product=18b7 Version=0104
N: Name=“UVC Camera (05ca:18b7)”
P: Phys=usb-0000:00:1a.0-1.2/button
S: Sysfs=/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1a.0/usb1/1-1/1-1.2/1-1.2:1.0/input/input8
U: Uniq=
H: Handlers=kbd event8
B: EV=3
B: KEY=100000 0 0 0

I: Bus=0001 Vendor=10ec Product=0889 Version=0001
N: Name=“HDA Digital PCBeep”
P: Phys=card0/codec#0/beep0
S: Sysfs=/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1b.0/input/input9
U: Uniq=
H: Handlers=kbd event9
B: EV=40001
B: SND=6

4 - hwinfo command also seems inline with the above and does not show the synaptics driver or another mouse, not sure if the device is not detected. The only other input device I see is the sony jogdial dont know if that is the touchpad that is incorrectly represented

5 - I have also created a file in 99-synaptics.fdi based on some threads again without success.

Please advice or suggest.

Thanks,
Pavan

#2

With openSUSE 11.2 onwards, /etc/X11/xorg.conf is not generally present, although some users have found various graphics cards and input devices still behave better with entries here. Anyway, see if the following wiki helps:

Synaptics Touchpad - openSUSE

In this article, they have a link to

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SynapticsTouchpad#shmconfig

which describes how to configure your touchpad via HAL fdi file. (Is this what you tried already)?

Maybe you could try configuring with gnsynaptics (for Gnome) or synaptiks (for KDE) utilities. Download and install the relevant package via YaST.

This thread may be helpful as well.

I’ll be following this thread with interest. Hopefully, someone with experience with this hardware and using openSUSE 11.2 can assist further.

#3

What is the output of:

lshal | grep touchpad
lshal | grep synaptics
#4

Hi Syampillai

Both the commmands return with nothing :frowning:

#5

Hi Deano

yeah that is exactly what I tried. Is it correct to assume that for any of that configuration to work first the mouse should show up in input devices?

I dont see the touchpad or synaptics in input devices.

#6

If this is the case, your touchpad is recognized as something else. What is that “Sony Vaio Jogdial” device?

lshal | grep -10 Jogdial
#7

Output of the command

lshal | grep -10 Jogdial
net.interface = ‘lo’ (string)
net.linux.ifindex = 1 (0x1) (int)
net.originating_device = ‘/org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/computer’ (string)

udi = ‘/org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/computer_logicaldev_input_2’
button.has_state = false (bool)
info.addons.singleton = {‘hald-addon-input’} (string list)
info.capabilities = {‘input’, ‘button’} (string list)
info.category = ‘input’ (string)
info.parent = ‘/org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/computer’ (string)
info.product = ‘Sony Vaio Jogdial’ (string)
info.subsystem = ‘input’ (string)
info.udi = ‘/org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/computer_logicaldev_input_2’ (string)
input.device = ‘/dev/input/event7’ (string)
input.product = ‘Sony Vaio Jogdial’ (string)
linux.device_file = ‘/dev/input/event7’ (string)
linux.hotplug_type = 2 (0x2) (int)
linux.subsystem = ‘input’ (string)
linux.sysfs_path = ‘/sys/devices/virtual/input/input7/event7’ (string)

udi = ‘/org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/computer_logicaldev_input_1’
button.has_state = false (bool)
button.type = ‘power’ (string)
info.addons.singleton = {‘hald-addon-input’} (string list)
info.capabilities = {‘input’, ‘button’, ‘input.keys’} (string list)

I think you are right, because I went into windows to see if I see a device called jog dial there and I couldn’t find any. Looking up online gives me the idea that it is some kind of scrolling and pointing device maybe.

#8

I am not sure if this Jog Dial is your real touchpad! Just a wild guess. Try loading the synaptics driver for this and see if it is failing or not.

#9

Here I am at the end of my knowledge can you please help with some steps on how to load a driver for that specific device?

#10

Create a file as follows. Restart.
/etc/hal/fdi/policy/20thirdparty/99-test.fdi

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <!-- -*- SGML -*- -->
<deviceinfo version="0.2">
  <device>
    <match key="info.capabilities" contains="button">
      <match key="info.product" string="Sony Vaio Jogdial">
        <merge key="input.x11_driver" type="string">synaptics</merge>
        <merge key="input.x11_options.SHMConfig" type="string">on</merge>
        <merge key="input.x11_options.Buttons" type="string">12</merge>
        <merge key="input.x11_options.VertTwoFingerScroll" type="string">1</merge>
      </match>
    </match>
  </device>
</deviceinfo>
#11

Created the file and restarted but no success.

Here I list some commands I have used after that to see what happened

lanka@linux-jfro:~> dmesg | grep synaptics
lanka@linux-jfro:~> dmesg | grep mouse
0.859141] mice: PS/2 mouse device common for all mice
lanka@linux-jfro:~> dmesg | grep dial
4.885362] input: Sony Vaio Jogdial as /devices/virtual/input/input7
lanka@linux-jfro:~> lshal | grep -10 Jogdial
net.interface = ‘lo’ (string)
net.linux.ifindex = 1 (0x1) (int)
net.originating_device = ‘/org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/computer’ (string)

udi = ‘/org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/computer_logicaldev_input_2’
button.has_state = false (bool)
info.addons.singleton = {‘hald-addon-input’} (string list)
info.capabilities = {‘input’, ‘button’} (string list)
info.category = ‘input’ (string)
info.parent = ‘/org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/computer’ (string)
info.product = ‘Sony Vaio Jogdial’ (string)
info.subsystem = ‘input’ (string)
info.udi = ‘/org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/computer_logicaldev_input_2’ (string)
input.device = ‘/dev/input/event7’ (string)
input.product = ‘Sony Vaio Jogdial’ (string)
input.x11_driver = ‘synaptics’ (string)
input.x11_options.Buttons = ‘12’ (string)
input.x11_options.SHMConfig = ‘on’ (string)
input.x11_options.VertTwoFingerScroll = ‘1’ (string)
linux.device_file = ‘/dev/input/event7’ (string)
linux.hotplug_type = 2 (0x2) (int)
linux.subsystem = ‘input’ (string)
linux.sysfs_path = ‘/sys/devices/virtual/input/input7/event7’ (string)

udi = ‘/org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/computer_logicaldev_input_1’

Do we assume that atleast the driver is assigned with the above information?

When I try gsynaptics though I get an error that GSynaptics couldn’t initialize. You have to set ‘SHMConfig’ true in xorg.conf or XF86Config to use GSynaptics. Do I need to make that setting into that file before I can use the synaptics driver?

#12

Additionally I got the following information from /var/log/Xorg.0.log

(II) config/hal: Adding input device Sony Vaio Jogdial
(II) LoadModule: “synaptics”
(II) Loading /usr/lib64/xorg/modules//input/synaptics_drv.so
(II) Module synaptics: vendor=“X.Org Foundation”
compiled for 1.6.5, module version = 1.1.3
Module class: X.Org XInput Driver
ABI class: X.Org XInput driver, version 4.0
(II) Synaptics touchpad driver version 1.1.3
() Option “Device” “/dev/input/event7”
() Option “SHMConfig” “on”
(**) Option “VertTwoFingerScroll” “1”
(–) Sony Vaio Jogdial: no supported touchpad found
(EE) Sony Vaio Jogdial Unable to query/initialize Synaptics hardware.
(EE) PreInit failed for input device “Sony Vaio Jogdial”
(II) UnloadModule: “synaptics”
(EE) config/hal: NewInputDeviceRequest failed (8)

#13

That is not good news. The driver is rejected. Our assumption was wrong.

Somehow, your touchpad is not recognized. Is there any possibility that it is faulty?

#14

You could try using a LiveCD distro (eg Ubuntu, Knoppix) to see whether the device is picked up correctly.

If I connect a mouse though to the laptop it works, I was reading up some threads on the possible issues:

Do you mean that your touchpad works when an external mouse is plugged in? Please clarify.

#15

I dont think the touchpad is faulty as it works perfectly in windows 7. The laptop is brand new only couple of weeks old as well :slight_smile:

Could it be that the kernel the way it is currently compiled is somehow not detecting the device?

#16

Actually that is a very good suggestion, let me try an ubuntu live cd and see if the device is detected.

Also when I mentioned that the mouse works when it is connected, I meant that the mouse works, the touchpad itself has never worked so far in opensuse

#17

Could it be that the kernel the way it is currently compiled is somehow not detecting the device?

It does look this way. (I have seen similar reports with Ubuntu users who have upgraded from 9.04 to 9.10 or 10 for example).

Lets have a look at what HAL detects

lshal | grep touchpad -A20 -B20

We’re looking for entries with lines like this

input.product = ‘SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad’ (string)
input.x11_driver = ‘synaptics’ (string)

My guess is it will be absent.

#18

First update, the live cd has not detected the touchpad, but it has also not detected a host of other things.

It still shows up as Sony Jogdial device and not as synaptics. Meanwhile I had a discussion with Sony on this, they mentioned the laptop I have does not have a sony jogdial device, so looks like the touchpad is being represented wrongly here.

I will try installing ubuntu and apply patches etc and then give an update.

#19

I will try installing ubuntu and apply patches etc and then give an update.

Thanks for the update. I think its worth filing a bug report as well:

Submitting Bug Reports - openSUSE

#20

A question, just because it’s not been asked here: Does the laptop have a button to switch off the touchpad ? :slight_smile: I dare to ask, since I struggled with this once, the laptop’s owner touched switch and all worked.