path: root/README.sgml

<!DOCTYPE linuxdoc PUBLIC "-//XFree86//DTD linuxdoc//EN">

<article>
<title>Mouse Support in XFree86
<author>Kazutaka Yokota
<date>28 February 1998
<toc>
 
<sect>Introduction <p>

This document describes mouse support in XFree86 3.3.2, whose
X servers have the revised mouse driver.

Mouse configuration has often been mysterious task for
novice users.
However, once you learn several basics, it is straightforward
to choose options in <tt>XF86Setup</tt> or write the <tt>"Pointer"</tt>
section in the <tt>XF86Config</tt> file by hand.

<sect>Supported Hardware <p>

XFree86 X servers support three classes of mice:
serial, bus and PS/2 mice.

<descrip>
<tag>Serial mouse</tag>
The serial mouse has been the most popular pointing device for
PCs.
There have been numerous serial mouse models from a number of
manufactures.
Despite the wide range of variations, there have been relatively
few protocols (data format) with which the serial mouse talks
to the host computer.

The modern serial mouse conforms to the PnP COM device specification
so that the host computer can automatically detect the mouse
and load an appropriate driver.
The XFree86 3.3.2 X servers support this specification and can detect
popular PnP serial mouse models.

<tag>Bus mouse</tag>
The bus mouse connects to a dedicated interface card in an expansion
slot.
Some video cards, notably those from ATI, and integrated I/O
cards may also have a bus mouse connector.
Some bus mice are known as `InPort mouse'.

Note that some mouse manufactures have sold a package including a serial mouse
and a serial interface card.  
Don't confuse this type of products with the genuine bus mouse.

<tag>PS/2 mouse</tag>
They are sometimes called `Mouse-port mouse'.
The PS/2 mouse is becoming increasingly common and popular.

The PS/2 mouse is an intelligent device and may have more than
three buttons and a wheel or a roller.
The PS/2 mouse is usually compatible with the original PS/2 mouse from IBM
immediately after power up.
The PS/2 mouse with additional features requires a specialized
initialization procedure to enable these features.
Without proper initialization, it behaves as though it were an ordinary
two or three button mouse.
</descrip>

Many mice nowadays can be used both as a serial mouse and as a PS/2 mouse.
They has a logic to distinguish which interface it is connected to.
However, the mouse which is not marketed as compatible with both
serial and PS/2 mouse interface lacks this logic and cannot be
used in such a way, even if you can find an appropriate
adapter with which you can connect the PS/2 mouse to a serial port
or visa versa.

XFree86 now supports the mouse with a wheel, a roller or a knob.
Its action is detected as the Z (third) axis motion of the mouse.
As the X server or clients normally do not use the Z axis movement of the 
pointing device, a new configuration option, <tt>ZAxisMapping</tt>,
is provided to assign the Z axis movement to another axis or a pair
of buttons (see below).

<sect>OS Support for Mice <p>

<sect1>Summary of Supported Mouse Protocol Types <p>
<verb>
                                Protocol Types
                serial     PnP     BusMouse    PS/2   Extended PS/2
OS platforms   protocols  serial   protocol  protocol  protocols
                          "Auto"  "BusMouse"  "PS/2"   "xxxPS/2"
--------------------------------------------------------------------
BSD/OS            Ok        ?         ?         ?         ?
FreeBSD           Ok        Ok        Ok        Ok        SP*1
FreeBSD(98)       Ok        ?         Ok        NA        NA
Interactive Unix  Ok        NA        ?*1       ?*1       NA
Linux             Ok        Ok        Ok        Ok        Ok
Linux/98          Ok        ?         Ok        NA        NA
LynxOS            Ok        NA        Ok        Ok        NA
NetBSD            Ok        Ok        Ok        SP*1      NA
NetBSD/pc98       Ok        ?         Ok        NA        NA
OpenBSD           Ok        Ok        Ok        Ok*1      NA
OS/2              SP*2      SP*2      SP*2      SP*2      SP*2
SCO               Ok        ?         SP*1      SP*1      NA
Solaris 2.x       Ok        NA*1      ?*1       Ok        NA
SVR4              Ok        NA*1      SP*1      SP*1      NA
PANIX             Ok        ?         SP*1      SP*1      NA

Ok: support is available,  NA: not available, ?: untested or unknown.
SP: support is available in a different form

*1 Refer to the following sections for details.
*2 XFree86/OS2 will support any type of mouse that the OS supports, 
   whether it is serial, bus mouse, or PnP type. 

</verb>

<sect1>BSD/OS <p>
No testing has been done with BSD/OS.

<sect1>FreeBSD <p>
FreeBSD supports the <tt>"SysMouse"</tt> protocol which must be 
specified when the <tt>moused</tt> daemon is running in versions 2.2.1 
or later.

FreeBSD versions 2.2.5 or earlier do not support extended PS/2 
mouse protocols (<tt>"xxxPS/2"</tt>).
Always specify the <tt>"PS/2"</tt> protocol for any PS/2 mouse 
in these versions regardless of the brand of the mouse.

FreeBSD versions 2.2.6 or later include the kernel-level
support for these mice.
Specify the <tt>"PS/2"</tt> or <tt>"Auto"</tt> protocol and 
the X server will automatically make use of the kernel-level support.
In fact, you may always specify <tt>"Auto"</tt> to any mouse in these
versions unless the mouse is an old serial model which doesn't support PnP.

<sect1>FreeBSD(98) <p>
The PS/2 mouse is not supported.

<sect1>Interactive Unix <p>
The PnP serial mouse support (the <tt>"Auto"</tt> protocol) is not
supported for the moment.

The bus mouse and PS/2 mouse should be supported by using the 
appropriate device drivers. 
Use <tt>/dev/mouse</tt> for the <tt>"BusMouse"</tt> protocol
and <tt>/dev/kdmouse</tt> for the <tt>"PS/2"</tt> protocol. 
These protocols are untested but may work. 
Please send success/failure reports to
<it/&lt;michael.rohleder@stadt-frankfurt.de&gt;/.

<sect1>Linux <p>
All protocol types should work.

<sect1>Linux/98 <p>
The PS/2 mouse is not supported.

<sect1>LynxOS <p>
The PnP serial mouse support (the <tt>"Auto"</tt> protocol) is disabled in
LynxOS, because of limited TTY device driver functionality.

<sect1>NetBSD <p>
NetBSD does not support extended PS/2 mouse protocols (<tt>"xxxPS/2"</tt>).
The PS/2 mouse device driver <tt>/dev/pms</tt> emulates the bus mouse.
Therefore, you should always specify the <tt>"BusMouse"</tt> protocol for 
any PS/2 mouse regardless of the brand of the mouse.

<sect1>NetBSD/pc98 <p>
The PS/2 mouse is not supported.

<sect1>OpenBSD <p>
OpenBSD does not support extended PS/2 mouse protocols (<tt>"xxxPS/2"</tt>).

The PS/2 mouse device driver <tt>/dev/pms</tt> emulates the bus mouse.
Specify the <tt>"BusMouse"</tt> protocol for 
any PS/2 mouse regardless of the brand of the mouse when using this device.

The raw PS/2 mouse device driver <tt>/dev/psm</tt> uses the standard PS/2
mouse protocol.
Therefore, you should specify the <tt>"PS/2"</tt> protocol for 
any PS/2 mouse regardless of the brand of the mouse when using this device.

<sect1>OS/2 <p>
XFree86/OS2 always uses the native mouse driver of the operating system
and will support any type of pointer that the OS supports, whether it is
serial, bus mouse, or PnP type.
If the mouse works under Presentation Manager, 
it will also work under XFree86/OS2.

Always specify <tt>"OSMouse"</tt> as the protocol type.

<sect1>SCO <p>
The bus and PS/2 mouse are supported with the <tt>"OSMouse"</tt> 
protocol type.

The <tt>"OSMouse"</tt> may also be used with the serial mouse.

<sect1>Solaris <p>
Testing has been done with Solaris 2.5.1 and 2.6.  Logitech and
Microsoft bus mice
have not been tested, but might work with the <tt>/dev/logi</tt> and
<tt>/dev/msm</tt> devices.
Standard 2 and 3 button PS/2 mice work with the <tt>"PS/2"</tt> protocol
type and the <tt>/dev/kdmouse</tt> device.
The PnP serial mouse support (the <tt>"Auto"</tt> protocol) has been tested
and does not work.

<sect1>SVR4 <p>
The bus and PS/2 mouse may be supported with the <tt>"Xqueue"</tt> 
protocol type.

The <tt>"Xqueue"</tt> may also be used with the serial mouse.

The PnP serial mouse support (the <tt>"Auto"</tt> protocol) is not
tested.

<sect1>PANIX <p>
The PC/AT version of PANIX supports the bus and PS/2 mouse with the
<tt>"Xqueue"</tt> protocol type.
The PC-98 version of PANIX supports the bus mouse with the
<tt>"Xqueue"</tt> protocol type.

<sect>Configuring Your Mouse <p>

Before using the <tt>XF86Setup</tt> or <tt>xf86config</tt> programs
to set up mouse configuration, you must identify the interface type,
the device name and the protocol type of your mouse.
Blindly trying every possible combination of mouse settings 
will lead you nowhere.

The first thing you need to know is the interface type 
of the mouse you are going to use.
It can be determined by looking at the connector of the mouse.
The serial mouse has a D-Sub female 9- or 25-pin connector.
The bus mice have either a D-Sub male 9-pin connector 
or a round DIN 9-pin connector.
The PS/2 mouse is equipped with a small, round DIN 6-pin connector.
Some mice come with adapters with which the connector can 
be converted to another.  If you are to use such an adapter,
remember that the connector at the very end of the mouse/adapter pair is 
what matters.

The next thing to decide is a device node to use for the given interface.
For the bus and PS/2 mice, there is little choice; 
your OS most possibly offers just one device node each
for the bus mouse and PS/2 mouse.
There may be more than one serial port to which the serial
mouse can be attached.  

The next step is to guess the appropriate protocol type for the mouse.
The X server may be able to select a protocol type for the given mouse
automatically in some cases.
Otherwise, the user has to choose one manually.
Follow the guidelines below.

<descrip>
<tag>Bus mouse</tag>
The bus and InPort mice always use <tt>"BusMouse"</tt>
protocol regardless of the brand of the mouse.

Some OSs may allow you to specify <tt>"Auto"</tt> as the 
protocol type for the bus mouse.

<tag>PS/2 mouse</tag>
The <tt>"PS/2"</tt> protocol should always be tried first for the PS/2 mouse
regardless of the brand of the mouse.
Any PS/2 mouse should work with this protocol type, although
wheels and other additional features are unavailable in the
X server.

After verifying the mouse works with this protocol,
you may choose to specify one of <tt>"xxxPS/2"</tt> protocols so that
extra features are made available in the X server.
However, support for these PS/2 mice assumes certain behavior of
the underlying OS and may not always work as expected.
Support for some PS/2 mouse models may be disabled all together
for some OS platforms for this reason.

Some OSs may allow you to specify <tt>"Auto"</tt> as the 
protocol type for the PS/2 mouse and the X server will automatically
adjust itself.

<tag>Serial mouse</tag>
The XFree86 server supports a wide range of mice, both old and new.
If your mouse is of a relatively new model, it may conform to the
PnP COM device specification and the X server may be able to 
detect an appropriate protocol type for the mouse automatically.

Specify <tt>"Auto"</tt> as the protocol type and start the X server.
If the mouse is not a PnP mouse, or the X server cannot determine
a suitable protocol type, the server will print the following
error message and abort.

<verb>
xf86SetupMouse: Cannot determine the mouse protocol
</verb>

If the X server generates the above error message, you need to 
manually specify a protocol type for your mouse.
Choose one from the following list:

<itemize>
	<item><tt>GlidePoint</tt>
	<item><tt>IntelliMouse</tt>
	<item><tt>Logictech</tt>
	<item><tt>Microsoft</tt>
	<item><tt>MMHittab</tt>
	<item><tt>MMSeries</tt>
	<item><tt>MouseMan</tt>
	<item><tt>MouseSystems</tt>
	<item><tt>ThinkingMouse</tt>
</itemize>

When you choose, keep in mind the following rule of thumb:

<enum>
<item><tt>"Logitech"</tt> protocol is for old serial mouse models 
from Logitech.
Modern Logitech mice use either <tt>"MouseMan"</tt> or <tt>"Microsoft"</tt>
protocol.
<item>Most 2-button serial mice support the <tt>"Microsoft"</tt> protocol.
<item>3-button serial mice may work with the <tt>"Mousesystems"</tt>
protocol. If it doesn't, it may work instead with the 
<tt>"Microsoft"</tt> protocol although the third (middle) button won't 
function.
3-button serial mice may also work with the <tt>"Mouseman"</tt>
protocol under which the third button may function as expected.
<item>3-button serial mice may have a small switch at the bottom 
of the mouse to choose between ``MS'' and ``PC'', or ``2'' and ``3''.
``MS'' or ``2'' usually mean the <tt>"Microsoft"</tt> protocol.
``PC'' or ``3'' will choose the <tt>"MouseSystems"</tt> protocol.
<item>If the serial mouse has a roller or a wheel, it may be compatible 
with the <tt>"IntelliMouse"</tt> protocol.
<item>If the serial mouse has a roller or a wheel and it doesn't work
with the <tt>"IntelliMouse"</tt> protocol, you have to use it 
as a regular 2- or 3-button serial mouse.
</enum>

If the <tt>"Auto"</tt> protocol is specified and the mouse seems working,
but you find that not all features of the mouse is available, that is
because the X server does not have native support for that model of mouse
and is using a ``compatible'' protocol according to PnP information.

If you suspect this is the case with your mouse, please send report to
<it/&lt;XFree86@XFree86.Org&gt;/.

<tag>Standardized protocols</tag>
Mouse device drivers in your OS may use the standardized protocol 
regardless of the model or the class of the mouse.
For example, SVR4 systems may support <tt>"Xqueue"</tt> protocol.
In FreeBSD the system mouse device <tt>/dev/sysmouse</tt>
uses the <tt>"SysMouse"</tt> protocol.
Please refer to the OS support section of this file for more information.

</descrip>

<sect>XF86Config Options <p>

The following new options are available for the <tt>Pointer</tt> section
of the <tt>XF86Config</tt> file.

<sect1>Buttons <p>
This option tells the X server the number of buttons on the mouse.
Currently there is no reliable way to automatically detect the correct 
number. 
This option is the only means for the X server to obtain it.
The default value is three.

Note that if you intend to assign Z axis movement to button events
using the <tt>ZAxisMapping</tt> option below, you need to take account
of those buttons into <tt>N</tt> too.

<verb>
	Buttons N
</verb>

<sect1>ZAxisMappping <p>
This option maps the Z axis (wheel) motion to a pair of buttons or to
another axis.

<verb>
	ZAxisMapping X
	ZAxisMapping Y
	ZAxisMapping N M
</verb>

The first example will map the Z axis motion to the X axis motion.
Whenever the user moves the wheel/roller, its movement is reported as
the X axis motion.  When the wheel/roller stays still, the real X axis
motion is reported as is.  The last example will map negative Z axis
motion to the button <tt>N</tt> and positive Z axis motion to 
the button <tt>M</tt>.  If this option is used and the buttons <tt>N</tt> 
or <tt>M</tt> actually exists in the mouse, 
their actions won't be detected by the X server.

Currently this option can not be set in the <tt>XF86Setup</tt> program.
You need to edit the <tt>XF86Config</tt> file by hand to add this option.

<sect1>Resolution <p>
The following option will set the mouse device resolution to <tt>N</tt>
counts per inch, if possible:

<verb>
	Resolution N
</verb>

Not all mice and OSs can support this option.
This option can be set in the <tt>XF86Setup</tt> program.

<sect>Mouse Gallery <p>

<sect1>MS IntelliMouse  (serial, PS/2) <p>
This mouse has been supported since XFree86 3.3.
However, support in 3.3.2 is slightly different;
the wheel movement is recognized as the Z axis motion.  
This behavior is not compatible with XFree86
3.3, but is more consistent with the support for other mice with
wheels or rollers. 
If you want to make the wheel behave like before,
you can use the new option <tt>"ZAxisMapping"</tt> as described above. 
<p>
IntelliMouse supports the PnP COM device specification.
<p>
To use this mouse as a serial device:
<verb>
	Protocol "Auto" or "IntelliMouse"
	Device   "/dev/xxxx" (where xxxx is a serial port)
</verb>

To use this mouse as the PS/2 device and the OS supports PS/2 mouse 
initialization:
<verb>
	Protocol "IMPS/2"
	Device   "/dev/xxxx"  (where xxxx is the PS/2 mouse device)
</verb>

To use this mouse as the PS/2 device but the OS does not support PS/2 mouse 
initialization (the wheel won't work in this case):
<verb>
	Protocol "PS/2"
	Device   "/dev/xxxx"  (where xxxx is the PS/2 mouse device)
</verb>

To use this mouse as the PS/2 device and the OS supports automatic
PS/2 mouse detection:
<verb>
	Protocol "Auto"
	Device   "/dev/xxxx"  (where xxxx is the PS/2 mouse device)
</verb>

<sect1>Kensington Thinking Mouse (serial, PS/2) <p>
This mouse has four buttons.
Thinking Mouse supports the PnP COM device specification.
<p>
To use this mouse as a serial device:
<verb>
	Protocol "Auto" or "ThinkingMouse"
	Device   "/dev/xxxx" (where xxxx is a serial port)
</verb>

To use this mouse as the PS/2 device and the OS supports PS/2 mouse 
initialization:
<verb>
	Protocol "ThinkingMousePS/2"
	Device   "/dev/xxxx"  (where xxxx is the PS/2 mouse device)
</verb>

To use this mouse as the PS/2 device but the OS does not support PS/2 mouse 
initialization (the third and the fourth buttons act as though they
were the first and the second buttons):
<verb>
	Protocol "PS/2"
	Device   "/dev/xxxx"  (where xxxx is the PS/2 mouse device)
</verb>

To use this mouse as the PS/2 device and the OS supports automatic
PS/2 mouse detection:
<verb>
	Protocol "Auto"
	Device   "/dev/xxxx"  (where xxxx is the PS/2 mouse device)
</verb>

<sect1>Genius NetScroll (PS/2) <p>
This mouse has four buttons and a roller.  The roller movement is
recognized as the Z axis motion.  
<p>
To use this mouse as the PS/2 device and the OS supports PS/2 mouse 
initialization:
<verb>
	Protocol "NetScrollPS/2"
	Device   "/dev/xxxx"  (where xxxx is the PS/2 mouse device)
</verb>

To use this mouse as the PS/2 device but the OS does not support PS/2 mouse 
initialization (the roller and the fourth button won't work):
<verb>
	Protocol "PS/2"
	Device   "/dev/xxxx"  (where xxxx is the PS/2 mouse device)
</verb>

To use this mouse as the PS/2 device and the OS supports automatic
PS/2 mouse detection:
<verb>
	Protocol "Auto"
	Device   "/dev/xxxx"  (where xxxx is the PS/2 mouse device)
</verb>

<sect1>Genius NetMouse and NetMouse Pro (serial, PS/2) <p>
These mice have a "magic button" which is used like a wheel or a
roller.  The "magic button" action is recognized as the Z axis motion.
NetMouse Pro is identical to NetMouse except that it has the third
button on the left hand side.
<p>
NetMouse and NetMouse Pro support the PnP COM device specification.
When used as a serial mouse, they are compatible with MS IntelliMouse.
<p>
To use these mice as a serial device:
<verb>
	Protocol "Auto" or "IntelliMouse"
	Device   "/dev/xxxx" (where xxxx is a serial port)
</verb>

To use this mouse as the PS/2 device and the OS supports PS/2 mouse 
initialization:
<verb>
	Protocol "NetMousePS/2"
	Device   "/dev/xxxx"  (where xxxx is the PS/2 mouse device)
</verb>

To use this mouse as the PS/2 device but the OS does not support PS/2 mouse 
initialization (the "magic button" and the third button won't work):
<verb>
	Protocol "PS/2"
	Device   "/dev/xxxx"  (where xxxx is the PS/2 mouse device)
</verb>

To use this mouse as the PS/2 device and the OS supports automatic
PS/2 mouse detection:
<verb>
	Protocol "Auto"
	Device   "/dev/xxxx"  (where xxxx is the PS/2 mouse device)
</verb>

<sect1>ALPS GlidePoint (serial, PS/2) <p>
The serial version of this pad device has been supported since XFree86
3.2.  `Tapping' action is interpreted as the fourth button press.
(IMHO, the fourth button of GlidePoint should always be mapped to the first
button in order to make this pad behave like the other pad products.)
<p>
To use this pad as a serial device:
<verb>
	Protocol "GlidePoint"
	Device   "/dev/xxxx" (where xxxx is a serial port)
</verb>

To use this mouse as the PS/2 device and the OS supports PS/2 mouse 
initialization:
<verb>
	Protocol "GlidePointPS/2"
	Device   "/dev/xxxx"  (where xxxx is the PS/2 mouse device)
</verb>

To use this mouse as the PS/2 device but the OS does not support PS/2 mouse 
initialization:
<verb>
	Protocol "PS/2"
	Device   "/dev/xxxx"  (where xxxx is the PS/2 mouse device)
</verb>

To use this mouse as the PS/2 device and the OS supports automatic
PS/2 mouse detection:
<verb>
	Protocol "Auto"
	Device   "/dev/xxxx"  (where xxxx is the PS/2 mouse device)
</verb>

<sect1>ASCII MieMouse (serial, PS/2) <p>
This mouse appears to be OEM from Genius.  Although its shape is
quite different, it works like Genius NetMouse Pro.  This mouse has a
"knob" which is used like a wheel or a roller.  The "knob" action is
recognized as the Z axis motion.
<p>
MieMouse supports the PnP COM device specification.  When used as a
serial mouse, it is compatible with MS IntelliMouse.
<p>
To use this mouse as a serial device:
<verb>
	Protocol "Auto" or "IntelliMouse"
	Device   "/dev/xxxx" (where xxxx is a serial port)
</verb>

To use this mouse as the PS/2 device and the OS supports PS/2 mouse 
initialization:
<verb>
	Protocol "NetMousePS/2"
	Device   "/dev/xxxx"  (where xxxx is the PS/2 mouse device)
</verb>

To use this mouse as the PS/2 device but the OS does not support PS/2 mouse 
initialization (the knob and the third button won't work):
<verb>
	Protocol "PS/2"
	Device   "/dev/xxxx"  (where xxxx is the PS/2 mouse device)
</verb>

To use this mouse as the PS/2 device and the OS supports automatic
PS/2 mouse detection:
<verb>
	Protocol "Auto"
	Device   "/dev/xxxx"  (where xxxx is the PS/2 mouse device)
</verb>

<sect1>Logitech MouseMan+ and FirstMouse+ (serial, PS/2) <p>
MouseMan+ has two buttons on top, one side button and a roller.
FirstMouse+ has two buttons and a roller.  The roller movement is
recognized as the Z axis motion.  The roller also acts as the third
button.  The side button is recognized as the fourth button.  
<p>
MouseMan+ and FirstMouse+ support the PnP COM device specification.
They have MS IntelliMouse compatible mode when used as a serial mouse.
<p>
To use these mice as a serial device:
<verb>
	Protocol "Auto" or "IntelliMouse"
	Device   "/dev/xxxx" (where xxxx is a serial port)
</verb>

To use this mouse as the PS/2 device and the OS supports PS/2 mouse 
initialization:
<verb>
	Protocol "MouseManPlusPS/2"
	Device   "/dev/xxxx"  (where xxxx is the PS/2 mouse device)
</verb>

To use this mouse as the PS/2 device but the OS does not support PS/2 mouse 
initialization (the wheel and the fourth button won't work):
<verb>
	Protocol "PS/2"
	Device   "/dev/xxxx"  (where xxxx is the PS/2 mouse device)
</verb>

To use this mouse as the PS/2 device and the OS supports automatic
PS/2 mouse detection:
<verb>
	Protocol "Auto"
	Device   "/dev/xxxx"  (where xxxx is the PS/2 mouse device)
</verb>



<verb>
$XFree86: xc/programs/Xserver/hw/xfree86/doc/sgml/mouse.sgml,v 1.1.2.8 1998/03/02 09:58:25 dawes Exp $



$Xorg: mouse.sgml,v 1.3 2000/08/17 19:51:07 cpqbld Exp $
</verb>
</article>