KBD(1) User Commands KBD(1)

kbd — manipulate the state of keyboard, or display the type of keyboard, or change the default keyboard abort sequence effect

kbd [-r] [-t] [-l] [-a enable | disable | alternate] [-c on | off] [-d keyboard device] [-A autorepeat count] [-D autorepeat delay] [-R autorepeat rate]

kbd [-i] [-d keyboard device]

kbd -s [language]

kbd -b [keyboard | console] frequency

The kbd utility manipulates the state of the keyboard, or displays the keyboard type, or allows the default keyboard abort sequence effect to be changed. The abort sequence also applies to serial console devices. The kbd utility sets the /dev/kbd default keyboard device.

The -i option reads and processes default values for the keyclick and keyboard abort settings from the keyboard configuration service, svc:/system/keymap:default. Only keyboards that support a clicker respond to the -c option.

The keyboard abort sequence effect can only be changed by a super-user using the -a option. This sequence is typically Stop-A or L1-A and Shift-Pause on the keyboard on SPARC systems, F1-A and Shift-Pause on x86 systems, and BREAK on the serial console input device on most systems.

A BREAK condition that originates from an erroneous electrical signal cannot be distinguished from one deliberately sent by remote . As a remedy, use the -a option with Alternate Break to switch break interpretation. Due to the risk of incorrect sequence interpretation, binary protocols such as and others should not be run over the serial console port when Alternate Break sequence is in effect.

Although PPP is a binary protocol, it has the ability to avoid using characters that interfere with serial operation. The default alternate break sequence is CTRL-m CTRL-b, or in hexadecimal. In PPP, this can be avoided by setting either or in the ACCM. This forces an escape for the CTRL-b or CTRL-m characters, respectively.

To do this in Solaris PPP 4.0, add:

asyncmap 0x00002000

to the /etc/ppp/options file or any of the other configuration files used for the connection. See pppd(8).

SLIP has no comparable capability, and must not be used if the Alternate Break sequence is in use.

The Alternate Break sequence has no effect on the keyboard abort. For more information on the Alternate Break sequence, see asy(4D).

On many systems, the default effect of the keyboard abort sequence is to suspend the operating system and enter the debugger or the monitor. Some systems feature key switches with a secure position. On these systems, setting the key switch to the secure position overrides any software default set with this command.

The following options are supported:

enable | disable | alternate

Enables, disables, or alternates the keyboard abort sequence effect. By default, a keyboard abort sequence suspends the operating system on most systems. This sequence is typically or and Shift-Pause on the keyboard on SPARC systems, and Shift-Pause on x86 systems, and BREAK on the serial console device.

The default keyboard behavior can be changed using this option. The -a option can only be used by a super-user.

enable
Enables the default effect of the keyboard abort sequence (suspend the operating system and enter the debugger or the monitor).
disable
Disables the default/alternate effect and ignores keyboard abort sequences.
alternate
Enables the alternate effect of the keyboard abort sequences (suspend the operating system and enter the debugger or the monitor) upon receiving the Alternate Break character sequence on the console. The Alternate Break sequence is defined by the asy(4D) driver. Due to a risk of incorrect sequence interpretation, binary protocols cannot be run over the serial console port when this value is used.
count

Sets autorepeat count. Value denotes unlimited autorepeat (default).

keyboard | console

Sets the beeper frequency for keyboard or console.

keyboard
Set the keyboard beeper frequency to the operand in HZ. See OPERANDS.
console
Sets the console beeper frequency to the operand in HZ. See OPERANDS.
on | off

Turns the clicking of the keyboard on or off.

on
Enables clicking
off
Disables clicking
keyboard device

Specifies the keyboard device being set. The default setting is /dev/kbd.

autorepeat delay

Sets the autorepeat delay in milliseconds.

Sets keyboard properties from the keyboard default file. With the exception of -d keyboard device, this option cannot be used with any other option. The -i option instructs the keyboard command to read and process keyclick and keyboard abort default values from the keyboard configuration service, svc:/system/keymap:default. The -i option can only be used by a user or role with the .

Returns the layout code of the keyboard being used, and the autorepeat delay and autorepeat rate being used.

If used with -R or -D option, this option returns the value before the changes.

Resets the keyboard as if power-up.
autorepeat rate

Sets the autorepeat rate in milliseconds.

[language]

Sets the keyboard layout into the kernel.

If language is specified, the layout is set to language, and loadkeys(1) runs implicitly. If language is not specified, a list of available layouts are presented, prompting for the user to specify the language. See OPERANDS.

Returns the type of the keyboard being used.

The following operands are supported:

frequency
The frequency value specified to be set in kernel. The receiver of this value is specified by the -b option. This value should be between 0 and 32767 otherwise will be ejected with .
language
The language specified to be set in kernel. If the language is not found, the languages supported are listed for selection. It only applies to -s option.

/dev/kbd
Keyboard device file.

The following example displays the keyboard type:

example% kbd -t
Type 4 Sun keyboard
example%

The following example sets the keyboard defaults as specified in the keyboard default file:

example# kbd -i
example#

The following example displays keyboard type and layout code. It also displays auto repeat delay, rate and count settings.

example% kbd -l
type=6
layout=274 (0x112)
delay(ms)=500
rate(ms)=40
count=unlimited
example%

The following example sets the keyboard autorepeat delay:

example% kbd -D 300
example%

The following example sets the keyboard autorepeat rate:

example% kbd -R 50
example%

The following example selects and sets the keyboard language from a list of languages specified:

example% kbd -s
1. Albanian                      16. Malta_UK
2. Belarusian                    17. Malta_US
3. Belgian                       18. Norwegian
4. Bulgarian                     19. Portuguese
5. Croatian                      20. Russian
6. Danish                        21. Serbia-And-Montenegro
7. Dutch                         22. Slove
......

To select the keyboard layout, enter a number [default n]:

example%

The following example sets the keyboard language specified:

example% kbd -s Dutch
example%

The following example sets the keyboard beeper frequency:

example% kbd -b keyboard 1000
example%

loadkeys(1), svcs(1), asy(4D), virtualkm(4D), kb(4M), keytables(5), attributes(7), smf(7), kadb(8), pppd(8), svcadm(8)

Some server systems have key switches with a secure key position that can be read by system software. This key position overrides the normal default of the keyboard abort sequence effect and changes the default so the effect is disabled. When the key switch is in the secure position on these systems, the keyboard abort sequence effect cannot be overridden by the software default, which is settable with the kbd utility.

Currently, there is no way to determine the state of the keyboard click setting.

The kbd service is managed by the service management facility, smf(7), under the service identifier:

svc:/system/keymap:default

Administrative actions on this service, such as enabling, disabling, or requesting restart, can be performed using svcadm(8). Use svccfg(8) to make configuration changes and to view configuration information for this service. The service's status can be queried using the svcs(1) command.

April 29, 2019 OmniOS