On Sat, 05 Feb 2011 09:10:26 -0500 (EST), Stephen Powell wrote: > > On my PC, AltGr and Alt seem to behave identically, and I don't have > a .xinitrc file. I am using a classic IBM model M keyboard, US model, > 101 keys, PS/2-style connection to a classic Intel 8042 keyboard controller. > > My problem is I want it to act differently and it doesn't. In Lenny, > Alt+Fn, where n = 1 to 12, switches to virtual console n, and > AltGr+Fn, where n = 1 to 12, switches to virtual console n+12. > So, for example, AltGr+F1 switches to virtual console 13. I can do > something like this from a root shell prompt: > > # openvt -c 13 login > > I can then switch to virtual console 13 with > > # chvt 13 > > or > > AltGr+F1 > > and login on virtual console 13. When I'm done, I logout, switch back > to my root session which created console 13, and issue > > # deallocvt 13 > > to return the system to its previous state. This doesn't work in Squeeze. > I can switch to virtual console 13 with > > # chvt 13 > > but > > AltGr+F1 > > does not switch to virtual console 13: it switches to virtual console 1. > Why was this change made, how can I restore it's former behavior, and > what are the ramifications of doing so?
Sorry for answering my own post, but I kept digging and eventually found the answer, or at least a partial answer. The secret is the file /etc/default/keyboard which now looks like this on my system: XKBMODEL="pc101" XKBLAYOUT="us" XKBVARIANT="" XKBOPTIONS="lv3:ralt_switch" The "lv3:ralt_switch" option in XKBOPTIONS seems to do the trick. After making this change, shutting down, and rebooting, I can now switch to a console higher than 12 by means of AltGr+Fn. (In this context, I am using the term "AltGr" to mean the right Alt key, as opposed to the left Alt key.) Maybe this will be a place to start for the OP. I am having two other problems, but I will start a new thread for them. The first is that Ctrl+AltGr+Fn issued from the X server doesn't switch to virtual console n+12. It switches to virtual console n. However, that behavior is consistent with Lenny. The second problem is more serious. After logging out of my dynamically-created session on, say, virtual console 13, I cannot deallocate the virtual console. I get the following output: # deallocvt 13 VT_DISALLOCATE: Device or resource busy deallocvt: could not deallocate console 13 No process visible to "ps aux" appears to be using virtual console 13, yet I cannot deallocate it. This may be an important clue as to why the X server has trouble restarting on virtual console 7. But as I said, I will open a new thread for this problem. I hope that this is in some way helpful to the OP for this thread. P.S. I must say that I am not too impressed with the documentation for console-setup. -- .''`. Stephen Powell : :' : `. `'` `- -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/1273978627.608054.1296937285691.javamail.r...@md01.wow.synacor.com
