Xorg 1.6 + evdev + hal = puzzling keyboard behavior

[Sylvain Raybaud]

Dear HAL list

  I post here for the first time and unfortunately it is to report a problem 
which I think is related to HAL.

I shall first describe my system:

fresh gentoo install with keyword ~amd64

uname -a
Linux wonderland 2.6.30-gentoo-r2 #1 SMP Tue Jul 7 11:54:54 CEST 2009 x86_64 
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU 920 @ 2.67GHz GenuineIntel GNU/Linux

hald --version
HAL package version: 0.5.12rc1

udevd --version
141

hotplug version: 20040923-r2

X -version
[...]
X.Org X Server 1.6.1.902 (1.6.2 RC 2)
Release Date: 2009-6-29
X Protocol Version 11, Revision 0
Build Operating System: Linux 2.6.30-gentoo-r2 x86_64

***

I shall now describe the problem: in one word, it is impossible to get a 
usable keyboard when HAL is running.

When I start X (kde4) it is as if a key was constantly pressed. This key 
changes each time. I've got a console which pops up automatically when I log 
in, and I see it being filled, for example, with the character '2'.
If I use kdm the problem starts at the login screen, with characters being 
repeatedly written in the "login" field. Some random characters are also 
displayed. It is not only printable characters, from the behavior I can guess 
that, for example, arrow keys are also "pressed".

It happens regardless of the content of xorg.conf (with or without InputDevice 
sections, whith either kdb or evdev as a driver, and even with no xorg.conf at 
all). I have got evdev built in the kernel and evbug as a module. If I stop 
hald and use kdb and mouse as drivers for input devices the problem 
disappears.


***

Here are some helpful files:

relevant section of /var/log/message, striped of all evbug events (hald 
was run with "hald --verbose=yes --use-syslog=yes")
http://perso.crans.org/raybaud/messages.hald.gz
I just started hald, then ran startx, then pluged in a usb HDD which kde 
failed to notice, then pressed a key (f12), then stoped X, then stoped hald.

the same, including evbug events:
http://perso.crans.org/raybaud/messages.hald_plus_evbug.gz

output of lshal:
http://perso.crans.org/raybaud/LSHAL.gz

output of ps aux | grep hal:
102       4241  0.0  0.0  27592  4652 ?        Ss   18:08   0:00 hald --
daemon=yes --verbose=yes --use-syslog
root      4244  0.0  0.0  13544  1156 ?        S    18:08   0:00 hald-runner
root      4248  0.0  0.0  15664  1216 ?        S    18:08   0:00 hald-addon-
input: Listening on /dev/input/event3 /dev/input/event2 /dev/input/event0
102       4267  0.0  0.0  19572  1124 ?        S    18:08   0:00 hald-addon-
acpi: listening on acpid socket /var/run/acpid.socket


***

Some context:

the install is fresh. Everything used to work fine before I reinstalled the 
system (because of hard disk failure. No global configuration file has been 
preserved). I didn't do any fancy configuration except the ~amd64 keyword (I 
bet I deserve what I get ;) ).
I believe this is a hal-related problem because it also fails to show pluged 
external hard drives in kde (the device exists in /dev, but kde doesn't seem 
to notice it. I think HAL is supposed to tell him, so I supposed it fails to 
do so)


I may rebuild HAL with the "debug" flag turned on if you feel it's necessary, 
or run whatever experiment you think may help.

best regards,

-- 
Sylvain