USB Keyboards and Mouse Devices

Keep only one USB keyboard and mouse on the system at all times because multiple USB keyboards and mouse devices are not supported in the Solaris environment. See the following items for specific details.

• A keyboard and mouse that are connected anywhere on the bus are configured as console keyboard and mouse. Booting the system is slower if the keyboard and mouse are not on the root hub.

• You can move a console keyboard and mouse to another hub at any time after a system reboot. You cannot move the console keyboard and mouse during a reboot or at the ok prompt. After you plug in the keyboard and mouse, they are fully functional again.

• SPARC only – The power key on a USB keyboard behaves differently than the one on the Sun Type–5 keyboard. On a USB keyboard, you can suspend or shut down the system by using the SUSPEND/SHUTDOWN key, but you cannot power-on the system.

• The left side of the keypad functionality is unavailable on non-Sun USB keyboards.

• Multiple keyboards are not supported:

  • The keyboards enumerate and are usable, but they are not plumbed as console keyboards.

  • The first keyboard that is probed at boot time becomes the console keyboard. The result of this probing might cause confusion if multiple keyboards are plugged in at boot time.

  • If you unplug the console keyboard, the next available USB keyboard doesn't become the console keyboard. The next hot-plugged keyboard becomes the console keyboard.

• Multiple mouse devices are not supported:

  • The mouse devices enumerate and are usable, but they are not plumbed as console mouse devices.

  • The first mouse that is probed at boot time becomes the console mouse. The result of this probing might cause confusion if you have multiple mouse devices plugged in at boot time.

  • If you unplug the console mouse, the next available USB mouse doesn't become the console mouse. The next hot-plugged mouse becomes the console mouse.

• If you have a non-Sun (third-party) composite keyboard with a PS/2 mouse, and it is the first one to be probed, it becomes the console keyboard/mouse even if the PS/2 mouse is not plugged in. This means another USB mouse plugged into the system cannot work because it is not configured as the console mouse.

• Only two-button and three-button mouse devices are supported. A wheel-on-wheel mouse acts like a plain-button mouse. A mouse with more than three buttons functions like a three–button mouse.