Bug 863883 - RFE: support bluetooth keyboards in initrd and early boot
Summary: RFE: support bluetooth keyboards in initrd and early boot
Keywords:
Status: ASSIGNED
Alias: None
Product: Fedora
Classification: Fedora
Component: dracut
Version: rawhide
Hardware: x86_64
OS: Unspecified
high
high
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: dracut-maint
QA Contact: Fedora Extras Quality Assurance
URL:
Whiteboard:
Depends On:
Blocks:
TreeView+ depends on / blocked
 
Reported: 2012-10-07 23:13 UTC by Benjamin Kosnik
Modified: 2023-07-09 12:57 UTC (History)
14 users (show)

Fixed In Version:
Doc Type: Bug Fix
Doc Text:
Clone Of:
Environment:
Last Closed: 2014-02-05 12:29:27 UTC
Type: Bug
Embargoed:


Attachments (Terms of Use)

Description Benjamin Kosnik 2012-10-07 23:13:44 UTC
Description of problem:

Setups using bluetooth keyboards do not work. Unable to get past decrypt screen.

Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable):

Fedora 17 x86/64

How reproducible:


Steps to Reproduce:
1. Install Fedora 17 with encrypted partition
2. Enable bluetooth keyboard
3. Reboot
  
Actual results:

Once rebooted, the system starts Fedora, but runs into the encrypted partition, so throws up a password screen to unlock. However, typing in the password to unlock the partition fails, as the keyboard is not recognized as an inport device.

Expected results:

Being able to use the bluetooth keyboard to enter the necessary text to decrypt the drive.

Additional info:

Setup hardware is as per:
http://sunglint.wordpress.com/2012/05/11/fedora-17-notes/

Comment 1 Bill Nottingham 2012-10-08 20:04:11 UTC
This sounds like it would need fixed before it gets to systemd - whether in dracut or in the kernel configuration itself to always include enough to set up bluetooth keyboards.

Comment 2 Benjamin Kosnik 2012-10-11 01:41:47 UTC
Aye. That's "input device."

I'm not quite sure where to put it, but if you think this is a dracut or kernel bug feel free to re-assign it. I don't think this is a bluetooth issue, as the keyboard is recognized after log-in no problem. It's just an ordering issue.

This is particularly painful for me as RSI-approved setup is laptop in desk holder + bluetooth keyboard on keyboard tray. Standard operating procedure on boot is to unpack laptop, type in decrypt, pack laptop, hook in bluetooth keyboard. It works but is annoying.

Comment 3 Benjamin Kosnik 2013-01-03 19:47:27 UTC
Still an issue F18, adjusted subject

Comment 4 Benjamin Kosnik 2013-01-15 20:41:18 UTC
Cannot do CSB + bluetooth keyboard without this.

Comment 5 Lennart Poettering 2013-01-15 21:57:01 UTC
Making this work is not going to be easy.

bluez would have to become an early-boot service, i.e. cannot depend on /var being around.

AFAIK bluez stores its bondings in /var however, and right-fully so. Not sure how we could fix that.

Also, whenever we make a new kbd bonding we'd have to rebuild the initrd, so that the initrd knows about that. That doesn't sounds like fun either...

This all makes me shiver a bit.

Comment 6 Benjamin Kosnik 2013-01-15 23:27:00 UTC
Thanks for your commentary Lennart. 

This is a pet peeve of mine, as I find bluetooth keyboards much easier to fit into purpose-built ergonomic setups. (My current setup is a humanscale laptop stand that hides the keyboard, which I then use with a bluetooth keyboard.) 

Ie, something like:
http://www.humanscale.com/products/product_detail.cfm?group=L6

See how it hides the laptop's keyboard?

Since there's been some recent discussion of keyboard issues on fedora-devel, I thought I'd try to mark this up.

Allowing wireless keyboards the same capabilities as wired keyboards is admittedly a re-think on keyboard support, and is unquestionably an enhancement. 

Does this imply support for bluetooth mice at bootup as well? Or just at login screen?

Comment 8 Fedora End Of Life 2013-12-21 09:04:06 UTC
This message is a reminder that Fedora 18 is nearing its end of life.
Approximately 4 (four) weeks from now Fedora will stop maintaining
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bug reports from releases that are no longer maintained. At that time
this bug will be closed as WONTFIX if it remains open with a Fedora 
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Comment 9 Fedora End Of Life 2014-02-05 12:29:31 UTC
Fedora 18 changed to end-of-life (EOL) status on 2014-01-14. Fedora 18 is
no longer maintained, which means that it will not receive any further
security or bug fix updates. As a result we are closing this bug.

If you can reproduce this bug against a currently maintained version of
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Thank you for reporting this bug and we are sorry it could not be fixed.

Comment 10 bkoz@redhat.com 2014-02-05 15:34:15 UTC
This happens with F18, F19, F20. Probably more, but I haven't checked those.

Comment 11 Steven Pehrson 2015-04-01 15:41:34 UTC
This was working initially for me on F21, I was able to type in my encryption password using my Bluetooth keyboard.  After updating on 3/21/15 I am no longer able to use my Bluetooth keyboard.  I now have to have use a separate USB keyboard to enter my encryption password

Comment 12 Andrey 2020-02-15 21:39:02 UTC
(In reply to Lennart Poettering from comment #5)
> Also, whenever we make a new kbd bonding we'd have to rebuild the initrd, so
> that the initrd knows about that. That doesn't sounds like fun either...

Could we just pass the binding key in kernel cmdline to not rebuild the initrd?


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