[libvirt-users] virsh console and other language keymaps

[Michael Taboada]

Hi,
I've got a small vm server running kvm + libvirt, and I made a simple shell script that allows users to ssh in and control their vms (power off, etc). However, one of my users uses the french canadian keyboard layout on her home computer, and upon being told "escape character is ^]" expected to need to press ctrl+right-alt_] (] being in the same location it is on a US keyboard). This is because on a french canadian layout, the right bracket key is in the same spot at on US layout, but needs to press right alt with it or it is the c-cedilla key. However, upon pressing ctrl+right-alt+c-cedilla, nothing happens (even this is ctrl+right bracket on a canadian keyboard). Instead, pressing ctrl+c-cedilla on her canadian french keyboard exits the console as if it were using a US layout. My question: how to make it so pressing ctrl+(canadian ]) works? Is this something that has to be done on the vm side, or on the host side, or maybe on the client ssh side?
I'd prefer it be something thast can be different based on who is using the virsh console command since me, as the admin, may need to help with the console at some points, and my keyboard is US, so I have no c-cedilla or canadian right bracket key, but she does.
Thanks,
-Michael.

[Daniel P. Berrangé]

Post by Michael Taboada
Hi,
I've got a small vm server running kvm + libvirt, and I made a simple
shell script that allows users to ssh in and control their vms (power
off, etc). However, one of my users uses the french canadian keyboard
layout on her home computer, and upon being told "escape character is
^]" expected to need to press ctrl+right-alt_] (] being in the same
location it is on a US keyboard). This is because on a french canadian
layout, the right bracket key is in the same spot at on US layout, but
needs to press right alt with it or it is the c-cedilla key. However,
upon pressing ctrl+right-alt+c-cedilla, nothing happens (even this is
ctrl+right bracket on a canadian keyboard). Instead, pressing
ctrl+c-cedilla on her canadian french keyboard exits the console as
if it were using a US layout. My question: how to make it so pressing
ctrl+(canadian ]) works? Is this something that has to be done on the
vm side, or on the host side, or maybe on the client ssh side?

The guest OS is not involved. This is interpreted by virsh running
on the host. The "^]" key is an ascii control character (0x1d).

Libvirt doesn't control how this control character is entered. It
just reads bytes from the console until it sees the value 0x1d.

IIUC how ^] is entered is upto the the terminal program you're
using, possibly with influence from TTY settnigs.

Post by Michael Taboada
I'd prefer it be something thast can be different based on
who is using the virsh console command since me, as the
admin, may need to help with the console at some points,
and my keyboard is US, so I have no c-cedilla or canadian
right bracket key, but she does.

You can use '--escape STRING' to customize which control key
sequence triggers exit

Regards,
Daniel

[Peter Krempa]

Post by Michael Taboada
Hi,
I've got a small vm server running kvm + libvirt, and I made a simple shell script that allows users to ssh in and control their vms (power off, etc). However, one of my users uses the french canadian keyboard layout on her home computer, and upon being told "escape character is ^]" expected to need to press ctrl+right-alt_] (] being in the same location it is on a US keyboard). This is because on a french canadian layout, the right bracket key is in the same spot at on US layout, but needs to press right alt with it or it is the c-cedilla key. However, upon pressing ctrl+right-alt+c-cedilla, nothing happens (even this is ctrl+right bracket on a canadian keyboard). Instead, pressing ctrl+c-cedilla on her canadian french keyboard exits the console as if it were using a US layout. My question: how to make it so pressing ctrl+(canadian ]) works? Is this something that has to be done on the vm side, or on the host side, or maybe on the client ssh side?
I'd prefer it be something thast can be different based on who is using the virsh console command since me, as the admin, may need to help with the console at some points, and my keyboard is US, so I have no c-cedilla or canadian right bracket key, but she does.

'virsh -e' allows you to specify your own escape key if that helps