I recently purchased and started using a KVM. Most things work as I expect them, but when I switch back to my main [ubuntu 10.04] desktop, numlock gets turned off.
I suspect that it looks to the computer like the keyboard is just plugged in. However, the FunctionLock key doesn't get switched. (The keyboard is a split keyboard with a FunctionLock feature that allows the F1 to F12 keys for other purposes). How can I tell Ubuntu to keep my numlock status? Or, tell it to always switch to numlock is on whenever a new keyboard is plugged in (which is what I suspect the computer thinks is happening when I switch the KVM to it)?
At William's suggestion (see below), I installed gconf-editor and looked at the keyboard settings. On the computer that has the behavior I want (numlock on by default), there is a numlock_on setting under
/desktop/gnome/peripherals/keyboard/host-desktop1/0/numlock_on (Perhaps important to note, the numlock_on is the only key in the folder, and it doesn't have any of the key documentation set. However, on the other computer (where it is not working), that setting is absent.
According to How do I use the gconf editor?, gconf is used for storing application settings, and not particularly intended for settings stuff.
So, twofold remaining question:
- Is that the setting I need? (I suspect the answer is yes, and I'd be happy to test that theory)
- How do I set it?