Change Keyboard Layout permanently

kiokoman

did you try this perhaps?
https://www.freebsd.org/doc/handbook/using-localization.html

specifically this for the file /etc/csh.login

22.2.1.2. Shell Startup File Method

However, the name of the configuration file and the syntax used differs for the csh shell. These are the equivalent settings for ~/.csh.login, /etc/csh.login, or /usr/share/skel/dot.login:

setenv LANG de_DE.ISO8859-1
setenv MM_CHARSET ISO-8859-1

junicast

I will give it a shot, thank you.

junicast

@kiokoman
Sadly nothing I tried worked. I can change the keyboard map after login manuallyl by running kbdmap or kbdcontrol but I can't find a way to make this permanent (reboot/upgrade).
This is a bug I found but I can't find any help in there, too:
https://redmine.pfsense.org/issues/807

kiokoman

how do you connect to pfsense?
i have
setenv LANG it_IT.ISO8859-1
setenv MM_CHARSET ISO-8859-1
on my machine inside csh.login and it's working for me, but i connect via ssh with putty

junicast

@kiokoman
It's not about ssh connections. They work fine out of the box for me.
My concern is console logins for people who need access to the machine via keyboard/video/mouse in cases of emergency for example.

stephenw10

It you can set it manually you can just have that command run at boot everytime:
https://docs.netgate.com/pfsense/en/latest/development/executing-commands-at-boot-time.html

Steve

junicast

I tried the shellcmd option but keyboard layout still is qwerty.
This is how I changed the configuration:

<pfsense>
        <shellcmd>/usr/sbin/kbdcontrol -l /usr/share/syscons/keymaps/german.iso.kbd</shellcmd>
        <version>19.1</version>
        <lastchange></lastchange>
        <system>
        ...
</pfsense>

stephenw10

Hmm, when you set that manually and it works do you have to do from the console on question?

If you ssh in as admin and run it the physical console remains unchanged?

Steve

junicast

@stephenw10 said in Change Keyboard Layout permanently:

Hmm, when you set that manually and it works do you have to do from the console on question?

yes, I have to enter the kbdcontrol command after successful login in order to change the keyboard layout to German.

If you ssh in as admin and run it the physical console remains unchanged?

Steve

I don't understand. Why should I do that?

stephenw10

To test whether that has to be at the console directly to change it, which I think it does.
In which case it needs somehow redirecting to run it as a shellcmd.

Steve

junicast

@stephenw10
I just tested it.
When I invoke kbdcontrol in an ssh session the keyboard layout on the physical console does NOT change accordingly.

stephenw10

Ok that's what I thought. Deeper dive into FreeBSD needed....

junicast

I filed a feature request since I think there should be an easy option for everyone in the GUI to change the console's keyboard layout permanently.
https://redmine.pfsense.org/issues/9942