C.3.3.2. The InputDevice section

Each InputDevice section configures one input device for the X server. Previously, systems typically had at least one InputDevice section for the keyboard, and most mouse settings were automatically detected.
With Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, no InputDevice configuration is needed for most setups, and the xorg-x11-drv-* input driver packages provide the automatic configuration through HAL. The default driver for both keyboards and mice is evdev.
The following example shows a typical InputDevice section for a keyboard: 
Section "InputDevice"
  Identifier "Keyboard0"
  Driver "kbd"
  Option "XkbModel" "pc105"
  Option "XkbLayout" "us"
EndSection
The following entries are commonly used in the InputDevice section:
  • Identifier — Specifies a unique name for this InputDevice section. This is a required entry.
  • Driver — Specifies the name of the device driver X must load for the device. If the AutoAddDevices option is enabled (which is the default setting), any input device section with Driver "mouse" or Driver "kbd" will be ignored. This is necessary due to conflicts between the legacy mouse and keyboard drivers and the new evdev generic driver. Instead, the server will use the information from the back end for any input devices. Any custom input device configuration in the xorg.conf should be moved to the back end. In most cases, the back end will be HAL and the configuration location will be the /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d directory.
  • Option — Specifies necessary options pertaining to the device.
    A mouse may also be specified to override any auto-detected values for the device. The following options are typically included when adding a mouse in the xorg.conf file:
    • Protocol — Specifies the protocol used by the mouse, such as IMPS/2.
    • Device — Specifies the location of the physical device.
    • Emulate3Buttons — Specifies whether to allow a two-button mouse to act like a three-button mouse when both mouse buttons are pressed simultaneously.
    Consult the xorg.conf(5) man page for a complete list of valid options for this section.