Contents
Abstract
YaST allows you to configure hardware items at installation time as well as on an already-installed system. Configure audio hardware, printers or scanner support or learn which hardware components are connected to your computer by using the YaST Hardware Information module.
![]() | Graphics card, monitor, mouse and keyboard settings |
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Graphics card, monitor, mouse and keyboard can be configured with either KDE or GNOME tools. |
Use the YaST hardware information module if you want to know more about your hardware or if you need to find out details like vendor and model of a certain piece of hardware to be able to properly configure it.
Start YaST and click
+ . Hardware probing starts immediately and it will take some time until you see the hardware information tree in a separate window.In the hardware information tree recursively click on the plus icons to expand the information about a specific device.
Click
to save the output to a file.Click
to leave the hardware information overview.After the installation you can change the configuration of your graphics system (graphics card and monitor) according to your needs. Such a change may be necessary because of accessibility issues or hardware upgrades.
![]() | Changing Monitor Frequencies |
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Although there are safety mechanisms, you should still be very careful when manually changing the allowed monitor frequencies. Incorrect values can damage your monitor. Always refer to the monitor's manual before changing frequencies. |
Change the resolution, if fonts are too small or if circles appear misshapen. Proceed as follows:
In YaST, click
+ . SaX2 checks the system resources and displays a window.Make sure the monitor is properly detected. If not, use
to select the appropriate model from the list.Select an appropriate
and , if necessary.![]() |
Test the new configuration before it is applied to the system. Click
to decide what to do with your configuration ( , , or .)To activate a second monitor, proceed as follows:
In YaST, click
+ . SaX2 checks the system resources and displays the dialog.Make sure the monitor is properly detected. If not, use
to select the appropriate model from the list.Enable
and click for further fine-tuning.Make sure the second monitor is properly detected. If not, use
to select the appropriate model from the list.Decide whether you want to use the second monitor in
or in mode and click .Test the new configuration before it is applied to the system. Click
to decide what to do with your configuration ( , , or .)![]() | Restarting the X Server |
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Any changes you make here take effect only after you restart the X server. If you want to restart the X server now, log out of the graphical system and log in again. |
Reconfigure input devices such as the keyboard or the mouse, or add more than one of these devices using the YaST Keyboard and Mouse modules.
In case you want to replace a standard 104-key keyboard with a multimedia keyboard or use a different language or country layout, proceed as follows:
In YaST, click
+ . The SaX2 configuration tool reads the system resources and displays the dialog.![]() |
Select your keyboard model from the
list.Select the country in the
list.Depending on the country layout, you can choose a certain
. The selections are applied immediately for testing.As an option you can enable
. Check one or more boxes in the list. This feature is handy if you want to switch between different languages or scripts in the running system without the need for reconfiguration.Before saving the configuration, use the
field at the bottom of the dialog to check if special characters like umlauts and accented characters can be entered and displayed correctly.Click
to leave the configuration dialog and in the following message click to apply your changes.![]() | Configuring Console Keyboard Layout |
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By clicking the Step 7 the setup of the console
keyboard layout takes place at the same time. If you want to change the
console keyboard layout, either call yast keyboard
(the text mode interface) or check the |
The mouse is usually detected automatically, but you can set up your mouse model manually if the automatic detection fails. Refer to the documentation of your mouse for a description of the model. If you want to modify your mouse configuration, proceed as follows:
In YaST, click
+ . The SaX2 configuration tool reads the system resources and displays the dialog.Click
and select your mouse model from the list displayed.Click
to leave the configuration dialog and apply your changes with .In the
part of the dialog, set various options for operating your mouse.If your mouse has only two buttons, a third button is emulated whenever you click both buttons simultaneously.
Check this box to use a scroll wheel.
Check these options if you want to change the direction in which the mouse pointer moves.
Check this box to make the button mapping suitable for left-hand usage.
If your mouse does not have a scroll wheel but you would like to use a similar functionality, you can assign an additional button for this. Select the button to use. While pressing this button, any movement of the mouse is translated into scroll wheel commands. This feature is especially useful with trackballs.
YaST detects most sound cards automatically and configures them with the appropriate values. If you want to change the default settings, or need to set up a sound card that could not be configured automatically, use the YaST sound module. There, you can also set up additional sound cards or switch their order.
To start the sound module, start YaST and click yast2 sound & as user
root
from a command line.
![]() |
The dialog shows all sound cards that are already configured.
If YaST cannot detect your sound card automatically, configure it manually as described in Procedure 8.1, “Configuring a New Sound Card”. For this, you need to know your sound card vendor and model. If in doubt, refer to your sound card documentation for the required information. During configuration, you can choose between various setup options:
You are not required to go through any of the further configuration steps—the sound card is configured automatically. You can set the volume or any options you want to change later.
Allows you to adjust the output volume and play a test sound during the configuration.
For experts only. Allows you to customize all parameters of the sound card.
![]() | Advanced Configuration |
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Only use this option if you know exactly what your are doing. Otherwise leave the parameters untouched and use the normal or the automatic setup options. |
Procedure 8.1. Configuring a New Sound Card¶
In the YaST
dialog, click .Select your sound card vendor and model and click
.
For a reference list of sound cards supported by ALSA with their
corresponding sound modules, see
/usr/share/doc/packages/alsa/cards.txt
or
http://www.alsa-project.org/alsa-doc/.
Choose one of the setup options and click
.If you have chosen
, you can now your sound configuration and make adjustments to the volume. You should start at about ten percent volume to avoid damage to your hearing or the speakers.If all options are set according to your wishes, click
.The
dialog shows the newly configured or modified sound card.To remove a sound card configuration that you no longer need, select the respective entry and click
.Click
to save the changes and leave the YaST sound module.Procedure 8.2. Modifying Sound Card Configurations
To change the configuration of an individual sound card (for experts only!), select the sound card entry in the
dialog and click .This takes you to the
where you can fine-tune a number of parameters. For more information, click .To adjust the volume of an already configured sound card or to test the sound card, select the sound card entry in the
dialog and click . Select the respective menu item.For playback of MIDI files, select
+ .
When a supported sound card is detected (like a Creative
Soundblaster Live
, Audigy
or
AWE
sound card), you can also install SoundFonts for
playback of MIDI files:
Insert the original driver CD-ROM into your CD or DVD drive.
Select /usr/share/sfbank/creative/
.
If you have configured more than one sound card in your system you can
adjust the order of your sound cards. To set a sound card as primary
device, select the sound card in the 0
is the default device and thus
used by the system and the applications.
To enable or disable the PulseAudio sound system, click
+ . If enabled, PulseAudio daemon is used to play sounds. Disable in case you want to use something else system-wide.
The volume and configuration of all sound cards are saved when you click
/etc/asound.conf
and
the ALSA configuration data is appended to the end of the files
/etc/modprobe.d/sound
and
/etc/sysconfig/hardware
.
YaST can be used to configure a local printer that is directly connected to your machine (normally with USB or parallel port) and to set up printing with network printers. It is also possible to share printers over the network and to add 3rd party “drivers” (PostScript Printer Description (PPD) files). Further information about printing (general information, technical details, and troubleshooting) is available in Chapter Printer Operation (↑Administration Guide).
In YaST, click
+ to start the printer module. By default it opens in the view, displaying a list of all printers that are available and configured. This is especially useful when having access to a lot of printers via the network. From here you can also on the selected printer and configure local printers.If an unconfigured local printer is detected, YaST starts automatically to configure it. YaST can configure the printer automatically if the parallel or USB port can be set up automatically and the connected printer can be detected. The printer model must also be listed in the database used during the automatic hardware detection.
If the printer model is unknown or cannot be automatically detected, configure it manually. There are two possible reasons why a printer is not automatically detected:
The printer does not identify itself correctly. This may apply to very old devices. Try to configure your printer as described in Section 8.5.1.1, “Configuring Manually”.
If the manual configuration does not work, communication between printer and computer is not possible. Check the cable and the plugs to make sure that the printer is properly connected. If this is the case, the problem may not be printer-related, but rather a USB or parallel port-related problem.
Configuring a printer is basically a three-step process. First specify the connection type, then choose a driver and name the printing queue for this setup.
For many printer models, several drivers are available. When configuring
the printer, YaST defaults to the one marked
recommended
as a general rule. Normally it is not
necessary to change the driver—the recommended
one should produce the best results. However, if you want a color
printer to print only in black and white, it is most convenient to use a
driver that does not support color printing, for example. If you
experience performance problems with a PostScript printer when printing
graphics, it may help to switch from a PostScript driver to a PCL driver
(provided your printer understands PCL).
If no driver for your printer is listed, you can try to select a generic driver with an appropriate standard language from the list. Refer to your printer's documentation to find out which language (the set of commands controlling the printer) your printer understands. If this does not work, refer to Section 8.5.1.2, “Adding Drivers with YaST” for another possible solution.
A printer is never used directly, but always through a print queue. This ensures that simultaneous jobs can be queued and processed one after the other. Each printer queue is assigned to a specific driver, and a printer can have multiple queues. This makes it possible to set up a second queue on a color printer that prints black and white only, for example. Refer to Section “The Workflow of the Printing System” (Chapter 10, Printer Operation, ↑Administration Guide) for more information about print queues.
Procedure 8.3. Adding a New Local Printer¶
Start the YaST printer module with
+Click
in the screen
If your printer is already listed under Determine
Connection
, proceed with the next step. Otherwise, start the
and choose the connection type
(for example USB Port for a USB printer).
Enter the vendor name and/or the model name into the input box under
Assign Driver
and click search.
Choose the driver marked as recommended that best matches your printer. If no suitable drivers is displayed
check your search term
broaden your search by clicking
add a driver as described in Section 8.5.1.2, “Adding Drivers with YaST”
Specify the Default paper size
Enter a unique name for the printer queue in the
field.The printer is now configured with the default settings and ready to use. Click
to return to the view. The newly configured printer is now visible in the printers list.If no suitable driver is available in the “printer driver”) file for your model is available. For more information about PPD files, refer to Section “Installing the Software” (Chapter 10, Printer Operation, ↑Administration Guide).
dialog when adding a new printer, no PPD (PostScript Printer Description, commonly referred to asGet PPD files directly from your printer vendor or from the driver CD of the printer. For details, see Section “No Suitable PPD File Available for a PostScript Printer” (Chapter 10, Printer Operation, ↑Administration Guide). Conversely, you can also find PPD files at http://www.linuxfoundation.org/en/OpenPrinting/, the “OpenPrinting.org printer database”. When downloading PPD files from OpenPrinting.org, keep in mind that it always shows the latest Linux support status, which is not necessarily met by SUSE Linux Enterprise Server.
Procedure 8.4. Adding a PPD file
Start the YaST printer module with
+Click
in the screen
Click Assign
Driver
section
Enter the full path to the PPD file into the input box under
Make a Printer Description File Available
or choose
the file from a dialog box by clicking on
Click Add New Printer
Configuration
screen.
In order to directly use this PPD file, proceed as described in Procedure 8.3, “Adding a New Local Printer”. Otherwise, click .
By editing an existing configuration for a local printer you can not only change basic settings as connection type and driver, but also adjust the default settings for paper size, resolution, media source, etc. You can change the identifier of the printer by altering the printer descriptions.
Procedure 8.5. Editing a Local Printer
Start the YaST printer module with
+In the
screen, choose a local printer from the list and click .Change the connection type or the driver as described in Procedure 8.3, “Adding a New Local Printer”. This should only be necessary in case you have problems with the current configuration.
Make this printer the default by checking
.
Adjust the default settings by clicking +
sign. Change the
default by clicking on an option. Apply your changes by clicking
Network printers are not detected automatically. They must be configured manually using the YaST printer module. Depending on your network setup, you can print to a print server (CUPS, LPD, SMB, or IPX) or directly to a network printer (preferably via TCP). Access the configuration view for network printing by choosing
from the left pane in the YaST printer module.In a Linux environment CUPS is usually used to print via the network. The simplest setup is to only print via a single CUPS server which can directly be accessed by all clients. Printing via more than one CUPS server requires a running local CUPS daemon that communicates with the remote CUPS servers.
Procedure 8.6. Printing via a Single CUPS server
Start the YaST printer module with
+Launch the
screen from the left pane.Check
and specify the name or IP address of the server.Click
to make sure you have chosen the correct name/IP address.Click OK to return to the
screen. All printers available via the CUPS server are now listed.Procedure 8.7. Printing via multiple CUPS servers
Start the YaST printer module with
+Launch the
screen from the left pane.Check
Specify which servers to use under General
Settings
. You may accept connections from all networks
available, from the local network, or from specific hosts. If you
choose the latter option, you need to specify the hostnames or IP
addresses, as well.
Confirm by clicking
and then when asked to start a local CUPS server. After the server has started you will return to the screen. All printers available are now listed.If your network offers print services via print servers other than CUPS, start the YaST printer module with
+ and launch the screen from the left pane. Start the and choose the appropriate type. Ask your network administrator for details on configuring a network printer in your environment.Printers managed by a local CUPS daemon can be shared over the network and so turn your machine into a CUPS server. Usually you share a printer by enabling CUPS' so-called “browsing mode”. If browsing is enabled, the local printer queues are made available on the network for listening to remote CUPS daemons. It is also possible to set up a dedicated CUPS server that manages all printing queues and can directly be accessed by remote clients. In this case it is not necessary to enable browsing.
Procedure 8.8. Sharing Printers
Start the YaST printer module with
+Launch the
screen from the left pane.Select
Check
and enable browsing mode by also checking .the network interface to be used by the CUPS server. If you want to share your printer(s) with all hosts on the network, also check .
In case you like to restrict access to your CUPS server to certain networks or IP addresses, specify these via the two input boxes.
Click OK to restart the CUPS server and return to the
screen.In case a firewall is used, make sure access via IPP to port 631 is allowed. When using SUSEFirewall2, allow the service CUPS (see Section “Configuring the Firewall with YaST” (Chapter 15, Masquerading and Firewalls, ↑Security Guide) for more information).
You can configure a USB or SCSI scanner at any time using YaST. The
sane-backends
package contains
hardware drivers and other essentials needed to use a scanner. Scanners
connected to a parallel port must be configured manually. If you own a HP
All-In-One device, see Section 8.6.1, “Configuring an HP All-In-One Device”,
instructions on how to configure a network scanner are available at
Section 8.6.3, “Scanning over the Network”.
Procedure 8.9. Configuring a USB or SCSI Scanner¶
Connect your USB or SCSI scanner to your computer and turn it on.
Start YaST and select
+ . YaST builds the scanner database and tries to detect your scanner model automatically.If your scanner is detected correctly, you can test it by choosing
+ .If a USB/SCSI scanner is not properly detected, try Procedure 8.10, “Configuring a Parallel Port Scanner”.
+ first. If that does not help, or if your scanner is connected to a parallel port, configure it manually as described inLeave the configuration screen with
.Procedure 8.10. Configuring a Parallel Port Scanner¶
Connect your scanner to your computer and turn it on.
Start YaST and select
+ . YaST loads the scanner database.Click
and choose a scanner from the list.Use
+ to make sure you have chosen the correct driver.Leave the configuration screen with
.An HP All-In-One device can be configured with YaST even if it is connected to the parallel port or is made available via the network. If you own a USB HP All-In-One device, start configuring as described in Procedure 8.9, “Configuring a USB or SCSI Scanner”. If it is detected properly and the succeeds, it is ready to use.
If your USB device is not properly detected, or your HP All-In-One device is connected to the parallel port or the network, run the HP Device Manager:
Start YaST and select
+ . YaST loads the scanner database.Start the HP Device Manager with
+ and follow the on-screen instructions. After having finished the HP Device Manager, the YaST scanner module automatically restarts the auto detection.If your scanner is detected correctly, you can test it by choosing
+ .If it is not properly detected, configure it manually as described in Procedure 8.10, “Configuring a Parallel Port Scanner”.
Leave the configuration screen with
.SUSE Linux Enterprise Server allows the sharing of a scanner over the network. To do so, configure your scanner as follows:
Configure the scanner as described in Section 8.6, “Setting Up a Scanner”.
Choose
+ .Enter the hostnames of the clients (separated by a comma) that should be allowed to use the scanner under
+ and leave the configuration dialog with .To use a scanner that is shared over the network, proceed as follows:
Start YaST and select
+ .Open the network scanner configuration menu by
+ .Enter the hostname of the machine the scanner is connected to under
+Leave with
. The network scanner is now listed in the Scanner Configuration window and is ready to use.