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Installing and Configuring the Logitech G15 for Ubuntu Lucid

Information related to getting the Logitech G15 to function in Ubuntu/Kubuntu tends to be disjointed and outdated (Scattered through the Ubuntu forums, the G15tools.com forums, and the documentation in the g15* packages). The intention of this document is to create an up to date guide and consolidate all the information into a single resource. These are the steps that worked for me.

Install Packages

To make the G15 work on Lucid, as of 18/07/2010, g15daemon needs to be patched which will require some dependencies to be met (check here to see if this is still necessary: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/g15daemon/+bug/538259). Run this to install everything you need for the G15, with the exception of g15daemon:

sudo aptitude install g15macro  g15composer libg15-1 libg15daemon-client1 libg15render1 g15stats 

If you still need to patch g15daemon, run this:

sudo aptitude install dpkg-dev cdbs debhelper autotools-dev automake1.9 libtool chrpath libg15-dev libg15render-dev libusb-dev libfreetype6-dev

Patch and install g15daemon

Now we will patch and install g15daemon:

apt-get source g15daemon
cd g15daemon-*
wget http://launchpadlibrarian.net/46395768/make-g-keys-work-again.patch
patch -p1 < make-g-keys-work-again.patch
dpkg-buildpackage
cd ..
dpkg -i *.deb
g15daemon
g15daemon -v

The last command should output something like this:

G15Daemon version 1.9.5.3 - Loaded & Running
compiled with libg15 version 1.201

Configure the Keyboard

Go to System-->Preferences-->Keyboard-->Layouts and select Keyboard model. Type g15 and it should find "Logitech G15 extra keys via G15daemon". Select it, and click Close

Make G15 Stats and G15 Macro run on start

Go to System-->Preferences-->Startup Applications and add g15macro and g15stats

Activate Changes

Now restart the computer (or X), and your G15 keyboard should now be (mostly) operational. See Outstanding Issues.

Outstanding Issues

• g15macro has a bug which may cause the macro settings to be lost on reboot. (See https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/g15macro/+bug/572679)

Installing and Configuring the Logitech G15 for Kubuntu 8.10 and KDE 4

Install Packages

In a terminal:

sudo apt-get install g15daemon g15macro  g15composer libg15-1 libg15daemon-client1 libg15render1

Check g15daemon

In a terminal:

sudo g15daemon -v

Should result in:

G15Daemon version 1.9.5.3 - Loaded & Running
compiled with libg15 version 1.201

Configure the Keyboard

Go to System Settings -> Regional & Language -> Keyboard Layout.
Select the radio button "Enable keyboard layouts"
Set Keyboard model to: Logitech G15 extra keys via G15daemon".
Click Apply.

Set g15macro to Run

Go to System Settings and click the Advanced tab.
Select Autostart.
Click "Add Program..."
In the text field, enter:

/usr/bin/g15macro

Click OK.
Click the Permissions tab.
Set Group to "Can Read"
Set Others to "Can Read"
Check the box for "Is executable"
Click OK.

Modify xorg.conf

Add or modify the keyboard entry in xorg.conf:

Section "InputDevice"
        Identifier      "Generic Keyboard"
        Driver          "kbd"
        Option          "CoreKeyboard"
        Option          "XkbRules"      "xorg"
        Option          "XkbModel"      "logitech_g15"
        Option          "XkbLayout"     "us"
EndSection

Activate Changes

Log out to the login screen. Press Alt-E to restart X. Login, and your G15 keyboard should be (mostly) operational. See Outstanding Issues.

Outstanding Issues

• g15macro permissions permutations untested.
• g15macro has lost the macro settings I assigned on reboot. Need to discover how to save these settings.

References

G15Tools website
Ubuntu Forums
Kubuntu Forums