1

I have two notebooks with the above mentioned problem, one is a Sony Vaio VPCS11B7E, the other a Lenovo T520. On both systems I have the possibility to run Kubuntu 18.04 or 20.04 by switching with grub bootmanager. The hardware I need to use with NAVIT car navigation system is a USB GPS mouse with U-BLOX chip.

The GPS mouse is detected in all cases: with lsusb I get

martin@VAIOMB:~$ lsusb Bus 002 Device 006: ID 1546:01a8 U-Blox AG [u-blox 8]

There is no problem to use the gps mouse with Kubuntu 18.04, it is running with cgps, xgps and can be used in NAVIT. The problems start with Kubuntu 20.04 where I still get the above mentioned answer from lsusb. But what is working in Kubuntu 18.04

  • when I connect the gps mouse to the notebook it is recognized and gpsd is started in the background - is not working in Kubuntu 20.04.

What I found is that with both versions of Kubuntu the gps mouse is working: when I start

martin@VAIOMB:~$ **gpsmon /dev/ttyACM0**

the mouse is responding like this:

VAIOMB:/dev/ttyACM0 9600 8N1  NMEA0183>
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│Time: 2021-05-22T12:03:30.000Z Lat:  52 14.481810' N  Lon:   8 48.437560' E   │
└───────────────────────────────── Cooked TPV ─────────────────────────────────┘
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ GNRMC GNVTG GNGGA GNGSA GPGSV GLGSV GNGLL                                    │
└───────────────────────────────── Sentences ──────────────────────────────────┘
┌──────────────────┐┌────────────────────────────┐┌────────────────────────────┐
│PRN  Az El S/N    ││Time:      120330.00        ││Time:      120330.00        │
│  5  45 21   0    ││Latitude:    5214.48181 N   ││Latitude:  5214.48181       │
│  9 319  0   0    ││Longitude:  00848.43756 E   ││Longitude: 00848.43756      │
│ 16 298 51  38    ││Speed:     0.125            ││Altitude:  116.5            │
│ 18 134 72   0    ││Course:                     ││Quality:   1   Sats: 08     │
│ 20  69 32   0    ││Status:    A       FAA: A   ││HDOP:      1.39             │
│ 23 145 16   0    ││MagVar:                     ││Geoid:     46.1             │
│ 25 137  3   0    │└─────────── RMC ────────────┘└─────────── GGA ────────────┘
│ 26 254 72  37    │┌────────────────────────────┐┌────────────────────────────┐
│ 27 269 19  35    ││Mode: A3 Sats: 16 26 27 31  ││UTC:           RMS:         │
│ 29  79 36  18    ││DOP: H=1.39  V=1.41  P=1.98 ││MAJ:           MIN:         │
│ 31 211 21  23    ││TOFF:  0.034503324          ││ORI:           LAT:         │
│ 69  12 15  11    ││PPS: N/A                    ││LON:           ALT:         │
└────── GSV ───────┘└──────── GSA + PPS ─────────┘└─────────── GST ────────────┘
(50) $GNGSA,A,3,76,77,87,69,,,,,,,,,1.98,1.39,1.41*12
(64) $GPGSV,3,1,11,05,21,045,,09,00,319,,16,51,298,38,18,72,134,*7F
(64) $GPGSV,3,2,11,20,32,069,,23,16,145,,25,03,137,,26,72,254,37*75
(57) $GPGSV,3,3,11,27,19,269,35,29,36,079,17,31,21,211,22*4A
(66) $GLGSV,3,1,09,69,15,012,10,70,16,071,,75,10,168,,76,58,201,19*6A
(64) $GLGSV,3,2,09,77,50,309,21,78,03,334,,85,30,050,,86,78,004,*67
(31) $GLGSV,3,3,09,87,27,243,41*56
(52) $GNGLL,5214.48180,N,00848.43731,E,120329.00,A,A*7D
(68) $GNRMC,120330.00,A,5214.48181,N,00848.43756,E,0.125,,220521,,,A*6C
(35) $GNVTG,,T,,M,0.125,N,0.231,K,A*3B
(75) $GNGGA,120330.00,5214.48181,N,00848.43756,E,1,08,1.39,116.5,M,46.1,M,,*43
(50) $GNGSA,A,3,26,16,31,27,,,,,,,,,1.98,1.39,1.41*17
(50) $GNGSA,A,3,76,77,87,69,,,,,,,,,1.98,1.39,1.41*12
(64) $GPGSV,3,1,11,05,21,045,,09,00,319,,16,51,298,38,18,72,134,*7F
(64) $GPGSV,3,2,11,20,32,069,,23,16,145,,25,03,137,,26,72,254,37*75
(57) $GPGSV,3,3,11,27,19,269,35,29,36,079,18,31,21,211,23*44
(66) $GLGSV,3,1,09,69,15,012,11,70,16,071,,75,10,168,,76,58,201,19*6B
(64) $GLGSV,3,2,09,77,50,309,21,78,03,334,,85,30,050,,86,78,004,*67
(31) $GLGSV,3,3,09,87,27,243,41*56
(52) $GNGLL,5214.48181,N,00848.43756,E,120330.00,A,A*75

When I check syslog with

  • unconnected gps mouse
  • start "tail -f /var/log/syslog"
  • then connect the gps mouse I find differing situations:

with Kubuntu 18.04 I get

May 22 11:12:24 VAIOMB kernel: [  459.645801] usb 2-1.1: new full-speed USB device number 4 using ehci-pci
May 22 11:12:24 VAIOMB kernel: [  459.755304] usb 2-1.1: New USB device found, idVendor=1546, idProduct=01a8, bcdDevice= 3.01
May 22 11:12:24 VAIOMB kernel: [  459.755310] usb 2-1.1: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=0
May 22 11:12:24 VAIOMB kernel: [  459.755314] usb 2-1.1: Product: u-blox GNSS receiver
May 22 11:12:24 VAIOMB kernel: [  459.755318] usb 2-1.1: Manufacturer: u-blox AG - www.u-blox.com
May 22 11:12:24 VAIOMB kernel: [  459.755862] cdc_acm 2-1.1:1.0: ttyACM0: USB ACM device
May 22 11:12:24 VAIOMB mtp-probe: checking bus 2, device 4: "/sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.0/usb2/2-1/2-1.1"
May 22 11:12:24 VAIOMB mtp-probe: bus: 2, device: 4 was not an MTP device
May 22 11:12:24 VAIOMB upowerd[858]: unhandled action 'bind' on /sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.0/usb2/2-1/2-1.1/2-1.1:1.1
May 22 11:12:25 VAIOMB upowerd[858]: unhandled action 'bind' on /sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.0/usb2/2-1/2-1.1/2-1.1:1.0
May 22 11:12:25 VAIOMB upowerd[858]: unhandled action 'bind' on /sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.0/usb2/2-1/2-1.1
May 22 11:12:25 VAIOMB systemd[1]: Starting Manage ttyACM0 for GPS daemon...
May 22 11:12:25 VAIOMB gpsdctl: gpsd_control(action=add, arg=/dev/ttyACM0)
May 22 11:12:25 VAIOMB gpsdctl: reached a running gpsd
May 22 11:12:25 VAIOMB systemd[1]: Started Manage ttyACM0 for GPS daemon.
May 22 11:12:35 VAIOMB ModemManager[674]: <info>  [device /sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.0/usb2/2-1/2-1.1] creating modem with plugin 'u-blox' and '1' ports
May 22 11:12:35 VAIOMB ModemManager[674]: <warn>  Could not grab port (tty/ttyACM0): 'Cannot add port 'tty/ttyACM0', unhandled serial type'                 
May 22 11:12:35 VAIOMB ModemManager[674]: <warn>  Couldn't create modem for device '/sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.0/usb2/2-1/2-1.1': Failed to find primary AT port

Remember: the gps mouse is usable in this situation !!!

With Kubuntu 20.04 I get

May 22 11:22:58 VAIOMB kernel: [  295.096705] usb 2-1.1: new full-speed USB device number 4 using ehci-pci
May 22 11:22:58 VAIOMB kernel: [  295.206226] usb 2-1.1: New USB device found, idVendor=1546, idProduct=01a8, bcdDevice= 3.01
May 22 11:22:58 VAIOMB kernel: [  295.206232] usb 2-1.1: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=0
May 22 11:22:58 VAIOMB kernel: [  295.206235] usb 2-1.1: Product: u-blox GNSS receiver
May 22 11:22:58 VAIOMB kernel: [  295.206239] usb 2-1.1: Manufacturer: u-blox AG - www.u-blox.com
May 22 11:22:58 VAIOMB kernel: [  295.207152] cdc_acm 2-1.1:1.0: ttyACM0: USB ACM device
May 22 11:22:58 VAIOMB mtp-probe: checking bus 2, device 4: "/sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.0/usb2/2-1/2-1.1"
May 22 11:22:58 VAIOMB mtp-probe: bus: 2, device: 4 was not an MTP device
May 22 11:22:58 VAIOMB systemd[1]: Starting Manage ttyACM0 for GPS daemon...
May 22 11:22:58 VAIOMB systemd[1]: Finished Manage ttyACM0 for GPS daemon.
May 22 11:22:58 VAIOMB mtp-probe: checking bus 2, device 4: "/sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.0/usb2/2-1/2-1.1"
May 22 11:22:58 VAIOMB mtp-probe: bus: 2, device: 4 was not an MTP device
May 22 11:23:01 VAIOMB ModemManager[711]: <info>  Couldn't check support for device '/sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.0/usb2/2-1/2-1.1': not supported by any plugin

Remember: the gps mouse here is not usable.

The important difference is one line under Kubuntu 18.04 reporting => creating modem with plugin 'u-blox' and '1' ports <= and the corresponding line under Kubuntu 20.04 is reporting => Couldn't check support for device '/sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.0/usb2/2-1/2-1.1': not supported by any plugin <=

This under Kubuntu 18.04 leads to the normal situation that gpsd is started in the background and can gather input from the gps mouse and deliver it to NAVIT. Under 20.04 gpsd is NOT started when the gps mouse is connected but started with NAVIT but without connection to the gps mouse and can NOT work.

So the question is: what is the difference for the modemmanager between 18.04 and 20.04? Where and how can I get and install the modem plugin for u-blox 8 devices, that in 18.04 is existing although I didn't install it?

One thing in addition: to me it looks like this is NOT a Kubuntu but a Ubuntu problem because automated udev recognition and things like modem plugins do not come from Kubuntu.

Can someone please help with this?

Thanks in advance!

2
  • I own U-blox 7 (USB VID:PID - 1546:01a7). It works on 20.04 LTS and even on 21.04. I do not understand why do you call it "mouse". It is USB GPS/GLONASS GNSS receiver, or maybe in short USB-dongle. Maybe your forgot to add your user to the dialout group? If so - run sudo usermod -a -G dialout $USER and reboot.
    – N0rbert
    May 22, 2021 at 20:05
  • 1
    Hello Norbert, as far as I know this kind of devices are often called gps-mouse or (german) gps-maus. Have a try at an internet search maschine. My user is in the group "dialout" - I know about the access rights problem. The problem I describe is for a U-BLOX 8 device - have a look at the output of lsusb I posted. Obviously U-BLOX 7 devices do have a modem plugin under 20.04. Would be nice if you could "tail -f /var/log/syslog" with your device under 20.04. I'm very interested in the output and quite sure it is very similar to what I posted as result under 18.04 - have a look above. Thanks
    – MartinB
    May 23, 2021 at 21:07

1 Answer 1

0

After some digging in the source code of ModemManager package I see the following.

There is a new file named 77-mm-ublox-port-types.rules with udev rules for U-blox.
On modern 21.04 system it contains newer lines for 1546 and 01a:

ATTRS{idVendor}=="1546", ATTRS{idProduct}=="01a8", ENV{ID_MM_DEVICE_IGNORE}="1"
ATTRS{idVendor}=="1546", ATTRS{idProduct}=="01a9", ENV{ID_MM_DEVICE_IGNORE}="1"

Please note the line with 01a8 above.

You have to locally edit this file on your 20.04 LTS system at /lib/udev/rules.d/77-mm-usb-device-blacklist.rules to add

ATTRS{idVendor}=="1546", ATTRS{idProduct}=="01a8", ENV{ID_MM_DEVICE_IGNORE}="1"

line for U-Blox 8 to it. Then run sudo service udev restart or reboot.

7
  • Again hello Norbert, this looks like it may point to the right solution. I checked my 20.04 installation on the Sony Vaio and found that /lib/udev/rules.d/77-mm-ublox-port-types.rules doesn't have a single line for any ...ATTRS{idProduct}=="01aX" I will doublecheck this under 18.04 and soon be back here with the results.
    – MartinB
    May 23, 2021 at 21:30
  • Oh, I have a typo. On 20.04 LTS the blacklist file is at /lib/udev/rules.d/77-mm-usb-device-blacklist.rules .
    – N0rbert
    May 24, 2021 at 7:01
  • Hello Norbert, I have some problem with your advice. On my systems under Kubuntu 18.04 and 20.04 I checked the file /lib/udev/rules.d/77-mm-ublox-port-types.rules 1.) I do not find any line with ...ATTRS{idProduct}=="01ax"... in both files 2.) I do not find any line with ...ENV{ID_MM_DEVICE_IGNORE}... in both files Anyway my gps device works under 18.04, but not under 20.04
    – MartinB
    Jun 1, 2021 at 15:49
  • First I can say that /lib/udev/rules.d/77-mm-usb-device-blacklist.rules exist under 18.04 AND 20.04 with the only difference for each line is like that: under 18.04 for U-Blox I find e.g. ATTRS{idVendor}=="1546", ATTRS{idProduct}=="01a7", ENV{ID_MM_DEVICE_IGNORE}="1" under 20.04 for U-Blox I find e.g. ATTRS{idVendor}=="1546", ATTRS{idProduct}=="01a7", ENV{ID_MM_TTY_BLACKLIST}="1" This file under 18.04 AND 20.04 doesn't show any "01a8" To me this again means that this file cannot be the difference between 18.04 and 20.04 that makes my device work under 18.04 but not under 20.04!
    – MartinB
    Jun 1, 2021 at 15:52
  • Anyway I added the line ATTRS{idVendor}=="1546", ATTRS{idProduct}=="01a7", ENV{ID_MM_TTY_BLACKLIST}="1" to the U-Blox part of the file /lib/udev/rules.d/77-mm-usb-device-blacklist.rules under 20.04, rebooted the notebook and still my GPS device doesn't work and a "tail -F /var/log/syslog" doesn't show differences to what it showed before when I plug in the GPS device. Sorry, but this doesn't help.
    – MartinB
    Jun 1, 2021 at 15:54

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