RGB Issues on Linux Fedora with a German Keyboard

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1

Hi community

I’ve been facing a persistent issue with OpenRGB on my Linux Fedora system, particularly with my German keyboard. Despite trying both the RTM and Flatpak versions, neither seems to work effectively. Currently, I’m using the RTM version, but I keep encountering the following message:

"One or more I2C/SMBus interfaces failed to initialize.

RGB DRAM modules and some motherboards’ onboard RGB lighting will not be available without I2C/SMBus.

On Linux, this is usually because the i2c-dev module is not loaded. You must load the i2c-dev module along with the correct i2c driver for your motherboard. This is usually i2c-piix4 for AMD systems and i2c-i801 for Intel systems.

To resolve the issue with I2C/SMBus interfaces not initializing in OpenRGB, you need to ensure that the appropriate kernel modules (i2c-dev and the specific driver for your motherboard) are loaded."

I’m using a notebook with an Intel CPU and have attempted to install the necessary modules. Unfortunately, this led to a terminal loop when checking why the installed modules didn’t work. Regrettably, I didn’t document this with a screenshot, and much time has passed since my last attempt to resolve the issue using both the RTM and Flatpak versions of OpenRGB. Neither installing the SMBus modules nor the udev rules for the Flatpak version provided a solution.

After several months, I’m ready to tackle this problem again and would greatly appreciate the assistance of the Fedora community.

Thank you in advance for your support!

2

I’m not sure about troubleshooting OpenRGB, but does your keyboard happen to be CORSAIR? I used ckb-next for RGB no problem on Fedora.

3

I cannot tell because it is a built-in keyboard. Is there a way to find out which keyboard my notebook has?

I will keep your alternative in mind if my keyboard is from the same manufacturer.

4

My CPU is from Intel, so I was advised to use the following commands:

sudo modprobe i2c-dev
sudo modprobe i2c-i801

I then checked if the modules were installed by running the command:

lsmod | grep i2c

The terminal output was:

i2c_algo_bit           20480  2 xe,i915
i2c_hid_acpi           12288  0
i2c_hid                45056  1 i2c_hid_acpi
i2c_i801               36864  2
i2c_smbus              20480  1 i2c_i801
i2c_dev                28672  60

However, I still get the same error I mentioned in my first post. So, I asked Copilot AI to explain what the command actually did and received the following answer:

The modprobe command is used to load kernel modules into the Linux kernel. In your case, the i2c-dev and i2c-i801 modules are necessary for enabling I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit) communication, which is required by OpenRGB to control RGB lighting on your devices.

Explanation of the Commands

  1. sudo modprobe i2c-dev:

    • This command loads the i2c-dev module, which provides a generic I2C device interface. It allows user-space programs to interact with I2C devices.

  2. sudo modprobe i2c-i801:

    • This command loads the i2c-i801 module, which is a specific driver for Intel I2C controllers. It enables communication with I2C devices on Intel-based systems.

Why These Modules are Needed

  • I2C Communication: OpenRGB relies on I2C communication to control RGB lighting on certain devices, such as RAM modules and motherboards. Without these modules, OpenRGB cannot access the I2C bus and therefore cannot control the lighting.
  • Device Compatibility: The i2c-dev module provides a standard interface for I2C devices, while the i2c-i801 module ensures compatibility with Intel-based systems.

By loading these modules, you ensure that your system can communicate with the I2C devices required by OpenRGB, allowing it to function correctly.

Do you have any ideas how to proceed from here?

5

I tried to identify the issue by using the dmesg command.

Despite having administrative privileges, I’m still unable to access the i2c module, suggesting the issue might be due to kernel security restrictions. What kernel configurations or security features could be preventing root access to the i2c module?

Command Output
dmesg | grep i2c dmesg: read kernel buffer failed: Operation not permitted