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To make an AZERTY keyboard type correctly on Linux From Scratch (LFS), configure the layout for the place you are typing: the Linux virtual console and an X11 desktop use separate settings. For a systemd-based LFS build, the persistent console setting is /etc/vconsole.conf; the LFS 12.4 SysV instructions use /etc/sysconfig/console. The exact French or other AZERTY map name depends on which maps are installed, so verify it on your system rather than assuming one identifier works everywhere.
First identify where the layout is wrong
Use the console instructions if characters are wrong on a Linux text virtual terminal. If the problem appears only in a graphical X11 session, configure X11 separately. A console keymap setting does not set the X11 layout. The SysV console file also does not configure SSH or a serial console.
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Next, identify whether your LFS installation uses systemd or SysV init. The instructions below apply to different LFS book editions: the current 13.0-systemd console documentation and the 12.4 SysV documentation. Do not combine their file paths or startup mechanisms.
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Find an installed AZERTY keymap
After booting the LFS system, list the console maps available on that build:
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localectl list-keymapsChoose the French, Belgian, or other AZERTY variant that matches your physical keyboard from the entries actually listed. The LFS 13.0-systemd console instructions do not identify one universal French AZERTY map name; installed choices can depend on how the system was built.
Make the choice persistent
Add the verified map name to /etc/vconsole.conf, replacing the example placeholder with the exact entry you found:
KEYMAP=<verified-map-name>The systemd systemd-vconsole-setup service reads this file at startup. If KEYMAP is not set, the documented default is us.
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Apply a map at runtime
Once the LFS system has fully booted with systemd, you can change the console map immediately with:
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localectl set-keymap <verified-map-name>This command is not the way to configure the console from inside an LFS chroot: LFS specifies that it works only after booting the LFS system with systemd.
Set the virtual-console layout on LFS with SysV init
The LFS 12.4 SysV procedure uses /etc/sysconfig/console, not /etc/vconsole.conf. Set its KEYMAP value to the arguments for loadkeys, using a map available on your installation and appropriate to your AZERTY variant. Follow that edition’s console instructions for the file format and startup handling.
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This setting concerns the virtual console. It does not configure an X11 session, SSH, or a serial console.
Configure X11 separately
For an X11 graphical session, LFS documents this command form:
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localectl set-x11-keymap LAYOUT [MODEL] [VARIANT] [OPTIONS]Replace the uppercase terms with supported values from the XKB data installed on your system. The LFS-documented X11 layout and parameter configuration requires the BLFS XKeyboard-Config package. Because French, Belgian, and other AZERTY variants can differ, select the layout and variant that correspond to your keyboard rather than copying an unverified value.
This is the documented X11 path; the cited LFS instructions do not establish a corresponding universal procedure for Wayland compositors or every desktop environment.
Distinguish a keymap problem from a display problem
A keymap determines what characters or actions key presses produce. A console font determines whether those characters can be displayed. If the mapping is correct but some characters appear missing or as replacement symbols, check font glyph coverage as well as the keymap. LFS names Lat2-Terminus16.psfu.gz among the Kbd fonts with characters used in its C.UTF-8 interactive console output.
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Quick Recap
Quick reference
| Where you type | LFS init system and edition | Configuration path | Runtime or discovery method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual console | systemd, LFS 13.0-systemd | /etc/vconsole.conf with KEYMAP= |
localectl list-keymaps; after boot, localectl set-keymap MAP |
| Virtual console | SysV, LFS 12.4 SysV | /etc/sysconfig/console with KEYMAP arguments for loadkeys |
Use a map available on the installation; follow the edition’s console instructions |
| X11 graphical session | Separate from console init configuration | X11 layout configuration | localectl set-x11-keymap LAYOUT [MODEL] [VARIANT] [OPTIONS]; requires BLFS XKeyboard-Config for the documented configuration |
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