soundbar loading-output question

[C Gray]

First, thanks esp. to Scott Bennett, Robroy Gregg, and Polytropon.
Indispensable friendliness in sharing their experiences, tips, and tricks, and suggestions.
Forgive me if I ask a bit more of you (and others) as this great opportunity of tapping your interest and aid just a bit more...

These "mix" success stories are useful news! 
It is also great to hear of 'external' sound system experience.

In such a climate, I offer up a strange appearance, through re-connection luck, of my soundbar suddenly being recognized, although to what degree I am uncertain.
I hate to wait until runtime issues ask for camouflaged resolutions, so this before-the-problem research will surely help, and if it is not an imposition.

Initially, I discovered the lack of a sound system in my server (vs. serving out or streaming sound files to a client's sound system) because a FreeBSD base or port installer option I may have clicked in one of many DOS-like install checklists, kept giving me bootloader error:s w/r/t "mixer" and a "missing", unusable, and/or undiscovered sound device. Did I mention mistakenly appearing to be properly-attached? ;-)

Yesterday, I  swapped desktop locations of my FreeBSD monitor and my Macmini5,1 running MacOSX10.7 Lion -- the last [cr]Apple OS to supply/support X11, a 'security bust'-must required by their cohorts in the PRISM-NSA association, much as they've now removed NFS, BSD, and security-rich modules/modalities which guard against intrusion except by them and their BFFs). After the swap I've noticed lines that may or may not have been there before w/r/t its "Dell Stereo USB Monitor Soundbar AC511" attached like a lamprey to the the 'landscape' bottom-side of its 90-degree-flippable, very code-reading "friendly", Dell 22 Monitor (model) P2217H. The FreeBSD system wants to use it, or is, but may be having issues, as a loose "eye" with pre-logged screen-scrolls was missed or altered by a re-seated connection.  Either way:

	ugen4.2: <Microchip Tech USB274> at usbus4 (disconnected)
	uhub5: at uhub2, port 6, addr 2 (disconnected)
	ugen4.3: <Dell AC511 USB Soundbar> at usbus4 (disconnected)
	uaudio0: at uhub5, port 3, addr 3 (disconnected)
	pcm0: detached
	uaudio0: detached
	uhub5: detached
	ugen4.2: <Microchip Tech USB2744> at usbus4
	uhub5 on uhub2
	uhub5: <Microchip Tech USB2744, class 9/0, rev 2.10/2.86, addr 2> on usbus4
	uhub5: MTT enabled
	uhub5: 4 ports with 4 removable, self powered
	random: harvesting attach, 8 bytes (4 bits) from uhub5
	ugen4.3: <Dell Dell AC511 USB Soundbar> at usbus4
	uaudio0 on uhub5
	uaudio0: <Dell Dell AC511 USB Soundbar, class 0/0, rev 1.10/1.10, addr 3> on usbus4
	uaudio0: Play: 48000Hz, 2 ch, 16-bit S-LE PCM format, 2x8ms buffer.
	uaudio0: Play: 44100Hz, 2 ch, 16-bit S-LE PCM format, 2x8ms buffer.
	uaudio0: Record: 48000Hz, 2 ch, 16-bit S-LE PCM format, 2x8ms buffer.
	uaudio0: Record: 44100Hz, 2 ch, 16-bit S-LE PCM format, 2x8ms buffer.
	uaudio0: No MIDI sequencer. 
	pcm0: <USB audio> on uaudio0
	pcm0: Mixer "vol" -> "none": child=0x00000010
	pcm0: Mixer "pcm": parent="vol"
	pcm0: Mixer "line":
	random: harvesting attach, 8 bytes (4 bits) from pcm0
	uaudio0: HID volume keys found.
	random: harvesting attach, 8 bytes (4 bits) from uaudio0

This readout came after I was already logged in as root, some time during the night when I and the screen were asleep.
Very odd, however, it has now discovered the soundbar, albeit to what extent I am quite unclear. ;-)
Whenever these brain-scratchers appear, I find it is best to go at it with documentation, advice, and a relaxed time-full approach, esp. since I cannot turn on a debugger-tracer or have a file and setting BOM for each port or even for the base.

At Analogy (a less-than-250 person EDA company bought up by Synopsis) we used to ship a release BOM that said exactly what a clean install would change (and how) in terms of settings or dynamic files, where it would add folders and files, and what those file sizes and types would be. We also gave a checker that would verify the install process so handheld tweaks could be made and installer issues reported. We did similar things at Network General and Tektronix with robust documentation and ways to change a generic install into the specific one your particular platform would need in order to run (usually most heavily changed in the I/O). So, I wonder what the process has been in terms of tools for that or attempts at that w/r/t FreeBSD. Often, "open" team software hits the wall w/r/t standards, documentation updating, process verification/improvement.... I imagine it spreads out into millions of hours of extra work by installers, much like the extra work required by so many to write the same work-arounds for bad Microsoft IE code which failed to follow standards like the rest of the browser community. Oh well, you work with what you have until you and others are determined to leap past a recurring issue with contributing yourselves. Maybe that will be on my 2019 list after I finish my GNU self-directed health analysis and simulation software. So, for now, does the above output indicate a standardized way of saying "this is all okay and will work" or is it like the famous "maybe gate" in board logic circuits? ;-)

Oh, if anyone can suggest a few books w/r/t to actual FreeBSD output by the base and port and upgrade processes, so I can decipher what "notes to the logger" which will "speak to me" as well, I am all eyes and ears, and hopefully, a learning brain....

best wishes,
chris (aka "frank" as in Zappa and "fenderbender" as in parking lots and guitars)
frankfenderbender at council124.org