Difference between revisions of "Laptop"
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− | [[Category:Laptops | + | [[Category:Laptops]] |
− | + | [[cs:Laptop]] | |
+ | [[es:Laptop]] | ||
+ | [[it:Laptop]] | ||
+ | [[ru:Laptop]] | ||
+ | [[zh-CN:Laptop]] | ||
== Setting Up For Laptops == | == Setting Up For Laptops == | ||
This page should contain links to pages needed for configuring a laptop for the best experience. Setting up a laptop is in many ways the same as setting up a desktop. However, there are a few key differences. When setting up a laptop with Arch Linux, the following points should be taken into consideration: | This page should contain links to pages needed for configuring a laptop for the best experience. Setting up a laptop is in many ways the same as setting up a desktop. However, there are a few key differences. When setting up a laptop with Arch Linux, the following points should be taken into consideration: | ||
Line 10: | Line 14: | ||
** CPU frequency scaling : the processor(s) can be configured to automatically step down to a lower frequency at lower loads. | ** CPU frequency scaling : the processor(s) can be configured to automatically step down to a lower frequency at lower loads. | ||
− | * Screen brightness. How do I manage screen brightness? | + | * [[#Screen brightness]]. How do I manage screen brightness? |
* Network and wireless setup is described in [[Wireless Setup]]. | * Network and wireless setup is described in [[Wireless Setup]]. | ||
* Media buttons can be configured as described in [[Extra Keyboard Keys]]. | * Media buttons can be configured as described in [[Extra Keyboard Keys]]. | ||
Line 18: | Line 22: | ||
All of these points are important to take into consideration when getting a laptop set up the way you like. Fortunately, Arch Linux provides all the tools and programs necessary to take complete control of your laptop. These programs and utilities are highlighted below, with appropriate tips tutorials. | All of these points are important to take into consideration when getting a laptop set up the way you like. Fortunately, Arch Linux provides all the tools and programs necessary to take complete control of your laptop. These programs and utilities are highlighted below, with appropriate tips tutorials. | ||
− | + | == Power Management == | |
+ | Power management is very important for anyone who wishes to make good use of their battery capacity. The following tools and programs help to increase battery life and keep your laptop cool and quiet. | ||
+ | |||
+ | === Battery State === | ||
+ | |||
+ | ==== Udev events ==== | ||
+ | |||
+ | When battery charges/discharges it sends events which can be handled by udev. Example of how it could be used is presented below. | ||
− | + | ==== Low charge action ==== | |
− | |||
− | == | + | By default, system won't do anything if your laptop's battery is going to discharge. In order not to lose all unsaved work this example udev rule could be used: |
− | + | {{hc|/etc/udev/rules.d/lowbat.rules|<nowiki> | |
+ | ## SLEEP IF BATTERY IS LOW | ||
+ | SUBSYSTEM=="power_supply", ATTR{status}=="Discharging", ATTR{capacity}=="2", RUN+="/usr/bin/systemctl suspend" | ||
+ | </nowiki>}} | ||
+ | Likewise, the rule can be customized to perform other action on different status. | ||
− | === | + | ==== Utilities ==== |
− | Battery state can be read using ACPI utilities from the terminal. | + | Battery state can be read using ACPI utilities from the terminal. ACPI command line utilities are provided via the {{Pkg|acpi}} package. A simple battery monitor that sits in the system tray is {{AUR|batterymon-clone}} which can be found in the [[Arch User Repository|AUR]]. |
{{Tip|More information can be found in the [[ACPI modules]] article.}} | {{Tip|More information can be found in the [[ACPI modules]] article.}} | ||
+ | |||
+ | * {{pkg|batti}} is a simple battery monitor for the system tray, similar to batterymon-clone. Unlike the latter {{ic|batti}} uses UPower, and if that is missing DeviceKit.Power, for it's power information. | ||
=== Suspend and Hibernate === | === Suspend and Hibernate === | ||
− | Manually suspending the operating system, either to memory (standby) or to disk (hibernate) sometimes provides the most efficient way to optimize battery life, depending on the usage pattern of the laptop. While there is relatively straightforward support in the linux kernel to support these operations, typically some adjustments have to made before initiating these operations (typically due to problematic drivers, modules or hardware). The following tools provide wrappers around the kernel interfaces to suspend/resume : | + | Manually suspending the operating system, either to memory (standby) or to disk (hibernate) sometimes provides the most efficient way to optimize battery life, depending on the usage pattern of the laptop. While there is relatively straightforward support in the linux kernel to support these operations, typically some adjustments have to be made before initiating these operations (typically due to problematic drivers, modules or hardware). The following tools provide wrappers around the kernel interfaces to suspend/resume : |
* [[Acpid]] | * [[Acpid]] | ||
Line 42: | Line 58: | ||
which are described in more detail in [[Suspend]]. | which are described in more detail in [[Suspend]]. | ||
− | === Automatic tweaks for battery life === | + | ===Power saving=== |
+ | |||
+ | See the main article, [[power saving]]. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ==== Automatic tweaks for battery life ==== | ||
As opposed to manually initiated actions like suspend/hibernate, a number of tweaks can be made to prolong the battery life of the laptop under low/idle usage. | As opposed to manually initiated actions like suspend/hibernate, a number of tweaks can be made to prolong the battery life of the laptop under low/idle usage. | ||
+ | * [[CPU Frequency Scaling]] is a technology used primarily by notebooks which enables the OS to scale the CPU frequency up or down, depending on the current system load and/or power scheme. | ||
+ | * [[Laptop Mode Tools]] provides a comprehensive suite of tools to tweak a large number of power saving settings through well documented configuration files. | ||
+ | * [[Powertop]] is a handy utility from Intel that displays which hardware/processes are using the most power on your system, and provides instructions on how to stop or remove power-wasting services. Works great for mobile Intel CPUs; provides the current CPU state and suggestions for power saving. Also works on AMD systems, but does not provide as much information about the CPU state. | ||
− | + | The following options are specific to certain laptop types: | |
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
* [[Asus_G1#The_Lapsus_daemon_.26_KDE_applet|Lapsus]] is a set of programs providing easy access to many features of various laptops. It currently supports most features provided by asus-laptop kernel module from ACPI4Asus project, such as additional LEDs, hotkeys, backlight control etc. It also has support for some IBM laptops features provided by IBM ThinkPad ACPI Extras Driver and NVRAM device. | * [[Asus_G1#The_Lapsus_daemon_.26_KDE_applet|Lapsus]] is a set of programs providing easy access to many features of various laptops. It currently supports most features provided by asus-laptop kernel module from ACPI4Asus project, such as additional LEDs, hotkeys, backlight control etc. It also has support for some IBM laptops features provided by IBM ThinkPad ACPI Extras Driver and NVRAM device. | ||
* Battery tweaks for Thinkpads can be found in the [[tp_smapi]] article. | * Battery tweaks for Thinkpads can be found in the [[tp_smapi]] article. | ||
* [[TLP]] for Thinkpads is a set of scripts, which set many powersaving options according to the current Powersource. [[TLP]] is intended to be used on Thinkpads, but most settings should work on other laptops too. | * [[TLP]] for Thinkpads is a set of scripts, which set many powersaving options according to the current Powersource. [[TLP]] is intended to be used on Thinkpads, but most settings should work on other laptops too. | ||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
====PCI-e ASPM==== | ====PCI-e ASPM==== | ||
Line 73: | Line 89: | ||
then add {{ic|pcie_aspm<nowiki>=</nowiki>force}} to your kernel command line. | then add {{ic|pcie_aspm<nowiki>=</nowiki>force}} to your kernel command line. | ||
− | ====Granola==== | + | ==== Granola ==== |
− | [ | + | |
− | To use it, first install from the AUR:[ | + | {{Out of date|Arch Linux has moved to systemd, so rc.conf is no longer used.}} |
+ | |||
+ | [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=36841 Granola] is a daemon that monitors the cpu usage and uses the cpufreq-userspace module to lessen power usage without any noticeable difference in performance. | ||
+ | To use it, first install from the AUR:[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=36841], the default settings will work for most setups. | ||
You will need to load the cpufreq_userspace module, as well as the cpufreq scaling governor for your CPU at startup. | You will need to load the cpufreq_userspace module, as well as the cpufreq scaling governor for your CPU at startup. | ||
Edit {{ic|/etc/rc.conf}}: | Edit {{ic|/etc/rc.conf}}: | ||
Line 100: | Line 119: | ||
and check that the cpu frequency is below maximum. | and check that the cpu frequency is below maximum. | ||
− | + | ====WLAN-device==== | |
When often en route working with your Notebook without WLAN-Access around, it might be expedient to add a little script to your system startup that automatically turns off your WLAN-Hardware to keep it from searching for Access Points and wasting power on this, when not connected: | When often en route working with your Notebook without WLAN-Access around, it might be expedient to add a little script to your system startup that automatically turns off your WLAN-Hardware to keep it from searching for Access Points and wasting power on this, when not connected: | ||
Line 109: | Line 128: | ||
sudo iwconfig wlan0 txpower off | sudo iwconfig wlan0 txpower off | ||
fi | fi | ||
− | [edit, if wlan0 | + | [edit, if wlan0 is not your WLAN-device] |
Start the script according to your DE/WM options by '(sleep xx && /path/to/script)' depending on how long it usually takes to connect to your Access Point, 60 seconds are a good default value. It will check if you're connected, turning off the device if not. | Start the script according to your DE/WM options by '(sleep xx && /path/to/script)' depending on how long it usually takes to connect to your Access Point, 60 seconds are a good default value. It will check if you're connected, turning off the device if not. | ||
Line 115: | Line 134: | ||
will bring it back up, as, of course, a reboot will. | will bring it back up, as, of course, a reboot will. | ||
− | + | ==== Disk-related tweaks ==== | |
Disable file access time: every time you access (read) a file the filesystem writes an access time to the file metadata. You can disable this on individual files by using the chattr command, or you can enable it on an entire disk by setting the ''noatime'' option in your fstab, as follows: | Disable file access time: every time you access (read) a file the filesystem writes an access time to the file metadata. You can disable this on individual files by using the chattr command, or you can enable it on an entire disk by setting the ''noatime'' option in your fstab, as follows: | ||
Line 122: | Line 141: | ||
[http://www.faqs.org/docs/securing/chap6sec73.html Source] | [http://www.faqs.org/docs/securing/chap6sec73.html Source] | ||
− | + | {{Note| | |
− | + | * Disabling {{ic|atime}} causes troubles with [[Mutt|mutt]] and other applications that make use of file timestamps. Consider compromising between performance and compatibility by using mount option {{ic|relatime}} instead, or look into [http://wiki.mutt.org/?MaildirFormat mutt work-around for noatime]. | |
− | + | * {{ic|relatime}} is used by default as of kernel 2.6.30, so unless you're using an older kernel, there should be no need to edit fstab. | |
− | + | }} | |
− | |||
− | + | To allow the CD/DVD rom to spin down after a while using [[udisks]]: | |
− | + | # udisks --inhibit-polling /dev/sr0 | |
− | + | ==== More tweaks ==== | |
− | |||
− | |||
These are some generic suggestions that will work with most laptops. | These are some generic suggestions that will work with most laptops. | ||
Line 147: | Line 163: | ||
{{Note|''laptop-mode-tools'' automatically rewrites these values based on the values {{Ic|LM_BATT_MAX_LOST_WORK_SECONDS}}, {{Ic|LM_AC_MAX_LOST_WORK_SECONDS}} (both multiplied by 100) resp. {{Ic|LM_SECONDS_BEFORE_SYNC}}, which are set in {{ic|/etc/laptop-mode/laptop-mode.conf}}. However, that only happens if the three "Enable laptop mode" variables in the same file are set accordingly — left to 0, it resets the values to kernel defaults (500 / 0) for the corresponding scenario regardless of {{ic|/etc/sysctl.conf}}.}} | {{Note|''laptop-mode-tools'' automatically rewrites these values based on the values {{Ic|LM_BATT_MAX_LOST_WORK_SECONDS}}, {{Ic|LM_AC_MAX_LOST_WORK_SECONDS}} (both multiplied by 100) resp. {{Ic|LM_SECONDS_BEFORE_SYNC}}, which are set in {{ic|/etc/laptop-mode/laptop-mode.conf}}. However, that only happens if the three "Enable laptop mode" variables in the same file are set accordingly — left to 0, it resets the values to kernel defaults (500 / 0) for the corresponding scenario regardless of {{ic|/etc/sysctl.conf}}.}} | ||
+ | |||
+ | {{accuracy|reason=This belongs in a udev rule, not rc.local.}} | ||
Add the following to {{ic|/etc/rc.local}} (and make sure it gets executed at boot time) | Add the following to {{ic|/etc/rc.local}} (and make sure it gets executed at boot time) | ||
Line 154: | Line 172: | ||
Source: [http://www.nervous.it/2007/11/linux-dell-xps-m1330/ here] | Source: [http://www.nervous.it/2007/11/linux-dell-xps-m1330/ here] | ||
− | + | ==== Hard drive spin down problem ==== | |
Documented [https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/acpi-support/+bug/59695 here] | Documented [https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/acpi-support/+bug/59695 here] | ||
Line 179: | Line 197: | ||
For some laptops, the option -S to hdparm can also be relevant (sets the spindown time for the drive). Note that all these options can also be configured using the [[Laptop_Mode_Tools | laptop-mode tools]]. This will allow you to set a high value when on AC and a lower value when you are running on battery power. | For some laptops, the option -S to hdparm can also be relevant (sets the spindown time for the drive). Note that all these options can also be configured using the [[Laptop_Mode_Tools | laptop-mode tools]]. This will allow you to set a high value when on AC and a lower value when you are running on battery power. | ||
− | ===== | + | === Using a script and an udev rule === |
− | + | Since systemd users can suspend and hibernate through {{ic|systemctl suspend}} or {{ic|systemctl hibernate}} and handle acpi events with {{ic|/etc/systemd/logind.conf}}, it might be interesting to remove pm-utils and acpid. Now, there's just one thing systemd can't do (at this time of writing): powermanagement, depending on whether the system is running on AC or battery. To fill this gap, one can create a single udev rule that launches a script when the laptop is unplugged and plugged: | |
− | + | {{hc|/etc/udev/rules.d/powersave|2=<nowiki> | |
− | + | SUBSYSTEM=="power_supply", ATTR{online}=="0", RUN+="/path/to/your/script true" | |
− | + | SUBSYSTEM=="power_supply", ATTR{online}=="1", RUN+="/path/to/your/script false" | |
− | + | </nowiki>}} | |
+ | {{Note|One can use the same script that pm-powersave uses. You just have to make it executable and place it somewhere else (for example, /usr/bin).}} | ||
+ | Examples of powersave scripts can be found here: [https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=1046075#p1046075] (or in aur: {{AUR|powerdown}}), here: [https://github.com/Unia/powersave] and there: [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/powerconf]. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The above udev rule should work as expected, but if your power settings aren't updated after a suspend or hibernate cycle, you should add a script in {{ic|/usr/lib/systemd/system-sleep/}} with the following contents: | ||
+ | {{hc|/usr/lib/systemd/system-sleep/00powersave|<nowiki> | ||
+ | #!/bin/sh | ||
+ | |||
+ | case $1 in | ||
+ | pre) /path/to/your/script false ;; | ||
+ | post) | ||
+ | if cat /sys/class/power_supply/AC0/online | grep 0 > /dev/null 2>&1 | ||
+ | then | ||
+ | /path/to/your/script true | ||
+ | else | ||
+ | /path/to/your/script false | ||
+ | fi | ||
+ | ;; | ||
+ | esac' | ||
+ | exit 0 | ||
+ | </nowiki>}} | ||
+ | |||
+ | Don't forget to make it executable! | ||
+ | {{Note|Be aware that AC0 may be different for your laptop, change it if that is the case.}} | ||
+ | |||
+ | Now you don't need pm-utils anymore. Depending on your configuration, it may be a dependency of some other package. If you wish to remove it anyway, run {{ic|pacman -Rdd pm-utils}}. | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Screen brightness == | ||
+ | {{Merge|Backlight}} | ||
+ | To change your display brightness, first check {{ic|/sys/class/backlight}}: | ||
+ | |||
+ | # ls /sys/class/backlight/ | ||
+ | intel_backlight | ||
+ | |||
+ | So this particular backlight is managed by an Intel card. Keep in mind that different cards might manage this differently! It is called ''acpi_video0'' on an ATI card, for instance. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Check current value: | ||
+ | |||
+ | $ cat /sys/class/backlight/intel_backlight/brightness | ||
+ | |||
+ | In this case, the backlight managed by echoing values into {{ic|/sys/class/backlight/intel_backlight/brightness}}: | ||
+ | |||
+ | # echo "400" > /sys/class/backlight/intel_backlight/brightness | ||
+ | |||
+ | If you get a response along the lines of "invalid argument" then you didn't honor the maximum brightness. Obviously you cannot go any higher than your screens maximum brightness. The values for maximum brightness and brightness in general vary wildly among cards. This Intel card, for instance, can go up to 976 while the ATI can go up 9. Obviously these values don't say anything about maximum effective brightness. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Check your maximum brightness: | ||
+ | |||
+ | $ cat /sys/class/backlight/intel_backlight/max_brightness | ||
+ | |||
+ | If your laptop's Fn keys don't work or Gnome/KDE fail to correctly set the brightness using their power daemons, you can try appending '''acpi_backlight=vendor''' to your kernel line in your bootloader. | ||
+ | |||
+ | === setpci fallback method === | ||
+ | {{Warning| The setpci command edits hardware parameters. Use with caution.}} | ||
+ | On some laptops, the above methods do not actually change screen brightness. If this is the case for your laptop, first find the domain and bus using lspci: | ||
+ | $ lspci | ||
+ | (...) | ||
+ | 00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 4 Series Chipset Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 09) | ||
+ | (...) | ||
+ | Now use setpci to change the value at slot F4 to, say, a0: | ||
+ | # setpci -s 00:02.0 f4.b=a0 | ||
+ | The {{ic|.b}} indicates a byte value; this runs in hexadecimal from {{ic|00}} to {{ic|ff}}. '''ff''' Is usually the brightest, although this may be reversed. See [https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=1088825#p1088825 here] for a script which can be used with brightness keys. | ||
== Touchpad == | == Touchpad == | ||
Line 197: | Line 276: | ||
Just Check [[HDAPS|Hard Disk Active Protection System]]. | Just Check [[HDAPS|Hard Disk Active Protection System]]. | ||
{{AUR|hpfall}} can be installed from the [[AUR]]. | {{AUR|hpfall}} can be installed from the [[AUR]]. | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Network Time Syncing == | ||
+ | For a laptop, it may be a good idea to use [[Chrony]] as an alternative to [[NTPd]] to sync your clock over the network. Chrony is designed to work well even on systems with no permanent network connection (such as laptops), and is capable of much faster time synchronisation than standard ntp. Chrony has several advantages when used in systems running on virtual machines, such as a larger range for frequency correction to help correct quickly drifting clocks, and better response to rapid changes in the clock frequency. It also has a smaller memory footprint and no unnecessary process wakeups, improving power efficiency. | ||
+ | |||
+ | == See also == | ||
+ | * [http://www.linux-on-laptops.com/ http://www.linux-on-laptops.com/] | ||
+ | * [http://www.linlap.com/ http://www.linlap.com/] |
Revision as of 06:09, 20 February 2013
Contents
Setting Up For Laptops
This page should contain links to pages needed for configuring a laptop for the best experience. Setting up a laptop is in many ways the same as setting up a desktop. However, there are a few key differences. When setting up a laptop with Arch Linux, the following points should be taken into consideration:
- #Power Management Power Management for laptops refers to optimizing the system to last as long as possible on a single battery charge. This can be accomplished by a variety of tweaks.
- #Suspend and Hibernate : the operating system can be manually suspended either to memory or to disk, allowing for an (almost) complete shutdown of other hardware.
- Hard drive spindown : the system can be configured to automatically turn off the hard disk after a specified interval of inactivity.
- Screen shut off : the laptop screen can be configured to automatically turn off after a specified interval of inactivity (not just blanked with a screensaver but completely shut off).
- CPU frequency scaling : the processor(s) can be configured to automatically step down to a lower frequency at lower loads.
- #Screen brightness. How do I manage screen brightness?
- Network and wireless setup is described in Wireless Setup.
- Media buttons can be configured as described in Extra Keyboard Keys.
- #Touchpad sensitivity, acceleration, button function and scroll borders can be configured for some (Synaptics or Alps) touchpads.
- #Hard disk shock protection
All of these points are important to take into consideration when getting a laptop set up the way you like. Fortunately, Arch Linux provides all the tools and programs necessary to take complete control of your laptop. These programs and utilities are highlighted below, with appropriate tips tutorials.
Power Management
Power management is very important for anyone who wishes to make good use of their battery capacity. The following tools and programs help to increase battery life and keep your laptop cool and quiet.
Battery State
Udev events
When battery charges/discharges it sends events which can be handled by udev. Example of how it could be used is presented below.
Low charge action
By default, system won't do anything if your laptop's battery is going to discharge. In order not to lose all unsaved work this example udev rule could be used:
/etc/udev/rules.d/lowbat.rules
## SLEEP IF BATTERY IS LOW SUBSYSTEM=="power_supply", ATTR{status}=="Discharging", ATTR{capacity}=="2", RUN+="/usr/bin/systemctl suspend"
Likewise, the rule can be customized to perform other action on different status.
Utilities
Battery state can be read using ACPI utilities from the terminal. ACPI command line utilities are provided via the acpi package. A simple battery monitor that sits in the system tray is batterymon-cloneAUR which can be found in the AUR.
- batti is a simple battery monitor for the system tray, similar to batterymon-clone. Unlike the latter
batti
uses UPower, and if that is missing DeviceKit.Power, for it's power information.
Suspend and Hibernate
Manually suspending the operating system, either to memory (standby) or to disk (hibernate) sometimes provides the most efficient way to optimize battery life, depending on the usage pattern of the laptop. While there is relatively straightforward support in the linux kernel to support these operations, typically some adjustments have to be made before initiating these operations (typically due to problematic drivers, modules or hardware). The following tools provide wrappers around the kernel interfaces to suspend/resume :
which are described in more detail in Suspend.
Power saving
See the main article, power saving.
Automatic tweaks for battery life
As opposed to manually initiated actions like suspend/hibernate, a number of tweaks can be made to prolong the battery life of the laptop under low/idle usage.
- CPU Frequency Scaling is a technology used primarily by notebooks which enables the OS to scale the CPU frequency up or down, depending on the current system load and/or power scheme.
- Laptop Mode Tools provides a comprehensive suite of tools to tweak a large number of power saving settings through well documented configuration files.
- Powertop is a handy utility from Intel that displays which hardware/processes are using the most power on your system, and provides instructions on how to stop or remove power-wasting services. Works great for mobile Intel CPUs; provides the current CPU state and suggestions for power saving. Also works on AMD systems, but does not provide as much information about the CPU state.
The following options are specific to certain laptop types:
- Lapsus is a set of programs providing easy access to many features of various laptops. It currently supports most features provided by asus-laptop kernel module from ACPI4Asus project, such as additional LEDs, hotkeys, backlight control etc. It also has support for some IBM laptops features provided by IBM ThinkPad ACPI Extras Driver and NVRAM device.
- Battery tweaks for Thinkpads can be found in the tp_smapi article.
- TLP for Thinkpads is a set of scripts, which set many powersaving options according to the current Powersource. TLP is intended to be used on Thinkpads, but most settings should work on other laptops too.
PCI-e ASPM
On some laptops, powertop suggests enabling the CONFIG_PCIEASPM
kernel option. It can be found under "Bus options (PCI etc.)"->"PCI Express ASPM support". This option is marked as experimental in the current kernel (2.6.35) and allows the PCI-e links to enter a power saving state.
According to [1], this option might degrade performance a bit, but on an Acer 3820TG laptop, it can reduce power consumption by about one third or even more.
More experience with this setting would be appreciated, so please share them here!
It seems like the option is going to be enabled by default in kernel 2.6.36; if so, the information here will be obsolete soon. However, if your system should be able to make use of this power management feature but you are receiving messages like like the following (check /var/log/everything.log*
):
disabling ASPM on pre-1.1 PCI-e device. You can enable it with 'pcie_aspm=force'
then add pcie_aspm=force
to your kernel command line.
Granola
Granola is a daemon that monitors the cpu usage and uses the cpufreq-userspace module to lessen power usage without any noticeable difference in performance.
To use it, first install from the AUR:[2], the default settings will work for most setups.
You will need to load the cpufreq_userspace module, as well as the cpufreq scaling governor for your CPU at startup.
Edit /etc/rc.conf
:
For most generic cpus:
MODULES=( ... cpufreq_userspace acpi-cpufreq ... )
For Intel Atom or Pentium 4 cpus:
MODULES=( ... cpufreq_userspace p4_clockmod ... )
Then add Granola to the DAEMONS array:
DAEMONS=( ... granola ... )
and reboot.
To test if it worked, run:
cat /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/cpuinfo_cur_freq #OR cpufreq-info #if you have cpufreq-utils installed
and check that the cpu frequency is below maximum.
WLAN-device
When often en route working with your Notebook without WLAN-Access around, it might be expedient to add a little script to your system startup that automatically turns off your WLAN-Hardware to keep it from searching for Access Points and wasting power on this, when not connected:
#!/bin/bash essid="`iwconfig wlan0 | grep ESSID | awk {'print $4'}`" if [ "$essid" == "ESSID:off/any" ] ; then sudo iwconfig wlan0 txpower off fi
[edit, if wlan0 is not your WLAN-device]
Start the script according to your DE/WM options by '(sleep xx && /path/to/script)' depending on how long it usually takes to connect to your Access Point, 60 seconds are a good default value. It will check if you're connected, turning off the device if not.
sudo iwconfig wlan0 txpower on
will bring it back up, as, of course, a reboot will.
Disable file access time: every time you access (read) a file the filesystem writes an access time to the file metadata. You can disable this on individual files by using the chattr command, or you can enable it on an entire disk by setting the noatime option in your fstab, as follows:
/dev/sda1 / ext3 defaults,noatime 1 2
- Disabling
atime
causes troubles with mutt and other applications that make use of file timestamps. Consider compromising between performance and compatibility by using mount optionrelatime
instead, or look into mutt work-around for noatime. -
relatime
is used by default as of kernel 2.6.30, so unless you're using an older kernel, there should be no need to edit fstab.
To allow the CD/DVD rom to spin down after a while using udisks:
# udisks --inhibit-polling /dev/sr0
More tweaks
These are some generic suggestions that will work with most laptops.
Add the following to /etc/modprobe.d/modprobe.conf
:
options usbcore autosuspend=1
Add the following to /etc/sysctl.conf
vm.dirty_writeback_centisecs=1500 vm.laptop_mode=5
LM_BATT_MAX_LOST_WORK_SECONDS
, LM_AC_MAX_LOST_WORK_SECONDS
(both multiplied by 100) resp. LM_SECONDS_BEFORE_SYNC
, which are set in /etc/laptop-mode/laptop-mode.conf
. However, that only happens if the three "Enable laptop mode" variables in the same file are set accordingly — left to 0, it resets the values to kernel defaults (500 / 0) for the corresponding scenario regardless of /etc/sysctl.conf
.Add the following to /etc/rc.local
(and make sure it gets executed at boot time)
/usr/sbin/iwpriv your_wireless_interface set_power 5
Source: here
Hard drive spin down problem
Documented here
To prevent your laptop hard drive from spinning down too often (result of too aggressive APM defaults) do the following:
Add the following to /etc/rc.local
hdparm -B 254 /dev/sdX where X is your hard drive device
You can also set it to 255 to completely disable spinning down. You may wish to set a lower value if you move your laptop around as lower values park the heads more often and reduce the chance of damage to your hard disk while it is being moved. If you do not move your laptop at all when you are using it, then 255 or 254 is probably best. If you do, then you might want to try a lower value. A value like 128 might be a good middle-ground.
Add the following to /etc/pm/sleep.d/50-hdparm_pm
#!/bin/sh if [ -n "$1" ] && ([ "$1" = "resume" ] || [ "$1" = "thaw" ]); then hdparm -B 254 /dev/your-hard-drive > /dev/null fi
and run chmod +x /etc/pm/sleep.d/50-hdparm_pm to make sure it resets after suspend. Again, you can change the value 254 as you see fit.
Now the APM level should be set for your hard drive.
For some laptops, the option -S to hdparm can also be relevant (sets the spindown time for the drive). Note that all these options can also be configured using the laptop-mode tools. This will allow you to set a high value when on AC and a lower value when you are running on battery power.
Using a script and an udev rule
Since systemd users can suspend and hibernate through systemctl suspend
or systemctl hibernate
and handle acpi events with /etc/systemd/logind.conf
, it might be interesting to remove pm-utils and acpid. Now, there's just one thing systemd can't do (at this time of writing): powermanagement, depending on whether the system is running on AC or battery. To fill this gap, one can create a single udev rule that launches a script when the laptop is unplugged and plugged:
/etc/udev/rules.d/powersave
SUBSYSTEM=="power_supply", ATTR{online}=="0", RUN+="/path/to/your/script true" SUBSYSTEM=="power_supply", ATTR{online}=="1", RUN+="/path/to/your/script false"
Examples of powersave scripts can be found here: [3] (or in aur: powerdownAUR), here: [4] and there: [5].
The above udev rule should work as expected, but if your power settings aren't updated after a suspend or hibernate cycle, you should add a script in /usr/lib/systemd/system-sleep/
with the following contents:
/usr/lib/systemd/system-sleep/00powersave
#!/bin/sh case $1 in pre) /path/to/your/script false ;; post) if cat /sys/class/power_supply/AC0/online | grep 0 > /dev/null 2>&1 then /path/to/your/script true else /path/to/your/script false fi ;; esac' exit 0
Don't forget to make it executable!
Now you don't need pm-utils anymore. Depending on your configuration, it may be a dependency of some other package. If you wish to remove it anyway, run pacman -Rdd pm-utils
.
Screen brightness
To change your display brightness, first check /sys/class/backlight
:
# ls /sys/class/backlight/ intel_backlight
So this particular backlight is managed by an Intel card. Keep in mind that different cards might manage this differently! It is called acpi_video0 on an ATI card, for instance.
Check current value:
$ cat /sys/class/backlight/intel_backlight/brightness
In this case, the backlight managed by echoing values into /sys/class/backlight/intel_backlight/brightness
:
# echo "400" > /sys/class/backlight/intel_backlight/brightness
If you get a response along the lines of "invalid argument" then you didn't honor the maximum brightness. Obviously you cannot go any higher than your screens maximum brightness. The values for maximum brightness and brightness in general vary wildly among cards. This Intel card, for instance, can go up to 976 while the ATI can go up 9. Obviously these values don't say anything about maximum effective brightness.
Check your maximum brightness:
$ cat /sys/class/backlight/intel_backlight/max_brightness
If your laptop's Fn keys don't work or Gnome/KDE fail to correctly set the brightness using their power daemons, you can try appending acpi_backlight=vendor to your kernel line in your bootloader.
setpci fallback method
On some laptops, the above methods do not actually change screen brightness. If this is the case for your laptop, first find the domain and bus using lspci:
$ lspci (...) 00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 4 Series Chipset Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 09) (...)
Now use setpci to change the value at slot F4 to, say, a0:
# setpci -s 00:02.0 f4.b=a0
The .b
indicates a byte value; this runs in hexadecimal from 00
to ff
. ff Is usually the brightest, although this may be reversed. See here for a script which can be used with brightness keys.
Touchpad
To get your touchpad working properly, see the Touchpad Synaptics page. Note that your laptop may have an ALPS touchpad (such as the DELL Inspiron 6000), and not a Synaptics touchpad. In either case, see the link above.
Hard disk shock protection
There are several laptops from different vendors featuring shock protection capabilities. As manufacturers have refused to support open source development of the required software components so far, Linux support for shock protection varies considerably between different hardware implementations.
Currently, two projects, named HDAPS and hpfall, support this kind of protection. HDAPS is for IBM/Lenovo Thinkpads and hpfall for HP/Compaq laptops
Just Check Hard Disk Active Protection System. hpfallAUR can be installed from the AUR.
Network Time Syncing
For a laptop, it may be a good idea to use Chrony as an alternative to NTPd to sync your clock over the network. Chrony is designed to work well even on systems with no permanent network connection (such as laptops), and is capable of much faster time synchronisation than standard ntp. Chrony has several advantages when used in systems running on virtual machines, such as a larger range for frequency correction to help correct quickly drifting clocks, and better response to rapid changes in the clock frequency. It also has a smaller memory footprint and no unnecessary process wakeups, improving power efficiency.