Fan speed / fan throttle / fan always on

[erikmorres]

Hi,

I'm hoping someone can help me with an issue I have with Ubuntu 10.04 LTS on my new system.

Since my IBM ThinkPad T42 broke down, I've replaced it with a desktop system (HP Slimline s5130nl; Specifications: http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/d...reg_R1002_UKEN). However with this system I've run into a frustrating issue: the fans (at least the CPU fan) run constantly at max speed. Forcing me to switch to Windows Vista .

I've searched for solutions on this forum and the internet to no avail.

What I've noticed so far:

1. /proc/acpi/fan and /proc/acpi/thermal_zone/ are not (being) populated;
2. pwmconfig finds the sensors and adds these to the modprobe list, however I can't manualy configure the settings; I'm getting an error message that the sensor can't be configured manually therefore I can't load/launch fancontrol since it quits with the error message that no configuration file was found;
3. Although I'm using a HP desktop system, I've tried the thinkfan package to no avail;
4. Tried adding "acpi_osi=" with different parameters to GRUB2 to no avail;
5. lm-sensors seems to produce the expected output and thus seems to work correctly.

Also I've browsed through the BIOS to see if I can find a setting that would have the system automatically control the fan speed, however I've noticed that the BIOS is kind of simple and scarce in features and settings; hence providing no solution.

I'm hoping somebody has an idea or, better yet, a solution to resolve this and enable me to get rid of Windows Vista and switch over to Ubuntu again

Thank you in advance!

Kind regards,

Erik

[davidmohammed]

are you using acpi=off or any other options other than quiet splash in your grub settings?

[davidmohammed]

... what acpi_osi= options have you tried?

acpi_osi="!Windows 2006"
acpi_osi="Windows 2006"
acpi_osi="Linux"
acpi_osi="Windows 2001 SP2"

possibly your HP is affected by this issue?

[erikmorres]

... what acpi_osi= options have you tried?

I've tried acpi_osi="Linux" and acpi=force. Also when I stumbled upon this, I had only Ubuntu installed i.e. no dual boot.

Do note that I have no issue booting Ubuntu and/or thermal issues. For example when I boot with the Ubuntu LiveCD, the fan(s) in the system will run full throttle. If I then reboot into Windows Vista, the fan(s) throttle down immediately. Another thing I noticed is that when I boot with a Symantec Ghost CD or the recovery solution from HP, the fan(s) also run full throttle, suggesting to me that the fan requires some sort of driver or at least needs to be actively managed.

I'll try to check on the DSDT issue with the Ubuntu LiveCD since I had to remove Ubuntu to restore Windows Vista.

[erikmorres]

I'll try to check on the DSDT issue with the Ubuntu LiveCD since I had to remove Ubuntu to restore Windows Vista.

While I was reading the HOWTO, I noticed the following comment:

UPDATE: The kernel dev's will no longer use the patch to enable custom DSDT files for Karmic 9.10 and beyond. Jaunty 9.04 is the last version this will work on. You are urged to file a bug report for DSDT errors.

I assume this implicates that you cannot update or change the DSDT in Lucid Lynx 10.04 LTS anymore.

Is there another way to tackle this issue? Also is there a way I can share output - e.g. error messages regarding ACPI/DSDT - with Ubuntu developers in order to help improve Ubuntu?

[davidmohammed]

how did you get go trying the other acpi_os values?
It seems that thread is actively being answered by the originator - so you still can find out if you've got a buggy dsdt

Also - this thread shows you how to compile back-in the custom dsdt support for lucid.

[erikmorres]

how did you get go trying the other acpi_os values?

I had Ubuntu installed and tried to resolve the issue this weekend, however since the noise of the fan was driving me crazy so I opted to remove Ubuntu and reinstall Vista.

It seems that thread is actively being answered by the originator - so you still can find out if you've got a buggy dsdt

Also - this thread shows you how to compile back-in the custom dsdt support for lucid.

Thanks for your active support!

I also found a link in the article you are referring to (http://web.archive.org/web/200801250..._ACPI_Problems). Which states: "If your DSDT is buggy, then you'll see some errors and/or warnings when you recompile.", so I guess I can conveniently use the LiveCD to check if the DSDT is the true issue before going through the hassle of removing Vista and reinstalling Ubuntu.

[erikmorres]

I checked the DSDT file, however recompiling it without any changes (only) produces a couple of warnings:

Intel ACPI Component Architecture
ASL Optimizing Compiler version 20090521 [Jun 30 2009]
Copyright (C) 2000 - 2009 Intel Corporation
Supports ACPI Specification Revision 3.0a

dsdt.dsl   132:         Name (_T_0, Zero)
Remark   5110 -                  ^ Use of compiler reserved name (_T_0)

dsdt.dsl  5223:             Acquire (MUTE, 0x03E8)
Warning  1104 -                                 ^ Possible operator timeout is ignored

dsdt.dsl  5237:             Acquire (MUTE, 0x03E8)
Warning  1104 -                                 ^ Possible operator timeout is ignored

dsdt.dsl  5252:             Acquire (MUTE, 0x03E8)
Warning  1104 -                                 ^ Possible operator timeout is ignored

dsdt.dsl  5267:             Acquire (MUTE, 0x0FFF)
Warning  1104 -                                 ^ Possible operator timeout is ignored

dsdt.dsl  5281:             Acquire (MUTE, 0x03E8)
Warning  1104 -                                 ^ Possible operator timeout is ignored

dsdt.dsl  5296:             Acquire (MUTE, 0x03E8)
Warning  1104 -                                 ^ Possible operator timeout is ignored

dsdt.dsl  5311:             Acquire (MUTE, 0x03E8)
Warning  1104 -                                 ^ Possible operator timeout is ignored

ASL Input:  dsdt.dsl - 6150 lines, 190558 bytes, 2724 keywords
AML Output: dsdt.aml - 22355 bytes, 729 named objects, 1995 executable opcodes

Compilation complete. 0 Errors, 7 Warnings, 1 Remarks, 66 Optimizations

Also I checked the acpi_osi switches I didn't previously check, however to no avail. Next to that I did notice that Ubuntu correctly detects RPM of the fans as well as the temperature of the systems components. Could this be a clue that the solution lies in configuring something and/or start a daemon to monitor this?

Sensors output:

coretemp-isa-0000
Adapter: ISA adapter
Core 0:      +34.0°C  (high = +74.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)  

coretemp-isa-0001
Adapter: ISA adapter
Core 1:      +34.0°C  (high = +74.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)  

coretemp-isa-0002
Adapter: ISA adapter
Core 2:      +40.0°C  (high = +74.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)  

coretemp-isa-0003
Adapter: ISA adapter
Core 3:      +28.0°C  (high = +74.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)  

f8000-isa-0a00
Adapter: ISA adapter
+3.3V:       +3.38 V
3VSB:        +3.39 V
Vbat:        +3.30 V
fan1:       1507 RPM
fan2:        831 RPM
fan3:          0 RPM  ALARM
fan4:          0 RPM
temp1:       +38.0°C  (high = +70.0°C, hyst = +60.0°C)  
temp2:       +34.0°C  (high = +100.0°C, hyst = +85.0°C)  sensor = Intel PECI
temp3:       +36.0°C  (high = +100.0°C, hyst = +85.0°C)

I'm really hoping somebody has a solution for this, since I am really missing working on Ubuntu. I'll also check with the DSDT-thread.

Thank you in advance!

[davidmohammed]

Hi there,
two more tries from my end - may be a stab in the dark - suggest you install the latest .34 kernel to see if your issue is specific to the lucid kernel or also exists upstream in the latest kernels.

This link may be desperate - but worth a read.

[erikmorres]

David,

Thank you very much for your support! I am sorry to say that I have been unable to get this issue fixed and - after a lot of frustration - decided to purchase and install a copy of Windows 7. Although I'd really would have liked to switch to Linux, I guess its still a work in progress and not ready for the mainstream user like myself.

I might check on Ubuntu 10.10 to see if the issues with the fan/ACPI have been resolved. However for now I'll stick with Windows 7 - even if it was only because otherwise it would be a waste of my $199,- costing copy of Windows 7 .

KR, Erik