What does your computer do when you sleep?

[Cuddles McKitten]

When I ran Windows on my home computer, I would often leave it running scandisk or defragging overnight. However, with Ubuntu the drives are scanned quickly and automatically every X boots and I don't have to defrag. Despite my minor guilt from feeling like my computer is wasting its potential, it sleeps when I do.

Here's my question: what does your computer run while your body is powering down for a reboot?

[j7%<RmUg]

I dont really understand your question, your thread title completely contradicts your other question and your question makes no sense at all.

If you mean what my computer does at night while im asleep? Well my server stays running (ubuntu server 9.04). Although sometimes i download at night, and sometimes my main PC is off.

If i did not answer correctly please explain.

[alienclone]

downloads, conversions, charges ipod and cell phones, and runs ftp and http.

[RabbitWho]

It gets turned off and plugged out and i lie in bed worrying someone will break in and steal it.

[Cuddles McKitten]

I dont really understand your question, your thread title completely contradicts your other question and your question makes no sense at all.

I was trying to make a poor tech funny. I failed miserably and re-worded it to make it clearer. :) Yes, you answered it quite nicely.

[TheNosh]

sometimes it's downloading or seeding torrents. if not that it's playing music as i fall asleep.

[samjh]

My computer sleeps (ie. shuts down) when I sleep. The only exception is if I'm downloading a DVD iso (eg. Debian releases... shudder) or something equally large.

[dragos240]

It goes to sleep also.

[xenogia]

Occasionally downloads, other than that nothing else really. Just sort of stays on for the moment I wake up :)

[ChrT]

Router/server box: always on, running torrents, ftp, ssh, samba shares.
Main desktop machine: usually running folding@home overnight (and generally whenever I've got CPU cycles to spare)
Main laptop: Same as above as long as there's an extra power plug
Older/other: Full-time folding@home boxes
Netbook: usually powered off unless it's the only computer I've got with me, in which case it'll probably be running torrents and a secure wifi network for my mobile devices (smartphone, car GPS)

I'm obsessive like that, I can't sleep well without a running computer and a wifi network, there's nothing more irritating that waking up and having to power-up and connect your stuff all over again. Besides, electricity is dirt-cheap, why the hell would I want to save it?

[doorknob60]

Usually I turn it off, unless I'm downloading something big (I had a 40 day long download once, 40 GB of files+not many seeders=bad :P). My server on the other hand, does this: http://doorknob60.is-a-geek.org/

[kevdog]

My computer when I'm asleep usually steals food from my fridgerator. It also acts as guarddog. I fell safer knowing its awake and protecting me -- but at a cost of less food in the house.

[Whiffle]

Mine sleeps peacefully, carefully separated from the rest of the goings on in the organization. I let my server do all the dirty work at night, you know, hiding the bodies and all that, and serving webpages and running backups and all that other innocent stuff.

[izizzle]

My computer goes to sleep at 9 PM and gets up at around 5 PM on weekdays and 9:30 AM on weekends.

[venator260]

The desktop shuts down. Too much heat generated if it's on. If I have something to download, my laptop does that. Otherwise it's off as well. The exception being if I fire up XP and do updates/virus scans/maleware scans/defragmentation.

I see no need to keep them on if they will just be idle.

[oldsoundguy]

Mine crunch numbers for BOINC.

[-grubby]

It plays music.

[MC707]

My box usually downloads and uploads torrents, and of course it crunches for BOINC. Check it out, BOINC is the best project you can use to utilize the idle power of your computer; Compute for science.

However, -more often than not- my box rests. First, I expand its long term lifetime. Second, I save electricity like crazy in the middle and long run and third (and most important), I burn less coal into my home's atmosphere. My home you say? Yes, planet earth, my home.

[magmon]

Either downloading stuff or powered down. Most days I turn it off though, want to make sure I get the optimum life out of my faithful lappy.

[MikeTheC]

Nothing, as it's off.

[coldReactive]

It usually is shut down (not sleep, not hibernate.) However, due to its motherboard, it still powers the ethernet, so the router thinks that the computer is still connected.

[gymophett]

Usually downloads torrents over night.

[pwnst*r]

When I ran Windows on my home computer, I would often leave it running scandisk or defragging overnight. However, with Ubuntu the drives are scanned quickly and automatically every X boots and I don't have to defrag. Despite my minor guilt from feeling like my computer is wasting its potential, it sleeps when I do.

Here's my question: what does your computer run while your body is powering down for a reboot?

lol @ often. that's complete rubbish.

[Exodist]

Mine plays music. But I do turn it off when I leave the house for long period of time. Here in Mississippi we have frequent thunderstorms this time of year..

[hellion0]

Mine is either downloading from torrents or seeding them, and it's also logging IRC chatrooms.

[Firestem4]

My computer will play music for an hour and then go to sleep.

Though, unfortunately I run xp on my desktop most of the time and XP has a habit of not doing what you tell it. I have to set it to sleep with a countdown program because if anything at all is running, Windows XP will not go to sleep..Yipee! (thankfully Ubuntu listens to you..When you say sleep it sleeps..it doesn't think about it)

[lovinglinux]

I keep wget in a loop downloading the same video over and over, just to justify the stratospheric price my ISP charges for my broadband connection :)

Now, seriously, usually downloading and seeding torrents.


However, -more often than not- my box rests. First, I expand its long term lifetime.

Are you sure about that? I have read somewhere that keeping it on will in fact expand it's lifetime, because cold boot is very stressful. Nevertheless, I turn off my monitor. It would be interesting to read more opinions on this.

[Exodist]

I keep wget in a loop downloading the same video over and over, just to justify the stratospheric price my ISP charges for my broadband connection :)

LMAO :lolflag:

[wojox]

Covert Ops

[wipeout140]

Nothing, as it's off. unless on rare occasion its downloading or backing up the HD

[munkeh]

I was wondering the same thing. At the moment when I sleep mine gets shutdown, unplugged and sleeps next to me,


It gets turned off and plugged out and i lie in bed worrying someone will break in and steal it.

RabbitWHo, it does lead to a worry free night AND serves as a hot water bottle for about 10 mins until it cools.

Seriously though I will look into the BOINC project it does look it could be my way of helping out, as I've not found many ways to help in this forum yet as I'm only a newbie and not found many questions I can answer for people at the moment as I'm still learning, (happily). (There are also many other possibilities I am investiagting to help like submitting art work and the like - not hijacking the thread)

[keplerspeed]

I would have mine folding all night, but the fan on the radiator (water cooled) can keep me awake. Who said water cooling was silent..... that was the whole idea....

[cmay]

I most certainly hope it stays shutdown while I sleep. but i guess you never know. I had one old computer that I had to unplug by the wall to avoid it turning it self on at random. It is gone now. I gave it away.

[keplerspeed]

Sounds like our pc's may be controlled by the cousin of the little guy who turns the light off in the fridge when you close the door. Who knows what they do when we sleep.

[sideaway]

Are you sure about that? I have read somewhere that keeping it on will in fact expand it's lifetime, because cold boot is very stressful. Nevertheless, I turn off my monitor. It would be interesting to read more opinions on this.

I'm pretty sure that's rubbish, a computer is a far cry from a car engine. The lower the temperature the less resistance, the only 'stress' a computer is admitted to is flowing electricity and heat (And physical bumps if you're unkind :) ) And logic suggests that both of these stresses are seriously diminished when the computer is turned off. If anything, the computers at its prime those first two mminutes :P

OTOH, hard drive bearings could very well run better when warm, but I'm pretty sure the bearings are rated at hours spinning as opposed to heat administration. Aaaand since HDD's turn off when the computer is idle this point is moot (if you're downloading what ever HDD you're using won't be idle, obviously, but the usage of the HDD would cause more wear on the bearing than a cold start I imagine) - Anyway, bearings are rated for years upon years, they could probably outlast any magnetic storage on the disks anyway. Even constantly spinning.

This possibly also applies to fan bearings.

NB: No actual research put into this. just my observation :)

[Whiffle]

I'm pretty sure that's rubbish, a computer is a far cry from a car engine. The lower the temperature the less resistance, the only 'stress' a computer is admitted to is flowing electricity and heat (And physical bumps if you're unkind :) ) And logic suggests that both of these stresses are seriously diminished when the computer is turned off. If anything, the computers at its prime those first two mminutes :P

OTOH, hard drive bearings could very well run better when warm, but I'm pretty sure the bearings are rated at hours spinning as opposed to heat administration. Aaaand since HDD's turn off when the computer is idle this point is moot (if you're downloading what ever HDD you're using won't be idle, obviously, but the usage of the HDD would cause more wear on the bearing than a cold start I imagine) - Anyway, bearings are rated for years upon years, they could probably outlast any magnetic storage on the disks anyway. Even constantly spinning.

This possibly also applies to fan bearings.

NB: No actual research put into this. just my observation :)


The logic behind leaving it on being better is based on the fact that things expand and contract when heated and cooled. When you turn it off and it cools off, everything cools and shrinks. Turn it on again, it all expands. Over time ( a very very long time with lots of on/off cycles), this could lead to failure of solder joints and such. I don't really worry about it though, more than likely other things will go wrong first.

[Whiffle]

I would have mine folding all night, but the fan on the radiator (water cooled) can keep me awake. Who said water cooling was silent..... that was the whole idea....

Must be doing something wrong...what fan do you have on your radiator?

My case with 3 120mm fans (all on low) is barely a whisper, no water cooling either :)

[sideaway]

Hmm, I've heard of that causing issues for 8800GTX / 8800 Ultras actually. The 'baking' fix apparently softens the solder joints and removes any cracks in the solder. True I didn't think of expansion contraction initially though.

[Marcel-X]

...
Despite my minor guilt from feeling like my computer is wasting its potential, it sleeps when I do.

Here's my question: what does your computer run while your body is powering down for a reboot?
...

Yep, here too. We go to bed together! :P

[bodyharvester]

i dl and seed for you all :)

im currently downloading whole series of anime and have been for some time

[The Real Dave]

Main Server (FreeNAS) stays on all the time, nice and quiet. Backup server, also FreeNAS gets shut down, only turns on when I need files or to do a backup. DSL (Damn Small Linux) Server goes to sleep when I do, its got small fans, so loud.

Bedroom computer sleeps next to me usually, sometimes I leave it on, its not that loud, if I want to use it during the night :)

Main computer in the sitting room turns off. I have it full of fans, nice and cold, but at 3 in the morning, it sounds like a roar :D

[FuturePilot]

It sleeps when I sleep. Hibernate / Suspend

[sports fan Matt]

One question..Is there any real difference in terms of electric usage using hibernate versus turning it completely off?

[Marcel-X]

@sox fan Matt

When in hibernate state, you can switch off the power.

[The Real Dave]

One question..Is there any real difference in terms of electric usage using hibernate versus turning it completely off?

No, your computer uses no energy when hibernated. Hibernation is basically where your computer state is saved to the disk, and that state image is resumed from when you boot up. Your computer is still fully shutdown

[MysticGold04]

My desktop folds 24/7. My wife's laptop is in suspend mode when not in use and the other laptops are shut down and put away when not in use.

[ladypcer]

Mine folds or runs a BOINC project, unless I need to cut electricity costs. Then they get powered off.

Just curious what team you run a dc project for, or if Ubuntu has it's own team/s?

[andras artois]

It'll be downloading or defragging while I'm asleep. It only stays on to download if there's something I want pretty immediately or if there's a lot to download. Defrag if I haven't done it in awhile.

Most of the time though it's shutdown while I'm sleeping though.

I have caught it once or twice feeding it's filthy filthy windows habit though....

[HappyFeet]

I run bittorrent 24/7.