Server auto-suspend?

[fkjensen]

Hi guys,

Have been searching quite a bit and found many similar questions, but no answers so far...

I have a home server running ubuntu. With emphasis on home, it really doesn't need to be running all the time. Hence I would like it to suspend, when not in use, and wake up when needed (just like a commercial NAS or home server).

So far I can:
- Suspend with 'pm-suspend'.
- WOL from another computer.
- WOL from a squeezebox.

So far so good, but now I would like to:
(1) Auto-suspend when not in use.
(2) Wake up when I try to access my network drive from another computer (windows).

I am sure that (1) can be done, but how?
The desktop version of ubuntu has some kind of auto-suspend, right?

As for (2), I think, it could depend on my ethernet adaptor (wake on traffic to ip...?), but I not sure?

The system is an Intel D945GSEJT.

~Frank

[inspiral]

Hey

I think we are working toward the same thing:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1335126

My system wakes no problem when I pick up the Duet Remote but it doesn't when I access a Samba from my desktop but I'm still to properly investigate this.

Up till now I was assuming I could use the Gnome Power Management util to shut down the system when not is use but I've just found out it uses the screensaver util to trigger a suspend action and the problem with screensaver is that is only monitors user input ie mouse and keyboard not the activity of apps or shared folders.

The solution for us I think is some kind of util to watch a number of nominated apps and then perform an action after a certain timeout.

btw do you get me on the suspend then hibernate requirement ?

[fkjensen]

I think we are working toward the same thing:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1335126

Yeah, and I have seen others with the same request, but no solution yet. A bit strange, I think.

My system wakes no problem when I pick up the Duet Remote but it doesn't when I access a Samba from my desktop but I'm still to properly investigate this.

The Squeezebox sends a WOL to the last server it was connected to. I don't think windows will do this, when trying to connect to a computer on the network - but it should if it was up to me

Up till now I was assuming I could use the Gnome Power Management util to shut down the system when not is use but I've just found out it uses the screensaver util to trigger a suspend action and the problem with screensaver is that is only monitors user input ie mouse and keyboard not the activity of apps or shared folders.

Damn, I was thinking; "when it can be done in the desktop version, of cause it can be done on a server", but I guess I was wrong.

The solution for us I think is some kind of util to watch a number of nominated apps and then perform an action after a certain timeout.

Ok, who will write this? I'll be happy to test it

btw do you get me on the suspend then hibernate requirement ?

Yeah, I get your idea, and I think there is hope if the hardware supports it (and we can get the other problems sorted).
Check out: http://blog.dustinkirkland.com/2009/...ateresume.html
and the script: http://people.canonical.com/~apw/sus...e/test-suspend
It suspends the system and wakes it up after a fixed period of time. Hence you could make a script to
- suspend
- wake up after x min
- hibernate
- if woken up before x min -> break script
Like blazemore suggests in your other thread (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1335126)
But I know nothing about scripting - yet

~Frank

[inspiral]

>>Yeah, and I have seen others with the same request, but no solution yet. A bit strange, I think.

tbh I'm rather disappointed by the power management built into Ubuntu, what we're looking for seems such an obvious requirement for a home server

Anyway enough of the moaning and back to solving the problems.

To solve the WOL from a Windows box I:

• Downloaded www.depicus.com/wake-on-lan/wake-on-lan-cmd.aspx
• Put the full command line required into a batch file
• Added a shortcut to the Desktop
• Then dble click the shortcut, wait a bit and then access the network drive

Not exactly elegant and manual(boo) but it works.

This leave the more fundamental issues:

• Monitoring the system is being accessed or serving tune via Squeezebox and then triggering an event if not
  
  • This is the difficult one, you could ether monitor specific processes via Top or another similar tool or maybe monitor the use of the network port
  
  
• Going to Hibernate from the Suspend state if the system remains un-accessed
  
  • This is easier, the script you point out has the command line syntax required to Suspend for a period of time then to come back up and do something else: http://people.canonical.com/~apw/sus...e/test-suspend
  • Not sure how you get it to recognise if it came up of it's own accord or by WOL/pwr_button
  
  

I'm afraid on the scripting front I'm pretty hopeless, I gave if up a long time ago for just that reason

I guess we could raise this subject on the Squeezebox forum but would've though this is fairly generic functionality.

Thoughts Frank/anyone ?

[fkjensen]

Monitoring the system is being accessed or serving tune via Squeezebox and then triggering an event if not.
This is the difficult one, you could ether monitor specific processes via Top or another similar tool or maybe monitor the use of the network port

Yes this is indeed the tricky one. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Going to Hibernate from the Suspend state if the system remains un-accessed

I am sure, we can solve the suspend->hibernate problem, once we have solved the auto-suspend problem, so let's concentrate on the later.

~Frank

[inspiral]

I thought this tool might offer something that would allow us to use the Screensaver trigger as it can activate dynamically when a process starts:

http://www.blastfromthepast.se/caffe...itle=Main_Page

But the problem is the Squeezbox is a sever that starts when you boot bot just when you start the tool meaning Caffeine triggers all the time never letting the system go to sleep unless you artificially kill the SB service.

Better look for something else I suppose....

[fkjensen]

<-Bump->

Anyone with some god ideas for auto-suspending a server when not in use?

~Frank

[Muttley99]

Well, I'm looking to do exactly the same! I also have the same intel mobo for the server as you.
I use WOL-Packet manager sender for waking the server from windows 7, this works well.
I'll get back to you over the next few days.

[fkjensen]

I found this: http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...7/#post3569957

I haven't tried it yet. I would like to know what it does, but I don't know anything about scripts, so it's going to take me a little while to decipher.

~Frank

[cmsj]

perhaps powernap would be relevant to your interests.