DSL Makes Notebook Run HOT!
Forum: User Feedback
Topic: DSL Makes Notebook Run HOT!
started by: polo_step
Posted by polo_step on June 19 2007,05:29
Is there any reason why DSL as well as other "live" Linux distros make my notebook run so hot I can barely hold it?Is this a driver problem or what? Is it dangerous to the equipment?
VIA chipset in an ECS notebook w/AMD Sempron.
Thanks for any help!
Posted by ^thehatsrule^ on June 19 2007,07:05
If you're using livecds.. perhaps your drive that's making all that heat?
Posted by polo_step on June 19 2007,13:51
| Quote (^thehatsrule^ @ June 19 2007,03:05) |
| If you're using livecds.. perhaps your drive that's making all that heat? |
That had crossed my mind, but I dismissed it -- it also happens when running from a USB flashdrive.
I mean, the notebook gets so hot it starts to stink. I don't know if it's the CPU or the video (VIA Unichrome, which is not directly supported in DSL) or other processors or what...but all these live Linux distributions seem to cause it.
It's kind of scary. I don't know if there's something in these that disables thermal shutdowns or what, and I'm reluctant to do a permanent install if it's going to pose a danger to my gear.
I had also thought that perhaps these live distributions are somehow more computationally intense in live mode.
I'm stumped.
Posted by roberts on June 19 2007,15:07
Does you laptop support acpi?Does the fan come on at all?
You may want to try DSL v3.4 with the new acpid where you can script control thermal, etc...
DSL forum user Juanito has experience with many of these triggers/actions.
Posted by curaga on June 19 2007,15:07
And Windows keeps it cold? Maybe there are some 'keep cool' windows-driver only options selected...
Posted by WDef on June 23 2007,00:39
Power consumption, hence heat, is to large part determined by CPU speed.Since dsl doesn't have CPUFreq and an appropriate module for my Centrino then there's no CPU scaling afaik, so on my laptop, the CPU is always running at max, so my laptop runs hotter and the battery last less time when on dsl Cf Fedora. And the fan is consequently on quite a lot.
With CPU scaling and an appropriate control daemon such as Powernowd, my cpu would be running at half speed most of the time, which is all that's needed for surfing etc.
Original poster: you should make sure your fan is working. Overheating is not at all good for your CPU.
Posted by Juanito on June 23 2007,06:27
You could probably still adjust the frequency scaling manually, even without cpufreq - in fact the default scripts with acpid in DSL3.4rc1 are set up to do this.The command to set the cpu at its lowest speed (depending on the cpu) would be something like:
| Code Sample |
| # echo 7 > /proc/acpi/processor/CPU0/performance # cat /proc/acpi/processor/CPU0/performance state count: 8 active state: P7 states: P0: 1600 MHz, 21000 mW, 250 uS P1: 1600 MHz, 21000 mW, 250 uS P2: 1600 MHz, 21000 mW, 250 uS P3: 1400 MHz, 18500 mW, 250 uS P4: 1200 MHz, 15500 mW, 250 uS P5: 1000 MHz, 13000 mW, 250 uS P6: 800 MHz, 10000 mW, 250 uS *P7: 600 MHz, 7500 mW, 250 uS |
Posted by WDef on June 23 2007,16:23
| Quote |
You could probably still adjust the frequency scaling manually, even without cpufreq - in fact the default scripts with acpid in DSL3.4rc1 are set up to do this. |
Haven't tried that - will do at some stage.
Posted by jimjan on June 23 2007,17:42
| Quote (roberts @ June 19 2007,11:07) |
| Does you laptop support acpi? Does the fan come on at all? You may want to try DSL v3.4 with the new acpid where you can script control thermal, etc... DSL forum user Juanito has experience with many of these triggers/actions. |
am a fan of mini distros and noticed with both dsl and puppy that fan does not come on when using either
fan comes on with other larger distros being used as livecd [eg knoppix vector slax pclinos]
laptop gets really hot; i mean really warm
reasons this might be happening???
solutions???
thanks
Posted by WDef on June 24 2007,14:21
Jimjan - try (in a root shell):| Code Sample |
| modprobe fan modprobe thermal |
to make sure the acpi submodules for this control are loaded.
They weren't on ye olde dsl-2.1b (which I use right now because I need ipw2200), which is why I didn't have a /proc/acpi/processor/ directory for cpu status (@Juanito's post above). Now I can do
| Code Sample |
| echo 4 >/proc/acpi/processor/CPU0/performance |
to halve my CPU speed as Juanito says.
My fan was coming on and off (or rather goes down to idle speed) regardless of loading these modules however, so there's another control mechanism.
Do the directories /proc/acpi/fan and /proc/acpi/thermal now exist?
dsl runs at THR0 = 63C at max CPU speed when doing ordinary stuff on a hot day for me. Halving the CPU speed dropped that tempertaure by 11C in 10 minutes to 52C.
You must not run your laptop so it's as hot as you say, you may be damaging the cpu and shortening its life.
(I'm not sure acpi for the 2.4.xx kernel was ever entirely a 100% done thing - you might need a 2.6.xx kernel with your hardware. But Puppy has 2.6.xx so not the sure what the problem is with that.)
Posted by roberts on June 24 2007,15:28
DSL has had ACPI modules since version 3.0There are auto detected and loaded on evey machine that I have tested. That is not to say that there may be exceptions.
Starting with DSL v3.4RC1 I have added acpid daemon and sample scripts thanks to the efforts of Juanito.
Alot of effort goes into each release of DSL and much has changed.
My development of DSL did not stop with v2.1b.
Posted by jimjan on June 24 2007,18:57
| Quote (roberts @ June 24 2007,11:28) |
| DSL has had ACPI modules since version 3.0 There are auto detected and loaded on evey machine that I have tested. That is not to say that there may be exceptions. Starting with DSL v3.4RC1 I have added acpid daemon and sample scripts thanks to the efforts of Juanito. Alot of effort goes into each release of DSL and much has changed. My development of DSL did not stop with v2.1b. |
another take on this issue is one [like mine] where the fan does not come on??
am a fan of mini distros and noticed with both dsl and puppy that fan does not come on when using either distro with my laptop
fan comes on with other larger distros being used as livecd [eg knoppix vector slax pclinos]
laptop gets really hot; i mean really warm
reasons this might be happening???
solutions???
thanks
Posted by jimjan on June 24 2007,19:07
will try; thanks wdefsorry to all for dup question entry
Posted by WDef on June 25 2007,12:12
| Quote |
| My development of DSL did not stop with v2.1b. |
Robert I ask that you re-read my post since you perhaps have got the wrong impression.
This question:
| Quote |
| Do the directories /proc/acpi/fan and /proc/acpi/thermal now exist? |
was directed at Jimjan to report back after (s)he tried loading the modules - these dirs should get automatically created when the modules are loaded (as happened for me on 2.1b).
As I said, I'm only using 2.1b because I need the ipw2200 driver. There's no ipw2200 driver available for 2.4.26 kernel dsls in the repo. Nothing *whatsoever* to do with presence or absence of acpi, which I was aware had been added from v3+. No-one was suggesting anything about development having stopped afaik?
?Or if they were, please point them out to me so I can punch them in the nose ...
@Jimjan: you need to tell us what happens (or if nothing happens) when you ty to load those modules instead of PMing me every day.
Posted by jimjan on July 06 2007,00:06
took some advice from earlier in this stream and - wow - it worked for my laptop [compaq nc 6000]moved to new dsl 3.4 and right from the start the fan worked!!! - therefore no hot laptop since i switched
my issue was not that fan would run too fast, it just did not come on at all [even though it did with other live distros - eg knoppix, slax]
v3.4 seems to have resolved that that for my system -
