SW 12.0 acpi and older IBM Thinkpad 600X laptop
 

Hi.

This laptop circa 1999 to 2000 it works with APM but I think it's too old to work (at least very much with) acpi

FWIW I think I had this laptop running alright with Slackware 11.0 (no freezing/lockup problem)

With Slackware 12 it runs good but it freezes every so often

it acts like it tries to go into too deep of a power saving mode like suspend or something.

I removed the x from /etc/rc.d/rc.acpid

I added an append line in lilo.conf then ran /sbin/lilo

append="acpi=off"
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It still locks up on me after near twenty minutes (then must kill with the laptop's power switch and then startup the laptop again. (if I keep mousing every so often can prolong the freeze ie make run for longer than 20 minutes but, get off the mouse as in I'm ssh'd into the laptop from another box then the pesky freeze can happen)

lsmod listing doesn't show acpi

??? I don't know where else to look, please share what else could do/cause this. Thanks.

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Alan.

Sometimes people run into similar problems with the screensaver. Check your screensaver settings and/or experiment by turning the screensaver off.

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Steve Stites

It locks up in run level 3

I've always used the startx with this Slackware 12.0

Is there a screensaver when X has not been started? (run level 3) -- if so, how do I turn it/screensaver off?

At first I thought it was something in KDE (where I first noticed it). But then I using in run level 3 and it sleeps down and locks up. With or without X it sleeps down and locks up.

The lock up is just like they describe a laptop on Linux suspending to HD then is unable to come back from such suspend.

Is udev in on this now, the acpi

Using the Slack 12 generic-smp kernel with initrd for ext3 file system.

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Alan.

append="acpi=off apic=off"

It *may* be no longer freezing using that append line.

Now when I turn it off it says "system halted" but to completely kill the laptop I must push the laptop's power switch (whereas before, it went 100% off on its own -- no need to push the power switch).

An even more, longer running of the laptop tomorrow will tell me if I've got it the freezing problem stopped.

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Alan.

While in run level 3 (or with X started) the laptop still sleeps down.

As next, it's the 2nd level of sleep down that makes laptop freeze.

1st stage sleep down is ok -- monitor is darkened down but still is very lightly lit -- mouse or spacebar wakes it up and we're still running ok.

The lid is open -- I just leave it running and walk away (or, worse yet, I've got a task running that takes some time for this task to complete) -- it first goes into 1st stage sleep down -- then, after a bit more time -- it goes into what I'm calling 2nd staqe sleep down where the monitor becomes/is totally dark -- once this happens, mouse or spacebar will lights up the monitor which is then now lit but blank -- I've now a dead horse, task and all (task dies too while not yet to completion) ctrl+alt+F6 doesn't work, nothing works except turn off the power then start it up again.

I need to stop the mentioned 2nd stage dead horse issue.

So, I wonder if I need to write some UDEV rule(s)? Certainly, HAL has not to do with this, does it?

Try a different kernel?

Any ideas, anyone?

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Alan.

since it is an old computer why not compile a custom kernel without ACPI and instead APM?

I suppose that may do it. But . . .

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/si...chineind=58997

At above there is config utility for DOS and for Win

thinkpadctrl

And, Thomas Hood wrote that for Linux (Thinkpad 600E, 600X).

Essentially, config util is a software to access/change certain bios settings with respect to power saving

Further, these software setted settings are in addition to what can access in the bios by during boot strike the F1 key and enter the bios.

Further, such software setted settings are neither APM nor acpi (unless I'm mistaken) (thus Thomas Hood found the need to write thinkpadctrl)

Thomas Hood no longer use 600X. Uses a later lap nowadays, a Thinkpad T30 or something which has acpi (I guess I should use a later lap)

I've 2 of these laptops. 1 with Slack 11 does not have the prob. But the other with Slack 12 does have the prob.

I suspect it's due to differences in software setted settings between the 2 laptops.

But it could be some diff between Slack 11 and 12. Both run 2.6 kernel.

not yet ran the config utility. will post back if/when I find more.

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Alan.

I use a custom 2.6 kernel with APM for my IBM 600E TP laptop and all the power management features work great. I can use all the Fn hotkeys to put it to sleep, shut off the monitor, etc. If I remember correctly there is a specific kernel option to enable this for IBM TPs.

Thanks.

Perhaps the older version of 2.6 kernel in/with/from Slackware 11 has more APM in it.

As in perhaps more APM got yanked by the time the version of 2.6 kernel with Slackware 12 (generic-smp) -- hmm, I still have the huge26 as a choice to boot in lilo I should boot it and see if it does same as generic-smp with this freeze up issue.

Again, my lap with Slack 11 on it does not have the prob -- in fact, KDE doesn't even sleep down but stays totally awake like as if I'm at the keyboard using it all of the time -- HD spins all the time.

The other lap with Slack 12 does 2 stages of sleep of which the first stage it will wake from -- but, leave it sit running a bit longer after it's in stage 1 then it goes sleeps further down where the monitor goes totally dark -- it will not come back from this latter -- the monitor will light up a bit as if it is trying to come back but the monitor remains blank -- until restart is the only way to get it back and it journal checks just as if it last had an unclean shutdown.

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Alan.

On mine I have to hit the Fn key for it to totally wake up. Perhaps this is what you have to do. Or perhaps it just isn't working properly because not all the needed kernel options are correct. See if your logs tell you anything useful.

Recently I decided it was time to install Slackware 12 on my TP600E and I made a couple of custom kernels The only difference between them is that one uses ACPI and the other uses APM.

Out of the box APM seems to work better. The Fn keys work and using apm directly works. Unlike what some people say, I do not have to turn off my cardbus for it to suspend to RAM (it doesn't matter whether or not it is plugged in either). I tested all of this in a console and in X- no problems. I did notice, however, that closing the lid or using the Fn keys does not do quite the same thing as using apm directly. For one, I don't get a message in /var/log/messages during these actions. Also, putting my laptop to sleep by closing the lid or by using the Fn key does not turn off my cardbus and USB ports, while using apm directly does. I'll have to look more into this to see if I can make the behavior more consistent.

Using ACPI, using the Fn key for monitor blanking registers no action. Using the other Fn keys and closing the lid registers actions, but nothing is setup to handle them out of the box. Only a message is printed, so you will have to write some scripts to use ACPI.

It should be noted that I have not tested hibernation or hot swapping the Ultra Bay for either APM or ACPI yet. I have a little setup to do before I can attempt hibernation. With both APM and ACPI I had no stability issues, but I haven't tested ACPI enough to know it is as stable as APM.

I'll post any updates on all of this in the future.

Just to let you know, building a custom kernel made my computer boot 20 seconds faster and it uses about 12MB less RAM. Plus now I don't have to see any annoying messages referring to RAIDs I don't have. :)

Edit: The above numbers are for the ACPI kernel. The APM kernel saved me 26 seconds and about 13MB RAM!

Here is my kernel config section for APM (kernel 2.6.24.3)
Oh, I noticed with this configuration that flipping the power switch just cuts the power off on the machine, so maybe CONFIG_APM_REAL_MODE_POWER_OFF should be no.

Thanks for that.

I got the Lenovo ps2 utility for DOS

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/si...chineind=58997

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/si...id=MIGR-4ZFPEG

Put DOS on so can boot from it, run the above configurator utility.

util (for DOS) interface is a bit confusing to understand (as in could be better off using the util for Win 98 or Win 2K if you have those OS) instead of the DOS ver. of the utility.

More experimenting to do. pmode (power mode) is one of the (adjustable) settings.

I yet need to find if there's any difference (between the 2 computers) in these (hibernation, power saving, HD disk shutdown, etc.) settable (bios) settings which are accessed via only this mentioned utility or for Linux, Tom Hood's thinkpadctrl

Lenovo says these laptop are "acpi ready" (my take is: probably for early implementations of acpi and maybe [maybe not] fully adaptable to today's acpi)

custom pmode can have the HD always spin ([by contrast] the default is that the HD stops after so many minutes of no user interactivity).

I'm not certain, but it seemed like the HD never stopped (always spins) on the lappy that doesn't freeze with Slackware. So, it may have a custom pmode setting from the former owner of the laptop (I've not yet ever run the IBM PS2 utility on this laptop so as to confirm what the settings are).

But I did run the utility on the other lappy, the one that freezes (somehow won't "wake up") when Slackware the OS.

At this point, more comparison between the 2 laptops is needed. (compare what the settings are set at on each laptop) (maybe the one lappy has a hardware problem, the Fn key wouldn't even wake it up) (maybe it's the pmode setting for the HD causing this -- but I'd think in this case that the Fn key would make the HD spin again and all should be fine like wake up -- but it doesn't wake up for whatever the cause.

On the problem lappy, hibernation is disabled at this time (the IBM PS2 utility tells me so); I'm look forward to more trials so as to see [if it now will work] and if I can pinpoint why the difference between the two laptops.

I'll share discoveries here for those who are interested.

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Alan.

I've assumed you know about this, but just in case - http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/ThinkWiki.

To use hibernation via firmware I think you have to have a special IBM (ao type) partition setup. Either that or you have to use something like tphdisk to create a hibernation parition/file. Software hibernation is a different story of course. For now, I'm more interested in getting hot swapping to work as I don't really need hibernation.

Here's the state of the situation on my end:

APM
It seems I was incorrect about suspension from the Fn button. It instead seems to just standby, so suspend to RAM only works when using the apm call. Closing the lid also causes a standby and not a suspend. The annoying thing is that if I suspend my laptop and then close the lid it will come out of suspend mode after a couple of seconds and then standby. I'd like to be able change the behavior of closing the lid in particular. I'm not sure how to do this, and as far as I know the PS2 or linux tools don't help with this. Perhaps I'll just have to do something like sleep 5 && apm -s and close the lid before the suspend command executes.

The big question with APM is how to get hot swapping working. The real question is how to cut the power to the UltraBay. With ACPI you just
ACPI
I have to do a lot more testing here. For hot swapping, I can't use lt_hotswap since I'm using a new kernel, so I have to recompile my kernel with the ata_piix support instead of the ide piix. Also, it is quite apparent to me that the ibm-acpi driver does not give me control with my Fn keys for my machine (it doesn't show support for it either on the project homepage). ACPI catches them, but my laptop's BIOS firmware does not handle them like it does with APM. This actually is probably a blessing, because I have more control with only ACPI. The ibm-acpi tools do let me play with my leds and beeps, though. Disabling the UltraBay did not work for me, but I didn't delete the node for the device first, so I am not surprised.

Useful links - (many more on that wiki site)
hotswapping UltraBay devices
Problems with ACPI suspend to RAM
How to get special keys to work
How to configure acpid

Hi. Thanks.

It's late now but tomorrow I'll run the ps2 utility again as there might have been something in there changeable setting with respect to the lid.

I do not know how to tell if it is in suspend or if it is in standby mode. Do you know how to find this out?

Yesterday, using ps2, I had initialized some defaults with respect to power management on the lappy with the freeze problem.

Today, ps2 on both laptops, settings match, unable to find any differences in the settings between the 2 laptops.

Both lap are 600X. Freeze lap is the newest and has a 650 MHZ CPU with speed stepping (came orig with Win 2K, has sticker). Other (non freeze) lap has a 500 MHZ CPU without speed stepping (orig with Win 98SE).

I wonder if the speed stepping might have to do with the freeze. At this point I really don't know why (upon wakeup) the 1 freeze and the other doesn't freeze with the same setup of Slack 12.0 on both of them.

Next I'll boot Slack on the 650 CPU lap (perhaps with ps2 the initializing of defaults on power management did something).

BTW (ps2 reports) hibernate is disabled on both lap.

Keep it simple (here on this end). I don't use them much. When I do, I use on AC power cord. Suspend or monitor sleep or whatever it's called is all I need. I just don't yet grasp why the 1 lap couldn't wake back up (it did seem to have another, slightly deeper level of sleep than the other lap) (and it would wake up from the first level but if it set a bit longer and went into that 2nd level then it be a goner, not to come back.

The other mach did not seem to ever enter a 2nd, deeper level.

I do not know how to tell if it is in suspend or if it is in standby mode. Do you know how to find this out?

I do not hot swap. Another, external bay (swappable floppy or cd drive can hold) relatively inexpensive on Ebay. I have one it's where my floppy drive resides. When I need it, I just plug it in (short cord), plugs to the right front side of laptop (no need to disturb my cd drive that's in the front part of the machine). I've also a "floppy drive only" external (smaller unit) it's fixed, cannot swap cd drive / floppy drive.

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Alan.