T420: Fan runs all the time on Ubuntu 11.04beta2

Hi,

I got my Thinkpad T420 with Nvidia Optimus, i5 2520m and without an OS a few days ago. In the BIOS I selected the integrated graphics adapter and then I installed Ubuntu 11.04 beta2. It looks like almost every driver got installed automatically. However, I have the problem that the fan runs all the time. Is that always the case? I updated the BIOS from 1.16 to 1.22 but no change.
I found thinkfan, which seems to be a program to control the fan of Thinkpad Laptops, but it doesn't recognize my Laptop as a Thinkpad.
Does anyone have the same problem with the new Ubuntu version?

 

I have the L420, the fan kicks on and stays on when I start browsing the internet on Windows 7 and also on 11.04 beta 2

 

As I don't have a T420 I cannot help too much. I can offer this, though: typically when you get a laptop with a brand new hardware platform, it takes the Linux community a bit to catch up and have everything working correctly. Essentially the problem is that the OS is not controlling the fan at all, so it is doing whatever BIOS would have it do.

I bought the T410 when the new platform for Arrandale had just come out, and it took a couple months to get the kinks worked out in the kernel and such. Eventually someone released a T410-patched thinkfan and eventually the kernel had everything working, but you will have to be patient. Though I did have issues in the beginning (most annoyingly was a suspend to ram issue, which is fairly well documented on this forum in the "T410 and Linux" thread), my laptop is now perfect.

I do think there are members on this forum who have a T420 and solely use Linux, hopefully they can chime in a bit more helpfully than I.

I would keep an eye on thinkfan, and in the mean time check out Fan control scripts - ThinkWiki and see if this helps at all. Again it will probably not be updated for the T420 yet, as not many people have one. ThinkWiki is an amazing resource: it is devoted to running Linux on Thinkpads!

Thanks,
Ryan

EDIT:

I should have asked a few more probing questions to try to help:

Try running ` lsmod | grep thinkpad_acp ` to see if thinkpad_acpi is running. If it is indeed running, what is the output of ` cat /proc/acpi/ibm/fan ` ?

Here are my outputs for example:

Code:

[ryan@T410 ~]% lsmod | grep thinkpad_acpi
thinkpad_acpi          59767  0
rfkill                 14810  2 cfg80211,thinkpad_acpi
snd                    55132  13 snd_hda_codec_hdmi,snd_hda_codec_conexant,snd_h_device,snd_pcm_oss,snd_pcm,snd_timer,snd_mixer_oss,thinkpad_acpi
nvram                   5669  1 thinkpad_acpi

[ryan@T410 ~]% cat /proc/acpi/ibm/fan
status:		disabled
speed:		0
level:		0
commands:	level <level> (<level> is 0-7, auto, disengaged, full-speed)
commands:	enable, disable
commands:	watchdog <timeout> (<timeout> is 0 (off), 1-120 (seconds))

The line 'commands: level <level> (<level> is 0-7, auto, disengaged, full-speed)' is essential in that is shows your OS can control the fan speed.

 

I have Natty on a T420 without Optimus (Intel graphics only). The fan does seem to be spinning all the time, but at a nearly silent level until I do something processor-intensive.

Code:

brian@t420:~$ lsmod | grep thinkpad_acpi
thinkpad_acpi          81587  0 
nvram                  14419  1 thinkpad_acpi
snd                    67382  15 snd_hda_codec_hdmi,snd_hda_codec_conexant,snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec,snd_hwdep,snd_pcm,snd_rawmidi,snd_seq,thinkpad_acpi,snd_timer,snd_seq_device
brian@t420:~$ cat /proc/acpi/ibm/fan
status:		enabled
speed:		1976
level:		auto

From what you're saying, it sounds like Linux is able to monitor but not control the fan speed. This doesn't bother me as it seems to be working fine anyway, but perhaps Optimus machines run the fan at a more noticeable speed by default.

 

Ah how silly of me! Until now I had completely forgotten about this! You need to allow your system to control the fan. For me it is as follows

Code:

[ryan@T410 ~]% cat /etc/modprobe.d/thinkpad_acpi.conf 
options thinkpad_acpi fan_control=1

Essentially you need to find your modprobe.d directory and add make a file containing that line. Then run (as root) `rmmod thinkpad_acpi` and then `modprobe thinkpad_acpi` and you should see that you should be able to control the fan.

Thanks,
Ryan

 

I just read a mound of documentation over at ThinkWiki about fan control, and I'm still not quite sure why I would need to bother. Is there anything wrong with the default fan control method? It does seem to change the fan speed as appropriate for conditions.

 

The reason you might want more control is if BIOS is being a bit too careful (read: the fan noise is bothering you and you're willing to let the laptop heat up just a bit more to have silence).

For example, on my T410, the BIOS tends to kick in the fan a bit earlier than I'd ask prefer. While the fan is off, cores idle in the 40s and the acpi sensor is usually low 50s, which is not hot at all for a laptop, so I have the fan configured (through thinkfan) to be off until the hottest sensor hits 55, which means I have completely silent use until I start compiling something or start running a computation. The BIOS, left unchecked, would have my fan running at the second level (3600rpm) in the same conditions, which produces a bit of an annoying whine.

If my fan tended to stay at the lower setting without thinkfan, I'd probably not have bothered, but this was not the case. At any rate, if you don't mind the fan it is of course always better for the system to have it on.

So essentially, there is no real reason to control the fan other than to have a bit more control over the noise of your laptop.

 

No such problem in Debian Squeeze, running with 2.6.38.2

An Ubuntu regression perhaps?

 

Thanks for the information. Since the fan noise is not bothering me (I can barely tell it's running in a quiet room) I'll skip playing around with this until I get the rest of the machine working. I'm currently having issues with the Intel Centrino 6300 WiFi being terribly slow under Windows or Linux unless I disable power management and moderately slow otherwise, and with the DisplayPort not driving an external monitor unless I update to a 2.6.39 prerelease which causes VMware not to work. A little fan noise is the least of my concerns at this point!

 

If you go to advance mode in power management, there should be a setting under "advance setting tab"; change the Wireless adapter setting to Maximum Performance.

 

this must be a ubuntu thing.
i have a T420 with Intel HD3000 graphics.
i am using archlinux with a 2.6.38 kernel and the displayport is perfect.
displayport to HDMI cable plugged into 24" LCD.
ArchBang 11.02 is a quick & easy set-up or Arch (although Arch is dead easy anyway).

'ar and r' works great to switch between displays. i have two icons set-up to flick between external and notebook screen. here is the external screen code ...

#!/bin/bash
if [ "$(xrandr -q | egrep 'HDMI.* connected')" ]; then
xrandr --output LVDS1 --off --output HDMI1 --auto
fi

 

That's the difference. I'm using a DisplayPort monitor and that's what doesn't work. I've ordered a DisplayPort to DVI cable and that should do the trick.

It's dead easy if your time has no value. Been there, done that, and after 12+ years of messing around with Slack/Crux/Arch etc., convenience is my new mistress.

 

i guess after having invested the time over the last 12 yrs myself, it is now super quick to set-up Arch now. but even quicker is archbang. i would recommend it.

 

I would recommend Arch if and only if the person that I'm recommending it to is capable of dealing with its gotchas, namely:

1) As it is rolling release, features that work now may not work or even be present after an update.

2) There is no package signing, so there is no way to verify that you're not installing software that's been tampered with.

3) There is no defined period of stable support, so you have to be pro-active and figure out whether you want to install each update or wait.

If they're aware of all three and still want to, then yes, I'd recommend it, as it's a good distro for folks who can deal with the above.

If someone wants something that "just works", however, I'm inclined to recommend Ubuntu if he wants to set it up himself, or Debian if stability, reliability, and consistent operation are his primary concerns. For some wanting long-term support or business use I'll recommend RHEL if and only if he's got the cash to afford it and a real need for the 10 year support cycle, otherwise I'll just recommend Debian.

Back on topic, to the OP: are you sure that your CPU isn't under load? There've been times when I've been wondering about my fans only to find that I had a runaway process or two that was keeping the CPU awake and warm.

 

Had I asked for a recommendation for a Linux distribution, I would have appreciated the suggestion.

It's not just a matter of capability; it's a matter of the right tool for the job. I have an Arch virtual machine around because it's the best environment in which to test and stay up to date with the latest and greatest. Where I use Ubuntu, it's precisely because I don't want to be constantly getting the latest and greatest. Having a product build break because the system gcc suddenly changed is not on the agenda. Not getting security updates in order to hold off on updates is likewise not an option. In this case I also need an environment that's consistent with other machines that are administered/maintained by people other than myself.

In short: been there, done that, well aware of the options and what purposes they are fit for.

 

I have the same Fan Problem with my Thinkpad T420 4180W1H.
The Fan is running all the time with at least 1800 rpm.
Does anyone figured out a way to controle the fan or the fanspeed yet ?
Unfortunatly iam not able to get thinkfan controling the speed.

Can anyone help ?
Thanks