Add thinkfan package

Head_on_a_Stick · 2017-08-30 07:07:24

Some hardware has a kind of broken fan-control and lets the fan run faster than really needed. Thinkfan will prevent this by controlling the fan on its own (the fan speed for each temperature interval can be adjusted in the configuration file).

https://packages.debian.org/stretch/thinkfan

A user has just reported fan problems in BL-He that were fixed by installation of the above package:

https://forums.bunsenlabs.org/viewtopic.php?id=4113

The package is only ~100KiB so perhaps we could just add it to the stock desktop?

Alternatively, the user who reported the problem suggested that an option may be added to the `bl-welcome` script.

johnraff · 2017-08-30 07:37:24

Looks promising.
Just installing the package was enough for that user?
Installing it won't mess up the fan on machines where it was running OK?
bl-welcome would be another option, yes, although just installing a regular package doesn't really call for a lot of scripting - unless there was some test that it could do to detect potential fan problems before offering the install.
A forum how-to is another option of course.

But as you say it's quite a small package, so if it did no harm we could just put it in.

Last edited by johnraff (2017-08-30 07:40:11)

Head_on_a_Stick · 2017-08-30 19:01:52

johnraff wrote:

Just installing the package was enough for that user?

Apparently so, yes. See the linked thread.

Installing it won't mess up the fan on machines where it was running OK?

Good question

I will try it on my Clevo laptop later and report back.

p9000 · 2017-08-30 22:12:05

afaik software fan control should only be used when the firmware and the kernel do not understand each other thus the fan speed is set incorrectly. But the daemon is not guaranteed to read the temperature correctly or take optimal actions (should it speed up the fan if the cpu is cool but the gpu or the hdd are hot? some firmwares do this) so it should not be used on well working systems. Componets may age faster when running too hot.

Last edited by p9000 (2017-08-30 22:14:11)

johnraff · 2017-08-31 06:24:48

So this sounds like something for a HOW-TO, maybe?

Head_on_a_Stick · 2017-08-31 06:26:19

^ Perhaps; however:

Head_on_a_Stick wrote:

I will try it on my Clevo laptop later and report back.

The package doesn't seem to do anything on a non-ThinkPad, my fan control works as usual and the systemd unit file is disabled:

empty@testbed:~ $ systemctl status thinkfan --no-pager                                    
● thinkfan.service - simple and lightweight fan control program
   Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/thinkfan.service; disabled; vendor preset: enabled)
   Active: inactive (dead)
3|empty@testbed:~ $

So it seems to be fine to just add it.

johnraff · 2017-08-31 07:51:20

But

thinkfan wrote:

Originally designed specifically for IBM/Lenovo Thinkpads, it supports any kind of system via the sysfs hwmon interface.

and

p9000 wrote:

the daemon is not guaranteed to read the temperature correctly or take optimal actions (should it speed up the fan if the cpu is cool but the gpu or the hdd are hot? some firmwares do this) so it should not be used on well working systems.

johnraff · 2017-08-31 23:28:42

Head_on_a_Stick wrote:

...the systemd unit file is disabled

What's causing the systemd unit to be disabled, any idea? The debian postinst script perhaps?

Head_on_a_Stick · 2017-09-01 06:16:22

^ Just what was printed in the `systemctl status` output.

I will look in the journal tonight and try to investigate further but as it stands I think the [SOLVED] thread is actually sufficient (we presume our users know about search engines, right?).

johnraff · 2017-09-01 08:04:09

^ I was curious as to by what mechanism thinkfan had decided it wasn't needed on that machine.

For sure, this thread is OK as it is.

jerk-o · 2017-09-06 04:55:37

If I do the command "sudo dmidecode -t 1 | grep Version" I get "Version: ThinkPad T420" so having bl-welcome check the output of that command and only installing the "thinkfan" package if you find "thinkpad" in the output might be something to do.

#1 2017-08-30 07:07:24

Add thinkfan package

#2 2017-08-30 07:37:24

Re: Add thinkfan package

#3 2017-08-30 19:01:52

Re: Add thinkfan package

#4 2017-08-30 22:12:05

Re: Add thinkfan package

#5 2017-08-31 06:24:48

Re: Add thinkfan package

#6 2017-08-31 06:26:19

Re: Add thinkfan package

#7 2017-08-31 07:51:20

Re: Add thinkfan package

#8 2017-08-31 23:28:42

Re: Add thinkfan package

#9 2017-09-01 06:16:22

Re: Add thinkfan package

#10 2017-09-01 08:04:09

Re: Add thinkfan package

#11 2017-09-06 04:55:37

Re: Add thinkfan package

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