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[Bug 751689] Re: [Lenovo Thinkpad x201s] Overheat due to slow fans when on 'auto'

 

For me the issue is fixed in Saucy, by doing a few things. I am not sure if it is the combination or one of them did the trick:
- Installing: intel-microcode -> Update of the CPU-Firmware
- running thinfan with the attached configuration (note: you must look for more detailed installation instructions on the net, the sensor settings are for a X201 only. You need to adjust them for other machines)
- installing i965-va-driver
- I also have updated my Bios to the latest version. But this was a while ago and did not help. But it may contribute to it.

Before that I had an average temperature of 80 and quite often sudden
peaks leading to 100 and a shutdown. Now I have a permanent temperature
below 60 and only a few peeks above. What I am sure of is that it did
not help to have thinkfan installed, did not help alone.

I have to note that I am running a x201 and have an SSD. Switching from
a hardrive to SSD did not change a thing. So I assume this "solution"
works also with a harddrive.

Before having this solution it helped to remove the battery to prevent
the overheating from happening.

** Attachment added: "thinkfan.conf"
   https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/751689/+attachment/3942865/+files/thinkfan.conf

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/751689

Title:
  [Lenovo Thinkpad x201s] Overheat due to slow fans when on 'auto'

Status in “linux” package in Ubuntu:
  Incomplete
Status in “linux” source package in Maverick:
  Won't Fix
Status in “linux” source package in Natty:
  Won't Fix
Status in “linux” source package in Precise:
  Confirmed
Status in “thinkfan” package in Debian:
  Fix Released
Status in “linux” package in Fedora:
  Unknown

Bug description:
  On my Thinkpad x201s with an i7, if I utilize all of the CPUs/hyperthreads, the machine can be made to overheat very quickly. This is because of the default level setting of 'auto' in /proc/acpi/ibm/fan. On 'auto', the fan only ever goes up to around 4500rpm, while in 'disengaged' mode it can go as high as 6400rpm. At 4500rpm, the CPU continues to climb until the system is forcibly shutdown at 100C. If I reload thinkpad_acpi like so:
  $ sudo rmmod thinkpad_acpi
  $ sudo modprobe thinkpad_acpi fan_control=1

  Then I can set the fan to disengaged mode manually:
  echo "level disengaged" > /proc/acpi/ibm/fan

  With this setting, I can utilize all of the CPUs for an extended time
  and not surpass 85C, still pretty hot but well under the 100C range.
  Furthermore, setting to level '7' (the supposed max fan speed) runs
  the fan at ~5300, well below the maximum fan speed.

  In maverick this did not seem to be as much of a problem (perhaps
  because of the lack of the big kernel lock in natty?).

  Related bugs:
  https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=675433
  http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=610722 (against thinkfan package, but demonstrates that other x201 users are having the same problem)

  ProblemType: Bug
  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.04
  Package: linux-image-2.6.38-7-generic 2.6.38-7.39
  Regression: Yes
  Reproducible: Yes
  ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.38-7.39-generic 2.6.38
  Uname: Linux 2.6.38-7-generic x86_64
  AcpiTables:
   Error: command ['gksu', '-D', 'Apport', '--', '/usr/share/apport/dump_acpi_tables.py'] failed with exit code 1: GNOME_SUDO_PASS
   Sorry, try again.
   sudo: 3 incorrect password attempts
  AlsaVersion: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture Driver Version 1.0.23.
  Architecture: amd64
  ArecordDevices:
   **** List of CAPTURE Hardware Devices ****
   card 0: Intel [HDA Intel], device 0: CONEXANT Analog [CONEXANT Analog]
     Subdevices: 1/1
     Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
  AudioDevicesInUse:
   USER        PID ACCESS COMMAND
   /dev/snd/controlC0:  jamie      2641 F.... pulseaudio
   /dev/snd/pcmC0D0p:   jamie      2641 F...m pulseaudio
  CRDA: Error: [Errno 2] No such file or directory
  Card0.Amixer.info:
   Card hw:0 'Intel'/'HDA Intel at 0xf2520000 irq 43'
     Mixer name	: 'Intel IbexPeak HDMI'
     Components	: 'HDA:14f15069,17aa2156,00100302 HDA:80862804,17aa21b5,00100000'
     Controls      : 12
     Simple ctrls  : 6
  Card29.Amixer.info:
   Card hw:29 'ThinkPadEC'/'ThinkPad Console Audio Control at EC reg 0x30, fw 6QHT28WW-1.09'
     Mixer name	: 'ThinkPad EC 6QHT28WW-1.09'
     Components	: ''
     Controls      : 1
     Simple ctrls  : 1
  Card29.Amixer.values:
   Simple mixer control 'Console',0
     Capabilities: pswitch pswitch-joined penum
     Playback channels: Mono
     Mono: Playback [on]
  Date: Tue Apr  5 11:56:28 2011
  EcryptfsInUse: Yes
  HibernationDevice: RESUME=UUID=58280e6e-d161-43ea-8593-a89fb7b6851a
  InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.04 LTS "Lucid Lynx" - Release amd64 (20100427.1)
  MachineType: LENOVO 5129CTO
  ProcEnviron:
   LANGUAGE=en_US:en
   PATH=(custom, user)
   LANG=en_US.UTF-8
   SHELL=/bin/bash
  ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.38-7-generic root=UUID=82571cfb-fdda-4d2f-b708-f8924aa0fe21 ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
  RelatedPackageVersions:
   linux-restricted-modules-2.6.38-7-generic N/A
   linux-backports-modules-2.6.38-7-generic  N/A
   linux-firmware                            1.49
  SourcePackage: linux
  UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to natty on 2011-02-24 (39 days ago)
  dmi.bios.date: 04/20/2010
  dmi.bios.vendor: LENOVO
  dmi.bios.version: 6QET44WW (1.14 )
  dmi.board.name: 5129CTO
  dmi.board.vendor: LENOVO
  dmi.board.version: Not Available
  dmi.chassis.asset.tag: No Asset Information
  dmi.chassis.type: 10
  dmi.chassis.vendor: LENOVO
  dmi.chassis.version: Not Available
  dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnLENOVO:bvr6QET44WW(1.14):bd04/20/2010:svnLENOVO:pn5129CTO:pvrThinkPadX201s:rvnLENOVO:rn5129CTO:rvrNotAvailable:cvnLENOVO:ct10:cvrNotAvailable:
  dmi.product.name: 5129CTO
  dmi.product.version: ThinkPad X201s
  dmi.sys.vendor: LENOVO

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