[Lenovo V570 Notebook] Brightness not changing via UI widget in GNOME shell or hotkeys

[Asif Youssuff]

Fresh install of a Vivid Vervet Ubuntu GNOME daily iso.

Adding debugging information from https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel/Debugging/Backlight

I found that

echo 8 > /sys/class/backlight/intel_backlight/brightness

worked to lower my screen brightness, without playing with kernel parameters.

Booting with the kernel parameter: acpi_backlight=vendor did not enable the UI widget or hotkeys, although echo 8 > /sys/class/backlight/intel_backlight/brightness continued to work.

Booting with the kernel parameter: video.use_bios_initial_backlight=0 did not allow for hotkey or widget changes of brightness.

Booting with the kernel parameter: video.use_native_backlight=1 also did not resolve the issue.

Creating /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/80-backlight.conf

with the contents:

Section "Device"
    Identifier "Intel Graphics"
    Driver "intel"
    Option "AccelMethod" "sna"
    Option "Backlight" "intel_backlight" # use your backlight that works here
    BusID "PCI:0:2:0"
EndSection

and rebooting does resolve the issue.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 15.04
Package: linux-image-3.16.0-24-generic 3.16.0-24.32 [modified: boot/vmlinuz-3.16.0-24-generic]
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.16.0-24.32-generic 3.16.4
Uname: Linux 3.16.0-24-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.14.7-0ubuntu9
Architecture: amd64
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/controlC0: asif 2318 F.... pulseaudio
CurrentDesktop: GNOME
Date: Sun Nov 2 15:48:05 2014
HibernationDevice: RESUME=UUID=53025272-1910-418a-9f4a-b6ac00a768f1
InstallationDate: Installed on 2014-11-01 (1 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu-GNOME 15.04 "Vivid Vervet" - Alpha amd64 (20141031)
MachineType: LENOVO 1066A9U
ProcEnviron:
 TERM=xterm
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcFB: 0 inteldrmfb
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/vmlinuz-3.16.0-24-generic root=/dev/mapper/ubuntu--gnome--vg-root ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
RelatedPackageVersions:
 linux-restricted-modules-3.16.0-24-generic N/A
 linux-backports-modules-3.16.0-24-generic N/A
 linux-firmware 1.138
SourcePackage: linux
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 07/11/2011
dmi.bios.vendor: LENOVO
dmi.bios.version: 44CN36WW
dmi.board.asset.tag: Base Board Asset Tag
dmi.board.name: Emerald Lake
dmi.board.vendor: LENOVO
dmi.board.version: FAB1
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: Asset Tag
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: LENOVO
dmi.chassis.version: 0.1
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnLENOVO:bvr44CN36WW:bd07/11/2011:svnLENOVO:pn1066A9U:pvrLenovoV570:rvnLENOVO:rnEmeraldLake:rvrFAB1:cvnLENOVO:ct10:cvr0.1:
dmi.product.name: 1066A9U
dmi.product.version: Lenovo V570
dmi.sys.vendor: LENOVO

[Brad Figg (brad-figg)]

This change was made by a bot.

[Asif Youssuff (yoasif)]

The new BIOS did not resolve the issue, however creating /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/80-backlight.conf

with the contents:

Section "Device"
    Identifier "Intel Graphics"
    Driver "intel"
    Option "AccelMethod" "sna"
    Option "Backlight" "intel_backlight" # use your backlight that works here
    BusID "PCI:0:2:0"
EndSection

works to workaround it.

$ sudo dmidecode -s bios-version && sudo dmidecode -s bios-release-date
44CN43WW
10/27/2011

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Asif Youssuff, could you please test the latest upstream kernel available from the very top line at the top of the page (the release names are irrelevant for testing in your release) following https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelMainlineBuilds ? It will allow additional upstream developers to examine the issue. Once you've tested the upstream kernel, please comment on which kernel version specifically you tested. If this bug is fixed in the mainline kernel, please add the following tags:
kernel-fixed-upstream
kernel-fixed-upstream-VERSION-NUMBER

where VERSION-NUMBER is the version number of the kernel you tested exactly shown as:
kernel-fixed-upstream-3.18-rc3

This can be done by clicking on the yellow circle with a black pencil icon next to the word Tags located at the bottom of the bug description.

If the mainline kernel does not fix this bug, please add the following tags:
kernel-bug-exists-upstream
kernel-bug-exists-upstream-VERSION-NUMBER

Once testing of the upstream kernel is complete, please mark this bug's Status as Confirmed. Please let us know your results. Thank you for your understanding.

[Asif Youssuff (yoasif)]

kernel-bug-exists-upstream-3.18-rc3 -- the aforementioned /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/80-backlight.conf

with the contents:

Section "Device"
    Identifier "Intel Graphics"
    Driver "intel"
    Option "AccelMethod" "sna"
    Option "Backlight" "intel_backlight" # use your backlight that works here
    BusID "PCI:0:2:0"
EndSection

continues to work to workaround it.

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Asif Youssuff, did this problem not occur in a release prior to Vivid?

[Asif Youssuff (yoasif)]

Christopher, I suspect that it did not -- do you want me to try some live CDs of previous releases? :)

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Asif Youssuff, for regression testing purposes, could you please test (live environment is fine) 12.04.0 with kernel 3.2.x (not 12.04.5 or another variant) via http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/releases/12.04.0/ ?

[Taylor Raack (track16)]

I'm using 14.04.1, and I have the exact same problem. The solution posted also works for me.

$ uname -a
Linux lune 3.13.0-39-generic #66-Ubuntu SMP Tue Oct 28 13:31:23 UTC 2014 i686 i686 i686 GNU/Linux
$ cat os-release
NAME="Ubuntu"
VERSION="14.04.1 LTS, Trusty Tahr"
ID=ubuntu
ID_LIKE=debian
PRETTY_NAME="Ubuntu 14.04.1 LTS"
VERSION_ID="14.04"
HOME_URL="http://www.ubuntu.com/"
SUPPORT_URL="http://help.ubuntu.com/"
BUG_REPORT_URL="http://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/"

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Taylor Raack, unfortunately, "Me too!" comments are simply unhelpful here on Launchpad. If you would like to be helpful, and so your hardware and problem may be tracked, could you please file a new report with Ubuntu by executing the following in a terminal while booted into the default Ubuntu kernel (not a mainline one) via:
ubuntu-bug linux

For more on this, please read the official Ubuntu documentation:
Ubuntu Bug Control and Ubuntu Bug Squad: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/BestPractices#X.2BAC8-Reporting.Focus_on_One_Issue
Ubuntu Kernel Team: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelTeam/KernelTeamBugPolicies#Filing_Kernel_Bug_reports
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel/Policies/DuplicateBugs
Ubuntu Community: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/ReportingBugs#Bug_reporting_etiquette

When opening up the new report, please feel free to subscribe me to it.

As well, please do not announce in this report you created a new bug report.

Thank you for your understanding.

Helpful bug reporting tips:
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ReportingBugs

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for linux (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]