Problems with /proc/acpi/ibm on Thinkpad X40
| Affects | Status | Importance | Assigned to | Milestone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu |
Fix Released
|
Undecided
|
Unassigned | ||
Bug Description
This is a bug similar to bug #53606 and bug #68734. I have it in Ubuntu Gutsy on Thinkpad X40.
However, in my case, the special function keys *do* work, at least most of them.
What does not work, however, is the key for switching between external monitor and LCD. The external monitor is switched on.
I looked into /proc/acpi/ibm, which you can use to manually set different laptop options. In a previous version of Ubuntu, the problem was that you could only switch between the options "LCD only" and "CRT only", to have them both, you needed to
echo crt_enable > /proc/acpi/
The following special function keys work:
- brightness up/down (however, the brightness applet does not work, shows a little red crossed circle on the applet icon)
- lcd light (the tiny light in the lcd bezel) on/off
- sound up/down/mute (the respective applet works as well)
- sleep
- screen blank
The following do not work:
- switch between external crt/ laptop lcd. Both are normally on.
Not tested:
- hibernate
- dock
I took a look into /proc/acpi/ibm.
It is populated almost as it should (beep, brightness, cmos, driver, ecdump, fan, hotkey, led, light, thermal, video, volume, but not dock, which I think should be there as well?). Any case, thinkpad_acpi module is loaded as it should be.
I tried to use the trick that worked fine in previous Ubuntu versions:
echo on > light
cool, the little light in the lcd bezel turn on. So, the acpi proc system works.
volume works as well (echo up > volume etc.)
lets try with what worked so well:
echo crt_disable > video
no error message, but the crt is still on. same for other commands for the video - no error, but also no effect. dmesg does not tell me anything interesting.
Interestingly: I did a typo while playing with these commands, and from then on until the next reboot I got the messages "write error: Incorrect argument" when trying to do anything.
When I boot with acpi=off, following works:
- suspend button (but suspend itself does not work properly, the screen is not correctly restored, at least when the 3D is not on)
- blank screen button
- brightness button
- lcd light button (the tiny light on top of the lcd bezel)
Following does not work:
- wireless on/off
- sound up/down/mute
- switch between external screen and LCD
Not tested:
- docking button
- hibernate button
Further thing observed: when I boot with the external monitor switched on, (and with acpi), then going to a text console does not work (blank screen)
Feel free to ask me for just any log / listing / configuration. I am really annoyed by this problem and considering to downgrade to a previous Ubuntu version. I need to regularly give presentations and I must have a convenient way of controlling which of the two screens is on.
| January (january-weiner) wrote | #1 |
| January (january-weiner) wrote | #2 |
| January (january-weiner) wrote | #3 |
| Wouter Stomp (wouterstomp-deactivatedaccount) wrote | #4 |
| Sébastien Chaumat (schaumat-free) wrote | #5 |
| davidguigui (david-guigui) wrote | #6 |
| Przemek K. (azrael) wrote | #7 |
| Changed in ubuntu: | |
| status: | Fix Committed → Fix Released |
P.S. The behaviour of the other screen is quite unpredictable. Sometimes it stays off no matter what you do unless you restart gdm. (but then I get a virtual desktop on my computer larger than the lcd). Sometimes it is on. I am not able to get any reproducible behavior.
Makes my laptop fairly useless for the presentations. &/"§$***!!!, I never should have upgraded!!!! (but I was annoyed by this "could not start hal daemon" bug and by the fact that if any of the programs started ghostscript, the gs was filling up the memory, then the swap, and then the system was on its knees.... bug #114866, which affected EVERYTHING that had to deal with ps, including imagemagick e.g. convert smth.eps smth.png and gv).