Various laptop mode problems

[DaveAbrahams]

Binary package hint: laptop-mode

Dapper 6.06 + updates on a Thinkpad t60p.

$ sudo /usr/sbin/laptop_mode start
disabled, not active [unchanged].

$ sudo /usr/sbin/laptop_mode status | less
Mounts:
   /dev/mapper/main-root on / type ext3 (rw,errors=remount-ro)
   proc on /proc type proc (rw)
   /sys on /sys type sysfs (rw)
   varrun on /var/run type tmpfs (rw)
   varlock on /var/lock type tmpfs (rw)
   procbususb on /proc/bus/usb type usbfs (rw)
   udev on /dev type tmpfs (rw)
   devpts on /dev/pts type devpts (rw,gid=5,mode=620)
   devshm on /dev/shm type tmpfs (rw)
   lrm on /lib/modules/2.6.15-26-686/volatile type tmpfs (rw)
   /dev/sda2 on /boot type ext3 (rw)
   /dev/mapper/main-home on /home type ext3 (rw)
   /dev/sda1 on /media/sda1 type ntfs (rw,nls=utf8,umask=007,gid=46)
   /dev/sda4 on /media/sda4 type vfat (rw,utf8,umask=007,gid=46)
   /dev/mapper/main-usr on /usr type ext3 (rw)
   /dev/mapper/main-usr_local on /usr/local type ext3 (rw)
   /dev/mapper/main-var on /var type ext3 (rw)
   /dev/mapper/main-var_log on /var/log type ext3 (rw)

Drive power status:

   /dev/hda:
    drive state is: unknown

(NOTE: drive settings affected by Laptop Mode cannot be retrieved.)

Readahead states:
/dev/mapper/main-root: Permission denied
/usr/sbin/laptop_mode: line 280: / 2: syntax error: operand expected (error token is "/ 2")

Laptop Mode is NOT allowed to run: /var/run/laptop-mode-enabled does not exist.

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I don't know why it's detecting /dev/hda. Maybe that's the cdrom?

There are at least two problems:

1. the "syntax error". I think this is an incompatibility between laptop_mode and LVM, but I can't be 100% sure.

2. The installation of laptop-mode is not creating /var/run/laptop-mode-enabled

[Tormod Volden (tormodvolden)]

Thanks for your bug report, which unfortunately has been left unanswered.

1. Is this still a problem in Feisty or Gutsy? If yes, please run:
 sudo bash -x /usr/sbin/laptop_mode status 2>output.txt
and attach the file output.txt. You can also try "sudo /sbin/blockdev --getra /dev/mapper/main-root" and see what that gives.

2. The file /var/run/laptop-mode-enabled is created by /etc/init.d/laptop_mode at boot, but only if laptop_mode is enabled in
/etc/default/laptop-mode or /etc/default/acpi-support.

[DaveAbrahams (boostpro)]

In Feisty, there's no detection of /dev/hda, and there's no syntax error. However, /var/run/laptop-mode-enabled still doesn't exist and thus "Laptop Mode is NOT allowed to run."

/etc/default/laptop-mode contains only these lines:

  # To disable laptop-mode, set the following variable to "no"
  ENABLE_LAPTOP_MODE="yes"

AND, /etc/default/acpi-support ends with this line:

  ENABLE_LAPTOP_MODE=true

[Tormod Volden (tormodvolden)]

Hmm, /var/lib/dpkg/info/laptop-mode-tools.postinst doesn't install rc.d links for /etc/init.d/laptop_mode, so it's not even run at boot...

[DaveAbrahams (boostpro)]

My guess is that as a result, laptop mode has hardly been tested, at least by ubuntu users. If you have a workaround, I'd like to apply it locally so I can start exercising it here.

Thanks.

[Tormod Volden (tormodvolden)]

This should create the start-up links:
 sudo update-rc.d laptop-mode defaults

I think the step-child treatment of laptop-mode-tools is due to the focus on gnome-power-manager and acpid who should take care of some of these things. And that the Ubuntu developers don't leave their house very often to enjoy mobile computing :)

[Tormod Volden (tormodvolden)]

I'll make this a duplicate of bug #95247, since the original issues here are mostly resolved, and the remaining issue is related to the other bug.

[Tormod Volden (tormodvolden)]

Or rather bug #127273. BTW, mjg59 says laptop-mode-tools will be replaced by ubuntu-laptop-mode in Gutsy.