Natty Narwhal 64-bit for Mac: macbook pro runs very hot - no fans can be heard

[Mike]

Not certain where the bug exists, but the laptop is running very hot to the touch. I don't hear any fans at all. Seems like a pretty serious problem if Natty cooks my laptop :(

WORKAROUND: I added coretemp and rebooted, after which the fans were faster.

WORKAROUND: https://launchpad.net/~mactel-support/+archive/ppa

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.04
Package: libsensors4 1:3.2.0-1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.38-7.38-generic 2.6.38
Uname: Linux 2.6.38-7-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: wl
Architecture: amd64
Date: Fri Mar 25 00:12:29 2011
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal" - Alpha amd64+mac (20110312)
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=en_US:en
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: lm-sensors-3
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to natty on 2011-03-24 (0 days ago)

[Kris Marsh (moogman)]

I can't completely reproduce this issue, but I'm running Ubuntu 11.04 (beta) 32-bit. I haven't seen the fan run higher than the min speed, however so it's possible that the fan control is broken.

Could you paste a copy of the following information?

Fan status:
$ cat /sys/devices/platform/applesmc.768/fan{1,2}_{label,input,min,max}
Left side
1999
2000
6000
Right side
1994
2000
6000

Temp status:
$ cat /sys/devices/platform/applesmc.768/temp* | paste -s -d '\t\n'
60000 TG0T
61000 TMCD
58500 TP0P
64000 TPCD
51000 Th1H
50750 Th2H
52750 Tm0P
32000 Ts0P
43500 Ts0S
35250 TB0T
35250 TB1T
33500 TB2T
58500 TC0C
59500 TC0D
56500 TC0P
61000 TC1C
58000 TG0D
56000 TG0P

[Mike (bild85)]

$ cat /sys/devices/platform/applesmc.768/fan{1,2}_{label,input,min,max}
Left side
2474
2000
6000
Right side
2475
2000
6000

$ cat /sys/devices/platform/applesmc.768/temp* | paste -s -d '\t\n'
61000 TG0T
65000 TMCD
63000 TP0P
71000 TPCD
56000 Th1H
53750 Th2H
58750 Tm0P
35500 Ts0P
47250 Ts0S
40500 TB0T
40500 TB1T
36500 TB2T
59250 TC0C
61750 TC0D
60250 TC0P
65000 TC1C
60500 TG0D
58250 TG0P

[Mike (bild85)]

and after running FlightGear for 5 minutes:

$ cat /sys/devices/platform/applesmc.768/fan{1,2}_{label,input,min,max}
Left side
6005
2000
6000
Right side
6005
2000
6000

$ cat /sys/devices/platform/applesmc.768/temp* | paste -s -d '\t\n'
75750 TG0T
76000 TMCD
66000 TP0P
73000 TPCD
64500 Th1H
62750 Th2H
67000 Tm0P
34000 Ts0P
51250 Ts0S
39500 TB0T
39500 TB1T
36750 TB2T
81250 TC0C
83250 TC0D
71750 TC0P
81000 TC1C
75500 TG0D
69000 TG0P

[Mike (bild85)]

I haven't noticed the hot with no fan issue since the time I posted that first bug. Maybe it was a one-time thing (not that it makes it any better - it only takes once!) I've been upgrading daily and am now at Beta 1.

[Kris Marsh (moogman)]

Ok, so your fans are both running at 2400 RPM, so they're definitely running - at least according to proc. You should be able to barely hear the fan run if you put your ears close to the top of the keyboard?

Your temperatures look fairly stable, but a bit on the hot side (like mine) - but I'm not sure of the typical running temperature when running OS-X to compare against.

When running cpuburn (burnMMX, burnP6 etc.), the temperatures go sky-high and the fans don't spin up - This definitely looks like a fan control issue to me.

Left side
2001 <- fan speed
2000
6000
Right side
2001 <- fan speed
2000
6000

70000 TG0T
70000 TMCD
60500 TP0P
65000 TPCD
56000 Th1H
54500 Th2H
56500 Tm0P
32250 Ts0P
46000 Ts0S
35250 TB0T
35250 TB1T
34000 TB2T
83750 TC0C
81000 TC0D
64250 TC0P
83000 TC1C
68500 TG0D
62000 TG0P

[Mike (bild85)]

Hi Kris. I can tell you that when running OS X the laptop runs much cooler. However I don't think this is because of the fans running more often. I think OS X is more efficient than Linux on MacBooks.

[Mike (bild85)]

Temps after playing a flash video for about five minutes. The laptop got uncomfortably hot on my lap - I can hear the fans turning, but they don't sound like they're spinning any faster than usual:

$ cat /sys/devices/platform/applesmc.768/fan{1,2}_{label,input,min,max}
Left side
2673
2000
6000
Right side
2668
2000
6000

$ cat /sys/devices/platform/applesmc.768/temp* | paste -s -d '\t\n'
71750 TG0T
74000 TMCD
64000 TP0P
72000 TPCD
57250 Th1H
56250 Th2H
60000 Tm0P
31750 Ts0P
47500 Ts0S
34750 TB0T
34750 TB1T
33250 TB2T
68250 TC0C
71500 TC0D
68000 TC0P
74000 TC1C
72000 TG0D
63750 TG0P

[Kris Marsh (moogman)]

Turns out this is a known issue in Maverick too. See https://help.ubuntu.com/community/MacBookPro6-2/Maverick#Sensors for workaround.

Module 'coretemp' needs to be modprobed, as soon as this is done I see the fans spin up (gradually over, say 2 minutes).

[Mike (bild85)]

After rebooting, my fans are audible:

$ cat /sys/devices/platform/applesmc.768/fan{1,2}_{label,input,min,max}
Left side
5998
2000
6000
Right side
6001
2000
6000

$ cat /sys/devices/platform/applesmc.768/temp* | paste -s -d '\t\n'
74500 TG0T
77000 TMCD
62250 TP0P
70000 TPCD
61500 Th1H
57750 Th2H
62000 Tm0P
33750 Ts0P
50250 Ts0S
36750 TB0T
36750 TB1T
35750 TB2T
83250 TC0C
83250 TC0D
69500 TC0P
83000 TC1C
75000 TG0D
65500 TG0P

[Chad A Davis (chadadavis)]

So, this doesn't seem to be a bug in lm-sensors. If (many) MacBooks need to have the coretemp module automatically loaded in order to enable the fans, can someone figure out the correct package to assign this bug to? Is this the installer's (ubiquity) responsibility?

[Tom (tom6)]

Hi :)
A work-around is described here
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/MacBookPro6-2/Oneiric#Sensors

The guide links back to this bug-report and i think the work-around is probably the same as the one already linked to. It seems pretty simple tho and i haven't looked at the previous one.
Regards from
Tom :)

[Mike (bild85)]

Applying suggestion from Tom.

[Colin Watson (cjwatson)]

This doesn't belong in the installer, except as an absolute last resort. If a system needs to have a module loaded, then, in general, the kernel should automatically detect that and request the module for itself.

[Andres Gonzalez (agestrada)]

How many fans are in the Macbook Pro 5,5 (13in)?. I just checked and it seems that I don't have two fans as in this post.

>/sys/devices/platform/applesmc.768$ cat /sys/devices/platform/applesmc.768/fan{1,2}_{label,input,min,max}
Exhaust
2626
2625
6200
cat: /sys/devices/platform/applesmc.768/fan2_label: No such file or directory
cat: /sys/devices/platform/applesmc.768/fan2_input: No such file or directory
cat: /sys/devices/platform/applesmc.768/fan2_min: No such file or directory
cat: /sys/devices/platform/applesmc.768/fan2_max: No such file or directory

And anyone knows the meaning of the 'Exhaust' value?.

Macbook Pro 5,5 using Natty

Thanks,

[Joseph Salisbury (jsalisbury)]

Would it be possible for you to test the latest upstream kernel? It will allow additional upstream developers to examine the issue. Refer to https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelMainlineBuilds . Please test the latest v3.3 kernel[1] (Not a kernel in the daily directory). Once you've tested the upstream kernel, please remove the 'needs-upstream-testing' tag(Only that one tag, please leave the other tags). This can be done by clicking on the yellow pencil icon next to the tag located at the bottom of the bug description and deleting the 'needs-upstream-testing' text.

If this bug is fixed by the mainline kernel, please add the following tag 'kernel-fixed-upstream-KERNEL-VERSION'. For example, if kernel version 3.3-rc2 fixed the issue, the tag would be: 'kernel-fixed-upstream-v3.3-rc2'.

If the mainline kernel does not fix this bug, please add the tag: 'kernel-bug-exists-upstream'.

If you are unable to test the mainline kernel, for example it will not boot, please add the tag: 'kernel-unable-to-test-upstream'.
Once testing of the upstream kernel is complete, please mark this bug as "Confirmed".

Thanks in advance.

[1] http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.3-rc3-precise/

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[Mike (bild85)]

Just performed a fresh install and full update of 12.04 LTS and noticed the fans were very slow until I added coretemp and rebooted, after which time they were faster. I don't have any reason to believe this is resolved so I changed the status from expired to confirmed. Hope I didn't overstep my bounds.

[Mike (bild85)]

Note that adding coretemp by itself does not completely resolve this. The rest of the link in comment #9, adding macfanctld from the mactel ppa also has to be manually performed.

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Mike, this bug was reported a while ago and there hasn't been any activity in it recently. We were wondering if this is still an issue? If so, could you please test for this with the latest development release of Ubuntu? ISO CD images are available from http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/releases/ .

If it remains an issue, could you please run the following command in the development release from a Terminal (Applications->Accessories->Terminal), as it will automatically gather and attach updated debug information to this report:

apport-collect -p linux <replace-with-bug-number>

Also, could you please test the latest upstream kernel available? It will allow additional upstream developers to examine the issue. Refer to https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelMainlineBuilds . Please do not test the kernel in the daily folder, but the one all the way at the bottom. Once you've tested the upstream kernel, please remove the 'needs-upstream-testing' tag. This can be done by clicking on the yellow pencil icon next to the tag located at the bottom of the bug description and deleting the 'needs-upstream-testing' text. As well, please comment on which kernel version specifically you tested.

If this bug is fixed in the mainline kernel, please add the following tag 'kernel-fixed-upstream'.

If the mainline kernel does not fix this bug, please add the tag: 'kernel-bug-exists-upstream'.

If you are unable to test the mainline kernel, for example it will not boot, please add the tag: 'kernel-unable-to-test-upstream', and comment as to why specifically you were unable to test it.

Please let us know your results. Thanks in advance.

Helpful Bug Reporting Links:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/ReportingBugs#Bug_Reporting_Etiquette
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/ReportingBugs#A3._Make_sure_the_bug_hasn.27t_already_been_reported
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/ReportingBugs#Adding_Apport_Debug_Information_to_an_Existing_Launchpad_Bug
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/ReportingBugs#Adding_Additional_Attachments_to_an_Existing_Launchpad_Bug

[Mike (bild85)]

Yes, my laptop could still cook an egg with the latest daily build. Installing the mactel ppa as described above resolves the problem.

Apport-collect doesn't work:
--
$ apport-collect -p linux 742257
ERROR: The launchpadlib Python module is not installed. This functionality is not available.
--
'launchpadlib' isn't available in the software center for installation. See bug #1023964. Let me know if there is anything else I can do to help.

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Mike, regarding your comment https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/742257/comments/21 :
>"...with the latest daily build."

Could you please specify which daily build you tested specifically?

[Mike (bild85)]

I believe it was Aug. 4th using the image: "quantal-desktop-amd64+mac.iso" from the http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/daily-live/current/ page. I'll double-check that date tonight.

[Mike (bild85)]

Affirmed:
Linux hostname 3.5.0-8-generic #8-Ubuntu SMP Sat Aug 4 04:42:28 UTC 2012 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Mike, thank you for double checking the version. Could you please test mainline kernel http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.6-rc1-quantal/ following https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel/MainlineBuilds ?

[Mike (bild85)]

Hi Chris. You're welcome. I hope this is useful. I'm not exactly sure how you'd like me to proceed. Simply install the mainline kernel and let you know if the fans go silent; or would i need to disable the workarounds I currently have in place and then update the kernel?

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Mike, yes please remove the WORKAROUNDs temporarily, boot into the mainline kernel, and report the results. Then, you can boot into the prior kernel, reinstitute the WORKAROUNDs, ad we can take it from there.

[Brian Hart (brhart)]

Chris or Mike, I was considering installing 12.04 on my MBP 6,2 and was reading through the issues and ended up here. Was just curious where this has ended up since there have been no updates for a month. If there is additional help needed for testing I might be able to contribute if that's where its at...

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Brian Hart, could you please file a new report by executing the following in a terminal:
ubuntu-bug linux

For more on this, please see the Ubuntu Bug Control and Ubuntu Bug Squad article:
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/BestPractices#X.2BAC8-Reporting.Focus_on_One_Issue

and Ubuntu Community article:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/ReportingBugs#Bug_Reporting_Etiquette

When opening up the new report, please feel free to subscribe me to it. Thank you for your understanding.

Helpful Bug Reporting Links:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/ReportingBugs#A3._Make_sure_the_bug_hasn.27t_already_been_reported
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/ReportingBugs#Adding_Apport_Debug_Information_to_an_Existing_Launchpad_Bug
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/ReportingBugs#Adding_Additional_Attachments_to_an_Existing_Launchpad_Bug

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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