2010-07-13 17:12:10

by Peter Kästle

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: acerhdf.c - unsupported notebook

Hi Boris, Hi Branislav,

Borislav Petkov writes:

> From: Branislav Gajdos <[email protected]>
> Date: Tue, Jul 13, 2010 at 04:27:37PM +0200
>
>> >> acerhdf: unknown (unsupported) BIOS version Acer/Aspire 3810T/V1.04,
>> >> please report, aborting!

I'm wondering, why acerhdf is even loaded for your notebook, as no
MODULE_ALIAS matches:

[...]
MODULE_ALIAS("dmi:*:*Acer*:pnAOA*:");
MODULE_ALIAS("dmi:*:*Acer*:pnAspire 1410*:");
MODULE_ALIAS("dmi:*:*Acer*:pnAspire 1810*:");
MODULE_ALIAS("dmi:*:*Acer*:pnAO531*:");
[...]

Which distribution do you use? Does the distribution somehow autoload acerhdf? Or do you manually load the driver?

> Peter, it looks like we support not only Atoms with that driver. Maybe
> we should check the cpu specs of the 1810T for example (and google says
> there are several different cpu types packaged with those laptops)
> before we enforce temperature limits on them...? And let me ask you
> this: are all those 1810T* entries in the bios_tbl there because of
> noisy fans ...?

Boris, I agree, we really should check the cpu specs. A quick search got me to this page: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Maximum-CPU-Temperature/143/5 where we clearly see, that the core 2 have much lower critical temperatures.
I added all those 1410* and 1810T* entries on behalf of people telling they'd have the fan control working with these lines for some weeks without problems and I didn't care about searching for the netbooks specifications. My fault.

I would propose to enhance the bios_tbl by the default temperatures. What do you think?

thanks and kind regards,
--peter;


2010-07-13 20:30:18

by Branislav Gajdos

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: acerhdf.c - unsupported notebook

Hi Peter,

On Tue, Jul 13, 2010 at 7:12 PM, Peter Feuerer <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>> >> acerhdf: unknown (unsupported) BIOS version Acer/Aspire 3810T/V1.04,
>>> >> please report, aborting!
>
> Which distribution do you use? Does the distribution somehow autoload
> acerhdf? Or do you manually load the driver?

I compiled the kernel myself and chose the driver as my notebook was
Acer Aspire, I didn't realize it was meant only for netbooks :-)

> I would propose to enhance the bios_tbl by the default temperatures. What do you think?

So that means you would keep there the definitions for Core 2 based
models as well, right?

Branislav

2010-07-13 20:42:43

by Borislav Petkov

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: acerhdf.c - unsupported notebook

From: Branislav Gajdos <[email protected]>
Date: Tue, Jul 13, 2010 at 10:30:14PM +0200

> Hi Peter,
>
> On Tue, Jul 13, 2010 at 7:12 PM, Peter Feuerer <[email protected]> wrote:
> >>
> >>> >> acerhdf: unknown (unsupported) BIOS version Acer/Aspire 3810T/V1.04,
> >>> >> please report, aborting!
> >
> > Which distribution do you use? Does the distribution somehow autoload
> > acerhdf? Or do you manually load the driver?
>
> I compiled the kernel myself and chose the driver as my notebook was
> Acer Aspire, I didn't realize it was meant only for netbooks :-)
>
> > I would propose to enhance the bios_tbl by the default temperatures. What do you think?
>
> So that means you would keep there the definitions for Core 2 based
> models as well, right?

You still didn't answer my question whether your fan is noisy? IOW, does
it make sense for you to use this driver at all?

--
Regards/Gruss,
Boris.

2010-07-13 21:30:23

by Branislav Gajdos

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: acerhdf.c - unsupported notebook

Hi Boris,

On Tue, Jul 13, 2010 at 10:42 PM, Borislav Petkov <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> > I would propose to enhance the bios_tbl by the default temperatures. What do you think?
>>
>> So that means you would keep there the definitions for Core 2 based
>> models as well, right?
>
> You still didn't answer my question whether your fan is noisy? IOW, does
> it make sense for you to use this driver at all?

That's a good question. I didn't really investigate the fan noise. I
can probably make some observations and let you know in a couple of
days.

Branislav

2010-07-14 05:20:15

by Peter Kästle

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: acerhdf.c - unsupported notebook

Hi Boris, Hi Branislav,

Quoting Borislav Petkov <[email protected]>:

> From: Branislav Gajdos <[email protected]>
> Date: Tue, Jul 13, 2010 at 10:30:14PM +0200
>
>> So that means you would keep there the definitions for Core 2 based
>> models as well, right?

The 1810's are already supported by acerhdf and some people use it for
fan control, so we should keep it, but we should enhance the bios_tbl
by "default_fanon" and "default_fanoff". What do you think Boris?

> You still didn't answer my question whether your fan is noisy? IOW, does
> it make sense for you to use this driver at all?

Haven't got any email from a 3810 user to add support for this model,
so for me it seems like the fan isn't noisy at all. - Usually as soon
as a new model with a noisy fan comes out the people are spaming my
inbox and crying ;)

kind regards,
--peter;

2010-07-14 06:41:49

by Borislav Petkov

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: acerhdf.c - unsupported notebook

From: [email protected]
Date: Wed, Jul 14, 2010 at 07:20:12AM +0200

> >>So that means you would keep there the definitions for Core 2 based
> >>models as well, right?
>
> The 1810's are already supported by acerhdf and some people use it
> for fan control, so we should keep it, but we should enhance the
> bios_tbl by "default_fanon" and "default_fanoff". What do you think
> Boris?

Sure, we definitely need to do that, and more specifically:

1) we have to check first with how many different types of cpus are the
1810s being shipped and

2) whether the thermal settings of those cpus differ

because if they do, you need to check for cpu types also and not only
bios version and product info, which can get very hairy very fast.

And for all those thermal settings we need official documentation and
cannot accept any other sources.

That's why I keep questioning whether it makes sense for 1810 users (or
users of something else besides acer aspire netbooks with atom cpus, for
that matter) to use this driver.

> >You still didn't answer my question whether your fan is noisy? IOW, does
> >it make sense for you to use this driver at all?
>
> Haven't got any email from a 3810 user to add support for this
> model, so for me it seems like the fan isn't noisy at all. - Usually
> as soon as a new model with a noisy fan comes out the people are
> spaming my inbox and crying ;)

What models are those, are those only aspire one netbooks or anything
else acer dumps out?

Bottom line is: I'm trying to understand what this driver should and
should not support? Frankly, I don't want to make it easy for users
to do fan control and break their hardware while doing so. Actually,
if acer's system builders would've done their job right in picking a
quieter fan for their packaging we wouldn't be talking here in the first
place. For example, I have also a lenovo edge and I almost can't hear
the fan there but that's a different story.

See what I'm sayin'?

--
Regards/Gruss,
Boris.

2010-07-16 22:33:53

by Thomas Davis

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: acerhdf.c - unsupported notebook

On 07/13/2010 10:12 AM, Peter Feuerer wrote:
>
> Boris, I agree, we really should check the cpu specs. A quick search got
> me to this page:
> http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Maximum-CPU-Temperature/143/5
> where we clearly see, that the core 2 have much lower critical
> temperatures. I added all those 1410* and 1810T* entries on behalf of
> people telling they'd have the fan control working with these lines for
> some weeks without problems and I didn't care about searching for the
> netbooks specifications. My fault.
>
> I would propose to enhance the bios_tbl by the default temperatures.
> What do you think?
>

I'm the person who figured out how the EC worked on the acer 1410, and
sent the first patches in to make acer-hdf work on my 1410.

The bios turns the fan on full blast, and never throttles it. there is
another 3rd party application, for Windows7 that also does the same thing.

The CPU is CULV; ie:

processor : 1
vendor_id : GenuineIntel
cpu family : 6
model : 23
model name : Genuine Intel(R) CPU U2300 @ 1.20GHz
stepping : 10
cpu MHz : 1197.118
cache size : 1024 KB
physical id : 0
siblings : 2
core id : 1
cpu cores : 2
apicid : 1
initial apicid : 1
fpu : yes
fpu_exception : yes
cpuid level : 13
wp : yes
flags : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic mtrr pge mca
cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm pbe syscall
nx lm constant_tsc arch_perfmon pebs bts rep_good aperfmperf pni dtes64
monitor ds_cpl vmx est tm2 ssse3 cx16 xtpr pdcm xsave lahf_lm tpr_shadow
vnmi flexpriority
bogomips : 2394.03
clflush size : 64
cache_alignment : 64
address sizes : 36 bits physical, 48 bits virtual
power management:


thomas