How to Enable Laptop-Mode?
Laptop-Mode Is Said to Be One of the Energy Efficiency Boosters for Linux. Now, Sources I Found Say That to Activate It You Need to: Install Laptop-Mode-Tools...
Laptop-mode is said to be one of the energy efficiency boosters for Linux. Now, sources I found say that to activate it you need to:
- Install
laptop-mode-tools. - Append
LAPTOP_MODE_ENABLED=true(if it doesn't exist; otherwise make sure that it's set to true) inside/etc/default/acpi-support.
However, even after doing this, laptop mode is not running (I have it set up in /etc/laptop-mode/laptop-mode.conf to be always on):
~$ cat /proc/sys/vm/laptop_mode
0
Does anyone know how can I enable laptop-mode?
It is mentioned here that the Ubuntu package is "crippled". Is it really the case that Ubuntu doesn't allow you to enter this mode on AC? If so, why?
Edit: It seems that laptop-mode is not necessary any more since Ubuntu 12.04, according to Is "laptop-mode-tools" still relevant for 12.04 and the 3.x kernels?
3 Answers
The steps listed in the question are correct, the only thing remaining is to reboot your machine (possibly a couple of times). After that laptop mode will be enabled:
~$ cat /proc/sys/vm/laptop_mode
2
Once laptop-mode is working, you can follow these steps to configure laptop-mode...
Edit /etc/laptop-mode/laptop-mode.conf and change
ENABLE_LAPTOP_MODE_ON_AC=0
to
ENABLE_LAPTOP_MODE_ON_AC=1
Also check for the battery mode on battery state and turn it on if it is off by changing the value to 1
e.g.: ENABLE_LAPTOP_MODE_ON_BATTERY = 1
You can set many other option in this config file (the file has many self-explanatory comments). You should try setting them to your liking.
When you're done, restart laptop-mode with:
sudo /etc/init.d/laptop-mode restart
P.S. If laptop-mode is still not on after rebooting the machine, you can try playing with this command as well to manually enable it:
Check that it's active on AC with for example:
$ sudo laptop_mode start
which should output:
Laptop mode
enabled,
active [unchanged]
Hope this helps..
enter root by
sudo su
and then
echo 5 > /proc/sys/vm/laptop_mode
If you want more tips to save power check out LessWatts. I was able to extend my battery life from 2 hours to 3 and a half.
In Lubuntu Menu choose Preferences -> Default applications for LXSession -> Settings -> Laptop mode -> yes
Sarah Jenkins is a veteran tech journalist with over 12 years of experience covering artificial intelligence, mobile innovations, and digital ethics. Her insights have appeared in leading technology publications worldwide.
