Power management is one of key features required for great laptop support. Ubuntu is one of best distributions for laptop support, but there are still ways to improve this in Kubuntu.

Current Situation: KLaptop

Kubuntu by default comes with klaptopdaemon package which provides KLaptop applet in KDE systray and klaptopdaemon running in background and communicating with acpi-support scripts.

Pros:

• Uses acpi-support infrastructure provided by Ubuntu

Cons:

• klaptop is not maintained upstream ([http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-devel&m=110450263016035&w=2 see post from author])

• klaptop has many issues (and no one to fix them)
  • has all kind of acpi/apm cruft (messing with /proc filesystem) which is now replaced with hal/acpi-support
• klaptop is not enabled by default (user has to configure klaptopdaemon and supported features manually)
• no daemon process that control PM when user is not logged in

Alternative: Powersave/KPowersave

More info: [http://www.kde-apps.org/content/show.php?content=29295 KPowersave]

Dapper Universe currently have kpowersave and powersave. The problem is that these packages cannot be installed if conflicting packages (powernowd, cpudyn, cpufreqd, apmd) are not deinstalled first. Since powernowd and ampd are required by *-desktop packages (including kubuntu-desktop), powersave package was prepared to Provide/Replace/Conflicts with problematic packages in order to allow proper installation.

Pros:

• cleaner user interface
• more functionality: multi battery monitor, CPU freq monitor, PM schemes...
• clear Debian maintainer and active development team (that is accepting patches from distros)
• power management done by daemon (powersaved) and works without active GUI (and logged user)
• uses acpi-support infrastructure if configured EVENT_GLOBAL_SUSPEND2DISK_OTHER="suspend2" in /etc/powersave/events points to /usr/local/lib/powersave/scripts/suspend2 (fixed in v12 of powersave, works with suspend2 and with acpi-support infrastructure)

Cons:

• conflicting with existing Ubuntu packages: powernowd, cpudyn, cpufreqd, apmd
• duplication of functionality of Ubuntu acpi-support/hotkey-setup/laptop-mode-tools packages
• needs more testing / feedback to be sure it can replace klaptop
• no configuration module for System settings - would need to write one (SuSE has it in yast2)
• not as good support on non-i386 platforms as Ubuntu acpi-support

How to get Powersave/KPowersave to mainstream?

DapperDrake

1. Prepare latest test packages for Dapper - DONE

   • Mbiebl provided test packages (source and i386 binaries) that can be installed on Dapper - see [https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/kubuntu-devel/2006-March/000910.html announcement]

   • packages have Conflicts/Provides rule for all conflicting packages (allow install on Dapper w/o removal of *-desktop)
   • redirect /etc/acpi/events to ignore (temporarily until better solution is implemented)

   • packages tested by: LukaRenko, Sebastian Kügler, AchimBohnet

   • these packages are now replaced by offical packages in Universe repository - see below

2. Polish packages for upload to Universe and get the REVU-ed - DONE

   • address /etc/acpi/events redirection in a way that it does not break gnome-power-manager - DONE
     • this may require change to apci-support scripts to check for "powersaved" process
     • need to work with Ubuntu laptop team on how this should be done properly
   • fix kpowersave .desktop icon (not to show in GNOME menu) - DONE

     • recently done by RaphaelPinson for older package - [https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/dapper-changes/2006-March/007186.html details]

3. Request UpstreamVersionFreeze [https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-motu/2006-February/000545.html exception] for powersave/kpowersave - DONE

   • since old version cannot be installed w/o removing *-desktop packages it makes sense anyhow
   • we have waited for final release of kpowersave 0.6.0

   • approved UVF exception request are here: [https://launchpad.net/bugs/39215 powersave] and [https://launchpad.net/bugs/39221 kpowersave]

4. Get lots of testing by Kubuntu laptop users - DONE

   • we should confirm that kpowersave is as good as exiting klaptop
   • we should get feedback for all supported platforms (i386, amd64, ppc) - waiting for universe packages for non-i386 platforms

EdgyEft

1. Consider main inclusion
   • this is prerequisite to include it by default on Kubuntu
2. Consider making kpowersave default for kubuntu-desktop

   • as we now know it is better than klaptop

3. Consider ksmserver patch for logout dialog
   • see below

Installing KPowersave from Dapper repository

If you would like to test kpowersave/powersave on your laptop, you can install it from Kubuntu Dapper universe repository:

1. Add Universe repository to your /etc/apt/sources.list

2. Install kpowersave (will install also powersave)

   •   sudo apt-get update
       sudo apt-get install kpowersave

3. Start kpowersave

   •   kpowersave

4. Reboot (check below notes first)

Note: powersave will remove apmd/powernowd/klaptopdaemon packages. If you want to go back to klaptop (not that this can happen in real life ;-)), you should remove powersave/kpowersave (sudo apt-get remove libpowersave10) and then reinstall kubuntu-desktop (sudo apt-get install kubuntu-desktop).

Note: if you have been using test repository version with acpid redirection (powersave 0.12.2, kpowersave 0.5.10), they you should do the folowing:

• Remove divert for /usr/sbin/acpid: sudo dpkg-divert --package powersaved --rename --remove /usr/sbin/acpid

• Reinstall acpid: sudo apt-get install --reinstall acpid

• Reinstall acpi-support: sudo apt-get install --reinstall acpi-support

Configuration Tips

We do not have configuration GUI for all powersave options (like SuSE yast2), therefore you may need to edit configuration files in /etc/powersave directory.

• CPU frequency scaling: by default it is performed by kernel, but leaving it to powersaved userspace daemon may be better BR set CPUFREQ_CONTROL="userspace" in /etc/powersave/cpufreq

• automatic suspend on low battery/lid close via powersave BR see EVENT_BATTERY_WARNING, EVENT_BATTERY_LOW and EVENT_BUTTON_LID_CLOSED variables in /etc/powersave/events

• automatic suspend on low battery/lid close via KPowersave BR add e.g. dcop kpowersave KPowersaveIface do_suspendToDisk command to the related event in KPowersave (discover via kdcop). You can configure this via the applet menu: "Configure Notifications ..." , select the related event (e.g. "Battery charge dropped to level LOW") and add the command to "Execute a program:".

• disable kernel check before suspend to disk (if not using i386 or GRUB or false mismatch report)BR this might not work if you do not use GRUB as boot manager or using non-standard kernel naming - in such case you may want to set BOOT_LOADER="OTHER" variable in /etc/powersave/common. If this does not help (and you still get error that kernel version does not matches), you may want to disable this check completly by setting SUSPEND2DISK_IGNORE_KERNEL_MISMATCH="yes" variable in /etc/powersave/sleep.

Integration into logout dialog

Mbiebl has worked on patch for ksmserver to provide Suspend to Disk/RAM in logout dialog

attachment:logout.png

He has provided test package and proposed patch for Dapper:

• Test .deb package: [http://debs.michaelbiebl.de/dists/dapper/main/binary-i386/ksmserver_3.5.2-0ubuntu6_i386.deb ksmserver_3.5.2-0ubuntu6_i386.deb]

• Required patch: [http://debs.michaelbiebl.de/dists/dapper/main/source/kdebase_3.5.2-0ubuntu6.diff.gz kdebase_3.5.2-0ubuntu6.diff.gz]

Test reports

If you have tested Kpowersave on your laptop, please report it in this table:

Notes:

• Yes: it works like before (with klaptop)

• No: it does not work (but it did not work with klaptop either)

• Improvement: works better than with klaptop

• Regression: works worse/broken (put details in notes/comments)

• Untested: not tried (yet)

• Unsupported: not supported by hardware

There is also discussion going on in this [http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=151222 forum thread].

KPowersave Issues / Questions / Comments

1. Administration applet for KDE
   • SuSE uses YAST, what can we do in Kubuntu (kde-guidance/pykde applet?)
2. Performance scheme is default when on power
   • if user changes this in sys tray, should this be saved as new default into config (for next start)?
3. Screensaver dcop call should block until screen is locked

   • see [https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/kubuntu-devel/2006-March/000932.html this post].

4. Powersave on PPC - DONE

   • need to provide latest packages to verify bug [https://launchpad.net/bugs/35006 35006] - DONE (does not crash)

   • default config is not good enough for PPC (i386 specific modules for unload, GRUB boot loader checks by default...)

5. Powersave on x86_64 / amd64 - DONE

   • need to provide latest packages (kubuntu.no-ip.org doesn't provide amd64 and universe contains only old version)
6. s2ram Kubuntu packages

   • This program is supported by powersave and should fix suspend/resume on several machines. see: [http://en.opensuse.org/S2ram s2ram-project-page]

7. Suspend to Disk is slow if laptop-mode is active
   • we need to disable laptop-mode before suspend is started and reative it after resume (similar as acpi-support scripts are doing it)