# i8kutils

## Seemer

I emerged i8kutils. When I try the new program it says that it can't find "/proc/i8k" file. 

When I look in /proc I can't find it either. How do i get it there?? 

I'm using linux 2.6, is there some options I have missed when I configured my kernel???

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## wolf31o2

Did you select the setting for dell laptop support in your kernel?  Maybe you need to modprobe i8k?

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## krunk

Laptop model? 

i8k does not work on my 5150 kernel 2.6.

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## gurke

you need to load the kernel module with some "force" parameter, look in the docs.

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## Seemer

it's a dell inspirion 500m... And I think I selected dell support...

modprobe i8k gives: FATAL: Module i8k not found.

why doesn't it work without som "force" parameter? 

Docs for what???

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## krunk

 *Seemer wrote:*   

> 
> 
> modprobe i8k gives: FATAL: Module i8k not found.

 

Did you remember to--->rom your kernel directory: make modules_install.

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## Seemer

no I didn't forget: make modules_install

but when I did there wasen't any i8k in the output...

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## wdconinc

This won't solve your problem, but FYI 'some force parameter' is 'force=1'.  Put this in /etc/modules.autoload.d/kernel-2.6:

```
# Load Inspiron module

i8k force=1
```

Wouter

PS: Are you positively sure that you have dell support?  You said 'I think I selected dell support'...

EDIT: Be careful though if you use i8kutils, that stops the CPU fan on my Inspiron 5100 (BIOS A25)...  You don't want that to happen when you are compiling stuff!

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## Seemer

how do I know that the fan dosen't stop on my dell inspiron 500m? Is that a common faliure?

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## wdconinc

Don't know if it is common.  To find out:

1) Listen  :Smile:   If it stops making noise then it doesn't work...

2) Look at cat /proc/i8k and see the fourth number (T in Celsius) rising.  Stop before you get too high (if it gets above 65 and you still don't hear anything, TURN IT OFF IMMEDIATELY  :Smile:   As soon as you go above 75 you get permanent damage in the semiconductors of your CPU (the depletion regions in the semi-conductors change irreversibly because of diffusion then)...

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## krunk

 *Seemer wrote:*   

> no I didn't forget: make modules_install
> 
> but when I did there wasen't any i8k in the output...

 

If there wasn't any "i8k.ko" in the output, than: 1. you forgot to select i8k, or 2. you did, but it is not taking because you have angered the gods in some way. or 3. You selected i8k as compiled into the kernel instead of as a module.

Double check both dell support is enabled an i8k support is enabled as_a_module. [M] not [*]. If it is compiled INTO the kernel, you can check to see if it loads with: dmesg. <-----this would also explain the lack of a i8k.ko module.  :Wink: 

For case, two. You may need to: cp .config ..; make mrproper; cp ../.config .; make menuconfig 

than just exit and save. this will give you a clean slate to work on with the same options selected as before. remake your modules and keep an eye out for i8k.ko

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## Seemer

after "modprobe i8k force=1"  I found /proc/i8k...

Thank you very much!

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## vificunero

 *wdconinc wrote:*   

> 
> 
> EDIT: Be careful though if you use i8kutils, that stops the CPU fan on my Inspiron 5100 (BIOS A25)...  You don't want that to happen when you are compiling stuff!

 

This happens to me too. So I gave up with it.

My impression is that here on my inspiron 5100 with 2.6.1 kernel the notebook is hotter than with other kernel (well I think the left fan is not working in the right way even if with XP it works) and I have also this problem:

https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=122901&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=i8k

My bios is A26.   :Confused: 

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## wdconinc

Hi,

I have the impression though that fan controlling doesn't work because of the i8kutils package.  While I run i8kmon -d -na -v (or something different, I am at a different computer here), then the fans don't start working at the temperatures defined in /etc/i8kmon.  I can however control the fans with the i8kfan utility (but the next second they get reset to zero speed when i8kctl sets their speed again).  So I don't think there is anything wrong with the kernel acpi...

Wouter

PS: I did some experiments however and my cpu heats up even if I am not doing anything, so working without a fan for low activity doesn't seem like a possibility, unless I also echo something to /proc/acpi/processor/CPU0/throttling...

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## Seemer

At my inspiron 500m it works just fine. I can set the temp that I want to be max, and my computer won't be any warmer than that. It's works great!!

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