Power saving not working when AC-line can not be detected.

[Tikimotel]

I have a mini itx motherboard that I use for Opnsense.
It has a intel Avoton (Atom) CPU.
However the powerd settings don't seem to have an effect on CPU temperatures. (remained at ~45°C for all Cores)

I did some investigation and it seems there are just a few settings missing from the GUI and a conf file.

powerd -v (from the command-line)

powerd: unable to determine AC line status <=== Important for "-n" option of powerd !!!
load  10%, current freq 1200 MHz (13), wanted freq 1200 MHz
load   6%, current freq 1200 MHz (13), wanted freq 1200 MHz
load   8%, current freq 1200 MHz (13), wanted freq 1200 MHz
load  10%, current freq 1200 MHz (13), wanted freq 1200 MHz
load   6%, current freq 1200 MHz (13), wanted freq 1200 MHz

However the normal option is not influenced or changeable from the GUI, but it is stored as "hadp" when empty.
Hiadaptive is not bad, but it could be better (greener).

powerd manpage:

     -n   mode    Selects the mode to use normally when the AC line state is
       unknown.

So I looked at the C-states of my machine, C1 and C2 are supported.
It always stayed in C1 becasue of the defaults.
The clockspeed would move down, but nothing significant in temperatures.

So I ran a search for powerd, and came across this wiki.
https://wiki.freebsd.org/TuningPowerConsumption

(/etc/rc.conf):

performance_cx_lowest="Cmax"
economy_cx_lowest="Cmax"

Replace "Cmax" with what is supported by your machine, but the hardware will do what it can to get to the highest C-state possible on your machine.
I tested this, with "Cmax" and "C8" is what is determined by freebsd, but my hardware only supports "C2".
Using "C2" is relatively safe, higher level C-states might not be ideal for more production level environments.
For instance "C3" is turning off cores, "C3" might work might not work or you might loose too much responsiveness, But hey it's router not a laptop. C-state "C2" will do fine.

So I added "/etc/rc.conf" with "C2" to my config and rebooted my machine.

et voilá, CPU core temperatures dropped to ~39°C, a nice drop from 45°C.

Solving the undetermined power state option:

/usr/local/www/system_advanced_misc.php
first part is to define the default state of the three powerd options.

• powerd_ac_mode (tidy this a bit, to be nearer to it's own code, with some remarks added)
• powerd_battery_mode
• powerd_normal_mode (missing!!!, and needed for when AC can not be determined)

OLD  @ ~ line 105

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if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] === 'GET') {
    $pconfig = array();
    $pconfig['powerd_enable'] = isset($config['system']['powerd_enable']);
    $pconfig['crypto_hardware'] = !empty($config['system']['crypto_hardware']) ? $config['system']['crypto_hardware'] : null;
    $pconfig['cryptodev_enable'] = isset($config['system']['cryptodev_enable']);
    $pconfig['thermal_hardware'] = !empty($config['system']['thermal_hardware']) ? $config['system']['thermal_hardware'] : null;
    $pconfig['use_mfs_tmpvar'] = isset($config['system']['use_mfs_tmpvar']);
    $pconfig['use_mfs_tmp'] = isset($config['system']['use_mfs_tmp']);
    $pconfig['powerd_ac_mode'] = "hadp";
    $pconfig['rrdbackup'] = !empty($config['system']['rrdbackup']) ? $config['system']['rrdbackup'] : null;
    $pconfig['dhcpbackup'] = !empty($config['system']['dhcpbackup']) ? $config['system']['dhcpbackup'] : null;
    $pconfig['netflowbackup'] = !empty($config['system']['netflowbackup']) ? $config['system']['netflowbackup'] : null;
    if (!empty($config['system']['powerd_ac_mode'])) {
        $pconfig['powerd_ac_mode'] = $config['system']['powerd_ac_mode'];
    }
    $pconfig['powerd_battery_mode'] = "hadp";
    if (!empty($config['system']['powerd_battery_mode'])) {
        $pconfig['powerd_battery_mode'] = $config['system']['powerd_battery_mode'];
    }
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if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] === 'GET') {
    $pconfig = array();
    $pconfig['powerd_enable'] = isset($config['system']['powerd_enable']);
    $pconfig['crypto_hardware'] = !empty($config['system']['crypto_hardware']) ? $config['system']['crypto_hardware'] : null;
    $pconfig['cryptodev_enable'] = isset($config['system']['cryptodev_enable']);
    $pconfig['thermal_hardware'] = !empty($config['system']['thermal_hardware']) ? $config['system']['thermal_hardware'] : null;
    $pconfig['use_mfs_tmpvar'] = isset($config['system']['use_mfs_tmpvar']);
    $pconfig['use_mfs_tmp'] = isset($config['system']['use_mfs_tmp']);
    $pconfig['rrdbackup'] = !empty($config['system']['rrdbackup']) ? $config['system']['rrdbackup'] : null;
    $pconfig['dhcpbackup'] = !empty($config['system']['dhcpbackup']) ? $config['system']['dhcpbackup'] : null;
    $pconfig['netflowbackup'] = !empty($config['system']['netflowbackup']) ? $config['system']['netflowbackup'] : null;
// define powerd default or saved state(s) from the systemconfig
    $pconfig['powerd_ac_mode'] = "hadp";
    if (!empty($config['system']['powerd_ac_mode'])) {
        $pconfig['powerd_ac_mode'] = $config['system']['powerd_ac_mode'];
    }
    $pconfig['powerd_battery_mode'] = "hadp";
    if (!empty($config['system']['powerd_battery_mode'])) {
        $pconfig['powerd_battery_mode'] = $config['system']['powerd_battery_mode'];
    }
    $pconfig['powerd_normal_mode'] = "hadp";
    if (!empty($config['system']['powerd_normal_mode'])) {
        $pconfig['powerd_battery_mode'] = $config['system']['powerd_normal_mode'];
    }
The second parts are to create a copy of the normal state option for the three powerd options in the GUI.
And add a help text, for when normal mode is used by powerd.
OLD @ ~ line 111

Code: [Select]

    if (count($input_errors) == 0) {
        if (!empty($pconfig['powerd_enable'])) {
            $config['system']['powerd_enable'] = true;
        } elseif (isset($config['system']['powerd_enable'])) {
            unset($config['system']['powerd_enable']);
        }

        $config['system']['powerd_ac_mode'] = $pconfig['powerd_ac_mode'];
        $config['system']['powerd_battery_mode'] = $pconfig['powerd_battery_mode'];
NEW

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    if (count($input_errors) == 0) {
        if (!empty($pconfig['powerd_enable'])) {
            $config['system']['powerd_enable'] = true;
        } elseif (isset($config['system']['powerd_enable'])) {
            unset($config['system']['powerd_enable']);
        }

        $config['system']['powerd_ac_mode'] = $pconfig['powerd_ac_mode'];
        $config['system']['powerd_battery_mode'] = $pconfig['powerd_battery_mode'];
        $config['system']['powerd_normal_mode'] = $pconfig['powerd_normal_mode'];

OLD @ ~ line 339

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              <tr>
                <td><a id="help_for_powerd_enable" href="#" class="showhelp"><i class="fa fa-info-circle"></i></a> <?=gettext("Use PowerD"); ?></td>
                <td>
                  <input name="powerd_enable" type="checkbox" id="powerd_enable" value="yes" <?=!empty($pconfig['powerd_enable']) ? "checked=\"checked\"" : "";?> />
                  <div class="hidden" for="help_for_powerd_enable">
                    <?=gettext("The powerd utility monitors the system state and sets various power control " .
                                        "options accordingly. It offers four modes (maximum, minimum, adaptive " .
                                        "and hiadaptive) that can be individually selected while on AC power or batteries. " .
                                        "The modes maximum, minimum, adaptive and hiadaptive may be abbreviated max, " .
                                        "min, adp, hadp. Maximum mode chooses the highest performance values. Minimum " .
                                        "mode selects the lowest performance values to get the most power savings. " .
                                        "Adaptive mode attempts to strike a balance by degrading performance when " .
                                        "the system appears idle and increasing it when the system is busy. It " .
                                        "offers a good balance between a small performance loss for greatly " .
                                        "increased power savings. Hiadaptive mode is alike adaptive mode, but " .
                                        "tuned for systems where performance and interactivity are more important " .
                                        "than power consumption. It raises frequency faster, drops slower and " .
                                        "keeps twice lower CPU load."); ?>
                  </div>
                </td>
              </tr>
              <tr>
                <td><i class="fa fa-info-circle text-muted"></i>  <?=gettext('On AC Power Mode') ?></td>
                <td>
                  <select name="powerd_ac_mode" class="selectpicker" data-style="btn-default" data-width="auto">
                    <option value="hadp" <?=$pconfig['powerd_ac_mode']=="hadp" ? "selected=\"selected\"" : "";?>>
                      <?=gettext("Hiadaptive");?>
                    </option>
                    <option value="adp" <?=$pconfig['powerd_ac_mode']=="adp" ? "selected=\"selected\"" : "";?>>
                      <?=gettext("Adaptive");?>
                    </option>
                    <option value="min" <?=$pconfig['powerd_ac_mode']=="min" ? "selected=\"selected\"" : "";?>>
                      <?=gettext("Minimum");?>
                    </option>
                    <option value="max" <?=$pconfig['powerd_ac_mode']=="max" ? " selected=\"selected\"" : "";?>>
                      <?=gettext("Maximum");?>
                    </option>
                  </select>
                </td>
              <tr>
                <td><i class="fa fa-info-circle text-muted"></i>  <?=gettext('On Battery Power Mode') ?></td>
                <td>
                  <select name="powerd_battery_mode" class="selectpicker" data-style="btn-default" data-width="auto">
                    <option value="hadp"<?=$pconfig['powerd_battery_mode']=="hadp" ? "selected=\"selected\"" : "";?>>
                      <?=gettext("Hiadaptive");?>
                    </option>
                    <option value="adp" <?=$pconfig['powerd_battery_mode']=="adp" ? "selected=\"selected\"" : "";?>>
                      <?=gettext("Adaptive");?>
                    </option>
                    <option value="min" <?=$pconfig['powerd_battery_mode']=="min" ? "selected=\"selected\"" :"";?>>
                      <?=gettext("Minimum");?>
                    </option>
                    <option value="max" <?=$pconfig['powerd_battery_mode']=="max" ? "selected=\"selected\"" : "";?>>
                      <?=gettext("Maximum");?>
                    </option>
                  </select>
                </td>
              </tr>
NEW

Code: [Select]

              <tr>
                <td><a id="help_for_powerd_enable" href="#" class="showhelp"><i class="fa fa-info-circle"></i></a> <?=gettext("Use PowerD"); ?></td>
                <td>
                  <input name="powerd_enable" type="checkbox" id="powerd_enable" value="yes" <?=!empty($pconfig['powerd_enable']) ? "checked=\"checked\"" : "";?> />
                  <div class="hidden" for="help_for_powerd_enable">
                    <?=gettext("The powerd utility monitors the system state and sets various power control " .
                                        "options accordingly. It offers four modes (maximum, minimum, adaptive " .
                                        "and hiadaptive) that can be individually selected while on AC power or batteries. " .
                                        "The modes maximum, minimum, adaptive and hiadaptive may be abbreviated max, " .
                                        "min, adp, hadp. Maximum mode chooses the highest performance values. Minimum " .
                                        "mode selects the lowest performance values to get the most power savings. " .
                                        "Adaptive mode attempts to strike a balance by degrading performance when " .
                                        "the system appears idle and increasing it when the system is busy. It " .
                                        "offers a good balance between a small performance loss for greatly " .
                                        "increased power savings. Hiadaptive mode is alike adaptive mode, but " .
                                        "tuned for systems where performance and interactivity are more important " .
                                        "than power consumption. It raises frequency faster, drops slower and " .
                                        "keeps twice lower CPU load."); ?>
                  </div>
                </td>
              </tr>
              <tr>
                <td><i class="fa fa-info-circle text-muted"></i>  <?=gettext('On AC Power Mode') ?></td>
                <td>
                  <select name="powerd_ac_mode" class="selectpicker" data-style="btn-default" data-width="auto">
                    <option value="hadp" <?=$pconfig['powerd_ac_mode']=="hadp" ? "selected=\"selected\"" : "";?>>
                      <?=gettext("Hiadaptive");?>
                    </option>
                    <option value="adp" <?=$pconfig['powerd_ac_mode']=="adp" ? "selected=\"selected\"" : "";?>>
                      <?=gettext("Adaptive");?>
                    </option>
                    <option value="min" <?=$pconfig['powerd_ac_mode']=="min" ? "selected=\"selected\"" : "";?>>
                      <?=gettext("Minimum");?>
                    </option>
                    <option value="max" <?=$pconfig['powerd_ac_mode']=="max" ? " selected=\"selected\"" : "";?>>
                      <?=gettext("Maximum");?>
                    </option>
                  </select>
                </td>
              <tr>
                <td><i class="fa fa-info-circle text-muted"></i>  <?=gettext('On Battery Power Mode') ?></td>
                <td>
                  <select name="powerd_battery_mode" class="selectpicker" data-style="btn-default" data-width="auto">
                    <option value="hadp"<?=$pconfig['powerd_battery_mode']=="hadp" ? "selected=\"selected\"" : "";?>>
                      <?=gettext("Hiadaptive");?>
                    </option>
                    <option value="adp" <?=$pconfig['powerd_battery_mode']=="adp" ? "selected=\"selected\"" : "";?>>
                      <?=gettext("Adaptive");?>
                    </option>
                    <option value="min" <?=$pconfig['powerd_battery_mode']=="min" ? "selected=\"selected\"" :"";?>>
                      <?=gettext("Minimum");?>
                    </option>
                    <option value="max" <?=$pconfig['powerd_battery_mode']=="max" ? "selected=\"selected\"" : "";?>>
                      <?=gettext("Maximum");?>
                    </option>
                  </select>
                </td>
              </tr>
                <td><a id="help_for_powerd_normal_mode" href="#" class="showhelp"><i class="fa fa-info-circle text-circle"></i></a>  <?=gettext('On Normal Power Mode'); ?></td>
                <td>
                  <select name="powerd_normal_mode" class="selectpicker" data-style="btn-default" data-width="auto">
                    <option value="hadp"<?=$pconfig['powerd_normal_mode']=="hadp" ? "selected=\"selected\"" : "";?>>
                      <?=gettext("Hiadaptive");?>
                    </option>
                    <option value="adp" <?=$pconfig['powerd_normal_mode']=="adp" ? "selected=\"selected\"" : "";?>>
                      <?=gettext("Adaptive");?>
                    </option>
                    <option value="min" <?=$pconfig['powerd_normal_mode']=="min" ? "selected=\"selected\"" :"";?>>
                      <?=gettext("Minimum");?>
                    </option>
                    <option value="max" <?=$pconfig['powerd_normal_mode']=="max" ? "selected=\"selected\"" : "";?>>
                      <?=gettext("Maximum");?>
                    </option>
                  </select>
<div class="hidden" for="help_for_powerd_normal_mode">
                <?=gettext("If the powerd utility can not determine the power state it uses \"normal\" for control."); ?>
                </div>
                </td>
              </tr>


[Tikimotel]

This is not a bump, I had to reply, to add CPU temp history. (see attachment)