Temperature: Dashboard Temps differ massively from CLI

[fastboot]

Hi folks,


I am running a Protectli 6630 with a "12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-1215U (6 cores, 8 threads)".

When I reload the dashboard I get the following:

Code: [Select]

CPU 0 = 81°C
CPU 1 = 81°C
CPU 2 = 58°C
CPU 3 = 58°C
CPU 4 = 79°C
CPU 5 = 79°C
CPU 6 = 79°C
CPU 7 = 79°C
CPU 8 = 79°C
When just ideling on the Dashboard its:

Code: [Select]

CPU 0 = 58°C
CPU 1 = 58°C
CPU 2 = 54°C
CPU 3 = 54°C
CPU 4 = 58°C
CPU 5 = 58°C
CPU 6 = 58°C
CPU 7 = 58°C
CPU 8 = 58°C
In the CLI I issued two commands, which also differ.

sysctl dev.cpu | grep temperature | sort

Code: [Select]

dev.cpu.0.temperature: 40.0C
dev.cpu.1.temperature: 40.0C
dev.cpu.2.temperature: 35.0C
dev.cpu.3.temperature: 35.0C
dev.cpu.4.temperature: 40.0C
dev.cpu.5.temperature: 40.0C
dev.cpu.6.temperature: 40.0C
dev.cpu.7.temperature: 40.0C
sysctl -a | grep temperature | sort

Code: [Select]

dev.cpu.0.temperature: 49.0C
dev.cpu.1.temperature: 49.0C
dev.cpu.2.temperature: 41.0C
dev.cpu.3.temperature: 42.0C
dev.cpu.4.temperature: 50.0C
dev.cpu.5.temperature: 52.0C
dev.cpu.6.temperature: 52.0C
dev.cpu.7.temperature: 52.0C


1. Could you tell me please why the temperatures Dashboard and CLI differ that much?
2. I do not understand the difference between the CLI commands.
3. On which values can I rely?


Thanks a lot in advance.

Cheers,

fb

[meyergru]

Use your google-fu and you will find a ton of threads about it.

[AhnHEL]

I think meyergru is tired of repeating his answers and he's not wrong.

You are using cpu cycles to run that command and one is a lot more intensive than the other which is why there is a difference in the temps.  That answers questions 1 and 2.

To answer your third, I would rely on the "sysctl dev.cpu | grep temperature | sort" more since its showing the temperature with the command skewing the results the least.

[meyergru]

I did not want to sound rude, but sometimes I wished people would actually use the forum search or the tutorial section before asking questions. For obvious reasons, this particular topic has just made it into here, as point 17.

[fastboot]

Oh, I don't mind.

Actually the answers of the other threads do not really answer my questions. But well...
Maybe because its related to my lack of knowledge of Unix distros. In fact I come from the Linux side. There is no issue at all with lm-sensors for instance. Doesnt matter how many times I issue it or even have it inside of what so ever dashboard. Literally I am reporting real time data to Grafana of xx Servers without any tangible or measurable effect.

So surely I am still wondering why this has such a huge effect. For me its around 30-40°C for a simple temperature view.
So in fact the data is useless then to keep an eye on the temperatures. Sad but true.

At least the Link: https://forum.opnsense.org/index.php?topic=41759.0 enlightened me a bit. But not fully tbh.

And nice, that I made it in your top #17. Lemme try to go at least to the top three :p

[AhnHEL]

rickyricky does a good job of explaining it.

https://forum.opnsense.org/index.php?topic=36234.msg220563#msg220563

you're querying the same values, but one method parses MUCH less data than the other...


Here is the dev.cpu method...
```
root@router-02:~ # sysctl dev.cpu | wc -l
     273
```

Looking for temp by looking at only needs to export and grep through 273 lines.



Here is the sysctl -a method...
```
root@router-02:~ # sysctl -a | wc -l
   16497
```

The sysctl has to export 16000+ more lines than the one that only looks at cpu values, then has to grep through those 16k values to find the ones that match the grep.

The 2nd command finishes quickly, but it still causes enough additional cpu load to show the temp has been raised by the time temperature is filtered out by the grep command.

[passeri]

Worrying about CPU temperature can be a little obsessive, and a little off the point.

If you are aware of the long run capacity of your system to dissipate heat, indicated by the average difference between stable CPU and ambient temperatures, then the focus should be on the ambient temperature. Take care of that and for all that its reading may bounce around, the CPU will look after itself.

[OPNenthu]

Some scenarios in which I think this might be not benign:

1) Newcomers to OPNsense, especially those with newly purchased devices, who don't have a prior idea of what a normal baseline temperature is.  They come away with a false impression.

2) Small fanless devices (Intel N-series, for example) with limited thermal margins may be pushed closer to throttle limits.

3) Hardware vendor support channels receiving reports about temperature hikes on devices running recent OPNsense.

Having said that, I can see the great discussions and progress on the GitHub issue links.  Many thanks