[new] Powernowd

CyberTron · 2005-06-18 21:59:19

Well, made a package for Powernowd cpufreq daemon...it is a great app that monitors your cpu usage and lower the cpu when not needed on full speed..

(great on laptops)
only thin you *need* to do is install it..that's it...no configuration or anything (unless you want to)...

oh yeah, forgot, Powernowd is in the AUR

have fun..

Update: The PKGBUILD has been updated! It now feutures an init-script that follow the ArchLinux way.

jerem · 2005-06-19 14:49:08

We already have cpufreqd and cpudyn but powernowd is a quite nice alternative.

Thanks !

CyberTron · 2005-06-19 17:48:43

I never liked cpufreqd and cpudyn so that is why I put this package together

jerem · 2005-06-19 21:19:25

What didn't you like ? There's no much difference between those three programs...

Cpufreqd is more configurable(set of rules, policies, rules for program being run)

Cpudyn can slow down hard drive

powernowd is very small and simple. I've not tested it much so far but I'm always happy to have more choice.

CyberTron · 2005-06-20 02:50:30

well, cpufreq is what you said, it has a lot of configuration...that might be good for some people, but for me, that only wanted a simple program (hell, I even wrote my own little bash program that polled a little and then sent "echo...."blabal" >..scaling_governor depending on the polling value..)

THen cpudyn, well, that one I couldn't get to work...have no clue why (perhaps I should say that this was a long time ago...)

Then I came across Powernowd, which "just worked", it was just to compile and install..and voila, light and fast...and nothing to configure (unless you wanted to)...

So ever since that discovery i have used powernowd, and trying to tell people about it (since it's not that famous)

so there you go, the story behind my post *smiile*

and like you said, it is always nice with alternatives..

Father · 2005-06-23 13:12:11

this pkgbuild currently doesnt work..

==> Generating .FILELIST file...
tar: *: Cannot stat: No such file or directory
tar: Error exit delayed from previous errors
==> Compressing package...
tar: *: Cannot stat: No such file or directory

this is because their Makefile isnt a traditional `automake'eddededd one..
the files are getting installed into your system, not into the ./pkg directory

# Makefile for powernowd.. -very- simple.
#

all: powernow

powernow:
        gcc -O2 -Wall -o powernowd powernowd.c

install:
        install -m 755 powernowd /usr/sbin

youll need to use sed to edit the install line

ill do this now if you give me a minute

[edit]
heres the pkgbuild

it also copies the init script to rc.d

itd be good to re-write the init script to follow the arch way.. i hate running non-arch init scripts..

i dont think i can use this however.. i dont think my shuttle m/b supports powernow?!! grrr

#Contributor: CyberTron, packages@linuxportalen.com
#Modified: adam_griffithsAATTdart.net.au
pkgname=powernowd
pkgver=0.96
pkgrel=1
pkgdesc="Powernowd is a program for powering down CPUs dynamicly"
url="http://www.deater.net/john/powernowd.html"
install=powernowd.install
source=(http://www.deater.net/john/$pkgname-$pkgver.tar.gz)
md5sums=('9c7131bce36bbb3e8b688478e8dc34c7')

build()
{
  cd $startdir/src/$pkgname-$pkgver

  make || return 1

  mkdir -p $startdir/pkg/usr/sbin
  mkdir -p $startdir/pkg/etc/rc.d

  mv powernowd $startdir/pkg/usr/sbin
  mv powernowd.init $startdir/pkg/etc/rc.d/powernowd
}

[/edit]

CyberTron · 2005-06-23 17:46:56

oh thank you very much Father.

I will try it, and update it as soon as possible

CyberTron · 2005-06-23 17:59:42

It is updated

Now it workes much better...will try and do a arch-way script as soon as I have the time to test..

CyberTron · 2005-06-26 00:16:35

There is now a new PKGBUILD in the AUR, this one feutering an init-script that works and is built by utilizing the ArchLinux way of booting

happy powering down

iphitus · 2005-06-26 00:37:47

I'm not all to sure of the point of these userspace tools, when there are multiple governers built into the kernel that do the same thing.

iphitus

CyberTron · 2005-06-26 00:59:39

My laptop, for instance, is a Dell 8500, the governors in the kernel workes...but not the ondemand (which is the most useful)..( i belive that is only centrino laptops that can use it) ...userspace tools are the only thing I can use to get dynamic freq changing (and I belive some others too) Of course I could reinvent the wheel and do a simple bashscript that do a echo "blah >> scalng_governor , but why ? when there are good simple programs out there that do it very good

And another point is that powernowd supports threaded cpus as well (haven't tried it though)

The reason why I don't use cpufreq or cpudyn is because I don't wanna configure every single step in the process, just to make it switch between high and low speed, powernowd does this without any configs (unless you really wanna have a specifik workload)...it is good, it works, it is very light..

EDIT: Powernowd changes the governors btw (if that wasn't clear, but it does it at specifik points, for instance standard is: 0-80% low power, 81-100% high power

tmadhavan · 2005-06-26 10:14:17

Hmm I've found I can't get the powernow module to load for my athlon. I get a 'no such device' error.

CyberTron · 2005-06-26 10:51:25

What are your specs?

Do you have cpufreq kompiled in the kernel? You must have userspace as your scaling_governor

tmadhavan · 2005-06-26 11:32:24

Yep it's all cowpiled in. I,w not sure how to post my kernes config or I would. Basically the governors etc were compiled in, and the gpu-specific modules were modules.

But, when I try to insert powernow-k7

[root@suzy thomas]# modprobe powernow-k7    
FATAL: Error inserting powernow_k7 (/lib/modules/2.6.11-ck9-ARCH/kernel/arch/i386/kernel/cpu/cpufreq/powernow-k7.ko): No such device

I'm not using the stock kernel of course, but that shouldn't matter should it?

I have an Athlon XP 2000+ btw.

CyberTron · 2005-06-26 11:45:40

hmm...i actually have the same problem as you (but on another module)

I assume that the module is there!?

you could try

insmod /lib/modules../../../powernowd-k7.ko

(replace ../../ with correct searchway)

tmadhavan · 2005-06-27 01:07:04

Nurp, insmod bails out with a 'no such device' error too... I'll see if it works with a different kernel

CyberTron · 2005-06-27 08:51:11

hmm..strange...b

btw, consider opening a new thread in Kernel/hardware issues (since this has nothing to do with powernowd

arooaroo · 2005-06-27 11:13:53

Thanks for the PKGBUILD. Just installed it myself and so I'll see how it goes. I have a Pentium4 M. After making the powernowd package and installing, all I needed to do was add powernowd to DAEMONS and 'speedstep-centrino cpufreq-userspace' modules to MODULES.

I'm really hoping that this does the job. I like the look of its simplicity

CyberTron · 2005-06-27 11:36:07

Glad to hear that you enjoy it

hope it works for you *smile*

it is the simplicity that hooked me

iphitus · 2005-06-27 12:18:31

I dont quite get the point of this package.....

It does the same thing as the kernel based governers, cpufreq_ondemand and cpufreq_conservative.

iphitus

CyberTron · 2005-06-27 13:32:29

dont quite get the point of this package.....
It does the same thing as the kernel based governers, cpufreq_ondemand and cpufreq_conservative.
iphitus

Well, there are those who can't use the kernel ondemand , (i am one) since it need some specifik instruction that are not availible in for ex. pentium 4m processors (not centrino)...

and then there are no alteernative than to use either full speed, low speed or a userspace app that are able to change between those (like powernowd)

hjorthboggild · 2005-11-08 20:46:11

How can I find this package? I have enabled the community repository in the pacman.conf file, and synchronized the packages. But when I make a search, pacman -Ss powernowd, it yields no results. Am I missing something? How can I download the package?

CyberTron · 2005-11-08 21:05:16

it isn't in the community repo, you must go to the AUR and download the pkgbuild (and related files) yourself and compile it on your own with makepkg

hjorthboggild · 2005-11-09 08:33:02

Thank you for clearing that up to me
Now I have powernowd installed and up and running

CyberTron · 2005-11-09 08:40:52

hjorthboggild wrote:

Thank you for clearing that up to me
Now I have powernowd installed and up and running

great that it has come to use by more than me

it was quite easy setting it up wasn't it?

Arch Linux

#1 2005-06-18 21:59:19

[new] Powernowd

#2 2005-06-19 14:49:08

Re: [new] Powernowd

#3 2005-06-19 17:48:43

Re: [new] Powernowd

#4 2005-06-19 21:19:25

Re: [new] Powernowd

#5 2005-06-20 02:50:30

Re: [new] Powernowd

#6 2005-06-23 13:12:11

Re: [new] Powernowd

#7 2005-06-23 17:46:56

Re: [new] Powernowd

#8 2005-06-23 17:59:42

Re: [new] Powernowd

#9 2005-06-26 00:16:35

Re: [new] Powernowd

#10 2005-06-26 00:37:47

Re: [new] Powernowd

#11 2005-06-26 00:59:39

Re: [new] Powernowd

#12 2005-06-26 10:14:17

Re: [new] Powernowd

#13 2005-06-26 10:51:25

Re: [new] Powernowd

#14 2005-06-26 11:32:24

Re: [new] Powernowd

#15 2005-06-26 11:45:40

Re: [new] Powernowd

#16 2005-06-27 01:07:04

Re: [new] Powernowd

#17 2005-06-27 08:51:11

Re: [new] Powernowd

#18 2005-06-27 11:13:53

Re: [new] Powernowd

#19 2005-06-27 11:36:07

Re: [new] Powernowd

#20 2005-06-27 12:18:31

Re: [new] Powernowd

#21 2005-06-27 13:32:29

Re: [new] Powernowd

#22 2005-11-08 20:46:11

Re: [new] Powernowd

#23 2005-11-08 21:05:16

Re: [new] Powernowd

#24 2005-11-09 08:33:02

Re: [new] Powernowd

#25 2005-11-09 08:40:52

Re: [new] Powernowd

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