Arch Linux

pengw

Member

Registered: 2014-04-03

Posts: 6

[solved] random screen-saver/blank despite keyboard/mouse action

After a recent (on 23 Oct 2014) full-system upgrade with "pacman -Syu", I got random screensaver activation (with "xscreensaver" running in background) or screen blanking (if "xscreensaver" is killed) despite constant keyboard/mouse actions, i.e., even when I just press some key.

I thought this was related to "xfce4-power-manager" (I had it before the upgrade with no problem) but, apparently, the problem persists even with it killed.

I have not experienced this problem before the upgrade, and I have not changed any of my desktop setting since then.

Some info about my setup (I am using a custom Awesome WM setting https://github.com/pw4ever/awesome-wm-config):

wei@ox-workhorse 0 ~ uname -a
Linux ox-workhorse 3.17.1-1-ARCH #1 SMP PREEMPT Wed Oct 15 15:04:35 CEST 2014 x86_64 GNU/Linux

wei@ox-workhorse 0 ~ xset q
Keyboard Control:
  auto repeat:  on    key click percent:  0    LED mask:  00000000
  XKB indicators:
    00: Caps Lock:   off    01: Num Lock:    off    02: Scroll Lock: off
    03: Compose:     off    04: Kana:        off    05: Sleep:       off
    06: Suspend:     off    07: Mute:        off    08: Misc:        off
    09: Mail:        off    10: Charging:    off    11: Shift Lock:  off
    12: Group 2:     off    13: Mouse Keys:  off
  auto repeat delay:  660    repeat rate:  25
  auto repeating keys:  00ffffffdffffbbf
                        fadfffefffedffff
                        9fffffffffffffff
                        fff7ffffffffffff
  bell percent:  50    bell pitch:  400    bell duration:  100
Pointer Control:
  acceleration:  2/1    threshold:  4
Screen Saver:
  prefer blanking:  yes    allow exposures:  yes
  timeout:  0    cycle:  0
Colors:
  default colormap:  0x22    BlackPixel:  0x0    WhitePixel:  0xffffff
Font Path:
  /usr/share/fonts/misc/,/usr/share/fonts/TTF/,/usr/share/fonts/Type1/,built-ins
DPMS (Energy Star):
  Standby: 0    Suspend: 0    Off: 0
  DPMS is Disabled

wei@ox-workhorse 0 ~ screenfetch 
                   -`
                  .o+`                 wei@ox-workhorse
                 `ooo/                 OS: Arch Linux 
                `+oooo:                Kernel: x86_64 Linux 3.17.1-1-ARCH
               `+oooooo:               Uptime: 1d 54m
               -+oooooo+:              Packages: 1502
             `/:-:++oooo+:             Shell: zsh 5.0.7
            `/++++/+++++++:            Resolution: 1920x1080
           `/++++++++++++++:           WM: Awesome
          `/+++ooooooooooooo/`         WM Theme: 
         ./ooosssso++osssssso+`        GTK Theme: Adwaita [GTK2], Adwaita [GTK3]
        .oossssso-````/ossssss+`       Icon Theme: Human
       -osssssso.      :ssssssso.      Font: Cantarell 11
      :osssssss/        osssso+++.     CPU: Intel Core i7-3740QM CPU @ 3.7GHz
     /ossssssss/        +ssssooo/-     GPU: Quadro K1000M
   `/ossssso+/:-        -:/+osssso+-   RAM: 5790MB / 23670MB
  `+sso+:-`                 `.-/+oso: 
 `++:.                           `-/+/
 .`                                 `/

Any suggestions/ideas on what might cause this or how to resolve this are appreciated.

Last edited by pengw (2014-10-26 04:26:09)

pengw

Member

Registered: 2014-04-03

Posts: 6

Re: [solved] random screen-saver/blank despite keyboard/mouse action

I figure out the problem. It was stupidly simple: Synergy (https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/synergy).

Details:
I use Synergy to connect this computer (my laptop; as the Synergy client) to my office workstation (a dekstop; as the Synergy server), and the Synergy server was put in xscreensaver before I left the office. So when my laptop connects to Internet, the Synergy client on it would activate screensaver/blank randomly even when I was typing on the keyboard.

Solution: Simply cut off Synergy connection.