[SOLVED] Monitors powering off after 5 minutes inactivity despite DPMS

eblau · 2021-05-15 15:14:01

For the past 3-4 weeks since a recent system update, my monitors have been powering off after 5 minutes despite my 30 minute inactivity timer. Every since upgrading to XScreensaver 6.0, a new NVIDIA driver and Linux kernel 5.12.x, my DPMS interval of 30 minutes / 1800 seconds has not been respected:

DPMS (Energy Star):
  Standby: 1800    Suspend: 1800    Off: 1800
  DPMS is Enabled
  Monitor is On

XScreensaver has 30 minutes configured in my .xscreensaver, "xset q" shows 1800 seconds configured and I have not done anything special with the NVIDIA driver for DPMS. I use i3 as my window manager and it doesn't have any special settings. I have not made any configuration changes.

Does anyone know why my monitors would go into "Off" power saving mode after 5 minutes despite all of these settings?

Last edited by eblau (2021-05-16 11:20:09)

seth · 2021-05-15 15:16:52

xset q | grep -A2 "Screen Saver"

eblau · 2021-05-15 15:26:34

Hmmm...

xset q | grep -A2 "Screen Saver"
Screen Saver:
  prefer blanking:  yes    allow exposures:  yes
  timeout:  600    cycle:  600

Looks like XScreensaver 6.0 broke this somehow or the settings have been updated. In $HOME/.xscreensaver I have:

timeout:        0:30:00
cycle:          0:30:00
lock:           True
lockTimeout:    0:30:00
passwdTimeout:  0:00:30
visualID:       default
installColormap:    True
verbose:        False
timestamp:      True
splash:         True
splashDuration: 0:00:05
demoCommand:    xscreensaver-demo
prefsCommand:   xscreensaver-demo -prefs
nice:           10
memoryLimit:    0
fade:           True
unfade:         False
fadeSeconds:    0:00:03
fadeTicks:      20
captureStderr:  True
ignoreUninstalledPrograms:False
font:           *-medium-r-*-140-*-m-*
dpmsEnabled:    True
dpmsQuickOff:   False
dpmsStandby:    1:00:00
dpmsSuspend:    1:00:00
dpmsOff:        1:00:00
grabDesktopImages:  True
grabVideoFrames:    False
chooseRandomImages: False
imageDirectory:

seth · 2021-05-15 15:30:32

If you stop xscreensaver, does the output still power off?

eblau · 2021-05-15 23:04:39

seth wrote:

If you stop xscreensaver, does the output still power off?

Yes, with xscreensaver stopped, after 10 minutes both screens (DP-0 & DP-1) blank momentarily and then DP-1 comes back on and DP-0 is set off completely.

Before:

DP-0 connected 3840x2160+3840+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 621mm x 341mm
   3840x2160     60.00*+  29.98  
...
DP-1 connected primary 3840x2160+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 600mm x 340mm
   3840x2160     60.00*+  30.00

after "screen saver" activates with xscreensaver stopped:

DP-0 connected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
   3840x2160     60.00 +  29.98  
...
DP-1 connected primary 3840x2160+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 600mm x 340mm panning 7680x2160+0+0
   3840x2160     60.00*+  30.00

eblau · 2021-05-15 23:53:05

It seems like the answer is to do a "xset s off" to disable X screen saver. I don't understand why I have to do this now when it has been working otherwise for years with stock XScreensaver and its configuration, but it seems like that solves the problem. Thanks for the pointers seth!

Stratoblaster · 2021-05-16 02:08:50

This is perfect. I noticed this myself for a bit now. I never really paid it much mind until working from home.

seth · 2021-05-16 07:15:23

blank momentarily and then DP-1 comes back on and DP-0 is set off completely.

https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php … 2#p1971022

Smells like some DRM bug…

Please always remember to mark resolved threads by editing your initial posts subject - so others will know that there's no task left, but maybe a solution to find.
Thanks.

eblau · 2021-05-16 11:32:58

Thanks @seth. I added the section to my xorg config:

Section "ServerFlags"
    Option "BlankTime" "0"
EndSection

and now all works again as expected. XScreenSaver is controlling my screen blanking settings as and DPMS exactly as I have it configured despite xset showing it disabled:

Screen Saver:
  prefer blanking:  yes    allow exposures:  yes
  timeout:  0    cycle:  600
...
DPMS (Energy Star):
  Standby: 0    Suspend: 0    Off: 0
  DPMS is Enabled
  Monitor is On

Stratoblaster · 2021-05-16 15:41:53

@eblau

Nice work! Oddly enough, I create my xorg.conf file and when I add the server flags statements, my dm (lightdm) fails to start. Of course, if I remove the lines or remove the xorg.conf, all is well.
I do dhave that new section below the ServerLayout and before the Files section. Might you have an idea why this appears to happen?

Unless there is an xorg.conf somewhere that is created on install as the /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/ is empty

UPDATE: Issue corrected. Please disregard - user error

Last edited by Stratoblaster (2021-05-16 15:49:14)

Arch Linux

#1 2021-05-15 15:14:01

[SOLVED] Monitors powering off after 5 minutes inactivity despite DPMS

#2 2021-05-15 15:16:52

Re: [SOLVED] Monitors powering off after 5 minutes inactivity despite DPMS

#3 2021-05-15 15:26:34

Re: [SOLVED] Monitors powering off after 5 minutes inactivity despite DPMS

#4 2021-05-15 15:30:32

Re: [SOLVED] Monitors powering off after 5 minutes inactivity despite DPMS

#5 2021-05-15 23:04:39

Re: [SOLVED] Monitors powering off after 5 minutes inactivity despite DPMS

#6 2021-05-15 23:53:05

Re: [SOLVED] Monitors powering off after 5 minutes inactivity despite DPMS

#7 2021-05-16 02:08:50

Re: [SOLVED] Monitors powering off after 5 minutes inactivity despite DPMS

#8 2021-05-16 07:15:23

Re: [SOLVED] Monitors powering off after 5 minutes inactivity despite DPMS

#9 2021-05-16 11:32:58

Re: [SOLVED] Monitors powering off after 5 minutes inactivity despite DPMS

#10 2021-05-16 15:41:53

Re: [SOLVED] Monitors powering off after 5 minutes inactivity despite DPMS

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