Subject: Re: ACPI warning
To: Steve Woodford <scw@netbsd.org>
From: Perry E.Metzger <perry@piermont.com>
List: current-users
Date: 11/03/2003 08:30:07
Steve Woodford <scw@netbsd.org> writes:
> This is just a heads up for folks who are running acpi-enabled -current 
> on laptops for the first time.
>
> Some laptop BIOSs, including my HP Omnibook, hand *complete* control of 
> thermal management (i.e. fan control) over to the OS if ACPI is 
> utilised; with no failsafe mechanism in hardware. This is a seriously 
> dumb hardware design decision, IMHO. But that's just how it is.
>
> So, after enabling ACPI, I suggest checking if your laptop's fan still 
> operates as before. Mine certainly doesn't switch on at all with ACPI 
> in the kernel, so I've had to revert to non-ACPI rather than risk 
> frying the cpu. :(

FYI, the FreeBSD folks have a pretty clean thermal control/fan control
module -- someone should steal it for NetBSD so this problem goes away.

-- 
Perry E. Metzger		perry@piermont.com