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kpowersave/doc/en/index.docbook

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<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<!DOCTYPE book PUBLIC "-//KDE//DTD DocBook XML V4.2-Based Variant V1.1//EN" "dtd/kdex.dtd" [
<!ENTITY app "<application>KPowersave</application>">
<!ENTITY apprelease " ">
<!-- chapters in separate docbook files -->
<!-- book related entities -->
<!ENTITY kappname "KPowersave">
<!ENTITY % addindex "INCLUDE">
<!ENTITY % English "INCLUDE" > <!-- change language only here -->
]>
<!--
NOTE:
Entries which require special treatment are marked with comments starting with '###'. They should be visited on a regular basis.
-->
<book lang="&language;">
<bookinfo>
<title>&app; Help</title>
<date>2006-03-06</date>
<releaseinfo>&apprelease;</releaseinfo>
<authorgroup>
<author>
<firstname>Danny</firstname>
<surname>Kukawka</surname>
<affiliation>
<address><email>Danny.Kukawka@web.de</email></address>
</affiliation>
</author>
<author>
<firstname>Thomas</firstname>
<surname>Renninger</surname>
<affiliation>
<address><email>trenn@suse.de</email></address>
</affiliation>
</author>
</authorgroup>
<copyright>
<year>2005</year>
<holder>Scott Rhoades</holder>
</copyright>
<!--ROLES_OF_TRANSLATORS-->
<!--<legalnotice>&FDLNotice;</legalnotice>-->
<abstract>
<para>&app; is a utility used to set power consumption and conservation
options.</para>
</abstract>
<keywordset>
<keyword>KDE</keyword>
<keyword>KPowersave</keyword>
<keyword>power</keyword>
<keyword>battery</keyword>
<keyword>conservation</keyword>
</keywordset>
</bookinfo>
<!-- ====================================================================== -->
<chapter id="introduction">
<chapterinfo>
<keywordset>
<keyword>KPowersave</keyword>
</keywordset>
</chapterinfo>
<title>Introduction</title>
<mediaobject>
<imageobject>
<imagedata fileref="hi48-app-kpowersave.png" format="PNG"/>
</imageobject>
</mediaobject>
<para>Use KPowersave, the KDE front-end to powersave, to control power
management and monitor your laptop battery strength. For example, you can
configure the screen on your laptop to turn off if the computer is not used
for a specified amount of time, extending battery life.
</para>
<sect1 id="starting">
<title>Starting KPowersave</title>
<para>To start KPowersave, open a shell and enter <command>kpowersave
&amp;</command> or select
<menuchoice><guimenu>System</guimenu><guimenu>Desktop Applet</guimenu>
<guimenu>KPowersave</guimenu></menuchoice> from the GNOME or KDE
menu. KPowersave opens in the system
tray.
</para>
<para>To configure whether KPowersave starts automatically when you log in,
click <guimenu>General Settings</guimenu> then check or uncheck
<guimenu>KPowersave starts automatically on login</guimenu>. Also specify
whether you want KPowersave to ask you about starting automatically if you
exit the application.
</para>
</sect1>
<sect1 id="understandingicon">
<title>Understanding the KPowersave Icon</title>
<para>
The KPowersave icon looks like a power plug next to a battery strength
indicator. The icon shows the current battery strength and whether the
computer is powered by the battery or the power supply. When the battery
power is low, the background of the icon flashes, orange for Warning
and red for Low or Critical. If you leave the mouse cursor over the icon, a
message shows whether the computer is plugged in or using the battery, the
current charge level of the battery, and, if the computer is running on
battery power, the approximate amount of time left before the battery power
runs out.
</para>
</sect1>
</chapter>
<chapter id="applet">
<title>The systemtray applet menu</title>
<sect1 id="selectschemes">
<title>Switch active scheme</title>
<para>
To set the active scheme, right-click the KPowersave icon and select
<guimenu>Set Active Scheme</guimenu> then select the scheme to use. If you
change the active power management scheme with <guimenu>Set Active
Scheme</guimenu>, all components of your system are part of the power
saving effort. A power management scheme includes settings for CPU
frequency scaling (if supported by your computer), throttling, hard disk
control, and system cooling.
</para>
<mediaobject>
<imageobject>
<imagedata fileref="en_applet_schemes.png" format="PNG" align="center"/>
</imageobject>
<textobject>
<phrase>KPowersave menu with entries to switch schemes</phrase>
</textobject>
</mediaobject>
</sect1>
<sect1 id="yast">
<title>Starting the YaST Power Management Module</title>
<para>
The YaST Power Management module (currently only available on SUSE) provides
several settings designed to help conserve power. To start the module,
right-click the KPowersave icon and click
<guimenu>Start YaST2 Power Management Module</guimenu>.
Detailed instructions for each setting are available in YaST.
<mediaobject>
<imageobject>
<imagedata fileref="en_applet_yast.png" format="PNG" align="center"/>
</imageobject>
<textobject>
<phrase>KPowersave menu with entry to start YaST</phrase>
</textobject>
</mediaobject>
</para>
<note>
<para>
Starting the YaST Power Management Module requires the root password.
</para>
</note>
</sect1>
<sect1 id="suspend">
<title>Suspending the System</title>
<para>
You can suspend the system at any time by right-clicking the
KPowersave icon and selecting <guimenu>Suspend to Disk</guimenu>,
<guimenu>Suspend to RAM</guimenu>, or
<guimenu>Standby</guimenu> (if standby is supported by the
computer).
</para>
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Suspend to Disk saves all open data to disk before the computer is suspended.
This protects your data if power is cut off or the battery dies.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Suspend to RAM saves the data to RAM, making data retrieval faster when
the computer is brought out of suspend mode.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Standby deactivates the monitor while maintaining power to the system so
that any open data remains in RAM.
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
<para>
The selections that are available depend on which methods have been activated
in YaST by the administrator and whether standby is supported by your
computer. The choice you make should depend on the likelihood of the
computer losing power.
</para>
<mediaobject>
<imageobject>
<imagedata fileref="en_applet_suspend.png" format="PNG" align="center"/>
</imageobject>
<textobject>
<phrase>KPowersave menu with entries for suspend/standby</phrase>
</textobject>
</mediaobject>
</sect1>
<sect1 id="deactivateautossuspend">
<title>Deactivating Autosuspend</title>
<para>
If autosuspend is activated for the scheme currently used,
<guimenu>Disable Actions on Inactivity</guimenu> appears in the KPowersave
menu. If you select this option, any actions that are configured to take
place when the computer is inactive do not happen, effectively deactivating
autosuspend.
</para>
<mediaobject>
<imageobject>
<imagedata fileref="en_applet_autosuspend.png" format="PNG" align="center"/>
</imageobject>
<textobject>
<phrase>KPowersave menu with option "Disable Actions on Inactivity"</phrase>
</textobject>
</mediaobject>
</sect1>
<sect1 id="setCPUFreq">
<title>Setting the CPU Frequency Policy</title>
<para>
To control the amount of power used by the CPU by changing the CPU
frequency policy, right-click the KPowersave icon, click <guimenu>Set CPU
Frequency Policy</guimenu>, and choose one of the available options:
</para>
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Performance: Permanently keeps a high CPU frequency for maximum CPU performance.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Dynamic: Reduces the CPU frequency when the system is idle and adjusts it
dynamically if more CPU power is needed.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Powersave: Maintains a low CPU frequency to save power.
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
<para>
The CPU frequency policy is only available in the menu if it is
supported by your computer. If this option does not appear, it is not
supported by your system.
</para>
<mediaobject>
<imageobject>
<imagedata fileref="en_applet_cpufreq.png" format="PNG" align="center"/>
</imageobject>
<textobject>
<phrase>KPowersave menu with submenu 'CPU Frequency Policy'</phrase>
</textobject>
</mediaobject>
</sect1>
</chapter>
<chapter id="conf_powerscheme">
<title>Configuring a Power Management Scheme</title>
<sect1 id="understand_scheme">
<title>Understanding a Power Management Scheme</title>
<para>
A scheme contains the basic power management configuration that is
used when you use KPowersave with your computer. The number of available
schemes depends on your Powersave configuration. Add or delete schemes with
the YaST Power Management Module. Some common schemes include
the following:
</para>
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>Performance: Optimized for maximum performance during longer sessions</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>Acoustic: Optimized to let the machine run as quietly as possible</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>Presentation: Optimized for best performance when giving presentations</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>Powersave: Optimized to conserve battery power</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
<para>To choose a scheme, open the <guimenu>Scheme Settings</guimenu> tab,
click the scheme to use, modify it as desired, then click
<guimenu>OK</guimenu>.
</para>
<mediaobject>
<imageobject>
<imagedata fileref="en_configdialog_schemes.png" format="PNG" align="center"/>
</imageobject>
<textobject>
<phrase>KPowersave configure dialog (select schemes).</phrase>
</textobject>
</mediaobject>
<para>
A scheme controls:
</para>
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Whether the screen saver is permitted to run when the computer is not in use
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
How much time is allowed to pass before the screen goes into standby or suspend
mode or is powered off
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Whether the computer automatically goes into Suspend mode after a specified
amount of time
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Whether KPowersave should emit notifications
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</sect1>
<sect1 id="procedure">
<title>Procedure to setup a scheme</title>
<para>
All of these options conserve power by not allowing power-consuming
processes to run. To configure scheme settings, do the following:
</para>
<sect2 id="procedure_ss">
<title>Screen Saver</title>
<procedure>
<step><para>Right-click the KPowersave icon in the sytem tray.</para></step>
<step><para>Select <guimenu>Configure KPowersave</guimenu>.</para></step>
<step><para>If the <guimenu>Scheme Settings</guimenu> tab is not already
selected, click <guimenu>Scheme Settings</guimenu>.</para></step>
<step><para>Optionally, click <guimenu>Enable Specific Screensaver
Settings</guimenu>.</para>
<substeps>
<step><para>If you do not want the screen saver to consume power when the
system is not in use, click <guimenu>Disable Screen
Saver</guimenu>.</para></step>
<step><para>To blank the screen instead of running a specific screen
saver, click <guimenu>Only Blank the Screen</guimenu>. This option is
not available if the
screen saver is disabled.</para></step>
</substeps></step>
</procedure>
</sect2>
<sect2 id="procedure_spms">
<title>Display Power Management</title>
<procedure>
<step><para>To manage the power consumed by the screen, click
<guimenu>Enable Specific Display Power Management</guimenu>.</para>
<para>Specific display power management (DPMS) can also
be disabled by checking <guimenu>Disable Display Power
Management</guimenu>. This setting overwrites the desktop
configuration.</para>
<substeps>
<step><para>Select the amount of time that should pass before the screen
goes into standby mode. In standby mode, the screen is blanked, but
continues to receive power. This provides a low level of power
conservation.</para></step>
<step><para>Specify the amount of time before the screen is suspended. In
suspend mode, the screen is turned off but enough power is used to
store the current screen information.</para></step>
<step><para>Specify the amount of time that should pass before all power
to the screen is turned off.</para></step>
</substeps></step>
</procedure>
<mediaobject>
<imageobject>
<imagedata fileref="en_configdialog_schemes_screen.png" format="PNG" align="center"/>
</imageobject>
<textobject>
<phrase>KPowersave configure dialog for screen saver and DPMS settings.</phrase>
</textobject>
</mediaobject>
</sect2>
<sect2 id="procedure_autosuspend">
<title>Setup Autosuspend</title>
<procedure>
<step><para> Click <guimenu>Autosuspend</guimenu> if you want
KPowersave to suspend the system automatically if the current desktop
user is inactive for a specified amount of time then use the dialog to
configure specific autosuspend settings.</para>
<para>For example, if you want the system to suspend to disk after 30
minutes, select the settings to do so. After 30 minutes, all open files
are saved to disk and the computer is suspended.</para>
</step>
</procedure>
<mediaobject>
<imageobject>
<imagedata fileref="en_configdialog_schemes_autosuspend.png" format="PNG" align="center"/>
</imageobject>
<textobject>
<phrase>KPowersave configure dialog for Autosuspend settings.</phrase>
</textobject>
</mediaobject>
</sect2>
<sect2 id="procedure_notification">
<title>Setup Sound</title>
<procedure>
<step><para>To disable/reenable Notifications for the scheme click
<guimenu>Miscellaneous</guimenu>. Change the <guimenu>Disable Notifications</guimenu>
checkbox ti prevent emit Notifications. You can configure the notifications via
the applet menu by select <guimenu>Configure Notifications...</guimenu>.
</para></step>
</procedure>
</sect2>
</sect1>
</chapter>
<chapter id="generalsettings">
<title>General Settings</title>
<sect1 id="lockscreen">
<title>Locking the Screen</title>
<para>
For improved security, you can lock the screen before the computer
goes into suspend or standby mode or when you close the laptop lid. Lock
the screen with a screensaver or with xlock.
</para>
<para>
To lock the screen, click the <guimenu>General Settings</guimenu> tab
then select the settings to use.
</para>
<mediaobject>
<imageobject>
<imagedata fileref="en_configdialog_general.png" format="PNG" align="center"/>
</imageobject>
<textobject>
<phrase>KPowersave configure dialog for general settings.</phrase>
</textobject>
</mediaobject>
</sect1>
<sect1 id="autosuspendblacklist">
<title>Creating an Autosuspend Blacklist</title>
<para>
KPowersave provides an autosuspend blacklist. The blacklist prevents
the system from being suspended if one of the listed applications is
running. For example, you probably do not want your laptop to go into
suspend mode while you are watching a DVD, just because you have not
pressed a key for ten minutes. To edit the blacklist, click the
<guimenu>General Settings</guimenu> tab then click <guimenu>Edit General
Blacklist</guimenu>. Use the <guimenu>Autosuspend Blacklist Edit</guimenu>
dialog to add or remove applications from your blacklist.
</para>
<mediaobject>
<imageobject>
<imagedata fileref="en_configdialog_general.png" format="PNG" align="center"/>
</imageobject>
<textobject>
<phrase>KPowersave configure dialog for Autosuspend Blacklist</phrase>
</textobject>
</mediaobject>
<para>
You can also use this setting to create and edit blacklists for each
scheme. When creating a scheme blacklist, you can import the general
blacklist or create a specific blacklist for that scheme. A scheme-specific
blacklist overrides the general blacklist when that scheme is in
use.
</para>
<mediaobject>
<imageobject>
<imagedata fileref="en_configdialog_blacklist.png" format="PNG" align="center"/>
</imageobject>
<textobject>
<phrase>KPowersave dialog to edit Blacklist</phrase>
</textobject>
</mediaobject>
</sect1>
</chapter>
</book>