Enabling Thermal Sensor Drivers

Novell Cool Solutions: Tip
By Kirk Coombs

Reader Rating from 7 ratings

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Posted: 3 Nov 2005

Applies To:

SUSE Linux
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
Novell Linux Desktop
Open Enterprise Server

Background

Most computers have integrated temperature-sensing circuitry which can be used to monitor the temperature of the CPU, motherboard chip set, etc. In SUSE Linux the drivers for these circuits is not enabled for default. This tip explains how to enable the drivers and access the temperature information

Configuring sensors

The application used to monitor system temperatures is called lm_sensors, and is installed by default but must be configured to each specific system.

Log-in as root.
Run the lm_sensors configuration command:
```
# sensors-detect
```
The sensors-detect command runs through a configuration wizard which detects the available temperature sensors and loads the proper modules. For most systems simply selecting all the defaults works. The final step generates /etc/sysconfig/lm_sensors. You are instructed to add module information to /etc/modprobe.conf and create a /etc/rc.* file. This is not necessary. The module information is written to /etc/sysconfig/lm_sensors, and the default /etc/init.d/lm_sensors file reads them from it.
Configure lm_sensors to start on boot:
```
# insserve lm_sensors
```

Reading the sensors

The sensors can be read in a couple of ways. Begin my starting the sensors by entering:

# /etc/init.d/lm_sensors start

The sensors are then read by entering:

# /etc/init.d/lm_sensors status

# sensors

GUI options

The command-line interface to the sensors does provide the raw data, but does not make it very easy to parse. There are several GUI front ends to sensors which make them more useful. Examples include:

Reader Comments

SLES9 does not appear to have lm_sensors. It has something called senors but I can't seem to get that to tell me anything.
This solution is great. and SL10's KDE System Guard will now display the motherboard temps and fan rpm's.
Shouldn't Step 4 say # insserv lm_sensors (no e at the end) instead of # insserve lm_sensors? I couldn't get this command to work unless I spelled it "insserv."

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