TuxOnIce

Features

Compared to the alternatives, TuxOnIce has some unique features:

• Saving the memory image into a swap file, a swap partition or a normal file on any filesystem.
• Cancelling a suspend in progress.
• Different bugs -- if the alternatives don't work, try this one!

It also have the following advantages over swsusp (these features are also provided, in principle, by the not-yet-stable uswsusp):

• The ability to compress the memory image as it is written to disk, thereby reducing suspend and resume times.
• Control over amount of RAM written to disk -- can (optionally) discard cached disk blocks to reduce suspend and resume times.
• Textual and graphical UI (optional).

Since it is implemented purely in software, TuxOnIce is in principle machine-independent and should work on all modern ThinkPad models. However, in some cases problematic drivers need to be unloaded before suspension. This is handled by the script (see below).

Availability / Project Homepage

• Project home page

Model-specific Status

Installation Instructions

The project home page has a detailed HOWTO and FAQ. The following are just a few highlights.

Modifying the initrd generation scripts, and recreate initrd

If your systems uses an file (most do), you'll need to patch or replace your -creation script.

• Fedora 4: in , find this line:

echo "echo Mounted /proc filesystem" >> $RCFILE

and add the following immediately afterwards:

echo "echo > /sys/power/suspend2/do_resume" >>$RCFILE

• Fedora 5: in , find this line:

if [ -z "$noresume" -a -n "$swsuspdev" ]; then

and add the following immediately before the above:

emit "echo 1 > /sys/power/suspend2/do_resume"

You can also use the mkinitrd-suspend2 package from atrpms.

• Debian: If your system uses mkinitrd to create the initrd, copy swsusp-initrd.sh script to your directory before creating initrd image. If you use initramfs-tools, put a similar script into (the manpage of initramfs has templates of example "boot scripts")

In any case, make sure you regenerate your file by reinstalling the kernel package or explicitly with mkinitrd or mkinitramfs commands.

Hibernate script

TuxOnIce works best with the script (available from the project home page), which takes care of auxiliary tasks needed on many systems (e.g., unloading problematic modules and restoring video modes).

Availability

• Gentoo: emerge hibernate-script
• Fedora: kernel and hibernate RPMs are available at http://mhensler.de/swsusp/
• Ubuntu: packages for Ubuntu Dapper Drake (kernel, hibernate, suspend2ui-userui): http://dagobah.ucc.asn.au/dapper-kernels/
• Ubuntu: experimental packages for Ubuntu Edgy Eft (kernel, hibernate, suspend2ui-userui): http://3v1n0.tuxfamily.org/dists/edgy/suspend2/
• PLD: poldek -iv hibernate
• Other: check the home page for packages (deb, i386 rpm, tgz, and source rpm) from http://www.tuxonice.net

Configuration tips

Crash fix

To avoid pages being resaved during suspend use kernel 2.6.19.2 and suspend2 2.2.9.1 (not stable yet) OR add the following to

ProcSetting full_pageset2 1

RediSafe-like functionality

The hibernate functionality on some ThinkPad BIOSes offers the useful "RediSafe" feature, which suspends to both RAM and disk. This way you get quick resumes (directly from RAM), plus the safey of suspend-to-disk in case the battery runs out.

TuxOnIce provides this feature too; simply add the following to :

PowerdownMethod 3

Be aware of possible filesystem corruption scenarios

Certain usage scenarios can cause filesystem corruption with suspend2. Some details on this are in the project's HOWTO. None of the workaround configurations fix the problem satisfactorily, so be warned. In particular, with an ext3 root filesystem, if you suspend to swap partition, and then use sysrescCD/Knoppix/some other way to mount the root filesystem read-only, you risk data corruption when you try to resume from the suspended image.

As far as possible, after suspending the system, don't touch the root filesystem unless you are resuming from it :)

ACPI Problem

Also see Problems with ACPI suspend-to-ram

Resume hangs

If the resume process hangs after "Extended CMOS year: 2000" with the boot option no_suspend_console, you my try to enable hpet with hpet=force