Simple fan speed control for the Firebox X750e

Steve Evans

Most of the time my newly commissioned X750e is doing very little, and so can get by without much cooling, but of course now and again I do actually use it and want to up the cooling. I therefore wrote the following very simple pair of scripts to provide automatic fan speed control.

The first script is a demon which should be located at /usr/local/sbin/fanctrld.sh with execute permissions. This relies on WGXepc having been installed in /usr/local/bin.

If the CPU temperature is above the defined set temperature of 60 degC the green LED on the front of the box will flash. Once it's at or below that temperature the LED will show solid green.

#!/bin/sh
# Regulate the CPU temperature to the set temperature. The green
# front panel LED will flash green if the fan speed is being raised
# to control the temperature and will be set green once the desired
# temperature is achieved.

# Target temperature
target=60

# Initial fan setting
fan=20

# Loop, adjusting the fan speed
while true
do
        mb_temp=`mbmon -I -T1 -c1 | cut -d '.' -f 1`
        cpu_temp=`mbmon -I -T2 -c1 | cut -d '.' -f 1`

        difference=$(($cpu_temp-$target))

        # Indicate if the temperature is too high or low
        if [ $difference -gt 0 ]
        then /usr/local/bin/WGXepc -l green_flash > /dev/null
        else
        /usr/local/bin/WGXepc -l green > /dev/null
        fi
        fan=$(($fan+$difference))

        # Limit max fan control to 255
        if [ $fan -gt 255 ]
        then fan=255
        fi

        # Limit min fan control to 0
        if [ $fan -lt 5 ]
        then fan=5
        fi

        # Adjust the fan speed
        /usr/local/bin/WGXepc -f `printf "%x\n" $fan` > /dev/null

        # Display the temperatures and fan setting
        # echo CPU:$cpu_temp MB:$mb_temp fan:$fan

        # Sleep allowing for heat-soak
        sleep 5
done

And then there's the startup script in /usr/local/etc/rc.d/fanctrl.sh.

#!/bin/sh

rc_start() {
        if [ `pgrep -f fanctrld.sh` ];then
                pkill -f fanctrld.sh
                sleep 1
        fi
        /usr/local/sbin/fanctrld.sh &
}

rc_stop() {
        if [ `pgrep -f fanctrld.sh` ];then
                pkill -f fanctrld.sh
                sleep 1
        fi
}

case $1 in
        start)
                rc_start
                ;;
        stop)
                rc_stop
                /usr/local/bin/WGXepc -f ff > /dev/null
                ;;
        restart)
                rc_stop
                rc_start
                ;;
esac

I hope somebody finds this of use.

Steve

Steve Evans

After some experimentation I found that the Pentium 5 M, which is good for 100 degC, is easy to cool to 64 degC at under max fan speed and at Gbps load. I've therefore modified the daemon script to attempt to maintain that. I've also put in a check for bogus temperatures as if mbmon fails I don't want to cook my CPU!

#!/bin/sh
# Regulate the CPU temperature to the set temperature. The green
# front panel LED will flash green if the fan speed is being raised
# to control the temperature and will be set green once the desired
# temperature is achieved.

# Target temperature
target=64
min_temp=40
gain=5
delay=2

# Initial fan setting
fan=20

# Loop, adjusting the fan speed
while true
do
	#mb_temp=`mbmon -I -T1 -c1 | cut -d '.' -f 1`
	cpu_temp=`mbmon -I -T2 -c1 | cut -d '.' -f 1`

	# Drop out if the temperature looks bogus to prevent overheating
	if [ $cpu_temp -lt $min_temp ]
	then
		/usr/local/bin/WGXepc -f ff > /dev/null
		/usr/local/bin/WGXepc -l red_flash > /dev/null
		break
	fi

	difference=$(($cpu_temp-$target))

	# Indicate if the temperature is too high or low
	if [ $difference -gt 0 ]
	then /usr/local/bin/WGXepc -l green_flash > /dev/null
	else
	/usr/local/bin/WGXepc -l green > /dev/null
	fi
	fan=$(($fan+($gain*$difference)))

	# Limit max fan control to 255
	if [ $fan -gt 255 ]
	then fan=255
	fi

	# Limit min fan control to 0
	if [ $fan -lt 5 ]
	then fan=5
	fi

	# Adjust the fan speed
	/usr/local/bin/WGXepc -f `printf "%x\n" $fan` > /dev/null

	# Display the temperatures and fan setting
	#echo CPU:$cpu_temp MB:$mb_temp fan:$fan

	# Sleep allowing for heat-soak
	sleep $delay
done

Steve

stephenw10

@Steve:

I've also put in a check for bogus temperatures as if mbmon fails I don't want to cook my CPU!

Good job. Did you read the other similar thread?
http://forum.pfsense.org/index.php/topic,63240.0.html

It seems as though mbmon will eventually fail or the SuperIO chip eventually locks into some odd mode. I added an option to WGXepc to read the temperature directly (mbmon reads every sensor value every time) but it didn't help.

Fortunately it fails to 127°C so the fans just go to max.

I'll be interested in your results from this. It could be just a bad SuperIO chip or thermistor in Bigramon's box.

Steve

Steve Evans

Hi Steve,

Your new WGXepc is reading temperature just fine using

WGXepc -t | sed '1,2d'

I'll let you know if it goes wrong!

Steve

Steve Evans

This has been working reliably for some time, so having just updated to 2.1 and re-applied this fix I though I might as well post a complete set of files.

Rename the attachment to lose the .png suffix and decompress. You'll find the following files. Copy them to the directory shown. Ensure that the sh files and WGXepc are executable.

Start the fan control thus, or simply reboot:

# /usr/local/etc/rc.d/fanctrl.sh

You should hear the fans slow considerably. The daemon will try to maintain the set temperature of 64 degC. After some experimentation I found this to work well.

Credit is due here to stephenw10 for the WGXepc utility. Note that he's produced a couple of versions, and you need this one as it reports temperature.

The php scripts will read the CPU temperature and display it on the dashboard as the attached image.

Steve

![Screen Shot 2013-09-22 at 16.36.26.png](/public/imported_attachments/1/Screen Shot 2013-09-22 at 16.36.26.png)
![Screen Shot 2013-09-22 at 16.36.26.png_thumb](/public/imported_attachments/1/Screen Shot 2013-09-22 at 16.36.26.png_thumb)
WatchGuardX750e.zip.png

chpalmer

Thanks Steve! Working great here. :)

frosty

Should running WGXepc -f display the current fan speed that is set by the script? I had been running the fans around 60 and figured this would be a better way to control the cooling. When I started the fan control the fans shot up in speed and seemed to stay there. Temps were running around 50ish with the fans on 60. They weren't much lower after starting the script and never seemed to adjust down.

Its quite possible I did something wrong.

chpalmer

Everything except instructions on how to make the files executable are on this page in case it got confusing…

It wont hurt to try it again. Id install the filemanager package and use that to verify files...

https://forum.pfsense.org/index.php/topic,66129.msg366219.html#msg366219

https://doc.pfsense.org/index.php/PfSense_on_Watchguard_Firebox#Controlling_hardware_with_WGXepc

You should barely be able to hear the fans.

Steve Evans

@chpalmer:

Everything except instructions on how to make the files executable are on this page in case it got confusing…

It wont hurt to try it again. Id install the filemanager package and use that to verify files...

https://forum.pfsense.org/index.php/topic,66129.msg366219.html#msg366219

https://doc.pfsense.org/index.php/PfSense_on_Watchguard_Firebox#Controlling_hardware_with_WGXepc

You should barely be able to hear the fans.

With the temperature at 50 the fans will be reduced to the minimum speed if everything was installed correctly. Did you make the scripts executable?

Steve

frosty

@Steve:

@chpalmer:

Everything except instructions on how to make the files executable are on this page in case it got confusing…

It wont hurt to try it again. Id install the filemanager package and use that to verify files...

https://forum.pfsense.org/index.php/topic,66129.msg366219.html#msg366219

https://doc.pfsense.org/index.php/PfSense_on_Watchguard_Firebox#Controlling_hardware_with_WGXepc

You should barely be able to hear the fans.

With the temperature at 50 the fans will be reduced to the minimum speed if everything was installed correctly. Did you make the scripts executable?

Steve

Chmod +x on both .sh files and WGXepc. I tried chmod 0755 as well.

I guess I should first start by saying I'm trying this on a Firebox X550e. I assume the hardware is similar enough for this to work. The box has only been up and running for a couple of days now and I had WGXepc working and controlling the fans manually until I saw this thread today and figured I'd try it.

I installed the files again and this time when I ran /usr/local/etc/rc.d/fanctrl.sh it didnt change the manual fan speed of 55 I had previously set. The first time I tried this the fans shot up to ff and stayed there. They are now running at 55 without any change, at least according to WGXepc -f. I assumed, which might be the problem, that running that command after fanctrl.sh would show you the current fan speed. I have not noticed a drop in fan speed sound since running fanctrl.sh.

I have not tried a reboot as of yet.

chpalmer

If you pull up the widget does it show the temperature or something else?

edit= Ill say that I tried to make it work with the copy of WGXepc that I had which I thought was the same and found it was wrong.

Use the copy that comes in Steves zip file.

frosty

@chpalmer:

If you pull up the widget does it show the temperature or something else?

edit= Ill say that I tried to make it work with the copy of WGXepc that I had which I thought was the same and found it was wrong.

Use the copy that comes in Steves zip file.

It shows the temperature.

I tried the version I had installed as well and it said that WGXepc could accept multiple values or something along those lines. I figured that might be the problem so I used the one in the zip file before my first post just to make sure.

chpalmer

Are you still using commands in shellcmd or other to set fan speeds manually?

frosty

@chpalmer:

Are you still using commands in shellcmd or other to set fan speeds manually?

Nothing in shellcmd currently. I set it manually at the command line after first trying the fanctrl.sh command and the fan shot up to ff. But its only been set at the command line.

I did try setting it back to ff manually and running fanctrl.sh with no noticeable drop in speed. I didnt look to see if there was a "reset to factory" for the fan speed.

stephenw10

Try running WGXepc -t to read the temperature.
If you look at the thread I linked earlier you'll see that the SuperIO chip (which has the sensor) has a habit of erroneously reporting 125C after some time. If you haven't rebooted that box for while it could just be reporting wrong.

Steve

frosty

@stephenw10:

Try running WGXepc -t to read the temperature.
If you look at the thread I linked earlier you'll see that the SuperIO chip (which has the sensor) has a habit of erroneously reporting 125C after some time. If you haven't rebooted that box for while it could just be reporting wrong.

Steve

I checked that earlier and it was the same as the gui/widget and mbmon. Firewall has only been up 3 days but I'll give it a reboot and see what happens.

frosty

Reboot did the trick, thanks for the help. Probably should have tried that first.

Steve Evans

Just spotted the error. In my post I had the following instruction to start the fan control:

# /usr/local/etc/rc.d/fanctrl.sh

This is wrong. It should be:

# /usr/local/etc/rc.d/fanctrl.sh start

You can stop the daemon, and return the fans to full speed with the following:

# /usr/local/etc/rc.d/fanctrl.sh stop

Sorry about that.

Steve

frosty

I actually tried this

# /usr/local/etc/rc.d/fanctrl.sh stop

but didnt notice a change which makes sense because it sets the fans back to full speed where they already where.

Thanks for putting this together, I like it better than manually setting the fan speed.

stephenw10

Any idea what speed the fans average out at when the script is running?
I guess it would be very dependent on ambient temperature and cpu load but it would be interesting to hear any anecdotal evidence.

Steve