Linux: Dell Laptop Fan Control And Get CPU Temperature

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I have installed Debian or Ubuntu Linux on Dell Inspiron / Latitude / Precision / Vostro laptop. How do I see the current CPU temperature? How do I control and see fan status on Dell laptop?

You need to use the i8kfan and sensors commands to get the following information on Dell laptop powered by Linux operating systems:

  1. Cpu temperature
  2. Left or right fan status
  3. Left or right fan speed
  4. Ac power status
  5. Fn buttons status

Say hello to i8k driver

You need to load a driver called i8k. It is used for accessing SMM BIOS on Dell laptops. It is well supported on business class Dell laptop modules such as Latitude, Inspiron, Vostro and so on. This module is included with Linux kernel version 3.0 or above.

How do I load the driver?

Type the following modprobe command to load the i8k driver:
$ sudo modprobe -v i8k
OR
# modprobe -v i8k
Sample outputs:

insmod /lib/modules/3.5.0-30-generic/kernel/drivers/char/i8k.ko

Install i8kutils package on Debian / Ubuntu

Open a terminal and type the following command:
$ sudo apt-get install i8kutils
Sample outputs:

Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  i8kutils
0 upgraded, 1 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 0 B/35.4 kB of archives.
After this operation, 184 kB of additional disk space will be used.
Selecting previously unselected package i8kutils.
(Reading database ... 256376 files and directories currently installed.)
Unpacking i8kutils (from .../i8kutils_1.33_amd64.deb) ...
Processing triggers for man-db ...
Processing triggers for ureadahead ...
Setting up i8kutils (1.33) ...
 * Not starting. Disabled via /etc/default/i8kmon.
 * Not starting. Disabled via /etc/default/i8kbuttons.

Edit the file /etc/default/i8kbuttons and /etc/default/i8kmon and set ENABLED to 1:

ENABLED=1

Alternatively, use the sed command to do all your dirty work:

sed -i.bak 's/ENABLED=0/ENABLED=1/' /etc/default/{i8kmon,i8kbuttons}

Start the service (this is equivalent of running the modprobe -v i8k command):
# /etc/init.d/i8kmon start
Sample outputs:

 * Starting Dell Inspiron fan/cpu-temperature monitor i8kmon             [ OK ]

How do I see the current status?

Type the following command
$ i8kctl
Sample outputs:

1.0 (null) XYZABC123 43 1 1 77130 78120 0 -1

Where,

  1. 1.0 i8k format version
  2. (null) bios version
  3. XYZABC123 machine id (Dell serial number)
  4. 43 cpu temperature
  5. 1 left fan status
  6. 1 right fan status
  7. 7713 left fan speed
  8. 7812 right fan speed
  9. 0 ac power status
  10. -1 : fn buttons status

Just print the CPU temp, enter:
$ i8kctl temp
Sample outputs:

52

Controlling fan speed on Dell laptop

First, just print the fan status info:
$ i8kctl fan
Sample outputs:

1 1

The fan command can accept two optional parameters which specify the new fan state for left and right fans. The state parameter can be:
Where,

  1. 0 : turn the fan off (not recommended)
  2. 1 : set low speed
  3. 2 : set high speed
  4. - : don’t change the state of this fan

For example, the following command sets the left fan (usually used by CPU) to high speed and leaves the right unchanged:
$ i8kctl fan 2 -
In this example, sets the left fan (usually used by CPU) to high speed and leaves the left unchanged:
$ i8kctl fan - 2
The following will set both fans to low speed:
$ i8kctl fan 1 1
This is equivalent of running the following commands:

 ## the syntax is ##
i8kfan leftFan rightFan
 
# Set left fan on high and leaves the right unchanged
i8kfan 2 -
 
# Set right fan on high and leaves the left unchanged
i8kfan - 2
 
# Set both fans to low 
i8kfan 1 1

Please note that the service /etc/init.d/i8kmon starts i8kmon in daemon mode. So setting the speed with i8kfan is pointless since the daemon will override the speed with its own value on fly as per system temperature.

Using sensors command

First, install and configure lm_sensors package as described here and type the following command to see information about your FAN and cpu core temperature:
$ sensors
Sample outputs:

Fig.01: sensors command in action - show the current readings of all sensor chips on Dell laptop
Fig.01: sensors command in action – show the current readings of all sensor chips on Dell laptop

I also suggest that you use the acpi -V command to see the current battery status and thermal temperature under Linux operating systems.

See also

Posted by: Vivek Gite

The author is the creator of nixCraft and a seasoned sysadmin, DevOps engineer, and a trainer for the Linux operating system/Unix shell scripting. Get the latest tutorials on SysAdmin, Linux/Unix and open source topics via RSS/XML feed or weekly email newsletter.

36 comment

    1. It should work as Ubuntu 12.04 LTS is official supported on many XPS variants. Why not try it out the commands and let us know the result?

      HTH.

  2. Great article indeed. Would you please correct the following line?

    Start the service (this is equivalent of running the modprobe -v i8k command):
    # /etc/init.d/i8kmon start

    The start argument was missing.

  3. Great Article. FYI, I always had stress with this on my Dell Studio 1735. systems locks etc…

  5. I use fedora and I got a dell laptop yesterday. Not using the dedicated graphics seems to do the trick, but the simple fact of the matter is that i cannot spend all of my time checking the temperature and changing the fan speeds all the time. Seriously, didn’t anyone at Dell think about these scenarios? or did they even bother to test it a bit, at least with the most common distros (hint: ubuntu/debian/suse/fedora)?

  6. It’s great thanks , but I had a question .. the first parameter of the fan option is always “-1 ” what does that mean ?

    there is the out put of “i8kctl fan” it is “-1 1”

    and thanks a lot :)

  7. > there is the out put of “i8kctl fan” it is “-1 1″

    obviously your system does not have a left fan . . . ; -)

  8. Hi,

    I would like to have some auto control for my Dell M4600 fans in Ubuntu since they are much louder in that than with Windows.
    Any suggestion?

    Thx!

        1. after installing and running the commands there are to things
          1. fan turns on and of constantly =(
          2. it looks like it is set to auto

          set PROG_VERSION “v1.30 11/16/2013”

          array set config {
          sysconfig /etc/i8kmon.conf
          userconfig ~/.i8kmon
          i8kfan /usr/bin/i8kfan
          acpi “acpi”
          geometry {}
          use_conf 1
          auto 1
          daemon 1
          verbose 0
          timeout 5
          unit C
          t_high 80
          min_speed 2000

          and last there is no /etc/default/i8kbuttons and /etc/default/i8kmon
          e 6530 -linux mint
          some ideas
          thank you

  10. Tried editing the files in the etc/default folder but I keep getting file permission erros, any work around to that?

  11. thanks for this. i have an old D620 with lubuntu on it which was getting mega hot because the fan wouldn’t come on. problem solved now.

  13. It seems it was used the old days. The manpage of i8kbuttons says
    ‘Monitor the status of Fn-buttons on Dell Inspiron laptops.’.
    But now, perhaps it is not necessary. I can say that for me it is not!

  14. One question, why don’t the good people of i8kmon put the ENABLED standard on 1?
    I was struggling with permission hence the question. :-)

    I love linux but the temperature was so high, I hesitated, then found this site.
    It was a bit fiddly, but I love it. It just switched of automatically and now it started on speed 1 again. It is on 30 celsius now.

    Thank you

    1. I have a dell D610 kernel 3.13 on Rebecca, I installed i8kutils by means of the software manager but still can’t access/manipulate the fan speed. After I set i8kctl fan 2 0 the fan runs fast for 5 seconds and then I’m right back to square one again. -1 0. Am I missing something?

  15. A bit lost here; the fan configuration for 1 and 1 as well as changing the etc file to enabled 1 works fine; how do I make the settings default? When I reboot the laptop, the fan speeds revert to normal which shows 1 and 3.

    Thanks!

  16. sed: impossible de lire /etc/default/i8kmon: No such file or directory exist
    sed: impossible de lire /etc/default/i8kbuttons: No such file or directory exist

  17. Followed this and worked fine…
    But after a while the fan seemed to stop working all together…
    Please help me to get this sorted out

  18. Dell Latitude D810. Ubuntu 14.04.1 fully up to date.
    Did install latest i8kutils.

    Had following problems.

    $ sudo modprobe -v i8k
    gave no output for insmod

    # sed -i.bak ‘s/ENABLED=0/ENABLED=1/’ /etc/default/{i8kmon,i8kbuttons}

    sed: can’t read /etc/default/{18kmon,: No such file or directory
    sed: can’t read i8kbuttons}: No such file or directory

    # /etc/init.d/i8kmon start
    * Starting Dell fan/cpu-temperature monitor i8kmon [fail]

    Explain/help needed.
    tia

  19. The sed -1.bak command gives:
    sed: can’t read /etc/default/i8kmon: No such file or directory exist
    sed: can’t read /etc/default/i8kbuttons: No such file or directory exist
    How to fix?
    The command /etc/init.d/i8kmon start
    shows [fail]
    What did I miss
    tia

  20. Do not know what I did right or incorrectly but what I did above stands.
    Before beginning the install process the temp was at 54c.
    However yesterday when I powered up and left it on for a while and checked
    the temp it was down to 36c I maaged to check the right side vent and found
    the fan was in fact working.. I powered up again today and after 1 hour the
    temp was 36c and after 2 hours was 37c. The room temp was 26c.
    It would be nice if someone could resolve issues in my earlier post.
    Thanks for the program.

  21. 1.0 (null) 9SX2LX1 51 -1 1 27660 144630 0 -1
    This is result that I got, but I want to know why the fn is -1,and how to use fn function
    Thanks

  22. Can this software allow me to set the temperature level for when the cooling fan is started, currently is turns on at 32 or 34 degrees (see below), with is too low, can I change this to a higher level?

    root@DELL-DEBIAN:/home/hugh# sensors
coretemp-isa-0000
Adapter: ISA adapter
Core 0:       +32.0°C  (high = +105.0°C, crit = +105.0°C)
Core 1:       +34.0°C  (high = +105.0°C, crit = +105.0°C)

  23. Thanks for this article, it’s been a lifesaver! Since I’ve been running this utility, both my left and right fans are acting erratically. They constantly switch on and off every few seconds. Your article mentioned that the daemon assumes control overriding any commands that you throw at it. Has anybody run into this issue?

  24. Vintage machine help
    machine:
    Dell
    Intel PII @ 397 Mhz
    256Megs RAM
    40 Gig HDD
    Ubuntu 15.04 Vivid
    Kernel 4.1.4-040104-gen

    i get the same error on this machine. but i do question the age of the laptop. It is old! but that aside, I have tried the above method with no resolve. I do not how ever, have any fan speed issues.
    Thanks for the article.

    Linux!
    It will work!

  25. I have 1 vostro 1510 , i install ubuntu 15.10 , after i install i8kutils (1.60) 1 have problens (freezes) , for my solution is :

    IN FILE : /etc/i8kmon.conf
    # Run as daemon, override with –daemon option:
    set config(daemon) 1
    # Automatic fan control, override with –auto option
    set config(auto) 0
    # Status check timeout (seconds), override with –timeout option
    set config(timeout) 2
    # Report status on stdout, override with –verbose option
    set config(verbose) 1
    # Temperature thresholds: {fan_speeds low_ac high_ac low_batt high_batt}
    set config(0) {{-1 0} -1 50 -1 50}
    set config(1) {{-1 1} 50 70 50 70}
    set config(3) {{-1 2} 70 128 70 128}
    # end of file

    AND IN FILE : /etc/init.d/i8kmon

    I change line for : I8KMON_ARGS to :
    I8KMON_ARGS=”–daemon –noauto –nouserconfig “

    after have a flag –auto , for my causes freezes (i understain , automode try detect , but a moment to change values for fan , try change into fan 2 , and i no have 2 fan , i have 1 )

    note : my notebook have 1 fan not 2 , i found others peoples inform same problem in autodiscovery for i8kmon
    note 2 : if possible , try inform for this project to try create a check is possible fix auto detection for others models if have 1 fan .

    thx

    1. Changing

      I8KMON_ARGS="–daemon –nouserconfig –auto"

      to

      I8KMON_ARGS="–daemon –nouserconfig –noauto"

      in

      “/etc/init.d/i8kmon”

      Worked for my issues when fans would shut off and on to throttle temperature. Now constant on :)

  26. Did not work on my DELL XPS 13 with ubuntu 14.04

    gus@XPS:~$ sudo apt-get install i8kutils

    Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
The following extra packages will be installed:
  acpi
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  acpi i8kutils
0 upgraded, 2 newly installed, 0 to remove and 20 not upgraded.
Need to get 39,2 kB of archives.
After this operation, 162 kB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n] y
Get:1 http://de.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ trusty/universe acpi amd64 1.7-1 [13,8 kB]
Get:2 http://ppa.launchpad.net/vitorafsr/ppa/ubuntu/ trusty/main i8kutils amd64 1.42-45~ubuntu14.04.1 [25,4 kB]
Fetched 39,2 kB in 0s (149 kB/s)   
Selecting previously unselected package acpi.
(Reading database ... 1368873 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to unpack .../archives/acpi_1.7-1_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking acpi (1.7-1) ...
Selecting previously unselected package i8kutils.
Preparing to unpack .../i8kutils_1.42-45~ubuntu14.04.1_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking i8kutils (1.42-45~ubuntu14.04.1) ...
Processing triggers for man-db (2.6.7.1-1ubuntu1) ...
Processing triggers for ureadahead (0.100.0-16) ...
ureadahead will be reprofiled on next reboot
Setting up acpi (1.7-1) ...
Setting up i8kutils (1.42-45~ubuntu14.04.1) ...
 * Starting Dell fan/cpu-temperature monitor i8kmon
 * Could not find /proc/i8k.
invoke-rc.d: initscript i8kmon, action "start" failed.
dpkg: error processing package i8kutils (--configure):
 subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
modprobe: ERROR: could not insert 'i8k': No such device
Errors were encountered while processing:
 i8kutils
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
gus@XPS:~$ i8kctl temp
can't open /proc/i8k: No such file or directory

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