|  | Naming and data format standards for sysfs files | 
|  | ------------------------------------------------ | 
|  |  | 
|  | The libsensors library offers an interface to the raw sensors data | 
|  | through the sysfs interface. See libsensors documentation and source for | 
|  | more further information. As of writing this document, libsensors | 
|  | (from lm_sensors 2.8.3) is heavily chip-dependant. Adding or updating | 
|  | support for any given chip requires modifying the library's code. | 
|  | This is because libsensors was written for the procfs interface | 
|  | older kernel modules were using, which wasn't standardized enough. | 
|  | Recent versions of libsensors (from lm_sensors 2.8.2 and later) have | 
|  | support for the sysfs interface, though. | 
|  |  | 
|  | The new sysfs interface was designed to be as chip-independant as | 
|  | possible. | 
|  |  | 
|  | Note that motherboards vary widely in the connections to sensor chips. | 
|  | There is no standard that ensures, for example, that the second | 
|  | temperature sensor is connected to the CPU, or that the second fan is on | 
|  | the CPU. Also, some values reported by the chips need some computation | 
|  | before they make full sense. For example, most chips can only measure | 
|  | voltages between 0 and +4V. Other voltages are scaled back into that | 
|  | range using external resistors. Since the values of these resistors | 
|  | can change from motherboard to motherboard, the conversions cannot be | 
|  | hard coded into the driver and have to be done in user space. | 
|  |  | 
|  | For this reason, even if we aim at a chip-independant libsensors, it will | 
|  | still require a configuration file (e.g. /etc/sensors.conf) for proper | 
|  | values conversion, labeling of inputs and hiding of unused inputs. | 
|  |  | 
|  | An alternative method that some programs use is to access the sysfs | 
|  | files directly. This document briefly describes the standards that the | 
|  | drivers follow, so that an application program can scan for entries and | 
|  | access this data in a simple and consistent way. That said, such programs | 
|  | will have to implement conversion, labeling and hiding of inputs. For | 
|  | this reason, it is still not recommended to bypass the library. | 
|  |  | 
|  | If you are developing a userspace application please send us feedback on | 
|  | this standard. | 
|  |  | 
|  | Note that this standard isn't completely established yet, so it is subject | 
|  | to changes, even important ones. One more reason to use the library instead | 
|  | of accessing sysfs files directly. | 
|  |  | 
|  | Each chip gets its own directory in the sysfs /sys/devices tree.  To | 
|  | find all sensor chips, it is easier to follow the symlinks from | 
|  | /sys/i2c/devices/ | 
|  |  | 
|  | All sysfs values are fixed point numbers.  To get the true value of some | 
|  | of the values, you should divide by the specified value. | 
|  |  | 
|  | There is only one value per file, unlike the older /proc specification. | 
|  | The common scheme for files naming is: <type><number>_<item>. Usual | 
|  | types for sensor chips are "in" (voltage), "temp" (temperature) and | 
|  | "fan" (fan). Usual items are "input" (measured value), "max" (high | 
|  | threshold, "min" (low threshold). Numbering usually starts from 1, | 
|  | except for voltages which start from 0 (because most data sheets use | 
|  | this). A number is always used for elements that can be present more | 
|  | than once, even if there is a single element of the given type on the | 
|  | specific chip. Other files do not refer to a specific element, so | 
|  | they have a simple name, and no number. | 
|  |  | 
|  | Alarms are direct indications read from the chips. The drivers do NOT | 
|  | make comparisons of readings to thresholds. This allows violations | 
|  | between readings to be caught and alarmed. The exact definition of an | 
|  | alarm (for example, whether a threshold must be met or must be exceeded | 
|  | to cause an alarm) is chip-dependent. | 
|  |  | 
|  |  | 
|  | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 
|  |  | 
|  | ************ | 
|  | * Voltages * | 
|  | ************ | 
|  |  | 
|  | in[0-8]_min	Voltage min value. | 
|  | Unit: millivolt | 
|  | Read/Write | 
|  |  | 
|  | in[0-8]_max	Voltage max value. | 
|  | Unit: millivolt | 
|  | Read/Write | 
|  |  | 
|  | in[0-8]_input	Voltage input value. | 
|  | Unit: millivolt | 
|  | Read only | 
|  | Actual voltage depends on the scaling resistors on the | 
|  | motherboard, as recommended in the chip datasheet. | 
|  | This varies by chip and by motherboard. | 
|  | Because of this variation, values are generally NOT scaled | 
|  | by the chip driver, and must be done by the application. | 
|  | However, some drivers (notably lm87 and via686a) | 
|  | do scale, with various degrees of success. | 
|  | These drivers will output the actual voltage. | 
|  |  | 
|  | Typical usage: | 
|  | in0_*	CPU #1 voltage (not scaled) | 
|  | in1_*	CPU #2 voltage (not scaled) | 
|  | in2_*	3.3V nominal (not scaled) | 
|  | in3_*	5.0V nominal (scaled) | 
|  | in4_*	12.0V nominal (scaled) | 
|  | in5_*	-12.0V nominal (scaled) | 
|  | in6_*	-5.0V nominal (scaled) | 
|  | in7_*	varies | 
|  | in8_*	varies | 
|  |  | 
|  | cpu[0-1]_vid	CPU core reference voltage. | 
|  | Unit: millivolt | 
|  | Read only. | 
|  | Not always correct. | 
|  |  | 
|  | vrm		Voltage Regulator Module version number. | 
|  | Read only. | 
|  | Two digit number, first is major version, second is | 
|  | minor version. | 
|  | Affects the way the driver calculates the CPU core reference | 
|  | voltage from the vid pins. | 
|  |  | 
|  |  | 
|  | ******** | 
|  | * Fans * | 
|  | ******** | 
|  |  | 
|  | fan[1-3]_min	Fan minimum value | 
|  | Unit: revolution/min (RPM) | 
|  | Read/Write. | 
|  |  | 
|  | fan[1-3]_input	Fan input value. | 
|  | Unit: revolution/min (RPM) | 
|  | Read only. | 
|  |  | 
|  | fan[1-3]_div	Fan divisor. | 
|  | Integer value in powers of two (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128). | 
|  | Some chips only support values 1, 2, 4 and 8. | 
|  | Note that this is actually an internal clock divisor, which | 
|  | affects the measurable speed range, not the read value. | 
|  |  | 
|  | ******* | 
|  | * PWM * | 
|  | ******* | 
|  |  | 
|  | pwm[1-3]	Pulse width modulation fan control. | 
|  | Integer value in the range 0 to 255 | 
|  | Read/Write | 
|  | 255 is max or 100%. | 
|  |  | 
|  | pwm[1-3]_enable | 
|  | Switch PWM on and off. | 
|  | Not always present even if fan*_pwm is. | 
|  | 0 to turn off | 
|  | 1 to turn on in manual mode | 
|  | 2 to turn on in automatic mode | 
|  | Read/Write | 
|  |  | 
|  | pwm[1-*]_auto_channels_temp | 
|  | Select which temperature channels affect this PWM output in | 
|  | auto mode. Bitfield, 1 is temp1, 2 is temp2, 4 is temp3 etc... | 
|  | Which values are possible depend on the chip used. | 
|  |  | 
|  | pwm[1-*]_auto_point[1-*]_pwm | 
|  | pwm[1-*]_auto_point[1-*]_temp | 
|  | pwm[1-*]_auto_point[1-*]_temp_hyst | 
|  | Define the PWM vs temperature curve. Number of trip points is | 
|  | chip-dependent. Use this for chips which associate trip points | 
|  | to PWM output channels. | 
|  |  | 
|  | OR | 
|  |  | 
|  | temp[1-*]_auto_point[1-*]_pwm | 
|  | temp[1-*]_auto_point[1-*]_temp | 
|  | temp[1-*]_auto_point[1-*]_temp_hyst | 
|  | Define the PWM vs temperature curve. Number of trip points is | 
|  | chip-dependent. Use this for chips which associate trip points | 
|  | to temperature channels. | 
|  |  | 
|  |  | 
|  | **************** | 
|  | * Temperatures * | 
|  | **************** | 
|  |  | 
|  | temp[1-3]_type	Sensor type selection. | 
|  | Integers 1 to 4 or thermistor Beta value (typically 3435) | 
|  | Read/Write. | 
|  | 1: PII/Celeron Diode | 
|  | 2: 3904 transistor | 
|  | 3: thermal diode | 
|  | 4: thermistor (default/unknown Beta) | 
|  | Not all types are supported by all chips | 
|  |  | 
|  | temp[1-4]_max	Temperature max value. | 
|  | Unit: millidegree Celcius | 
|  | Read/Write value. | 
|  |  | 
|  | temp[1-3]_min	Temperature min value. | 
|  | Unit: millidegree Celcius | 
|  | Read/Write value. | 
|  |  | 
|  | temp[1-3]_max_hyst | 
|  | Temperature hysteresis value for max limit. | 
|  | Unit: millidegree Celcius | 
|  | Must be reported as an absolute temperature, NOT a delta | 
|  | from the max value. | 
|  | Read/Write value. | 
|  |  | 
|  | temp[1-4]_input Temperature input value. | 
|  | Unit: millidegree Celcius | 
|  | Read only value. | 
|  |  | 
|  | temp[1-4]_crit	Temperature critical value, typically greater than | 
|  | corresponding temp_max values. | 
|  | Unit: millidegree Celcius | 
|  | Read/Write value. | 
|  |  | 
|  | temp[1-2]_crit_hyst | 
|  | Temperature hysteresis value for critical limit. | 
|  | Unit: millidegree Celcius | 
|  | Must be reported as an absolute temperature, NOT a delta | 
|  | from the critical value. | 
|  | Read/Write value. | 
|  |  | 
|  | If there are multiple temperature sensors, temp1_* is | 
|  | generally the sensor inside the chip itself, | 
|  | reported as "motherboard temperature".  temp2_* to | 
|  | temp4_* are generally sensors external to the chip | 
|  | itself, for example the thermal diode inside the CPU or | 
|  | a thermistor nearby. | 
|  |  | 
|  |  | 
|  | ************ | 
|  | * Currents * | 
|  | ************ | 
|  |  | 
|  | Note that no known chip provides current measurements as of writing, | 
|  | so this part is theoretical, so to say. | 
|  |  | 
|  | curr[1-n]_max	Current max value | 
|  | Unit: milliampere | 
|  | Read/Write. | 
|  |  | 
|  | curr[1-n]_min	Current min value. | 
|  | Unit: milliampere | 
|  | Read/Write. | 
|  |  | 
|  | curr[1-n]_input	Current input value | 
|  | Unit: milliampere | 
|  | Read only. | 
|  |  | 
|  |  | 
|  | ********* | 
|  | * Other * | 
|  | ********* | 
|  |  | 
|  | alarms		Alarm bitmask. | 
|  | Read only. | 
|  | Integer representation of one to four bytes. | 
|  | A '1' bit means an alarm. | 
|  | Chips should be programmed for 'comparator' mode so that | 
|  | the alarm will 'come back' after you read the register | 
|  | if it is still valid. | 
|  | Generally a direct representation of a chip's internal | 
|  | alarm registers; there is no standard for the position | 
|  | of individual bits. | 
|  | Bits are defined in kernel/include/sensors.h. | 
|  |  | 
|  | alarms_in	Alarm bitmask relative to in (voltage) channels | 
|  | Read only | 
|  | A '1' bit means an alarm, LSB corresponds to in0 and so on | 
|  | Prefered to 'alarms' for newer chips | 
|  |  | 
|  | alarms_fan	Alarm bitmask relative to fan channels | 
|  | Read only | 
|  | A '1' bit means an alarm, LSB corresponds to fan1 and so on | 
|  | Prefered to 'alarms' for newer chips | 
|  |  | 
|  | alarms_temp	Alarm bitmask relative to temp (temperature) channels | 
|  | Read only | 
|  | A '1' bit means an alarm, LSB corresponds to temp1 and so on | 
|  | Prefered to 'alarms' for newer chips | 
|  |  | 
|  | beep_enable	Beep/interrupt enable | 
|  | 0 to disable. | 
|  | 1 to enable. | 
|  | Read/Write | 
|  |  | 
|  | beep_mask	Bitmask for beep. | 
|  | Same format as 'alarms' with the same bit locations. | 
|  | Read/Write | 
|  |  | 
|  | eeprom		Raw EEPROM data in binary form. | 
|  | Read only. | 
|  |  | 
|  | pec		Enable or disable PEC (SMBus only) | 
|  | Read/Write |