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-rw-r--r--Documentation/thinkpad-acpi.txt35
1 files changed, 21 insertions, 14 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/thinkpad-acpi.txt b/Documentation/thinkpad-acpi.txt
index 7a06a27ee37..bd00d14538c 100644
--- a/Documentation/thinkpad-acpi.txt
+++ b/Documentation/thinkpad-acpi.txt
@@ -464,27 +464,34 @@ CMOS control
procfs: /proc/acpi/ibm/cmos
sysfs device attribute: cmos_command
-This feature is used internally by the ACPI firmware to control the
-ThinkLight on most newer ThinkPad models. It may also control LCD
-brightness, sounds volume and more, but only on some models.
+This feature is mostly used internally by the ACPI firmware to keep the legacy
+CMOS NVRAM bits in sync with the current machine state, and to record this
+state so that the ThinkPad will retain such settings across reboots.
+
+Some of these commands actually perform actions in some ThinkPad models, but
+this is expected to disappear more and more in newer models. As an example, in
+a T43 and in a X40, commands 12 and 13 still control the ThinkLight state for
+real, but commands 0 to 2 don't control the mixer anymore (they have been
+phased out) and just update the NVRAM.
The range of valid cmos command numbers is 0 to 21, but not all have an
effect and the behavior varies from model to model. Here is the behavior
on the X40 (tpb is the ThinkPad Buttons utility):
- 0 - no effect but tpb reports "Volume down"
- 1 - no effect but tpb reports "Volume up"
- 2 - no effect but tpb reports "Mute on"
- 3 - simulate pressing the "Access IBM" button
- 4 - LCD brightness up
- 5 - LCD brightness down
- 11 - toggle screen expansion
- 12 - ThinkLight on
- 13 - ThinkLight off
- 14 - no effect but tpb reports ThinkLight status change
+ 0 - Related to "Volume down" key press
+ 1 - Related to "Volume up" key press
+ 2 - Related to "Mute on" key press
+ 3 - Related to "Access IBM" key press
+ 4 - Related to "LCD brightness up" key pess
+ 5 - Related to "LCD brightness down" key press
+ 11 - Related to "toggle screen expansion" key press/function
+ 12 - Related to "ThinkLight on"
+ 13 - Related to "ThinkLight off"
+ 14 - Related to "ThinkLight" key press (toggle thinklight)
The cmos command interface is prone to firmware split-brain problems, as
-in newer ThinkPads it is just a compatibility layer.
+in newer ThinkPads it is just a compatibility layer. Do not use it, it is
+exported just as a debug tool.
LED control -- /proc/acpi/ibm/led
---------------------------------