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Topic: xset s activate and similar attempts to blank screen do not work (Read 494 times) previous topic - next topic
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xset s activate and similar attempts to blank screen do not work

Hello, I'm running the base artix runit iso with xorg and i3wm. I've been running the system for about a year as a server computer/file host, so I don't use it daily, just occasionally when I need to update/maintain stuff. For the first long while, after 10 minutes the screen would go to "sleep," the monitor turns black and the monitor's status light changes from blue to orange. Shaking the mouse or using the keyboard would wake up the screen.

I don't recall changing anything that would disrupt this behavior, however recently (within the last few months), the screen does not go to sleep anymore.

I tried messing with various xset commands to test and found that xset s activate does not blank the screen like it is supposed to. The terminal just hangs for a second (like I had used the sleep command), and then resumes as normal. I tried "sleep 1; xset s activate" which also had no effect. I tried this also with various combinations of xset dpms force, but nothing blanks the screen.

xset q returns:
Code: [Select]
Keyboard Control:
  auto repeat:  on    key click percent:  0    LED mask:  00000000
  XKB indicators:
    00: Caps Lock:   off    01: Num Lock:    off    02: Scroll Lock: off
    03: Compose:     off    04: Kana:        off    05: Sleep:       off
    06: Suspend:     off    07: Mute:        off    08: Misc:        off
    09: Mail:        off    10: Charging:    off    11: Shift Lock:  off
    12: Group 2:     off    13: Mouse Keys:  off
  auto repeat delay:  660    repeat rate:  25
  auto repeating keys:  00ffffffdffffbbf
                        fadfffefffedffff
                        9fffffffffffffff
                        fff7ffffffffffff
  bell percent:  50    bell pitch:  400    bell duration:  100
Pointer Control:
  acceleration:  2/1    threshold:  4
Screen Saver:
  prefer blanking:  yes    allow exposures:  yes
  timeout:  600    cycle:  600
Colors:
  default colormap:  0x20    BlackPixel:  0x0    WhitePixel:  0xffffff
Font Path:
  built-ins
DPMS (Display Power Management Signaling):
  Standby: 600    Suspend: 600    Off: 600
  DPMS is Enabled
  Monitor is On

This indicates everything should go to sleep like normal after 10 minutes, but it does not. I can't find any error message indicating why xset s activate and xset dpms force off don't work either.

I don't know what I'm missing. I searched google as much as I could, but most people want to prevent the computer from going to sleep. I have the opposite problem!

Re: xset s activate and similar attempts to blank screen do not work

Reply #1 –
Curious as to what sort of gpu does that server pc have, and how does the screen connect?
Quote
The terminal just hangs for a second (like I had used the sleep command)
I'm assuming everything else graphically wise hangs?

Re: xset s activate and similar attempts to blank screen do not work

Reply #2 –
Hello, actually not everything else seems to hang. I can still move the mouse around, but moving the mouse doesn't switch window focus, suggesting that i3 isn't processing events while the terminal is hanging.

The server computer is using a GTX 970 I had leftover when I upgraded my main computer. The monitor connects via a DVID (monitor) to display port (970) cable from Amazon.

Re: xset s activate and similar attempts to blank screen do not work

Reply #3 –
Oh, nvidia, this should be an easy fix :)
Basically you need to switch the video driver between nouveau and different versions of the proprietary nvidia one until you find one that works.
Doesn't your gpu have a dvi connector on it or you just like how displayport looks?

Re: xset s activate and similar attempts to blank screen do not work

Reply #4 –
Ah that would make sense. I will try rolling back the driver and post back here (it'll be a while before I can try this).
 

Re: xset s activate and similar attempts to blank screen do not work

Reply #5 –
So it turns out my graphics driver was whatever the bare default driver provided by Artix or Xorg is. I install the nvidia proprietary driver and it looks like it's all working now.