ISW / Ice-Sealed Wyvern

• isw started as an equivalent of "control tools by pherein" but under linux.
• It is meant to alter fan profiles of MSI laptops.
• Profiles for supported laptops are located in /etc/isw.conf.
• You can check /etc/isw.conf. comments for more details.

Warning

• Use it at your own risk!
• Secure boot can prevent access to the EC.
• isw is made/tested with MSI GS40 6QE under Arch/Manjaro, other laptops depend on user contribution.
• Check that your EC (Embedded Controler) work the same way, you can find documentation on the wiki.

How to install

Package or not package ?

• If you are using archlinux or a derivative you can install it from AUR: yay -S isw
• If you are on a different distro family:
  • Clone git clone https://github.com/YoyPa/isw
  • Then look at this PKGBUILD to know where to put files.
  • /!\ Path can change a bit depending on the distro /!\

Builtin or not builtin ?

• It need ec_sys module with option write_support=1, there are two scenario to set that:
  • ec_sys is a builtin kernel module:
    • add ec_sys.write_support=1 in /etc/default/grub (Arch AUR package can't do it for you).
    • then update your grub with update-grub and reboot.
  • ec_sys is not a builtin kernel module:
    • copy both isw-ec_sys.conf files provided (/etc/mod[...]) with same path (Arch AUR package will do it for you).
    • then reboot OR modprobe ec_sys write_support=1.

ISW decription.

optional arguments:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  -b B                  ┬ enable or disable CoolerBoost
                        └ replace B with off OR on

  -c                    ─ show an EC dump

  -f FILE, --file FILE  ┬ show profile in EC update file
                        └ replace FILE with FILE_NAME

  -p P                  ┬ show current profile in EC
                        └ replace P with SECTION_NAME

  -r [R]                ┬ show realtime CPU+GPU temp and fan speed from EC
                        ├ replace [R] with any [NUMBER] to perform a [NUMBER] of time(s)
                        └ Assume [0] if given nothing = infinite loop

  -s S S                ┬ set a single value into EC
                        ├ replace 1st S with ADDRESS in hexadecimal (0x00)
                        └ replace 2nd S with VALUE   in decimal     (00)

  -t T                  ┬ set the battery charging treshold
                        └ replace T with a NUMBER between 20 and 100 (٪)

  -u USB, --usb USB     ┬ set usb backlight level
                        └ replace USB with off, half OR full

  -w W                  ┬ write into EC
                        └ replace W with SECTION_NAME

┌─ TIPS ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Set your config in '/etc/isw.conf'.                                     │
│ Arguments order is relevant, -c and -p can be used twice. Example:      │
│ isw -cw SECTION_NAME -c will show you EC dump before and after change.  │
├─ SUPPORT ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Help me support your laptop by providing following command output:      │
│ isw -cp MSI_ADDRESS_DEFAULT                                             │
│ via https://github.com/YoyPa/isw (open an issue).                       │
│ Make sure your dump is made before altering EC with isw, you can reset  │
│ your EC with a reboot or by changing power source.                      │
├─ NAME ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ISW is MSI at 180°                                                      │
│ It means Ice-Sealed Wyvern in opposition to MSI's 'unleash the dragon'  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

NB: all option exept -h and -f need priviledges.

An example

SECTION_NAME refer to the motherboard name inside isw.conf, if for example you have a GS40_6QE your SECTION_NAME would be 14A1EMS1.

If you want to change temperature treshold and/or fan speed for cpu and/or gpu, you have to edit the corresponding section in isw.conf to set the wanted values and use isw -w 14A1EMS1 to apply.

If you want to check the current temperature and fan speed you will have to type isw -r.

Don't forget to read the comment at the beginning of isw.conf, it contain some helpfull info.

Launch at startup/resume

You can launch isw -w [SECTION_NAME] at startup/resume via systemd with isw@.service (need priviledges):

systemctl enable isw@[SECTION_NAME].service

ec_sys support for kernel version greater than 5.11

cd /opt
sudo wget https://github.com/musikid/acpi_ec/releases/download/v1.0.2/acpi-ec_1.0.2_all.deb
sudo dpkg -i acpi-ec_1.0.2_all.deb
sudo reboot

OR

sudo -i
cd /opt
git clone https://github.com/musikid/acpi_ec.git
cd acpi_ec
# Make sure your env is clean
./uninstall.sh &>/dev/null
apt remove -y acpi-ec 2>/dev/null
# Perform installation
./install.sh
# In my case, I needed to run the keys-setup.sh
scripts/keys-setup.sh
reboot

# In grub, enroll the MOK using the password you chose
# Then, run the signing procedure
sudo /usr/src/linux-headers-5.19.0-21-generic/scripts/sign-file sha512 /opt/scripts/mok.priv  /opt/scripts/mok.der /var/lib/dkms/acpi_ec/v1.0.2/5.19.0-21-generic/x86_64/module/acpi_ec.ko
sudo /usr/src/linux-headers-5.19.0-21-generic/scripts/sign-file sha512 /opt/scripts/mok.priv  /opt/scripts/mok.der /usr/lib/modules/5.19.0-21-generic/updates/dkms/acpi_ec.ko
sudo reboot

After reboot, verify you can see the /dev/ec socket. If so, you have two options: - edit the /usr/bin/isw python script to point there - create symlink from the expected path to point there - I'm unsure it would survive in /sys/kernel/debug after reboot, slight modification of isw systemd file could be an option