# green_saver not working



## matrix (Oct 30, 2017)

Hello,
I'm facing issues turning screen off when idle in a 11.1 fresh install which I use as a dev home server. I've read lots of posts on this topic but I can't get it to work. This fbsd box is attached to a monitor which I use for 2 PC (1 monitor - 2 pc one using the DVI port and fbsd using HDMI port). The problem is that when my main pc (win) turns off the monitor, it switch to the HDMI input (bsd) which apparently is always on.
I only use it with shell, there is no X.
I already have green_saver module loaded in rc.conf with

```
screensave_load="YES"
screensave_name="green_saver"
blanktime="120"
```
and it appears in kldstat.
I also already tried, following some replies in other topic, adding kern.vty="sc" in loader.conf (with it I can't even follow the boot process, screen apparently freezes after some lines but boot is done correctly, I can use it via ssh normally) or loading video acpi. However I can't get it to work and nothing wrong is in the logs. I would like to avoid the monitor switching input so it actually power off when the windows box goes standby.
Any suggestions?


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## SirDice (Oct 30, 2017)

Screensavers don't work with vt(4) consoles.

https://wiki.freebsd.org/Newcons


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## matrix (Oct 30, 2017)

SirDice said:


> Screensavers don't work with vt(4) consoles.
> 
> https://wiki.freebsd.org/Newcons


As I said I added kern.vty="sc" to loader.conf without results (except the one of freezing "just graphically" the boot process screen, it goes ok but the screen freezes after the first few lines and I have to use ssh to login).
sysctl kern.vty returns correctly kern.vty: sc
I already read that page and other posts on this topic and if I understood correctly changing it to sc should make it work?


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## tobik@ (Oct 30, 2017)

matrix said:


> I already read that page and other posts on this topic and if I understood correctly changing it to sc should make it work?


Yeah, but sc(4) doesn't work with EFI framebuffers or with the KMS drivers.


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## matrix (Oct 30, 2017)

tobik@ said:


> Yeah, but sc(4) doesn't work with EFI framebuffers or with the KMS drivers.


Hm so, as I'm new to fbsd, is there any way to actually make it work disabling those? How?
It's just a sort of headless box, which I use only via SSH, but I keep it connected to a monitor for convenience in case of emergency.
Is there any way so I can keep it connected to monitor, even if not using it, and make it turn off when my Win PC goes power save instead of ciclying input ports because it finds fbsd HDMI port active?


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## SirDice (Oct 30, 2017)

matrix said:


> and make it turn off when my Win PC goes power save instead of ciclying input ports because it finds fbsd HDMI port active?


That sounds like a feature of the monitor. Maybe you can turn that off on the monitor itself? This is typically caused by the "automatic" switching to an active input. Perhaps you can set this to manual?


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## matrix (Oct 30, 2017)

Unfortunately I can't. Monitors usually do that when an input port goes off, they start searching for an active one and if none is found they go standby. I just need a way to stop the console video output after X minutes.
I don't really care about new video/terminal systems since I use it almost always via SSH, it's just a dev box with an FAMP stack + git and things like that which I use from my main Win PC (for example with PHPStorm).
If it's possible to revert back to old/legacy terminal it's ok for me.


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## SirDice (Oct 30, 2017)

matrix said:


> Monitors usually do that when an input port goes off,


My monitor does this if I enable "auto input select". When it's on manual it will stay on the same input, even if that input is not connected and another input is active.


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## matrix (Oct 30, 2017)

I don't have such option in my ASUS VG248QE. Is there any console command to trigger monitor poweroff so I can put it at the end of the boot process (maybe using vidcontrol or something)? Or any other way to revert to a functional sc and make green_saver work?


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