Several Dell laptops: thermal thermal_zoneX: failed to read out thermal zone (-61)

[Paul Menzel]

Dear Linux folks,


Am 23.08.22 um 16:00 schrieb Paul Menzel:

> On the Dell XPS 13 9370 with Debian sid/unstable, Linux warns about a 
> thermal related issue:
>
>      [    0.000000] Linux version 5.18.0-4-amd64 (debian-kernel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx) (gcc-11 (Debian 11.3.0-5) 11.3.0, GNU 
> ld (GNU Binutils for Debian) 2.38.90.20220713) #1 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Debian 5.18.16-1 (2022-08-10)
>      […]
>      [    0.000000] DMI: Dell Inc. XPS 13 9370/0RMYH9, BIOS 1.21.0 07/06/2022
>      […]
>      [   15.722394] thermal thermal_zone10: failed to read out thermal zone (-61)
>
> Can that warning be addressed?

For the record, this warning is also logged by Linux 6.1.12 on a Dell 
Precision 3540:

    [    0.000000] Linux version 6.1.0-5-amd64 
(debian-kernel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx) (gcc-12 (Debian 12.2.0-14) 12.2.0, GNU 
ld (GNU Binutils for Debian) 2.40) #1 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Debian 
6.1.12-1 (2023-02-15)
    […]
    [    0.000000] DMI: Dell Inc. Precision 3540/0M14W7, BIOS 1.23.0 
12/19/2022
    […]
    [   20.958894] thermal thermal_zone8: failed to read out thermal 
zone (-61)


Kind regards,

Paul


> PS: There are twelve thermal zones:
>
> ```
> $ ls -l /sys/devices/virtual/thermal/
> total 0
> drwxr-xr-x 4 root root 0 Aug 23 14:24 cooling_device0
> drwxr-xr-x 4 root root 0 Aug 23 14:24 cooling_device1
> drwxr-xr-x 4 root root 0 Aug 23 14:24 cooling_device2
> drwxr-xr-x 4 root root 0 Aug 23 14:24 cooling_device3
> drwxr-xr-x 4 root root 0 Aug 23 14:24 cooling_device4
> drwxr-xr-x 4 root root 0 Aug 23 14:24 cooling_device5
> drwxr-xr-x 4 root root 0 Aug 23 14:24 cooling_device6
> drwxr-xr-x 4 root root 0 Aug 23 14:24 cooling_device7
> drwxr-xr-x 4 root root 0 Aug 23 14:24 cooling_device8
> drwxr-xr-x 4 root root 0 Aug 23 14:24 cooling_device9
> drwxr-xr-x 4 root root 0 Aug 23 14:24 thermal_zone0
> drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 0 Aug 23 14:24 thermal_zone1
> drwxr-xr-x 4 root root 0 Aug 23 14:24 thermal_zone10
> drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 0 Aug 23 14:24 thermal_zone11
> drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 0 Aug 23 14:24 thermal_zone2
> drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 0 Aug 23 14:24 thermal_zone3
> drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 0 Aug 23 14:24 thermal_zone4
> drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 0 Aug 23 14:24 thermal_zone5
> drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 0 Aug 23 14:24 thermal_zone6
> drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 0 Aug 23 14:24 thermal_zone7
> drwxr-xr-x 4 root root 0 Aug 23 14:24 thermal_zone8
> drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 0 Aug 23 14:24 thermal_zone9
> $ ls -l /sys/devices/virtual/thermal/thermal_zone10/
> total 0
> -r--r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Aug 23 16:00 available_policies
> drwxr-xr-x 3 root root    0 Aug 23 14:24 hwmon6
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Aug 23 16:00 integral_cutoff
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Aug 23 16:00 k_d
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Aug 23 16:00 k_i
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Aug 23 16:00 k_po
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Aug 23 16:00 k_pu
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Aug 23 16:00 mode
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Aug 23 16:00 offset
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Aug 23 16:00 policy
> drwxr-xr-x 2 root root    0 Aug 23 15:33 power
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Aug 23 16:00 slope
> lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root    0 Aug 23 14:24 subsystem -> ../../../../class/thermal
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Aug 23 16:00 sustainable_power
> -r--r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Aug 23 16:00 temp
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Aug 23 16:00 trip_point_0_temp
> -r--r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Aug 23 16:00 trip_point_0_type
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Aug 23 16:00 trip_point_1_temp
> -r--r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Aug 23 16:00 trip_point_1_type
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Aug 23 16:00 trip_point_2_temp
> -r--r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Aug 23 16:00 trip_point_2_type
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Aug 23 16:00 trip_point_3_temp
> -r--r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Aug 23 16:00 trip_point_3_type
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Aug 23 16:00 trip_point_4_temp
> -r--r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Aug 23 16:00 trip_point_4_type
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Aug 23 16:00 trip_point_5_temp
> -r--r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Aug 23 16:00 trip_point_5_type
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Aug 23 16:00 trip_point_6_temp
> -r--r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Aug 23 16:00 trip_point_6_type
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Aug 23 16:00 trip_point_7_temp
> -r--r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Aug 23 16:00 trip_point_7_type
> -r--r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Aug 23 16:00 type
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Aug 23 14:24 uevent
> ```

For the Dell Precision 3540:

```
$ ls -l /sys/devices/virtual/thermal/
total 0
drwxr-xr-x 4 root root 0 Feb 27 11:09 cooling_device0
drwxr-xr-x 4 root root 0 Feb 27 11:09 cooling_device1
drwxr-xr-x 4 root root 0 Feb 27 11:09 cooling_device2
drwxr-xr-x 4 root root 0 Feb 27 11:09 cooling_device3
drwxr-xr-x 4 root root 0 Feb 27 11:09 cooling_device4
drwxr-xr-x 4 root root 0 Feb 27 11:09 cooling_device5
drwxr-xr-x 4 root root 0 Feb 27 11:09 cooling_device6
drwxr-xr-x 4 root root 0 Feb 27 11:09 cooling_device7
drwxr-xr-x 4 root root 0 Feb 27 11:09 cooling_device8
drwxr-xr-x 4 root root 0 Feb 27 11:09 cooling_device9
drwxr-xr-x 4 root root 0 Feb 27 11:09 thermal_zone0
drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 0 Feb 27 11:09 thermal_zone1
drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 0 Feb 27 11:09 thermal_zone2
drwxr-xr-x 4 root root 0 Feb 27 11:09 thermal_zone3
drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 0 Feb 27 11:09 thermal_zone4
drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 0 Feb 27 11:09 thermal_zone5
drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 0 Feb 27 11:09 thermal_zone6
drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 0 Feb 27 11:09 thermal_zone7
drwxr-xr-x 4 root root 0 Feb 27 11:09 thermal_zone8
drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 0 Feb 27 11:09 thermal_zone9
$ ls -l /sys/devices/virtual/thermal/thermal_zone8
total 0
-r--r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Feb 27 14:21 available_policies
drwxr-xr-x 3 root root    0 Feb 27 11:09 hwmon6
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Feb 27 14:21 integral_cutoff
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Feb 27 14:21 k_d
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Feb 27 14:21 k_i
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Feb 27 14:21 k_po
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Feb 27 14:21 k_pu
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Feb 27 14:21 mode
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Feb 27 14:21 offset
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Feb 27 14:21 policy
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root    0 Feb 27 14:21 power
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Feb 27 14:21 slope
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root    0 Feb 27 11:09 subsystem -> 
../../../../class/thermal
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Feb 27 14:21 sustainable_power
-r--r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Feb 27 14:21 temp
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Feb 27 14:21 trip_point_0_temp
-r--r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Feb 27 14:21 trip_point_0_type
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Feb 27 14:21 trip_point_1_temp
-r--r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Feb 27 14:21 trip_point_1_type
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Feb 27 14:21 trip_point_2_temp
-r--r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Feb 27 14:21 trip_point_2_type
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Feb 27 14:21 trip_point_3_temp
-r--r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Feb 27 14:21 trip_point_3_type
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Feb 27 14:21 trip_point_4_temp
-r--r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Feb 27 14:21 trip_point_4_type
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Feb 27 14:21 trip_point_5_temp
-r--r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Feb 27 14:21 trip_point_5_type
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Feb 27 14:21 trip_point_6_temp
-r--r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Feb 27 14:21 trip_point_6_type
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Feb 27 14:21 trip_point_7_temp
-r--r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Feb 27 14:21 trip_point_7_type
-r--r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Feb 27 14:21 type
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4096 Feb 27 11:09 uevent
```