[PLUG] Ubuntu suspend/wake issue

[Keith Lofstrom]

On Tue, Mar 19, 2013 at 08:09:37AM -0700, Rogan Creswick wrote:
> My ubuntu-running X201 thinkpad (running the latest Ubuntu), has recently
> developed a problem after updating.
> 
> When I wake the machine (by opening the lid) it wakes up just long enough
> to show the lock screen, then it goes back to sleep.

I don't know where your particular problem comes from, but on my
older T60 thinkpad the suspend/resume problems (and occasional X
startup problems) seem related to the incomplete capture and
restoration of device state, especially the wifi chip and the
ATI graphics chip. 

Your X201 has integrated Intel graphics.  The graphics chip
designers at Intel Folsom are less open-source friendly than
most other Intel sites.  If the Ubuntu resume problem affects
all laptops, the graphics won't be the problem, but if it is
X201 specific, and also happens with the wifi turned off, 
that is where I would start looking.

One other laptop-specific issue might be how the X201 handles
the lid opening.  The lid position is sensed with some kind
of mechanical switch, and switches bounce and rattle on the
microsecond time scale.  That may be filtered by firmware,
or it may be sent unfiltered to the OS.  If the Ubuntu kernel
sees something like "open ... no, closed again! ... no, open"
it might do what you describe, perhaps suspending with a
second suspend event remaining in the event queue. 

If you configure Ubuntu to suspend and resume only when it
sees a function key, not a lid event, you will need extra
steps to suspend or resume, but you will have more control
and reliability.  That is how I configure suspend/resume on
my laptops, because T30 and T60 lid events are too flaky.
That did not rid me of suspend problems (see graphics
musings above) but it reduced them a lot.

Keith

-- 
Keith Lofstrom          keithl at keithl.com         Voice (503)-520-1993