Using Power Management

Suspend Failures

When the system fails to suspend, an alert appears. The exact message within the pop-up window may vary, depending on the cause of the problem, but the "Suspend Failed" window will appear similar to the following figure.

Figure B-1 Suspend Failed Pop-up Window

Graphic

When any Suspend Failed window appears, click either of the buttons at the bottom of the window:

The following sections discuss specific "Suspend Failed" messages.

What to Do If a Device Suspend Fails

If a device fails to suspend, a Suspend Failed pop-up window is displayed that includes the following message:

Device error during suspend.

To Respond to a Device Suspend Failure
  1. Select Cancel.

    If you have not already saved your work, do so now. Take corrective action before retrying suspend again.

  2. Check for more information in the Console window in the Workspace.

    An unsupported device or a device performing nonresumable activity may be the cause of this problem.

    If the device specified by the console message is performing a nonresumable activity, stop the activity and try suspend again, as described in Step 1.

    If your system contains devices in addition to the default configuration, then these devices may not support the Suspend feature. In that case, continue with the next step.

  3. Unload the device driver.

    Before you try to suspend again, attempt to unload the device driver by doing these steps:

    1. Get the module ID by running modinfo.

    2. Unload that module by running this command:

      modunload -i module_id

    You might not be able to unload a driver for one of these reasons:

    • There is no detach support in the code.

    • Another driver must be unloaded first, such as audio(7I) and dbri(7D).

    • The device is actually in use and busy.

    In such a case, contact your system administrator.

  4. Try Suspend again.

    • If Suspend succeeds, the system saves your activities and the system powers off successfully.

    • If Suspend does not succeed, the alert pop-up window is displayed again. In this case, continue with the next step.


    Caution - Caution -

    Save your work if you have not already done so.


  5. Select Power Off.

    Since the error persists, suspend is not possible. Selecting Power Off shuts down the system properly without causing file system damage. (Remember-- your data will not be saved unless you have saved it manually.) When you power on again, your system automatically reboots.

    However, if you select Power Off and it fails, your system does not support software power off. An alert pop-up window is then displayed with information about the power-off failure, as shown in the following figure:

    Figure B-2 Power Off Failed Pop-up Window

    Graphic

  6. Select Continue.

    Your system might not support software power off due to a non-type 5 keyboard or an outdated system PROM. If you do have a type 5 keyboard installed, then contact your system provider for a system PROM upgrade.

    Also, some sun4m-architecture systems drop to an OpenBoot PROM prompt after a suspend operation, because those systems do not support software power off.

  7. Save your work if you have not already done so.

  8. Halt the operating system.

  9. Power off by pressing the power switch on the back panel of the system to the off (0) position.


    Note -

    When possible, solve the problem for that device in the future by obtaining and installing a device driver that supports Suspend features, if one is available from your manufacturer.


What to Do If a Process Fails to Suspend

If a process fails to suspend, a Suspend Failed pop-up window is displayed that includes the following message:

Process can not be stopped.

Follow this procedure in response to this message.

To Respond to a Process Suspend Failure
  1. Select Cancel.

    Retry Suspend again. If you have not already saved your work, do so now.

  2. Check for more information in the Console window in the Workspace.

    If a process is a real-time process or if it is performing certain special network operations, that process may refuse to suspend gracefully. In most cases, this is only a temporary condition and you can correct it by trying Suspend again.

    However, if the problem persists, stop the offending process (as specified in the console message) and retry Suspend again.

  3. Try Suspend again.

    • If Suspend succeeds, the system saves your activities and the system powers off.

    • If Suspend does not succeed, the alert pop-up window is displayed again.


    Caution - Caution -

    Save your work if you have not already done so.


  4. Select Power Off.

    Remember--your data won't be saved unless you have done so manually.

    When you power on again, your system automatically reboots.

What to Do If More Disk Space Is Needed

When your system suspends, it creates a statefile to preserve the current state of your system. If the file system containing the statefile is full, a Suspend Failed pop-up window is displayed that includes the following message:

Suspend requires more disk space for statefile.

Perform the following procedure in response to this message.

To Respond to a Disk Space Limitation
  1. Select Cancel.

    You'll need to take corrective action before you can try Suspend again.

    If you have not already saved your work, do so now.

  2. Check for more information in the Console window in the Workspace.

    You must have a minimum of 10 MBytes of space available. Clean up a partition before you try suspend again. Another solution is to change the location of the statefile to a file system with sufficient space, as described in "Changing the Statefile Location". Contact your system administrator for assistance, if necessary.

  3. Try Suspend again.

    • If Suspend succeeds, the system saves your activities and the system powers off.

    • If Suspend does not succeed, the alert pop-up window is displayed again. In that case, continue with the next step.


    Caution - Caution -

    Save your work if you have not already done so.


  4. Select Power Off.

    Remember--your data won't be saved unless you have done so manually.

    When you power on again, your system automatically reboots.

What to Do If Abnormal Conditions Occur

If an abnormal condition occurs, a Suspend Failed pop-up window is displayed that includes the following message:

Abnormal condition during suspend.

Perform the following procedure in response to this message.

To Respond to an Abnormal Condition
  1. Select Cancel.

    You'll need to take corrective action before you can try to suspend again.

    If you have not already saved your work, do so now.

  2. Check for more information in the Console window in the Workspace.

    You may be able to take further corrective action by checking the console error messages.

  3. Try Suspend again.

    • If Suspend succeeds, the system saves your activities and the system powers off.

    • If Suspend does not succeed, the alert pop-up window is displayed again. In this case, continue with the next step.


    Caution - Caution -

    Save your work if you have not already done so.


  4. Select Power Off.

    Remember--your data won't be saved unless you have done so manually.

    When you power on again, your system automatically reboots.