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Setting up i3wm on a Thinkpad computer (perhaps useful for other brands)

First, check out which GPU your computer has, if it is a Thinkpad, an older model, then most likely it mounts an integrated graphics processor that we'll refer to as "intel graphics". Neofetch is a quick way to check this out. Then, it is time to

Brightness Control

Checking ls /sys/class/backlight output

If /sys/class/backlight is empty on your ThinkPad T440p, it usually means that the kernel isn't detecting any backlight control interfaces. This is common with some older laptops or specific Linux setups, especially if the GPU or ACPI backlight settings aren’t fully compatible. Here are a few steps you can try to troubleshoot and hopefully resolve this issue:

1. Check Kernel Boot Parameters

Some kernel parameters can help expose backlight controls. Try adding one of these parameters to your boot configuration:

  1. Open your boot loader configuration file (usually /etc/default/grub for GRUB).
  2. Edit the GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT line, adding one of the following options:
  3. For Intel graphics: acpi_backlight=video
  4. Or: acpi_backlight=vendor
  5. Alternatively: acpi_osi=Linux acpi_backlight=native

On my Thinkpad t440p, it is:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash acpi_backlight=video"
  1. Update GRUB with: bash sudo update-grub
  2. Reboot your system and check if /sys/class/backlight now contains an entry.

2. Install xbacklight (If Not Already Installed)

If you have an Intel GPU, xbacklight can often control brightness at the software level, even if hardware backlight control isn’t available:

sudo apt install xbacklight
xbacklight -set 50  # Sets brightness to 50%

3. Test Intel or ACPI Video Drivers

If you’re using the Intel graphics driver, ensure it’s installed and loaded:

lsmod | grep i915

If i915 isn’t loaded, add it manually:

sudo modprobe i915

4. Use intel_backlight (if Available)

On some systems, you might find backlight control under /sys/class/backlight/intel_backlight. If it’s there, you can adjust brightness directly by writing values to the brightness file inside:

echo [value] | sudo tee /sys/class/backlight/intel_backlight/brightness

Adjust [value] within the range found in max_brightness.

Let me know if any of these options work, or if you'd like more tailored troubleshooting!

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Backlight

Then, by following https://www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comments/e9b9ja/brightness_and_volume_buttons_on_linux/?rdt=42208

You're going to need to have xf86-video-intel installed.

How to install xf86-video-intel

The xf86-video-intel driver is an open-source Intel graphics driver used for systems running X11 on Linux. This driver is commonly recommended for older Intel GPUs, while newer Intel graphics chips (since around the Skylake generation) are usually well-supported by the default modesetting driver. Here’s how to install xf86-video-intel on various Linux distributions:

1. Check if You Need the Intel Driver
  • For most modern Intel GPUs (especially Skylake or newer), the modesetting driver works well, and xf86-video-intel may not provide additional benefits.
  • You can check your GPU generation by running: bash lspci | grep -i VGA
  • If your GPU is older (like Haswell or earlier), xf86-video-intel can be beneficial.
2. Installation by Distribution
On Ubuntu and Debian
  • Update package repositories and install xf86-video-intel: bash sudo apt update sudo apt install xserver-xorg-video-intel
  • Once installed, restart your X session (log out and log back in, or restart the system) to apply the driver.
On Arch Linux and Manjaro
  • Arch and its derivatives typically use modesetting by default, but you can install xf86-video-intel if needed: bash sudo pacman -S xf86-video-intel
  • Restart your X session to start using the Intel driver.
On Fedora
  • Fedora doesn’t package xf86-video-intel by default because it prefers the modesetting driver. However, you can install it from the Fedora repositories: bash sudo dnf install xorg-x11-drv-intel
  • After installation, restart the X session.
On openSUSE
  • Install xf86-video-intel using the package manager: bash sudo zypper install xf86-video-intel
3. Confirm the Driver is Active
  • After installing and restarting, verify that xf86-video-intel is being used by running: bash inxi -G
  • Alternatively, you can check your Xorg log: bash cat /var/log/Xorg.0.log | grep -i intel
  • This should show whether the Intel driver is active.

If you encounter issues or your system defaults to modesetting, consider removing xf86-video-intel since the newer modesetting driver is often more stable and compatible with modern hardware.

How to Switch to xf86-video-intel

If you’d still like to use xf86-video-intel, here’s what you can do:

  1. Create an Xorg Configuration File for Intel:
  2. Create a configuration file to specify the Intel driver: bash sudo mkdir -p /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d sudo nano /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-intel.conf
  3. Add the following configuration: plaintext Section "Device" Identifier "Intel Graphics" Driver "intel" EndSection

  4. Save and close the file.

  5. Restart Your X Session:

  6. Log out and log back in, or restart your computer.

  7. Verify:

  8. After restarting, check if the Intel driver is now in use: bash inxi -G
  9. You should see driver: X: loaded: intel instead of modesetting.

The xf86-video-intel driver can offer additional configuration options for certain older Intel GPUs, but modesetting is typically more stable. Let me know if you notice any differences in performance or display after switching!

Is this driver active?
Graphics:
  Device-1: Intel 4th Gen Core Processor Integrated Graphics driver: i915
    v: kernel
  Display: x11 server: X.Org v: 1.21.1.4 driver: X: loaded: modesetting
    unloaded: fbdev,vesa gpu: i915 resolution: 1600x900~60Hz
  OpenGL: renderer: Mesa Intel HD Graphics 4600 (HSW GT2)
    v: 4.6 Mesa 23.2.1-1ubuntu3.1~22.04.2

From your output, it appears that the xf86-video-intel driver is not active. Instead, your system is using the modesetting driver (driver: X: loaded: modesetting), which is provided by default for Intel GPUs on many Linux distributions.

Here’s a breakdown of what each line in your output means:

  • Driver in Use: The X server is using the modesetting driver for your display, which is common and often recommended for stability, especially with somewhat newer hardware.
  • Kernel Driver: The i915 driver is loaded by the Linux kernel to manage Intel graphics hardware. This driver interacts directly with the Intel GPU at the kernel level and is compatible with both the modesetting and xf86-video-intel X drivers.
  • OpenGL Renderer: OpenGL is using the Mesa Intel HD Graphics 4600 driver, which provides 3D rendering and hardware acceleration.

Whereas, if the output looks like this: 

how about this Graphics:
  Device-1: Intel 4th Gen Core Processor Integrated Graphics driver: i915
    v: kernel
  Display: x11 server: X.Org v: 1.21.1.4 driver: X: loaded: intel gpu: i915
    resolution: 1600x900~60Hz
  OpenGL: renderer: Mesa Intel HD Graphics 4600 (HSW GT2)
    v: 4.6 Mesa 23.2.1-1ubuntu3.1~22.04.2

This output shows that the xf86-video-intel driver is now active. Here's how we can tell:

  • X Driver Loaded: The line driver: X: loaded: intel indicates that the X server is now using the intel driver, which comes from the xf86-video-intel package.
  • Kernel Driver: The i915 kernel driver is still managing the Intel GPU at the kernel level, as expected. This is normal, as i915 is the kernel module responsible for handling Intel graphics hardware.
  • OpenGL Renderer: OpenGL continues to use the Mesa Intel driver for the HD Graphics 4600, which provides 3D rendering and hardware acceleration.

With the xf86-video-intel driver active, you may gain some additional configuration options specific to Intel hardware, like TearFree (for tear-free display) and power-saving features. However, if you encounter any performance issues, switching back to the modesetting driver is an option, as it tends to be more stable for some configurations.

Install xbacklight

  1. Check whether xbacklight works (xbacklight -inc 25, xbacklight -dec 25)

  2. Find out what the brightness keys are called with xev (probably something like XF86MonBrightnessUp and XF86MonBrightnessDown)

  3. Create hotkeys in your i3 configuration (e.g. bindsym XF86MonBrightnessDown exec xbacklight -dec 25)

That's for brightness, for volume you do the same but use amixer to set the volume (e.g. amixer set Master 4%+ and amixer set Master toggle).

xev got me this output: RRNotify event, serial 49, synthetic NO, window 0x2c00001, subtype XRROutputPropertyChangeNotifyEvent output eDP1, property Backlight, timestamp 739909, state NewValue

RRNotify event, serial 49, synthetic NO, window 0x2c00001, subtype XRROutputPropertyChangeNotifyEvent output eDP1, property BACKLIGHT, timestamp 739909, state NewValue The output from xev indicates that RRNotify events are being generated for the "Backlight" and "BACKLIGHT" properties on your laptop's internal display (eDP1). These events are triggered by changes in the backlight level, which suggests that you do have access to the backlight control through X11's RandR (Resize and Rotate) extension.

Here are a few steps to help you set up backlight control:

  1. Verify available backlight interfaces: Run the following command to check which backlight interfaces are available: bash ls /sys/class/backlight/ If you see entries like intel_backlight or acpi_video0, these are your backlight control interfaces.

  2. Adjust the backlight level manually: You can test setting the brightness by writing directly to the brightness file under the appropriate backlight interface. For instance, if intel_backlight is available: bash echo 1000 | sudo tee /sys/class/backlight/intel_backlight/brightness Note that 1000 here is an example; valid values range from 0 to the maximum value shown in /sys/class/backlight/<interface>/max_brightness.

  3. Automate with xrandr: Since xev detected the Backlight property change events, you might be able to adjust brightness using xrandr commands. Try this to control brightness on eDP1: bash xrandr --output eDP1 --brightness 0.5 # Adjust the brightness level (0.0 to 1.0) This approach only simulates brightness changes through software and may not change the actual backlight level.

  4. Integrate with i3wm: To set up keybindings in i3wm, you can edit your i3 config file (typically ~/.config/i3/config) to include commands that adjust brightness. For example: bash bindsym XF86MonBrightnessUp exec --no-startup-id xbacklight -inc 10 bindsym XF86MonBrightnessDown exec --no-startup-id xbacklight -dec 10 Ensure xbacklight is installed (sudo apt install xbacklight).

This setup should give you backlight control in i3wm on your ThinkPad T440p using X11. Let me know if any specific part needs more detail.

Keeping the laptop's display output up when the lid is closed

To ensure that your ThinkPad T440p continues to display output on the external monitor when you close the laptop lid, you'll need to modify the system settings related to lid close behavior. Here’s how you can do it on your i3-based Linux setup:

1. Edit logind.conf

The systemd logind.conf file controls what happens when you close the lid.

  1. Open the logind.conf file with your preferred text editor. For example: bash sudo nano /etc/systemd/logind.conf

  2. Look for the following lines (they might be commented out with #): #HandleLidSwitch=suspend #HandleLidSwitchExternalPower=suspend #HandleLidSwitchDocked=ignore

  3. Modify them as follows: HandleLidSwitch=ignore HandleLidSwitchExternalPower=ignore HandleLidSwitchDocked=ignore

  4. ignore: Prevents any action when the lid is closed.

  5. These settings ensure that the external monitor remains active when the lid is closed.

  6. Save and exit the file.

  7. Restart the systemd-logind service to apply the changes: bash sudo systemctl restart systemd-logind

2. Configure Display Settings

You may need to adjust your display settings to ensure the external monitor remains active when the lid is closed.

  • Use a tool like xrandr to configure your display setup. For example: bash xrandr --output <external-monitor> --primary --output <laptop-screen> --off Replace <external-monitor> and <laptop-screen> with the appropriate names for your displays (e.g., HDMI1, eDP1).

3. Test the Setup

  1. Connect your external monitor.
  2. Close the laptop lid.
  3. Verify that the external monitor remains active and functional.

Let me know if you encounter any issues!