Graphics Administration Guide (April 2009)

By default, the DPMS level used is 0 or On (no power savings). If you wish to use power saving,
set the following XF86Config file entries before starting the server: standby time, suspend time,
and off time. Also set the Option “DPMS” “on” in the monitor section.
DPMS should not be confused with screen blanking or screen saving. Screen blanking will merely
cause the screen to go dark. Screen saving will display a changing pattern on the screen to avoid
the burn-in of a static image. Neither of these will cause any power saving to occur.
The DPMS Extension lets individual users customize their personal DPMS settings to meet their
work styles and any restrictions imposed by their employers. For example, an employer may
decide that all monitors must save power after 30 minutes of idle time. The individual user may
decide that 30 minutes is too long, and adjust the time downward to meet their work preference.
More information (including sample code) on the DPMS Extension entry points can be found
online, via the man pages. The extension entry points are:
DPMS
DPMSQueryExtension
DPMSGetVersion
DPMSCapable
DPMSSetTimeouts
DPMSGetTimeouts
DPMSEnable
DPMSDisable
DPMSForceLevel
DPMSInfo
XFree86 provides four options that may be set in the ServerLayout section that may be used to
support this functionality. The options are: blank time, standby time, suspend time, and off time.
The following example sets these to 10, 20, 30, and 60 minutes respectively.
Section “ServerLayout”
. . .
Option “blank time” “10”
Option “standby time” “20”
Option “suspend time” “30”
Option “off time” “60”
. . .
EndSection
Table 2-5 DPMS Settings
DescriptionDefaultValueOption
Sets the inactivity timeout for the blanking phase of
the screensaver. Time is in minutes. This is equivalent
to the Xserver's `-s' flag, and the value can be changed
at run-time with xset(1).
10timeBlankTime
Sets the inactivity timeout for the “standby” phase of
DPMS mode. Time is in minutes, and the value can
be changed at run-time with xset(1).
20timeStandbyTime
Sets the inactivity timeout for the “suspend” phase of
DPMS mode. Time is in minutes, and the value can
be changed at run-time with xset(1).
30timeSuspendTime
Sets the inactivity timeout for the “off” phase of DPMS
mode. Time is in minutes, and the value can be
changed at run-time with xset(1).
40timeOffTime
dynamic library loading
The path for each dynamically loaded module must be specified in the ModulePath in order for
them to load. See the section “The XF86Config File: Files Section” for more details regarding the
ModulePath.
dynamic library loading 23