alienware-wmi driver rework

[kuu-rt]

Hi @a1ecbr0wn,

The alienware-wmi driver underwent a major rework, which already hit stable (Linux v6.15). The sysfs interface should ofc remain unchanged so I'd like to know if this rework broke anything.

Do you mind testing this kernel version?

[AaronKutch]

I have a new Aurora that seems to have the same device files as the Alpha, except that there are 2 instead of 3 zones which seems to match. However, changing the values does nothing in realtime and does not persist. I am running with Fedora 42.

[kuu-rt]

I have a new Aurora that seems to have the same device files as the Alpha, except that there are 2 instead of 3 zones which seems to match. However, changing the values does nothing in realtime and does not persist. I am running with Fedora 42.

@AaronKutch did it work before Linux v6.15? Can you give me the output of uname -a?

[AaronKutch]

Linux aaron 6.14.9-300.fc42.x86_64 #1 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Thu May 29 14:27:53 UTC 2025 x86_64 GNU/Linux
I am trying alienware-wmi for the first time, haven't used it elsewhere.

[kuu-rt]

Linux aaron 6.14.9-300.fc42.x86_64 #1 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Thu May 29 14:27:53 UTC 2025 x86_64 GNU/Linux I am trying alienware-wmi for the first time, haven't used it elsewhere.

In that case you don't have to worry! This tool is only for the legacy alienware-wmi interface, which newer devices don't support.

If you want to test the new features you can do so by installing the latest kernel v6.16-rc1 and setting force_platform_profile=1 and force_hwmon=1 alienware-wmi module parameters. More info here.

[AaronKutch]

I must be missing something because I have been searching in circles for a while and nothing is actually telling me how to actually execute any changes. I can find some things like alienware::global_brightness under /sys/class/leds/ but I can't get any coherent answers on what to do with it. You tell me to set the alienware-wmi module parameters, but where in the world do I actually input the things?
Edit: I have a bunch of ways to read things, e.x. I discovered that modinfo -n alienware-wmi and modinfo -p alienware-wmi produce

force_platform_profile:Forces auto-detecting thermal profiles without checking if WMI thermal backend is available (bool)
force_gmode:Forces G-Mode when performance profile is selected (bool)
/lib/modules/6.14.9-300.fc42.x86_64/kernel/drivers/platform/x86/dell/alienware-wmi.ko.xz

I see stuff on removing and adding whole modules but not editing anything. I tried editing global brightness and some other things directly with echo ... > [file] but it does nothing that I can observe.

[kuu-rt]

I must be missing something because I have been searching in circles for a while and nothing is actually telling me how to actually execute any changes. I can find some things like alienware::global_brightness under /sys/class/leds/ but I can't get any coherent answers on what to do with it. You tell me to set the alienware-wmi module parameters, but where in the world do I actually input the things? Edit: I have a bunch of ways to read things, e.x. I discovered that modinfo -n alienware-wmi and modinfo -p alienware-wmi produce

force_platform_profile:Forces auto-detecting thermal profiles without checking if WMI thermal backend is available (bool)
force_gmode:Forces G-Mode when performance profile is selected (bool)
/lib/modules/6.14.9-300.fc42.x86_64/kernel/drivers/platform/x86/dell/alienware-wmi.ko.xz

I see stuff on removing and adding whole modules but not editing anything. I tried editing global brightness and some other things directly with echo ... > [file] but it does nothing that I can observe.

Everything related to LED control belongs to the legacy interface, which unfortunately your computer doesn't support. The new interface only has thermal control capabilities.

You can read more about module parameters and how to set them here.

[AaronKutch]

Thank you. It looks like T-Troll/alienfx-tools#434 has the most promise