fancontrol(8)
Automatically control fan speeds based on temperature readings from hwmon sensors.
Synopsis
fancontrol [OPTION] [configfile]Description
fancontrol is a daemon that reads temperatures from hardware monitoring sensors and automatically adjusts fan speeds to maintain safe operating temperatures. It uses a configuration file to define which fans are controlled by which temperature sensors and sets duty cycles or PWM values accordingly.
The daemon continuously monitors sensor readings and adjusts fan speeds using linear interpolation between defined temperature setpoints. It requires proper hardware support through the hwmon kernel module and appropriate sensor configuration.
Common options
| Flag | What it does |
|---|---|
-c, --config | Specify the configuration file to use (default: /etc/fancontrol) |
-d, --debug | Enable debug mode; print verbose output and do not fork to background |
-s, --slowdown | Slow down fan response (useful for noisy fans or rapid temperature changes) |
-l, --log | Enable syslog logging of fan control actions |
-t, --test | Test mode; validate configuration without running the daemon |
-h, --help | Display help message and exit |
-v, --version | Display version information and exit |
Examples
Start the fancontrol daemon using the specified configuration file
fancontrol /etc/fancontrolRun fancontrol in debug mode with verbose output; useful for testing configurations
fancontrol -d -c /etc/fancontrolTest a new configuration file for syntax errors without running the daemon
fancontrol -t -c /tmp/fancontrol.testStart the fancontrol service (typical on systemd systems)
systemctl start fancontrolCheck if the fancontrol daemon is currently running
ps aux | grep fancontrolStop the running fancontrol daemon gracefully
killall fancontrol