Power Management
Overview
CSBS Computing is mindful of the energy consumption of computing in a college and the enviornmental impact it causes. With this in mind, energy-saving software is installed on all CSBS computers and labs to save money and the environment.* During peak hours of the day (8 AM - 11 AM, Monday - Friday), the software will monitor your computer for inactivity and apply energy-saving settings when not in use. Due to the nature of portability and battery life this does not impact laptops.
If the computer sits idle for 20 minutes during the peak hours, the software sets the screen dispay to Standby Mode. During all other times, the software sets the workstation itself to Sleep or Hibernate mode, which saves the computer state to the hard drive and turns off the computer. Upon waking, it re-loads the comptuer state and resumes where you left off.
IMPORTANT: If you have processes that cannot withstand suspensions, contact the helpdesk and any necessary exceptions to power
management will be made.
If you have other questions or concerns about the impact, please contact the helpdesk.
Exceptions not affected by this change:
- Laptops
- Apple computers
What you should know:
- You do not need to shut down your computer, in fact, we prefer you don't.
- This software enables us to manage power consumption while integrating with our maintenance schedule.
- These changes do not impact your PCs performance while it is in use.
- They do not keep you from using your PC before or after normal work hours.
- You can wake up your PC whenever you need to use it.
- Your PC will not enter standby mode during Peak Hours.
What you can expect:
- The computer screen will go blank after ~20 minutes of idle time, but the computer will remain powered on. Simply, move the mouse or tap the keyboard to "wake" the display screen. It should respond within a few seconds.
- If the computer has remained idle for longer periods, the computer will enter a "hibernate" or "sleep" state. Repeat the above steps to "wake" the computer but know that it will take a little bit longer to wake from sleep or hibernation, usually no longer that 5-15 seconds.
- Some computers may require a quick tap of the power button to wake from a deep "hibernate" state. Holding the power button longer than a few seconds may force your system power off, resulting in potential loss of data or corruption.