Power plans

This object displays the list of all power schemes that exist on the device with their respective parameter settings. A power scheme is a collection of settings that controls the power usage of your computer. You can use power schemes to reduce the power consumption of individual devices or the entire system. You can configure optional features, such as support for hibernation, the amount of time the system must be idle before turning off the display, or the sleep state used when the system idle timer expires.

Following you can see a list of possible parameters that might appear in this view, however, because the parameters that are available depend on the Windows version of the remote device, not all or more might be listed here, than you will actually see in your inventory:

Parameter

Description

Power Plan Name

The name for the new power plan.

Power Plan Description

A longer textual description of the new power plan, such as after how much time the components is switched off.

Active Power Plan

Defines, if the newly defined power plan is to be activated right away and thus is the default plan.

Idle after (seconds, AC)

The time in seconds that the level of system activity must remain below the idle detection threshold before the system idle timer expires.

Throttle Policy (AC)

The processor dynamic throttling policy to use. The following values are possible:

  • None : No processor performance control is applied. This policy always runs the processor at its highest possible performance level. This policy does not engage processor clock throttling, except in response to thermal events.
  • Degrade : Does not allow the processor to use any high voltage performance states. This policy engages processor clock throttling when the battery is below a certain threshold, if the C3 state is not being utilized, or in response to thermal events.
  • Constant : Does not allow the processor to use any high voltage performance states. This policy does not engage processor clock throttling, except in response to thermal events.
  • Adaptive : Attempts to match the performance of the processor to the current demand. This policy uses both high and low voltage and frequency states. This policy lowers the performance of the processor to the lowest voltage available whenever there is insufficient demand to justify a higher voltage. This policy engages processor clock throttling if the C3 state is not being utilized, and in response to thermal events.

Turn off display after (seconds, AC)

Determines whether and when a device's monitor is turned off to conserve power. Leave the box unchecked to disable the option. Check the option and define a specific value in minutes to define how long the device must be inactive before the monitor is turned off.

Turn off hard disk after (seconds, AC)

Determines whether and when a device's hard disk is turned off to conserve power. Leave the box unchecked to disable the option. Check the option and define a specific value in minutes to define how long the device must be inactive before the hard disk is turned off.

Minimum Sleep State (before Vista, AC)

The minimum system power state to enter on a system sleep action. The following actions are available for the parameters of this step:

  • Do nothing
     No power saving actions are executed.
  • Sleep
     This value puts the device into sleep mode.
  • Hibernate
     This value puts the device in hibernation.
  • Shutdown
     This value shuts down the computer to a point that is safe to turn off the power. All file buffers have been flushed to disk, and all running processes have stopped.
  • Shutdown and Reset
     This value shuts down and restarts the device.
  • Shutdown and power off
     This value shuts down and turns off the device, if the hardware allows this.
  • Warm Eject
     The system is entering a sleep mode before it is undocked from the docking station.

Reduced Latency Sleep State (before Vista, AC)

The system power state to enter on a system sleep action when there are outstanding latency requirements. The possible values are Do nothing, Sleep, Hibernate, Shutdown, Shutdown and Reset, Shutdown and power off or Warm Eject.

Sleep after (before Vista, seconds, DC)

Determines whether and when a device enters a sleep state to conserve power. Leave the option unchecked to deactivate it. Check the option to activate it and enter a specific value in minutes to define how long the device must be inactive before the device enters a sleep mode.

Hibernate after (before Vista, seconds, AC)

Determines whether and when a device hibernates to conserve power. When a computer goes into hibernation a snapshot of the user workspace and the current operating environment is taken by writing the current memory to disk. When a user turns the computer back on, reading the memory from disk restores the user workspace and operating environment. In Windows Vista this setting is normally not used because the standard configuration is to sleep after a period of inactivity. Leave the option unchecked to deactivate it. Check the option to activate it and enter a specific value in minutes to define how long the device must be inactive before the device hibernates.

Action at over-throttling (before Vista, AC)

Defines the system power action to initiate in response to a thermal event when processor throttling is unable to adequately reduce the system temperature. The possible values are Do nothing, Sleep, Hibernate, Shutdown, Shutdown and Reset, Shutdown and power off or Warm Eject.

Action at idling (before Vista, AC)

Defines the system power action to initiate when the system idle timer expires. The possible values are Do nothing, Sleep, Hibernate, Shutdown, Shutdown and Reset, Shutdown and power off or Warm Eject.

Idle at (%, before Vista, AC)

The level of system activity that defines the threshold for idle detection, expressed as a percentage.

Maximum Sleep State (before Vista, AC)

The maximum system sleep state currently supported. The following system power states are available for the parameters of this step:

  • Unspecified
     No power saving state is specified.
  • Working
     The system is fully usable. This state is similar to the Maximum Performance with the difference that devices that are not in use can save power by entering a lower power state.
  • Low Power Saving, Medium Power Saving, Maximum Power Saving
     The system displays to be off. Power consumption is reduced to one of several levels, depending on how the system is to be used. The lower the level of power consumption, the more time it takes the system to return to the working state.
  • Hibernate
     The system displays to be off. Power consumption is reduced to the lowest level. The system saves the contents of memory to a hibernation file, preserving the state of the operating system, applications, and open documents. Hibernation is the lowest-powered sleep state.
  • Shutdown
     The system displays to be off. Some components remain powered so the computer can wake from input from the keyboard, LAN, or a USB device. The working context can be restored if it is stored on non-volatile media.
  • Maximum Performance
     The system is fully usable.

Optimized for high performance (before Vista, DC)

If this option is activated, the system turns on cooling fans and run the processor at full speed when passive cooling is specified. This causes the operating system to be biased towards using the fan and running the processor at full speed.

Fan throttle tolerance (%, before Vista, DC)

The lower limit that the processor may be throttled down to prior to turning on system fans in response to a thermal event, expressed as a percentage. The lower limit that the processor may be throttled down to prior to turning on system fans in response to a thermal event while the system is operating on AC (utility) power, expressed as a percentage.

Forced throttle (%, before Vista, DC)

The processor throttle level to be imposed by the system, expressed as a percentage.

Lock console on activation (Vista and later, DC)

Determines whether a password is required when a device wakes from sleep. This option may be activated or deactivated. With domain devices this option should be activated and can only be controled via Group Policy.

Power button action (Vista and later, DC)

This parameter specifies the action to take when the device‘s power button is pressed. The possible values are Do nothing, Sleep, Hibernate, Shutdown, Shutdown and Reset, Shutdown and power off or Warm Eject.

Sleep button action (Vista and later, DC)

This parameter defines the system power action to initiate when the system sleep button is pressed. The possible values are Do nothing, Sleep, Hibernate, Shutdown, Shutdown and Reset, Shutdown and power off or Warm Eject .

Start menu button action (Vista and later, DC)

This option specifies whether the computer should Do nothing or go to Sleep, Hibernate, Shutdown, Shutdown and Reset, Shutdown and power off or Warm Eject. It is not possible to use an action that is not supported by the device. The default value is, Sleep .

Lid close action (Vista and later, DC)

This parameter sets the default action when the lid of a laptop is closed. The possible values are Do nothing, Sleep, Hibernate, Shutdown, Shutdown and Reset, Shutdown and power off or Warm Eject .

Low battery level (%, Vista and later, AC)

Defines the low level threshold of battery discharge in percentage, by default this is 10%. When the device enters a low-power state, the system notifies the user with either a text prompt alone or a text prompt and an audible alarm. In some cases it might be advisable to configure the device to go a step further and enter another power mode, as defined via the following parameter, Low battery level action (Vista and later, DC) .

Low battery level action (Vista and later, DC)

This parameter defines which of the battery discharge policy settings is used when the battery discharges below the low threshold. The possible values are Do nothing, Sleep, Hibernate, Shutdown, Shutdown and Reset, Shutdown and power off or Warm Eject.

Critical battery level (%, Vista and later, AC)

Defines the critical level threshold of battery discharge in percentage, by default this is 3%. Critical level indicates that battery failure is imminent. When the device enters a critical power state, the system notifies the user and then enters the sleep mode. In some cases it might be advisable to configure the device to go a step further and enter another power mode, as defined via the following parameter, Critical battery level action (Vista and later, DC) .

Critical battery level action (Vista and later, DC)

This parameter defines which of the battery discharge policy settings is used when the battery discharges below the critical threshold. The possible values are Do nothing, Sleep, Hibernate, Shutdown, Shutdown and Reset, Shutdown and power off or Warm Eject.

Minimum processor state (%, AC)

Sets a minimum performance state for the device's processor in percent. To save power and reduce energy consumption, lower the permitted minimum performance state. However, lowering the performance state has a direct cost in responsiveness and computational speed. For example a value of 5 % would lengthen the time required to respond to requests and process data while offering substantial power savings. A value of 50 % helps to balance responsiveness and processing performance while offering moderate power savings. A value of 100 % would maximize responsiveness and processing performance while offering no power savings at all.

Maximum processor state (%, Vista and later, AC)

Sets a maximum or peak performance state for the device's processor in percent. To save power and reduce energy consumption, lower the permitted maximum performance state. However, lowering the performance state has a direct cost in responsiveness and computational speed. Although reducing the maximum processing power to 50 % or below can cause a significant in reduction in performance and responsiveness, it can also provide significant power savings.

PCI Express Link State Power Management (Vista and later, AC)

Determines the power saving mode to use with Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) Express devices connected to the device. Possible values are Off, Moderate power savings or Maximum power savings .

Adaptive display (Vista and later, DC)

Specifies whether Windows automatically adjusts when the display is turned off based on mouse and keyboard usage. Check the box to activate.

Sleep after (before Vista, seconds, DC)

Determines whether and when a device enters a sleep state to conserve power. Leave the option unchecked to deactivate it. Check the option to activate it and enter a specific value in minutes to define how long the device must be inactive before the device enters a sleep mode.

Hibernate after (before Vista, seconds, AC)

Determines whether and when a device hibernates to conserve power. When a computer goes into hibernation a snapshot of the user workspace and the current operating environment is taken by writing the current memory to disk. When a user turns the computer back on, reading the memory from disk restores the user workspace and operating environment. In Windows Vista this setting is normally not used because the standard configuration is to sleep after a period of inactivity. Leave the option unchecked to deactivate it. Check the option to activate it and enter a specific value in minutes to define how long the device must be inactive before the device hibernates.

Allow hybrid sleep (Vista and later, DC)

Specifies whether the device uses the Windows Vista sleep mode rather than the sleep mode used in earlier versions of Windows. The Window Vista hybrid sleep mode puts the device in a low power consumption state until the user resumes using the computer. When running o battery, laptops and Tablet PCs continue to use battery power in the sleep mode, but at a very low rate. If the battery runs low on power while the computer is in sleep mode the current working environment is saved to the hard disk and then the device is shut down completely. This final state is similar to the hibernate mode used with Windows XP. Leave the option unchecked to deactivate it or check to activate it.

Allow Away Mode (Vista and later, DC)

Allows users to keep their system running in case they share resources or perform other tasks for which the user doesn't actually need to operate the computer. When the PC enters Away mode, the display is turned off, sound is disabled, and keyboard and mouse input are ignored. Away mode is not a real power state. Although the PC appears to be turned off, it actually still runs and consumes power as normal. The latter is why Away mode is not recommended unless it's really needed. Once Away mode is enabled, any action that would normally put the computer into Sleep mode now puts the computer in Away mode . Pressing the physical On/Off button on the PC exits Away mode. Away mode can be set by media sharing applications when needed.

Allow sleep states (Vista and later, DC)

Determines whether programs can prevent a device from entering sleep mode. If this option is activated, applications and services with active processes do not prevent the device from entering sleep mode. If deactivated, they do.

Search and indexing power saving modes (Vista and later, DC)

This option allows you to balance indexing activity with power consumption. The possible values for this option are confusingly named after the default power plans, that is, Power saver, Balanced or High performance .

Multimedia when sharing media (Vista and later, DC)

This parameter determines what the device does when a device or another computer plays media from the computer. If you set this option to Allow the computer to enter Away Mode, the computer will not enter sleep mode when sharing media with other devices or computers. If you set this option to Allow the computer to sleep , the computer can enter sleep mode after an appropriate period of inactivity regardless of whether media is being shared with other computers or devices. If you set this option to Prevent idling to sleep, the computer will only enter sleep mode, when sharing media with other devices or computers, if a user puts the computer in sleep mode.

 

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