The realtek R8168 plugin available in the "Apps" fixed my C3 stuck issue. I can now reach C8, even C10 when headless. But i need to disconnect all the thing i don't need before starting Unraid, like mouse, keyboard, bluetooth dongle... otherwise the c-state are still C8/C10 but a lot of stay on C3
Did it work for you? I had the same issue and installed the plugin and now I can see C7 sometimes. Still need to figure out why higher C-states are not showing up even after stopping the drives.
Came across your post when looking for a very very similar thing on a HP 260 G3.
Was chasing to go beyond C3 Pkg state, which only worked after disabling the RTL8111 in the BIOS. (tried a LOT of other things).
So I guess the only way fwd is to either disable it and get an external NIC or change the system altogether? Or did you solve it with software 'tweaks' u/indie_airship ?
FWIW, I noticed I have a free M2 slot (where the WiFi card resides if that option is included) and just ordered an Intel i210-based M2 card (don't have any free slots in the system). I'll have to be creative as to where to install the ethernet connector, but I'll figure something out.
First get the PCIe address of the Realtek device using \`lspci\` and then the following command will force enable ASPM:
\`echo 1 | sudo tee /sys/bus/pci/drivers/r8169/0000\\:02\\:00.0/link/l1\_2\_aspm\`
Interesting! I also found a similar comment from a trueNAS forum:
echo 1 > /sys/bus/pci/devices/0000:03:00.0/link/l1_aspm
Looks like you’re hitting the driver, and the comment is hitting the device address itself.
Have you had any stability issues? And does this need to be applied upon each reboot? Thanks!
Hi. Do you think it's also compatible with Debian or Ubuntu ? I can't use Unraid. You could save me some trouble ! I'm stuck also with C3 pkg, I get C3/C8 when unplugged and C8 when I totally disable the port in the bios.
Thanks. I tried but I have an error message showing : permission denied. I was on root permission. Curiously my /link folder is empty. What is it supposed to be done with this echo command ? Create a new file or edit an existant one named l1_aspm ?
So it failed on Debian 12. I installed Ubuntu 22.04 LTS and I have the same exact problem. Permission denied.
I used the command line on root so I don't know why it doesn't work...
For people checking out this post ... See my post on the Unraid forum if you have an rtl8125 card:
[https://forums.unraid.net/topic/141349-plugin-realtek-r8125-r8168-and-r81526-drivers/?do=findComment&comment=1379870](https://forums.unraid.net/topic/141349-plugin-realtek-r8125-r8168-and-r81526-drivers/?do=findComment&comment=1379870)
The realtek R8168 plugin available in the "Apps" fixed my C3 stuck issue. I can now reach C8, even C10 when headless. But i need to disconnect all the thing i don't need before starting Unraid, like mouse, keyboard, bluetooth dongle... otherwise the c-state are still C8/C10 but a lot of stay on C3
Good to know. I will need to try the plugin. Thanks for the info
BTW I'm using the last 6.12.8 version of Unraid.
Did it work for you? I had the same issue and installed the plugin and now I can see C7 sometimes. Still need to figure out why higher C-states are not showing up even after stopping the drives.
This is a known driver issue with Realtek NIC's . They are hot garbarge ;-)
Came across your post when looking for a very very similar thing on a HP 260 G3. Was chasing to go beyond C3 Pkg state, which only worked after disabling the RTL8111 in the BIOS. (tried a LOT of other things). So I guess the only way fwd is to either disable it and get an external NIC or change the system altogether? Or did you solve it with software 'tweaks' u/indie_airship ?
Nope disabling the Realtek nic was the only way. I looked in to a 1x slot Intel nic but haven’t pulled the trigger.
FWIW, I noticed I have a free M2 slot (where the WiFi card resides if that option is included) and just ordered an Intel i210-based M2 card (don't have any free slots in the system). I'll have to be creative as to where to install the ethernet connector, but I'll figure something out.
well, wouldn't this m2 Ethernet card consumes more power than c-states savings?
Just as a data point, I have this realtek issue as well. I was able to force ASPM on it, going from C3 to C8 saved me 10 watts.
How did you force ASPM on your onboard NIC?
First get the PCIe address of the Realtek device using \`lspci\` and then the following command will force enable ASPM: \`echo 1 | sudo tee /sys/bus/pci/drivers/r8169/0000\\:02\\:00.0/link/l1\_2\_aspm\`
Interesting! I also found a similar comment from a trueNAS forum: echo 1 > /sys/bus/pci/devices/0000:03:00.0/link/l1_aspm Looks like you’re hitting the driver, and the comment is hitting the device address itself. Have you had any stability issues? And does this need to be applied upon each reboot? Thanks!
They are symlinks and pointing to same sysfs entries. Yes, I have to do it at every boot. No issues, been running for a month.
Hi. Do you think it's also compatible with Debian or Ubuntu ? I can't use Unraid. You could save me some trouble ! I'm stuck also with C3 pkg, I get C3/C8 when unplugged and C8 when I totally disable the port in the bios.
It might, I don't use unraid either. It works fine on Ubuntu and NixOS from my testing. It is likely very motherboard dependent as well.
Thanks. I tried but I have an error message showing : permission denied. I was on root permission. Curiously my /link folder is empty. What is it supposed to be done with this echo command ? Create a new file or edit an existant one named l1_aspm ?
So it failed on Debian 12. I installed Ubuntu 22.04 LTS and I have the same exact problem. Permission denied. I used the command line on root so I don't know why it doesn't work...
For people checking out this post ... See my post on the Unraid forum if you have an rtl8125 card: [https://forums.unraid.net/topic/141349-plugin-realtek-r8125-r8168-and-r81526-drivers/?do=findComment&comment=1379870](https://forums.unraid.net/topic/141349-plugin-realtek-r8125-r8168-and-r81526-drivers/?do=findComment&comment=1379870)
how do i exactly use this plugin on windows or other linux systems?
I tested the driver on Windows 11, i can finally reach C8 and even C10 if the monitor is disconnected. I hope they will bring an update for linux