/etc/rc: WARNING: /dev/apmctl not found

[Kevin Oberman]

> Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2005 10:14:27 -0500 (EST)
> From: "Mike Jakubik" <mikej at rogers.com>
> Sender: owner-freebsd-stable at freebsd.org
> 
> Since a recent buildworld, i have noticed the following on my laptop.
> 
> dmesg output:
> --
> 
> Starting usbd.
> /etc/rc: WARNING: /dev/apmctl not found; kernel is missing apm(4)
> Starting apmd.
> 
> --
> 
> My kernel:
> --
> # Power management support (see NOTES for more options)
> device          apm
> # Add suspend/resume support for the i8254.
> device          pmtimer

OK. A couple of basics:
1. What version are you running? I'm guessing 5.3-Stable.
2. Does /boot/loader.conf disable ACPI? How about /boot/device.hints?
   (hw.acpi.0.disabled="1")

It looks like you are starting ACPI which will block apm even if it is
in the kernel. Since APM never really starts, no /dev/apmctl is created
and ampd can't start without /dev/apmctl. (Note: You will nave /dev/apm
with either APM or ACPI.)

Do you want/need to run with APM? On older hardware it is often much
more stable than ACPI, but on newer hardware it is often getting pretty
limited and may be vanishing completely in some cases. ACPI is the way
of the future and, for new hardware may be the only way the system will
run, but, if your system does OK on APM, it may be a safer way to go for
laptops in particular. (I run ACPI on my laptop, but I may just be a bit
crazy.)
-- 
R. Kevin Oberman, Network Engineer
Energy Sciences Network (ESnet)
Ernest O. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab)
E-mail: oberman at es.net			Phone: +1 510 486-8634