Linux 5.17 Bringing New Driver For Some NZXT Lighting/Fan Controls & Monitoring

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Linux 5.17 Bringing New Driver For Some NZXT Lighting/Fan Controls & Monitoring

Thanks to the reverse-engineering, open-source community there has been mainline Linux driver support for select NZXT all-in-one water cooling solutions while for the upcoming Linux 5.17 kernel is another new NZXT driver for some of their other products...

https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Linux-5.17-NZXT-SD-v2

[gregzeng]

Reading behind this message, is it another way to say that WINE, the Linux emulator to run Windows programs, is not enough? Or the hardware manufacturers do not have sent industry standards, including standard ISO or USB, to interface with Linux readily?
This OP is just about one version of one brands of product. Does it show other similar products to use this very particular innovation? For example, similar innovations under other brands (Logitech, Epson, etc) might allow adaption to many different products, on many versions and models.

[tildearrow]

Reading behind this message, is it another way to say that WINE, the Linux emulator to run Windows programs, is not enough? Or the hardware manufacturers do not have sent industry standards, including standard ISO or USB, to interface with Linux readily?
This OP is just about one version of one brands of product. Does it show other similar products to use this very particular innovation? For example, similar innovations under other brands (Logitech, Epson, etc) might allow adaption to many different products, on many versions and models.

Wine is not a kernel emulator. It only translates user calls, and therefore cannot run Windows drivers.

[Paradigm Shifter]

Have to say that NZXT are on my shit list because their current Windows application requires you to create an online account and be signed in to control their fancy closed-loop coolers. At least, I could find no way past the "please log in or create an account" screen.

Fortunately, the default "swirly white" on the block/pump isn't too offensive, I want the pump at maximum speed always and I control the fans separately anyway. But requiring me to have yet another account which further expands my vulnerability profile for a freakin' cooler means I will never, ever buy any of their products ever again... even if I'm desperate.

I was over a barrel because the cooler I had intended to use didn't quite fit in the case I was using (the compatibility list of "it fits" is only true if you remove an SSD bracket, which I absolutely need, and even removing that one of the hoses is bent rather tighter than I am happy with) and the local shop, despite telling me that a cooler from a different manufacturer was in stock... well, lied, because it wasn't, and I needed the system running that day.

[IanW]

Reading behind this message, is it another way to say that WINE, the Linux emulator to run Windows programs, is not enough? Or the hardware manufacturers do not have sent industry standards, including standard ISO or USB, to interface with Linux readily?
This OP is just about one version of one brands of product. Does it show other similar products to use this very particular innovation? For example, similar innovations under other brands (Logitech, Epson, etc) might allow adaption to many different products, on many versions and models.

You may wish to investigate the OpenRGB project, which is attempting to be a "one ring to rule them all" open-source solution for cross-platform RGB control.

[yump]

Less than half the price of the Corsair Commander Pro, but also no thermometers and half as many fan channels, and the Amazon page says max 10W per channel. That's probably enough to double up with lower-speed fans, but I wouldn't go more than that.

I wonder what the markup is on these kinds of things? It's probably just some super I/O chip bridged to USB, and the plastic case is entirely cosmetic. Should be sub-$10 I'd guess. It'd be pretty cool if the Linux community could standardize around one open hardware design for this application, and tickle somebody into selling them on eBay/AliExpress. These days pretty much every motherboard has enough built-in fan channels for pretty much anything, so the Windows folks might not get on board, but freely-positionable temperature sensors would be an attractive feature, and at least on Linux it'd be a good workaround for the somewhat sorry state of motherboard hwmon support.

[birdie]

Wine is not a kernel emulator. It only translates user calls, and therefore cannot run Windows drivers.

Wine translates win32 API calls, not "user calls" and can perfectly allow to run Windows drivers.

The problem is:

1) Windows drivers need a ton of Windows kernel APIs and those are mostly unavailable (Wine still implements some of them for copy protection/DRM/etc.)
2) Even if you write a sort of translator for Windows kernel APIs for the Linux kernel, those drivers will need to be run under root, perhaps even in the Linux kernel memory space - which is obliviously a huge security and stability risk and I really doubt anyone will ever venture to do that. Besides, ReactOS has been trying to achieve something like that and their progress has been ... too slow and too little despite targeting Windows XP.

At the same time it's worth remembering that e.g. printer drivers in Linux work in userspace (CUPS), so in theory at least printer drivers can be made to work. Also I've heard something about Wine implementing support for Windows USB drivers but maybe I misunderstood something.

[Sonadow]

Have to say that NZXT are on my shit list because their current Windows application requires you to create an online account and be signed in to control their fancy closed-loop coolers. At least, I could find no way past the "please log in or create an account" screen.

Fortunately, the default "swirly white" on the block/pump isn't too offensive, I want the pump at maximum speed always and I control the fans separately anyway. But requiring me to have yet another account which further expands my vulnerability profile for a freakin' cooler means I will never, ever buy any of their products ever again... even if I'm desperate.

I was over a barrel because the cooler I had intended to use didn't quite fit in the case I was using (the compatibility list of "it fits" is only true if you remove an SSD bracket, which I absolutely need, and even removing that one of the hoses is bent rather tighter than I am happy with) and the local shop, despite telling me that a cooler from a different manufacturer was in stock... well, lied, because it wasn't, and I needed the system running that day.

All closed loop coolers are useless. The amount of cooling they provide isn't significantly better than powerful air coolers, are only good for reducing noise, and must eventually be replaced due to pump failures or drop in water levels from water vapour permeation.

Plus all closed-loop colours ship with that ******* RGB LEDs all over the damn pump.

[Paradigm Shifter]

All closed loop coolers are useless. The amount of cooling they provide isn't significantly better than powerful air coolers, are only good for reducing noise, and must eventually be replaced due to pump failures or drop in water levels from water vapour permeation.

Plus all closed-loop colours ship with that ******* RGB LEDs all over the damn pump.

Yeah, I know.

I've not used a CLC in over five years, since I went through a run of Corsair H60's which had;
- leak at radiator barb (returned for replacement)
- pump DOA (returned for replacement)
- leak at CPU block (the freakin' cardboard box it came in had a stain on it!) (returned for replacement)
- leak at radiator barb (gave up, returned for refund, bought Noctua D15)

Unfortunately, here in Japan I'm severely space limited at home. So, I bought the new Lian Li case (the Q58) because it was the physically smallest case I could get for (not extortionate price) which could take a big GPU. The tradeoff is that the room for the CPU cooler is... not large. Frankly, it's still tighter than I would like, but temperatures are not frightening. That said, they are definitely higher than I would like when I fully load the CPU. I'll be moving to a bigger place next financial year, so maybe I should have waited, but... eh, I've said that for the last year and my old system has been driving me nuts.

[amezin]

phoronix This driver doesn't support RGB control.

The device also has two connectors for RGB LEDs; support for them isn't implemented (mainly because there is no standardized sysfs interface).