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How can I turn off screen? None of the answers here helped me. I tried sudo vbetool dpms off but that failed silently and the screen remained on.

This is a headless Ubuntu server installation on a laptop. I don't want screen turned on all the time as I access this server via SSH remotely.

edit: solved it by using izx's answer in here This is not what I was looking for but at least I have nothing on the screen now.

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emrecnl
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    Um. Why don't you just close your laptop's lid? Also, which commands did you try and how did they fail? Are you running an X server? If not, `xrandr` and `xset` won't work but `sudo vbetool dpms off` should. Did you try that? What error messages did you get? Please [edit] your question and add more details so we don't give you the same answers. – terdon Sep 09 '15 at 11:40
  • >>Why don't you just close your laptop's lid? Are you being serious? I don't want it to overheat. xrandr, xset, vbetool they all require an installation, which I did. But no go. This is a headless installation no gui whatsoever. – emrecnl Sep 09 '15 at 12:50
  • @emrecnl since when does closing the lid cause it to overheat? – muru Sep 09 '15 at 12:51
  • @muru in my sytem it can. – emrecnl Sep 09 '15 at 12:51
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    Yes, of course I'm being serious. Most laptops have air vents either below or to the side. There's no reason to assume it will overheat. In any case, please [edit] your question and answer my other questions. `vbetool` shouldn't need an X server. What error messages did you get, if any? – terdon Sep 09 '15 at 12:52
  • @terdon it's not an "assumption" if you close lid on an 2009 laptop, you will get increase in hardware temperatures which will eventually lead to overheating issues thinking that it's a server installation that will be running all the time. – emrecnl Sep 09 '15 at 12:54
  • I meant there's no reason for _me_ to assume that your specific laptop will have vents on the top side. That is not very usual. In any case, OK, if your vents are on the top, that will be an issue but 1) the screen should turn off by itself anyway and 2) you still haven't answered the relevant questions. How did `vbetool` fail and have you tried `setterm` as suggested below? – terdon Sep 09 '15 at 12:56
  • "sudo vbetool dpms off" this command did not return with a message, display is still turned on. I believe vbetool is not what you need to disable dipslay unless you have a gui. – emrecnl Sep 09 '15 at 13:06

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I guess Ubuntu server means we are talking console only. Check the manpage to setterm and try the following command:

setterm --powersave powerdown
terdon
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Jakob Lenfers
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  • Sorry but that's not doing it. Display is still turned on, and I still see console login screen. – emrecnl Sep 09 '15 at 12:59
  • The [manual for `setterm(1)` in Trusty](http://manpages.ubuntu.com/manpages/trusty/en/man1/setterm.1.html) suggests single-dash options: `setterm -powersave powerdown`. Maybe that will work. What's your Ubuntu release anyway? – David Foerster Jul 27 '16 at 08:21