Sleep States

Sleep states, or S states, describe the power applied to the host processor. The
sleep state may relate to specific hardware components, but that information is
usually not needed to manage Intel AMT-based platforms. When the host is fully
powered up, it is said to be in S0. If the host is in some higher sleep state (i.e.,
lower power state), it is in Sx.
The Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) specification defines the
following states:
G0 (S0): Working
G1, Sleeping subdivides into the four states S1 through S4:
S1 Sleeping State: The S1 sleeping state is a low wake latency
sleeping state. In this state, no system context is lost (CPU or chip set)
and hardware maintains all system context.
S2 Sleeping State: The S2 sleeping state is a low wake latency
sleeping state. This state is similar to the S1 sleeping state except that
the CPU and system cache context is lost (the OS is responsible for
maintaining the caches and CPU context). Control starts from the
processors reset vector after the wake event.
S3 Sleeping State: The S3 sleeping state is a low wake latency
sleeping state where all system context is lost except system memory.
CPU, cache, and chip set context are lost in this state. Hardware
maintains memory context and restores some CPU and L2
configuration context. Control starts from the processors reset vector
after the wake event.
S4 Sleeping State: The S4 sleeping state is the lowest power,
longest wake latency sleeping state supported by ACPI. In order to
reduce power to a minimum, it is assumed that the hardware platform
has powered off all devices. Platform context is maintained.
G2 S5 Soft Off State: The S5 state is similar to the S4 state except that the OS
does not save any context. The system is in the soft off state and requires a
complete boot when it wakes. Software uses a different state value to distinguish
between the S5 state and the S4 state to allow for initial boot operations within
the BIOS to distinguish whether or not the boot is going to wake from a saved
memory image.

C-states and P-states are very different

C-states are idle states and P-states are operational

states. This difference, though obvious once you know,
can be initially confusing.
With the exception of C0, where the CPU is active and
busy doing something, a C-state is an idle state. Since an
idle CPU isn't doing anything (i.e. any useful work), why
not shut it down? No one is going to notice since there's
no one using it. (Letting a CPU run at full bore when idle is
like driving in circles very fast; all you're doing is going
nowhere quickly.)
A P-state is an operational state, meaning that the core /
processor can be doing useful work in any P-state. The
most obvious example is when your laptop is using a low
power profile and operating on battery. The OS will lower
the C0 operating frequency and voltage, i.e. enter a
higher P-state. Reducing the operating frequency reduces
the speed at which the processor operates, and so the
energy usage per second (i.e. power). Reducing the
voltage decreases the leakage current from the CPU's
transistors, making the processor more energy efficient
resulting in further gains. The net result is a significant
reduction in the energy usage per second of the
processor. On the flip side, an application will take longer
to run. This may or may not be a problem from a power
perspective. I'll talk about this issue in some depth in a
later blog.
C-states and P-states are also orthogonal. This is a fancy
mathematical term meaning that each can vary
independently of the other. This doesn't mean that in the

higher C-states, the voltage doesn't change. It only

means that when you resume C0, you go back to the
operating frequency and voltage defined by that P-state.
Next time: C-states, C-states and even more C-states

What is connected
standby?
In this article

Benefits and value

What does connected standby do?

Differences between connected standby and traditional Sleep and Hibernate

Platform support
Starting with Windows 8 and Windows 8.1, connected standby is a new low-power state
that features extremely low power consumption while maintaining Internet connectivity.
For a PC that implements the connected standby power model, the connected standby
power state serves as the primary of mode for the PCsimilar to the of mode that a
smartphone enters when the user presses the power button. The Windows UI exposes
the connected standby power state to the end user as the system "sleep" state.
Connected standby brings the smartphone power model to Windows PCs. A connected
standby PC can instantly resume from sleep, and is always connected to the Internet.
Apps in a connected standby PC are automatically updated while the system is in
connected standby so that critical informationincluding email and messagesare
already synced to the PC when the user turns it on.

Benefits and value

Connected standby has multiple benefits to the user over the experience that traditional
ACPI Sleep (S3) and Hibernate (S4) states deliver. The most prominent benefit is instant
resume from sleep. Connected standby PCs resume extremely quicklytypically, in less
than 500 milliseconds. The performance of a resume from connected standby is almost
always faster than resuming from the traditional Sleep (S3) state and significantly faster
than resuming from the Hibernate (S4) or Shutdown (S5) state.
Connected standby also keeps the Wi-Fi device turned on, but in a very low power
mode. In this mode, the Wi-Fi device automatically searches for known access points
and will connect to them according to the user's preference. This feature allows the

system to maintain connectivity, even if the system is carried between home and work,
the bus, or a coffee shop. An additional benefit is that the Wi-Fi device is already
connected to the network when the user turns on the system. With connected standby,
there is no more waiting to connect to a Wi-Fi access point and then waiting for email to
sync. Wi-Fi is already connected and email is already synced and waiting for the user to
turn on the PC.
With a constant Wi-Fi connection, a connected standby PC also maintains constant
connectivity with the cloud. Communications apps, including Skype, Lync, and others in
the Windows Store, notify the user in real-time of an incoming request or call while the
system is in connected standby. Apps can also deliver push notifications to alert the
user to news events, weather alerts, or instant messages.
The benefits of a constant Wi-Fi connection are also available for connected standby PCs
that have a mobile broadband (cellular) connection and wired LAN/Ethernet
connections. A connected standby PC automatically roams between all available
network types, and favors the available networking option that is the cheapest and uses
the lowest power.
Connected standby is the foundation of the modern mobile experience. Users have
come to expect all of their electronics devices to instantly turn on, have long battery
life, and always be connected to the cloud. All smartphones and the overwhelming
majority of tablets support a sleep mode that is always on and always connected.
Connected standby enables Windows PCs to meet and exceed the same customer
expectations.

What does connected standby do?

Connected standby is a screen-off sleep state. Any time the system has the screen off, it
is said to be in connected standby.
While the system is in connected standby, it can pass through various hardware and
software operating modes. For most of the time spent in connected standby, the
hardware is in a low-power state and the software is paused or stopped. However, the
system intermittently powers up to process an incoming email, alert the user to an
incoming Skype call, or perform other app-related background activities.
Differences between connected standby and traditional Sleep and Hibernate
Connected standby is very different from the traditional ACPI Sleep (S3) and Hibernate
(S4) states.
The ACPI Sleep and Hibernate states completely pause all activity on the system when
the processors are turned off. Activity remains paused until the user turns the system
back on by pressing the power button, keyboard, or touchpad. Connected standby
automatically pauses and resumes activity on the system while the screen is off to
maintain connectivity and sync content from the cloud. The amount of activity is tightly
controlled to help achieve low power consumption and ensure long battery life.
However, the amount of system activity during each connected standby state can vary
with changes in app activity due to the type of network connection or the amount of
incoming data.
ACPI Sleep and Hibernate do not maintain connectivity on the network (Wi-Fi, LAN, or
cellular). In these states, the networking devices are turned off until the user powers the
system back on. (There are exceptions for wired LAN devices that support wake-on-LAN

(WoL) patterns, but these patterns are typically enabled on desktop systems and not on
mobile/battery-powered systems.) Connected standby keeps the networking devices
powered on but in an extremely low power mode to maintain connectivity. The Wi-Fi
device can automatically roam between networks that are preferred by the user and
alert Windows to important network traffic.
ACPI Sleep and Hibernate completely pause all app, service, and driver activity when
the processors are powered off. In contrast, connected standby allows apps, services,
and drivers to keep running, but they run in a tightly controlled manner to save power
and extend battery life. Windows Store apps get a few seconds every 15 minutes to run
background tasks, but desktop applications are paused for the duration of the
connected standby state. Email sync and tile updates are performed by apps that run in
a controlled manner during connected standby.
The traditional ACPI Sleep (S3) state consumes 500 milliwatts or more of average power
consumption to maintain memory in self-refresh and enable the platform to wake on
user input. This gives the typical mobile system with a 45-watt-hour battery just under
100 hours of sleep time on a full charge. However, connected standby systems use lowpower memory and power-optimized embedded controllers to consume less than 150
milliwatts in most configurations. As a result, the typical connected standby platform
can stay in sleep for 300 hours on a full battery charge. This is three times as long as in
the traditional ACPI Sleep state.
Connected standby has longer battery life than ACPI Sleep and, unlike ACPI Sleep,
maintains connectivity. The user of a connected standby PC no longer worries about the
battery-life tradeoff between Sleep and Hibernate, or about the differences in resume
performance. With connected standby, the user can just shut the lid or press the power
button and be assured that the system will enter a low-power mode and maintain
connectivityjust like a smartphone.

Platform support
The decision to build a Windows PC that implements the connected standby power
model affects all levels of system design. Delivering the required low-power
consumption, long battery life, and constant connectivity requires system planning and
engineering. Starting with Windows 8 and Windows 8.1, all client versions of Windows
support connected standby on capable hardwareon both ARM and x86/x64 systems.
Connected standby PCs typically feature low-power hardware that includes a powerefficient SoC (or chipset), low-power memory (DRAM), and low-power-capable
networking (Wi-Fi, mobile broadband (MBB)) devices. A low-power system design forms
the foundation of long battery life during sleep in a connected standby PC, and has
significant benefits even when the system is in active use.
A capable PC is active and mobile during connected standby. Therefore, mobile
connected standby PCs use flash memory (such as SSD or eMMc) for disk storage. An
email can arrive at any time and can be safely saved to the disk if there is no possibility
of disk damage from writes that occur during arm movements.