This is a Proxmox 9 / Debian Trixie compatible version of the Dell R710/R720 fan controller that fixes critical compatibility issues with modern systems. If you've upgraded to Proxmox 9 and your fan control stopped working with pysensors errors, this is the solution you've been looking for.

🚨 The Problem

The original fan controller breaks on:

Proxmox 9 (Debian Trixie based)
Python 3.13+ environments
Systems with updated pysensors library
Any modern Debian/Ubuntu installation

✅ The Solution

This version eliminates the problematic pysensors dependency and uses the reliable sensors command directly, providing:

100% compatibility with Proxmox 9 and Debian Trixie
No more API breakage from pysensors updates
Simplified installation with fewer dependencies
Better error handling and safety fallbacks

Installation

Quick Install (Recommended)

git clone https://git.noninjas.com/mike/Poweredge-Fan-Controller-Proxmox9Trixie.git
cd dell-fan-control-proxmox9
sudo ./install.sh

The default installation path is /opt/fan_control and the service will be installed as fan-control.service.

Custom Installation Path

sudo ./install.sh /custom/path

Post-Installation

Edit the configuration:

sudo nano /opt/fan_control/fan_control.yaml

Check the service status:
```
sudo systemctl status fan-control
```

Monitor the logs:

sudo journalctl -u fan-control.service -f

Upgrading from Original Version

If you're upgrading from the original fan controller after a Proxmox 8→9 upgrade:

# Stop the broken service
sudo systemctl stop fan-control

# Backup your config
sudo cp /opt/fan_control/fan_control.yaml /opt/fan_control/fan_control.yaml.backup

# Clone and install the fixed version
git clone https://git.noninjas.com/mike/Poweredge-Fan-Controller-Proxmox9Trixie.git
cd dell-fan-control-proxmox9
sudo ./install.sh

# Your configuration will be automatically preserved

Configuration

Edit /opt/fan_control/fan_control.yaml to set your temperature thresholds and fan speeds:

general:
  debug: false
  interval: 30

hosts:
  - name: MyLocalHost
    hysteresis: 3
    temperatures:
      - 39  # Low temp threshold
      - 45  # Medium temp threshold  
      - 55  # High temp threshold
    speeds:
      - 20  # Fan speed % for low temps
      - 30  # Fan speed % for medium temps
      - 40  # Fan speed % for high temps

What's Changed

🔧 Technical Fixes

Removed pysensors dependency - No more API compatibility issues
Direct sensors command parsing - Uses the reliable sensors command output
Simplified virtual environment - Only requires PyYAML now
Better error handling - Graceful fallback to automatic mode on errors
Improved safety - Service automatically returns fans to auto mode on failure

📦 Installation Improvements

Fewer system dependencies - No more build tools or dev packages needed
Modern Python practices - Uses python3 -m venv instead of legacy virtualenv
Better configuration handling - Preserves existing configs during upgrades
Enhanced service file - Includes resource limits and security hardening

🛡️ Safety Enhancements

Automatic fallback - Switches to automatic fan control if temperature reading fails
Service restart protection - Ensures fans return to auto mode if service crashes
Resource limits - Prevents runaway CPU/memory usage
Timeout handling - Protects against hanging sensor commands

Compatibility

✅ Tested On

Proxmox VE 9.x (Debian Trixie)
Debian 13 (Trixie)
Python 3.13+
Dell PowerEdge R710, R720

⚠️ Original Version Issues

The original script fails on modern systems with errors like:

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'yaml'
AttributeError: module 'sensors' has no attribute 'get_detected_chips'
'Chip' object has no attribute 'get_features'
Virtual environment corruption after system upgrades

Troubleshooting

Service Won't Start

# Check the logs
sudo journalctl -u fan-control.service -n 50

# Test manually
sudo /opt/fan_control/venv/bin/python3 /opt/fan_control/fan_control.py

No Temperature Readings

# Check if sensors work
sensors

# Run sensor detection
sudo sensors-detect
# Answer YES to safe probes, then reboot

Fans Still Loud

# Check if IPMI is working
sudo ipmitool sensor list | grep -i fan

# Verify iDRAC connectivity (if using remote)
sudo ipmitool -I lanplus -H your-idrac-ip -U username -P password sensor list

Credits

This project is based on the excellent work by Niccolò Maggioni in the original r710-fan-controller repository.

Original Author

Niccolò Maggioni - nmaggioni
Original repository: https://github.com/nmaggioni/r710-fan-controller

Modifications for Proxmox 9 Compatibility

**Proxmox 9 compatibility fixes and modern Python support

License

This project maintains the same license as the original work. Please see the original repository for license details.