TLP 1.11 reworks power profile naming, adds firmware fallback chains and USB serial exclusions

TLP 1.11, the command-line Linux power management tool for laptops, introduces a redesigned configuration scheme that replaces the legacy _AC and _BAT suffixes with profile-specific _PRF, _BAL, and _SAV identifiers for performance, balanced, and power-saver modes. Existing configurations remain functional through automatic runtime translation, with tlp-stat --cdiff available to identify parameters needing migration. The release also implements sequential fallback for platform profile selection, allowing TLP to try alternative firmware profiles when the preferred option is unsupported by hardware.

Additional changes expand per-profile wireless radio control, exempt PL2303 and CH34x USB serial devices from automatic suspension to prevent development workflow interruptions, add SysVinit support for tlp-pd on non-systemd systems, and work around a kernel regression affecting battery care on Lenovo ThinkBooks and other non-ThinkPad laptops where firmware charging status becomes unreadable after suspend or hibernation.

Configuration and hardware compatibility changes in TLP 1.11

• Profile naming migration: Configuration parameters now use _PRF, _BAL, and _SAV suffixes instead of _AC and _BAT, with automatic backward compatibility translation at runtime and tlp-stat --cdiff for migration assistance.
• Firmware profile fallback chains: Platform profile settings can specify multiple alternatives tried in sequence; the performance profile now prefers balanced-performance over performance when available, and power-saver can fall back to cool or quiet.
• Per-profile wireless control: Radio device enable/disable settings are now independently configurable under each of the three power profiles, unifying previously profile-dependent control availability.
• USB serial suspension exclusion: Serial port devices including PL2303 and CH34x chips are excluded from automatic USB suspension by default, with USB_ALLOWLIST as the override mechanism for users wanting suspension.
• Non-systemd support and Lenovo battery care fix: tlp-pd gains a SysVinit startup script and configuration file, and a workaround addresses kernel-related firmware charging status unreadability on post-resume Lenovo ThinkBooks and similar laptops.

Why it matters

The profile naming unification and firmware fallback chains reduce configuration friction for users across diverse laptop hardware, particularly gaming laptops where aggressive performance profiles trigger excessive fan noise. The USB serial exclusion directly benefits embedded developers and hardware engineers who rely on USB-to-serial adapters for debugging and device communication, eliminating a common source of workflow interruption on Linux laptops. SysVinit support broadens TLP's deployment scope beyond systemd-centric distributions, while the Lenovo battery care fix extends reliable power management to a wider range of business laptops outside the traditional ThinkPad line.