Topic: What UPS?

[penguinzrool]

I've got an SME 6.0.1 box based on a Via EPIA motherboard with RAID HDDs and a broadband router acting as a file, email and internet server for a small business. With the recent thunderstorms over here and the succession of powercuts that followed, I realised it's time to get a UPS.

The question is, which one? Not in terms of size, power available etc, but in terms of compatibility. I've noticed that there is some sort of UPS daemon included with SME, but I can't find anything which says which UPSs it works with, and what it does.

Does anyone know if there's a compatibility list around somewhere, and also what to do once I get the thing?!

Many thanks.

[mbachmann]

Issue a search for "smart ups" or "apc" and click "show all results" should get you started.

[penguinzrool]

Thanks, I'd already had a look around for 'ups' but 'smart ups' was a lot more useful!

After looking through the results, though, I'm a bit confused. There seem to be two ways of managing the UPS, using either NUT or apcupsd. As it is an APC Smart-UPS 750 INET which I am looking at, apcupsd looks like the answer because D May has written a panel for it, which supposedly installs on 6.0.1. That said, it doesn't support USB connections.

According to the APC website, the Smart-UPS 750 INET has both serial and USB connections, so I should just be able to use the serial, but in a different thread there was mention of having to make a cable.

Is it really this complicated or am I just being dense?! I'm just a bit loathed to go and spend £150 on a UPS to find it doesn't work...

Cheers,
Chris.

[mdo]

Chris,

apcupsd on SME6.0x works very well for us with APC SmartUPSes over their serial cables for various installations. As long as this UPS comes with an original serial cable from APC you can't go wrong I would say.

Regards,
Michael

[Jáder]

Hi Chris

APCUPSd works for USB devices on SME 6.01-01 too.
But you must to install version 3.10.12 or above (just tested with this one)
You can watch one here: http://nobreak.bsmm.com.br/
(please be gentle and do not hack this server if you found a security flaw! Please advise me in that case. This link is here to help someone/anyone by show a working case!)

If you have any doubts, please ask me and send your apcupsd.conf file.
Will be a pleasure to help you!

Jáder

[penguinzrool]

Thanks a lot for the responses guys, looks like I can buy this Smart-UPS and still get some sleep afterwards!

Jader, is the updated apcupsd package squirreled away here on contribs or do I need to look somewhere else?

Thanks again,
Chris.

[CharlieBrady]

I realised it's time to get a UPS.

The question is, which one? Not in terms of size, power available etc, but in terms of compatibility. I've noticed that there is some sort of UPS daemon included with SME, but I can't find anything which says which UPSs it works with, and what it does.

Full details here:

http://www.networkupstools.org/

Any USB UPS using the HID standard should work.

I'm sure that you'll find a HOWTO on the site describing how to enable support.

[cydonia]

Any USB UPS using the HID standard should work.

Anyone know if the Belkin SOHO 350/650VA's will work with this daemon?

EDIT:  Seems they do...
http://eu1.networkupstools.org/compat/stable.html

Using genericups upstype=7

[penguinzrool]

Hi guys,

Just thought I'd say I got my APC Smart-UPS 750 working beautifully yesterday, using D May's contrib. Jader, I've now got a status screen similar to yours! Quick question, though, how do you put it in it's own ibay? It'd be nice to have ups.server instead of server/cgi-bin/multimon.cgi...

The drivers do seem a bit flaky, though - i changed one thing in the setup and the connection to the UPS died (standard TCP port error). Changed it back and it still wasn't working! Didn't change anything, hit the save button again and it came back up. Strange, and I think it shows that perseverance is the way to go when it comes to SME!

Cheers guys,
Chris.