This is part of The Pile, a partial archive of some open source mailing lists and newsgroups.
From: Ramon Gandia <rfg@nook.net> Date: Thu, 22 Apr 1999 10:51:29 -0800 Subject: Re: UPS and Linux Sujai D. Nath wrote: > > Ive had the unfortunate experience of a number of power outages at my > work place. It has something to do with the circuit breaker. In any > case the problem is anticipated to continue for the next several months > until we move out (the building is going to be torn down so you can see > why were having these power problems). Fortunately, Ive gotten the go > ahead to buy a UPS so I need to find one that supports linux and allows > graceful shutdown. Looked on apc website but no mention of linux > support. Anyone had any experience with ups and linux? APC now has Linux support. In the villages around Nome, it has been reported that the APC's catch on fire. I know of at least two. Tripp-Lite has an open interface and any of the free Linux packages work ok. I have some here and use genpowerd. Best UPS www.best.com I think, has the nicest units and they fully support Linux. They also have open interfaces and you can use genpowerd with them. In particular, their ferro-resonant UPS's, the "ferrups" models, are very good UPS and power line conditioners. Not cheap, but the best. Having said that, be sure not to look at their list prices. The mail order houses will have their UPS units at substantial discounts, so they are not much pricier than other brands. Check out http://www.pricewatch.com for prices on any UPS. Do not compare apples an oranges. It is easy to shop on price, when the difference is not really price, but features. Not all 600-watt units are alike....some have ferro-resonant transformers, some dont. Some run 3 minutes, some 7 minutes, some 20 minutes and some for 4 hours on the batteries. It is not easy to shop for a UPS. If you have frequent outages there you need a decent ups and proper shutdown software. === Subject: RE: UPS ? From: Bill Carlson <wcarlson@vh.org> Date: Fri, 16 Jul 1999 15:09:04 -0500 (CDT) On Fri, 16 Jul 1999, Chad W. Skinner wrote: > This particular UPS (CyberPower Power99/385va) does have a serial port and > software for the MS Windows 95/98 and NTplatforms, but does not ship with > software for linux. Does anyone know if UPS's use a standard communications > protocol or are the proprietary and how I would go about setting it up to > work with linux? > There is a project for building a system to monitor various UPSes, search for 'multi UPS' on freshmeat.net. The CyberPower is not supported...yet! I personally have great faith in APC, their UPSs tend to be a little better built than most, but then they cost a little extra. Their power chute software is available for UNIX (AIX, HP-UX, Solaris), not sure about Linux. Their protocol has been reversed engineered as well as their funky cables (when they didn't stick with standard RS232 has to be pure marketing drek). I plan on working on a device for those of us stuck with 'dumb' UPSs, something basic to say 'Hey, the power is out'. Might as well make a temperature sensor while I'm at it. === Subject: RE: UPS ? From: Bill Carlson <wcarlson@vh.org> Date: Fri, 16 Jul 1999 15:17:34 -0500 (CDT) On Fri, 16 Jul 1999, Tony Johnson wrote: > Well costs equates to how big the battery is. The longer the battery > backup, the more it's gonna cost. Also the type of ups makes a cost > difference also. The inline ups's are supposed to instantly switch from > regular power to battery power. Some ups's don't and may not be helping u > any if a split second power outage happens. That's how I would define > "works" Not to mention it "works" if the UPS can handle small sags in line voltage without switching to battery. Nothing worse than watching your machine power off because the UPS kept switching on/off battery while your wife is doing laundry. Bleah! === Subject: Re: Best UPS? From: Bill Carlson <wcarlson@vh.org> Date: Wed, 15 Sep 1999 09:56:47 -0500 (CDT) On Tue, 14 Sep 1999, Greg Thomas wrote: > > Hello, > > Does anybody use their CheckUPS software with RH 5.x? I've installed > their binary and I get no communication with the UPS. I recompiled > their source on my machine and still no go. I know my serial port is ok > because I just disconnected a working modem from /dev/ttyS0. > > It just says "Connecting to UPS..." and it never connects. When I run > upsterm, I get nothing. > > I have a Patriot Pro II. Is it possible that the cable they supplied is > bad? > > Thanks, Greg To isolate the problem, connect to the BEST with minicom or your favorite terminal problem. You can talk directly to the UPS, it even has help available (one thing I like about BESTs). I would guess you have a cable/port problem. ===