New APC Smart UPS C 1500VA -- seeking general advice

[BonzaiDuck]

I'm cleaning up the rat's nest under my desk. I currently have three desktop/workstation computers under the desk, and through some . . . process . . of ad-hoc-ery, I'm running my equipment ( a single LCD monitor, Ethernet Switch, 2.1 speaker set, Omni-View 4-port KVM, inkjet printer and Canon flatbed scanner) off three UPS systems (Cyber Power, and two APCs) together with a heavy-duty surge-protected power-strip.

Devices like the printer, scanner and speakers are hooked up to the AC surge-protection strip. My (sig) workstation runs off the Cyber Power, together with the monitor. A WHS-2011 C2Q server runs off an older APC UPS, and another C2D workstation runs off a smaller APC UPS.

The batteries are getting old in these UPS boxes, although they've been sufficient to keep things running through orderly shutdown during black-outs. The Cyber Power unit is the newest, but the source of my main problem: it is incompatible with certain Active-PFC PSUs. I run Seasonic PSUs on all of my systems in the house -- all Active-PFC. A brown-out "hiccup" on the Cyber Power is enough to generate system instability on my sig computer, which may lead to a freeze or BSOD within 24 hours. This is now documented by CP tech-support and the complaints of other owners.

So I decided to spend extra and get this beast:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-289-_-Product

On average, I may spend $50/annum on UPS replacement. I've replaced batteries, but found it convenient sometimes just to junk the entire enchilada and get a new UPS. OR -- the old ones get redeployed in a round-robin priority toward usage that doesn't depend on them functioning at their best. For instance, I'm going to move the CyberPower unit to my Home Theater equipment-- AVR, HD HomeRun-Prime, HDTV and one of my Ethernet switches.

This new unit (APC 1500VA in the link) is promoted as applicable to "entry level servers," and some users run two PCs from it. The software has a server and client component, at least as I understand it currently -- it requires the Power Chute Business Edition.

I'm hoping that I can run at least my server and sig-workstation off the new 1500VA UPS. It is rated to give 900W of power, and these two computers combined don't draw more than 400W under full load.

Does anyone have any tips or pointers for setting up the software and possibly enabling automated shutdown of both computers?

 

[alkemyst]

I didn't know Power-chute could do more than one device. With USB I guess it could be possible, but there would need to be a hub in-line.

I had a SmartUPS 1400 forever until it finally died (just the fan which I replace once before), I didn't like the reviews for the newer 1500 over the old 1500 so I went with an IBM 1500TLV which is identical to the original 1500 except in cosmetics and I snagged it for $247 shipped last Sept with new APC batteries included.

You made a good choice either way.

 

[Dahak]

Now I have not played with the power shoot software, but I suppose you could setup a batch script that will run on the machine that the ups is connected to via usb.

Have the Power Chute software run the batch script which runs shutdown command. tell it to shutdown the workstation first have a wait time and then shutdown the server

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I didn't know Power-chute could do more than one device. With USB I guess it could be possible, but there would need to be a hub in-line.

I had a SmartUPS 1400 forever until it finally died (just the fan which I replace once before), I didn't like the reviews for the newer 1500 over the old 1500 so I went with an IBM 1500TLV which is identical to the original 1500 except in cosmetics and I snagged it for $247 shipped last Sept with new APC batteries included.

You made a good choice either way.

Now I have not played with the power shoot software, but I suppose you could setup a batch script that will run on the machine that the ups is connected to via usb.

Have the Power Chute software run the batch script which runs shutdown command. tell it to shutdown the workstation first have a wait time and then shutdown the server

I'm glad y'all were inclined to post answers.

I always regarded UPS protection as important, but only implemented it in a one-to-one arrangement -- one UPS to one computer, with the "Personal" software installed. It is irritating when the batteries age to a point no longer adequate to keep a computer stable in black-out. Buying these things is like paying annual insurance premiums, although I've gone for an average three years before purchasing a new one.

When one of my older units seemed to show battery aging, I decided to run both my sig-rig and WHS server off the Cyber Power [1350AVRLCD -- you'll find my review at the Egg]. This of course allowed me to configure auto-shutdown for one machine, leaving the other to suck battery power until I could do it manually. Usually, this would be OK since I'm retired and spend a lot of time at home. When we've had outright blackouts, I'd visit all five of our machines right away, shut them down, turn off the batteries, and wait for power to be restored -- even though the machines and their individual UPS's were configured to shut down the computers automatically within 5 minutes.

Certainly, you could provide battery power to more than one "device" or computer, but I'm not entirely sure that you could shut them all down UNATTENDED in orderly fashion without "more equipment" -- as Alkemyst seems to suggest.

APC's software-installation "Help" suggests that you would install the "Agent" component on every computer powered by the UPS, but that you'd need a "UPS expander" or extender device to control more than one computer attached to a common UPS. Their phraseology: "You can only protect one computer at a time with Agent installed . . . " etc.

APC also has a "network management card" which may add to this functionality. Howsoever these items work or fill the bill as desired, they all seem to cost as much as the UPS itself.

On the "plus" side, this Smart-UPS C 1500VA unit (I think the model is SMC1500) has sufficient reserve power to provide more than 90 minutes of battery operation-- probably with both computers drawing power at idle. Obviously, you don't want these things consuming the battery-charge for more than 10 minutes, but that provides enough leeway that you could manually manage a blackout situation with more than enough time to spare -- provided you are either awake or "at home". The "on-battery" beeping of my UPS's has always been enough to awaken me in the middle of the night, but there's always a first time when I could sleep right through it.

Anyway, since I'm not going to spend more money on this project, I may have possibly a two or three-computer solution, implemented from the server itself.

I acquired a license to the "Lights-Out" software for WHS-2011, and used it for a couple years. I rebuilt the server this year, and reinstalling Lights-Out is still one of those seemingly nonessential things I was planning to do.

What I discovered with Lights Out: You could set it up on the server and selected clients so that the clients would go into sleep (or possibly hibernation) as soon as the server itself went to sleep. I'm only guessing that either "hibernation" or complete shutdown could trigger the same feature.

there's only one way to find out!

 

[Red Squirrel]

What you could do is make it run a script that then shuts down the other machines then shuts down itself. You can add delays too to the shutdown command.

That's what I want to do eventually for my stuff as I have 5 machines + misc equipment on the UPS but for now my setup is kinda rudimentary, I get an AC fail alarm on my phone, email or alarm display screen depending on if I'm watching any of those. About 4 hours later when the voltage is near 11.00 volts, I VPN in if not home and manually shut stuff down, have to let the firewall drop though because once I shut down the VPN server I lose connectivity. Eventually going to automate that. Critical low battery voltage will send shut down signal to all machines with a delay of like 10 seconds then everything will shut down properly.

I've only had one instance where stuff dropped hard though and it was my fault. Was a scheduled power outage and there was like 15 minutes left and I was just hoping I can squeeze just a little more out of the batteries.

 

[alkemyst]

Batteries generally are a 3 year maintenance. I'd check them at least once per year as if they start dying they will swell. Some swell so much that it renders the UPS unserviceable.

As far as the Smart Card interface, these can be picked up cheap on eBay many times. I have a 10MB card which is the same as a 100MB card basically for my needs but was 1/10th the price.

That said I don't use it. If I am not around my PC is hibernating anyway and if I am around in a power outage, I will self-monitor and shut down myself.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

It will be a while before I try getting this to work with two (or even three) machines using "Lights Out." One thing at a time.

I installed the "server" and "agent" components on my WHS server -- the machine with the USB connection to the UPS. Not completely "quick and easy" with the security constraints on Internet Explorer, but once the web-pages are "added" to the secure list, it appears to all work. Doesn't really need the "console" software.

Most mainstreamers never fiddle with this stuff. After damage has been done to their system through spikes and blackouts, they just go buy another computer. But then -- we spend money on UPS's and the battery replacements, so . . . .

 

[Elixer]

The Cyber Power unit is the newest, but the source of my main problem: it is incompatible with certain Active-PFC PSUs. I run Seasonic PSUs on all of my systems in the house -- all Active-PFC. A brown-out "hiccup" on the Cyber Power is enough to generate system instability on my sig computer, which may lead to a freeze or BSOD within 24 hours. This is now documented by CP tech-support and the complaints of other owners.

Have you read this thread before ?
http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3964

Also, where is this now documented by CP (or APC or...) tech support ? They don't list anything in their FAQ?