Automatic Orderly Shutdown using PowerChute

[Anonymous user]

I have successfully installed the PowerChute Network Shutdown utility to a RHEL 4 box and a Windows 2k3 box both connected to an APC UPS. I sent a test shutdown command to the UPS and both of the boxes shutdown in an orderly fashion. My question is: is there a way to shutdown the servers in a particular order rather then the servers shutting down simultaneously?

[BillP]

you can go to the configure events screen in powerchute network shutdown and configure the on battery event. for example, you can tell one server to shutdown after the UPS on battery event has lasted for 5 minutes and then the other server to shutdown after its lasted for 10. of course you want to check your total runtime and change your values appropriately. furthermore, the on battery event goes by seconds rather than minutes so you'd have to convert it to seconds 🙂

[BillP]

In your case, you will need to uncheck "Turn off the UPS after the shutdown finishes. " on the first shutdown server. Otherwise, this server will signal the UPS to turn off after the shutdown finished. Then the NMC will signal to gracefully shutdown all of your servers (with PCNS installed) before the UPS turn off.

To do this, open PCNS UI on the first server, navigate to "Configure Shutdown" on the left, you will see this configuration. If you have more than 2 servers, please only keep this configuration enabled on the last shutdown server.

[Anonymous user]

Thanks a lot for the response winna. I actually just got finished testing that method. The problem I am now running into is that when one server shuts down (of the two on the UPS) they both shut down. My test results were as follows:

Test 1: I used the 127.0.0.1:port webapp on the Win2k3 box to set the On Battery event to 240 seconds, while setting the On Battery event on the Linux box to 120 seconds. I unplugged the UPS. Actual results were both boxes shutting down at approx. 120 seconds.

Test 2: I changed the Win2k3 box to 60 seconds while leaving the Linux boxs at 120 seconds. Actual results were both boxes shutting down at approx. 60 seconds.

So it seems that when one box issues a shutdown it causes all the boxes to shutdown.

[BillP]

yeah, make sure you check the setting that Ann has mentioned. you definitely can stagger the shutdown on these machines.

as Ann mentioned, you only want to tell the last server to shutdown the UPS so you need to uncheck that checkbox that says 'turn the UPS off after this server shuts down' or something like that. only have it on the second or last server to shutdown.

let us know how that works out.

[Anonymous user]

Another small issue. I have checked shutdown the UPS on the last server to go down but the UPS stays up.

[EZ_Button_apc]

If you check the help file within PCNS, about half way down you'll see a timeline that shows the shutdown sequence. It will take a few minutes for that UPS shut down to initiate. Also keep in mind, if you plug the UPS back into the wall or provide power back to the UPS, it's only going to go off for a split second -> sense good input power -> and turn back on. Thus, cycling power to you equipment, which is how servers are rebooted.

You can conifigure if you want the UPS to stay off under the Powerchute option in the Network Management Card interface. It's default set to "Reboot online return" .. you can set it to "stay off".

[Anonymous user · Accepted solution]

Excellent! It's working like a charm now. Thanks a lot for the help annwang and winna! I would also like to add as an FYI to anyone that finds this thread in a search that to access the Linux version of the PowerChute Network Shutdown utility you have to go to 127.0.0.1:3052 rather than 127.0.0.1:6547 on Windows.

Message was edited by: theblang