Can not get OpenSUSE Xen Dom0 to connect to APC SmartUPS 2200

[cboxall_apc]

I'm going to start with saying that I know it is a long shot that anyone will be able to help me, but this seemed like a good place to ask.  So I spent my entire day beating my head into my desk trying to get this to work, with no success.  I am trying to get apcupsd to communicate via serial cable with my APC SmartUPS 2200.  I have gotten nowhere: apcupsd is installed but it can't connect to the UPS.  My preference is to connect using the on board serial port but will use the PCI Express serial port card if needed.

The last time I was able to get this to work was with the serial port card on a PowerEdge 6800 running OpenSuse Leap 42.1 as a Xen Dom0 (can't remember the exact Xen version).

To start, some specifics of the equipment involved -

Dell PowerEdge R510

APC SmartUPS 2200 with a broken USB port

Using a APC 940-0625A serial cable

Tried using the built in COM1 port

Also tried a PCI Express serial port card (don't have the exact model but can get it if it matters)

Xen 4.12 host

OpenSUSE 15.0 Dom0

Things I've tried -

UPSCABLE 940-0625A and UPSCABLE smart

UPSTYPE apcsmart and UPSTYPE dumb

DEVICE /dev/ttyS0 through DEVICE /dev/ttyS4

Disabled the Xen serial console by adding console=none to the GRUB_CMDLINE_XEN_DEFAULT line in /etc/default/grub and then running grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg

Verified the connections to the ports and the jack end on the APC

Checked to make sure COM1 was enabled in the BIOS and that the serial console option in the BIOS was disabled.  The BIOS has COM2 enabled for an internal serial port.

Disabled the agetty service from starting at boot to keep it from using COM1

lsof /dev/ttyS0 through lsof /dev/ttyS9.  All I get is for every port is -

lsof: WARNING: can't stat() fuse.gvfsd-fuse file system /run/user/1000/gvfs
      Output information may be incomplete.

I had also gotten a can't stat() message referring to /run/user/1000/doc for /dev/ttyS0, but that stopped after I stopped the agetty service.

The results of my setserial -g /dev/ttyS* command is -
/dev/ttyS0, UART: 16550A, Port: 0x03f8, IRQ: 4
/dev/ttyS1, UART: 16550A, Port: 0x02f8, IRQ: 3
/dev/ttyS10, UART: unknown, Port: 0x0000, IRQ: 0
/dev/ttyS11, UART: unknown, Port: 0x0000, IRQ: 0
/dev/ttyS12, UART: unknown, Port: 0x0000, IRQ: 0
/dev/ttyS13, UART: unknown, Port: 0x0000, IRQ: 0
/dev/ttyS14, UART: unknown, Port: 0x0000, IRQ: 0
/dev/ttyS15, UART: unknown, Port: 0x0000, IRQ: 0
/dev/ttyS16, UART: unknown, Port: 0x0000, IRQ: 0
/dev/ttyS17, UART: unknown, Port: 0x0000, IRQ: 0
/dev/ttyS18, UART: unknown, Port: 0x0000, IRQ: 0
/dev/ttyS19, UART: unknown, Port: 0x0000, IRQ: 0
/dev/ttyS2, UART: unknown, Port: 0x03e8, IRQ: 4
/dev/ttyS20, UART: unknown, Port: 0x0000, IRQ: 0
/dev/ttyS21, UART: unknown, Port: 0x0000, IRQ: 0
/dev/ttyS22, UART: unknown, Port: 0x0000, IRQ: 0
/dev/ttyS23, UART: unknown, Port: 0x0000, IRQ: 0
/dev/ttyS24, UART: unknown, Port: 0x0000, IRQ: 0
/dev/ttyS25, UART: unknown, Port: 0x0000, IRQ: 0
/dev/ttyS26, UART: unknown, Port: 0x0000, IRQ: 0
/dev/ttyS27, UART: unknown, Port: 0x0000, IRQ: 0
/dev/ttyS28, UART: unknown, Port: 0x0000, IRQ: 0
/dev/ttyS29, UART: unknown, Port: 0x0000, IRQ: 0
/dev/ttyS3, UART: unknown, Port: 0x02e8, IRQ: 3
/dev/ttyS30, UART: unknown, Port: 0x0000, IRQ: 0
/dev/ttyS31, UART: unknown, Port: 0x0000, IRQ: 0
/dev/ttyS4, UART: 16650V2, Port: 0xdcf8, IRQ: 40
/dev/ttyS5, UART: unknown, Port: 0x0000, IRQ: 0
/dev/ttyS6, UART: unknown, Port: 0x0000, IRQ: 0
/dev/ttyS7, UART: unknown, Port: 0x0000, IRQ: 0
/dev/ttyS8, UART: unknown, Port: 0x0000, IRQ: 0
/dev/ttyS9, UART: unknown, Port: 0x0000, IRQ: 0

Every apctest, and the log entries in /var/log/messages everytime I run apcupsd to try to start the daemon, all show the failure at the attempt to connect to the UPS.

This is for a home setup for local network, lab and hosting of Internet content.  The UPS is pretty old but I replaced the battery 2 years ago and it is in great shape (other than the broken USB port) so I'd really like to be able to use it.  

I really wanted to figure this out myself but just have had no luck at all.  Please help!  

Thanks ahead of time!

[BillP]

Hi,

APCUPSD does not support Serial communications to SMT2200, SMX2200, or SRT2200 Smart-UPS. The supported communications methods is USB or if the Smart-UPS is SMT or SRT2200 Modbus is also supported. Application Note 176 discusses Modbus implementation. 

Note: SMX2200 do not support Modbus communications and SMT2200 must be running firmware greater than UPS 09.0. 

[cboxall_apc]

It looks increasingly like I'm going to have to get the add on card that includes a USB port (since the one built into the unit is broken).  However I do have some questions -

1) My SMT2200 is running firmware 7.1.  How can I tell if it can be updated to be able to use Modbus?  Also give that I only have a serial connection available on the unit, and it doesn't support modbus, how can I update the firmware?

2) The SMT2200 also came with a cable that connects to the serial port on the unit and has a USB port on the other end.  I've never used the cable before, so does it present another option for me to hook up the UPS to my server and / or update the firmware? 

I should mention that I do have a windows 10 PC to run firmware update software from if needed. 

[BillP · Accepted solution]

Hi,

On 10/28/2018 9:29 PM, Colin said:

1) My SMT2200 is running firmware 7.1.  How can I tell if it can be updated to be able to use Modbus?  Also give that I only have a serial connection available on the unit, and it doesn't support modbus, how can I update the firmware?

The unit is not compatible with Modbus. 

On 10/28/2018 9:29 PM, Colin said:

2) The SMT2200 also came with a cable that connects to the serial port on the unit and has a USB port on the other end.  I've never used the cable before, so does it present another option for me to hook up the UPS to my server and / or update the firmware? 

Depending on the age of the SMT2200 it would ship with a 9 pin serial to RJ50 with the part number 940-0625 stamp on the 9 pin serial end. It would also ship with a standard USB A to USB B cable. If the cable you have has part number 940-0127 stamped on the USB end and the other end is RJ50 that cable is for a Back-UPS and is not compatible with the SMT. 

[cboxall_apc]

Finally got around to testing a shutdown!  Only years later.  LOL  Anyway, I ended up buying and installing a AP9620 for my APC.  Hooked up a regular USB cable from the card to my Xen server and the APC Monitor started working right away.  I had to move the server so I tried a UPS initiated shutdown (set the minimum power level to shutdown real high and unplugged the UPS).  Worked perfectly!  So a very belated thank you to everyone (here and on SpiceWorks) that helped me out!