Network Shutdown Summary

[rtzmusic_apc]

This was originally posted on APC forums on 11/10/2014

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Hi,

I spent nearly a week (on and off) trying to install, fathom, and configure PCNS to work with PC and Mac. I'm no stranger to configuring things like this, but I hit wall after wall trying to understand the relationship between PCNS and my network, the difference between PCNS and the Business Edition, and the difference in options made available on the Mac and PC versions of PCNS. Ultimately I was able to get my systems working because of the FANTASTIC help provided here in this forum by Bill P. and the technical support staff at APC, including Ronald and Lupe.

So what I thought I'd do here is post a very condensed (and hopefully accurate) account of the relationship between the above-mentioned computers and software in the hopes that it might save someone else a week of head scratching... Of course, please let me know if any of this is incorrect...

1) PCNS is "client" software installed in each computer that you want to shut down in case of a power outage. I assume it installs some kind of daemon on the computer in which it is installed.

2a) PCNS must be configured individually for each computer (or "system"). The amount of time that elapses between a power outage (or other designated fault) and initiation of shutdown can be configured individually for each system. Or, to put it another way...

2b) Each system on which PCNS is installed can be configured to act differently in response to a power fault.

3) The PCNS browser-based control panel that appears on each computer on which it is installed acts as "gateway" to access two entirely separate pieces of software with different purposes...

- one is to access the particulars of the computer system on which PCNS is installed, including settings of shutdown and communication options for that computer only

- the other control panel is to access the network card installed in the UPS powering the systems. These settings are global for the network card, though they can be accessed and changed from any computer on which PCNS is installed

- access to the system-specific configuration side requires username/password (apc & apc), but then, clicking the link to access the UPS/network card control panels requires entering the same username/password

4) You can prevent a computer from responding to shutdown commands by removing its IP address from the list of Clients on the UPS side of the configuration software, and this can be done for any computer from any of the computers on which PCNS is installed

5) Email notifications about the status/condition of the UPS are generated from the network card itself

6) The Business Edition operates via USB (not the network card). Unlike PCNS, it requires the installation of 3 separate pieces of software ("agent" and two others) and has no provision for preventing a UPS from turning off after a power outage. Unlike PCNS, the Business Edition provides graphs to show such things as voltage fluctuation.

7) Note to Mac users: the PCNS uninstaller does not work (as tested on a Mountain Lion-based system). To completely uninstall it requires using a program such as "Easy Find" (which, unlike the MacOS, will display any and all files on your system), after which you can delete the PCNS files.

Again, please let me know if any of the above is incorrect.