Powerchute 3.0.1 and ESXi 5.1 HA Cluster

[Anonymous user]

Recently I've been tasked to configure the powerchute3.0.1 to shutdown the VM and the Host.

With the script I edit from FA159784, i was able to shutdown the VM initiate by vi-admin from the vMA but the Host was not able to shutdown.

The Host power down after the battery depleted.

In the powerchute, I've set the 900 seconds for the time the command to complete.

[Anonymous user]

Hi Bill,

I've enable the turn off ups setting

UPS Setting

I test out today but the UPS would not turn off. It would turn off after the battery wears out.

But in the powerchute event log, it shows the powerchute initiate the UPS turn off.

The UPS model is RT 3000 XL and the NMC card is AP9630

[Anonymous user]

Hi,

I should add the hostname to the vMA or the ESXi host?

[Anonymous user]

For my case, only Vcenter is join to the domain. Both esxi host is not. Could I just add the hostname to the vMA hosts file?

[Anonymous user]

In the PCNS, I'm not sure about this configuration. The shutdown of PCNS operating system. Do I need to configure it?

About the setting in UPS, the force negotiation if the option is ticked what will happen?

[BillP]

Hi,

You should add the host name to the vMA not the ESXi host. As for the second question, you should configure the shutdown if you want PCNS to start the shutdown when the event last X amount of time. The default is 2 minutes so if the event last for 2 minutes PCNS will start the shutdown process.

[Anonymous user]

Hi Bill,

Here is my shutdown configuration in the PCNS and UPS

In the PCNS shutdown configuration, I put the script path in the vMA, and time needed for the command to complete

In the UPS shutdown setting, do I need to tick the force negotiation? For this configuration how long it takes for the UPS to shutdown?

[BillP]

Hi,

You should either click on force negotiation or reboot the NMC (rebooting NMC does not affect the UPS). What will happen is the Maximum Required Delay will be increased from the current 17 minutes to 22 minutes. This include the 20 minutes need by the command file to run and an extra 2 minutes for safety.

From NMC help file

Maximum Required Delay Calculates the delay needed to ensure that each PowerChute client has enough time to shut down safely when the UPS or the PowerChute client initiates a graceful shutdown. Maximum Required Delay is the longest shutdown delay needed by any server listed as a PowerChute Network Shutdown client. This delay is calculated whenever the management interface of the UPS turns on or is reset, or when "Force Negotiation" is selected as Maximum Required Delay. "Force Negotiation" polls each client for information on the time it needs for a graceful shutdown. Two extra minutes to allow for unforeseen circumstances is then added to the calculated time. The negotiation can take up to 10 minutes. If you do not select "Force Negotiation", two minutes is used by default as the shutdown delay for all clients.

Note: you will need to increase the low battery threshold from 15 minutes to 24 minutes. I suggest reviewing PCNS help concerning available runtime and low battery. The low battery duration must be greater than the maximum required delay.

[Anonymous user]

Hi Bill,

After I configured the DNS, I test the power failure again. This time the host was initiate shutdown by root but the Virtual Machine shutdown initiate by vi-admin does not have enough time to shutdown. The host was shutdown before the virtual machine is shutting down.

Where should i configure to ensure the virtual machine is shut down before the host shuting down?

I've two script in my vMA. One is the shutdown script that comes with the powerchute program. Another is the HA Cluster script.

shutdown script path /opt/APC/PowerChute/group1/bin/

HA cluster shutdown script path /opt/script

Currently the PCNS shutdown is point to the HA cluster script path.

[Anonymous user]

Hi Bill,

About the reboot nmc, where is this setting? Is it in the powerchute web console or NMC web console?

If I click force negotiate the Maximum Required Delay will be increased from the current 17 minutes to 22 minutes?

[Anonymous user]

Another thing i want to specify is that both ESXi host has configured  the auto startup / shutdown for the virtual machine

[BillP]

Hi,

1 - You should not edit the shutdown script in /opt/APC/PowerChute/group1/bin

2 - If all of the VMs do not shut down in the 20 minutes then you need to increase the delay time.

3 - To reboot the NMC that is in the NMC web interface under Administrative - General

4 - Yes clicking on Forced negotiations will change the setting.

4 - VMware does not offer startup / shutdown in clusters that is why we offer the script to shut down the VMs.

[Anonymous user]

Hi Bill,

when i tick the force negotiation in the NMC, after click apply the force negotiation will uncheck. Is this normal?

[Anonymous user]

Before I add the ESXi ip and hostname in the vMA hosts file, the VM was able to shutdown.

[Anonymous user]

Hi Bill,

I did this changes. The script that comes with powerchute i remove this command line:

export PERL_LWP_SSL_VERIFY_HOSTNAME=0

The powerchute shutdown configuration, in the run command line the path insert is /opt/script/shutdownvms.sh which is my HA cluster shutdown script

I disable the startup/shutdown from both host.

and I increase the time in the NMC shutdown configuration.

Now when I test the power failure, I saw in the PCNS event log, after 2 minute

in the eventlog, the script was performed after 2 minutes, but the host and VM has not initiate shutdown.

[BillP]

Hi,

You should not have removed the edit you made to /opt/APC/PowerChute/bin/shutdown. PCNS will not be able to shut the systems down with out that edit described in Kbase FA159783. You had written that you already made the change and my comment was to not make any other changes. I apologize for the misunderstanding.

As for forced negotiations, when you click the button it will clear / uncheck. As the documentation describes it can take several minutes for the changes to take affect.

The error you are seeing Available runtime has been exceeded is because Maximum Required Delay is greater than Low Battery Duration. Low battery duration needs to be a minimum of 1 minute greater than maximum required delay. I recommend making low battery duration 2 minutes grater than maximum required delay to be safe.

[Anonymous user]

Hi Bill,

Before I add the export PERL_LWP_SSL_VERIFY_HOSTNAME=0 to the script in the powerchute and add the dns, I was able to shutdown the VM with the HA script i added in /opt/script

[Anonymous user]

Hi bill,

should i edit the script in /opt/APC/PowerChute/bin/shutdown to the HA Cluster script from APC?

currently my HA script is in /opt/script/shutdownvms.sh

[BillP · Accepted solution]

Hi,

I think the best thing to do is to start over from the beginning.

1 - install PCNS on the vMA

2 - edit /opt/APC/PowerChute/group1/bin/shutdown and add the line export PERL_LWP_SSL_VERIFY_HOSTNAME=0 below the line export LD_LIBRARY_PATH (see Kbase FA159783)

3 - edit /etc/host and add the host/s (see Kbase FA166844)

4 - save shutdownvms.tar from Kbase FA159784 to the vMA (I suggest saving it to /opt/APC/PowerChute) uncompress the file as described in the Kbase and edit it to include your host ip addresses and the name of the vMA

Once these steps are followed PCNS will shutdown the hosts and the VMs.

[Anonymous user]

Hi Bill,

About the shutdownvms in the current path, it will not work? I must put within the APC folder? In the guide it just say copy to a folder on the vMA machine.

And the esxi host auto startup / shutdown in the vmware, I need to disable it?

[BillP]

Hi,

You do not have to put in the the APC folder / directory but I suggest you do. It makes it easier to remember. You do need to enter the full path to the script when in PCNS. Example /opt/APC/PowerChute/shutdownvms.sh

When ESXi is configured in HA - cluster virtual machine startup/shutdown is automatically disabled.

[Anonymous user]

Hi Bill,

In the vMA, I add these server to the vifp target

Do I need to put the vcenter? Or I should put the ESXi host only?

[BillP]

Hi,

You only need to add the host that you would like shut down. ON 19 April you send a screenshot listing 192.168.100.19 and 192.168.100.20  as server in  shutdownvms.sh. If those are the host you want shut down then they are all you need to add.

[Anonymous user]

Hi Bill,

I able to shutdown the VM and Host.

For the UPS to be in sleep mode after the VM and Host shutdown. Where should I set?

If after a power failure and around 15min later the power restore if the UPS not in sleep mode, the UPS will restart and the server won't auto power up.

[BillP]

You need to set Turn off the UPS after the Shutdown Finishes This can be found under Configure Shutdown. This will put the UPS into sleep mode after the host have completed their shutdown process. If the UPS stays in sleep mode for around 9 minutes it will power itself off to preserve the battery.

[Anonymous user]

Hi Bill,

currently I have 2 powerchute client. One is for the physical window server and another is vMA. Both connected to the same UPS.

For this setting in the powerchute, I need to set in the vMA powerchute client only?

If there is a power failure and the command script already run but at that time the power restore. Would the UPS restarts or it will still go into sleep mode?

[BillP]

The UPS will go into sleep mode because it was commanded to by PCNS.

Note: since you have a second system also connected to the UPS make sure that system shuts down before the vMA. Earlier you were setting the script to run and gave it a 20 minute delay. If the Windows system takes 10 minutes to shut down then you should configure that system to power down after the UPS has been on battery for 10 minutes. That way the Windows system will be shut down before the vMA send the power down command the the UPS.

[BillP]

Does the NMC record that the shutdown command has been received from PCNS?

[Anonymous user]

Recently I've been tasked to configure the powerchute3.0.1 to shutdown the VM and the Host.

With the script I edit from FA159784, i was able to shutdown the VM initiate by vi-admin from the vMA but the Host was not able to shutdown.

The Host power down after the battery depleted.

In the powerchute, I've set the 900 seconds for the time the command to complete.

[BillP]

As noted in http://www.apcmedia.com/salestools/SJHN-7AYQNP/SJHN-7AYQNP_R42_EN.pdf , your ESXi needs to be licensed. If it is not, this can happen. Can you verify that your copy of ESXi is licensed as noted in "note 1" in the document I just linked.

We have a note here @ http://www.apc.com/site/support/index.cfm/faq/ and search for article ID FA159705.

[Anonymous user]

My ESXi host and Vcenter is licensed.

[Anonymous user]

[BillP]

Hi,

Your issue may be due to changes that need to be made to the shutdown script. Please review Kbase FA159783 or it could caused by your domain server being off line. review Kbase FA166844

Link to APC Kbase http://www.apc.com/site/support/index.cfm/faq/