SNMP event logged

[Anonymous user]

I'm in the process of getting all of our UPSs loaded into Zenoss so that I can monitor them via SNMP. I've a few in and I've started receiving warnings on at least one of the UPS which worries me slightly:
"threshold of Bad Battery Packs not met: current value -1.00"

I have had a google around and the closest thing I can find is that the battery constant needs resetting on this UPS, or possibly the battery needs replacing, but it's not reporting it from within the UPS interface nor from the LED display.

Anyone have any knowledge on this?

Cheers

[Anonymous user]

I'll pull it out today and check it. Thanks again.

[Anonymous user]

I'm in the process of getting all of our UPSs loaded into Zenoss so that I can monitor them via SNMP. I've a few in and I've started receiving warnings on at least one of the UPS which worries me slightly:
"threshold of Bad Battery Packs not met: current value -1.00"

I have had a google around and the closest thing I can find is that the battery constant needs resetting on this UPS, or possibly the battery needs replacing, but it's not reporting it from within the UPS interface nor from the LED display.

Anyone have any knowledge on this?

Cheers

[BillP]

what did you do when you received this alert? it does not really seem like the constants needs to be reset. it seems like you are trying to change the battery pack count on your UPS to an invalid value - either way, this does not seem like a critical issue.

to investigate further, please provide to me:

• exact model and serial number of the UPS, generally available on the white sticker of the UPS or worst case, from the web interface of the network

• management card (NMC) or SNMP - this will tell me what the valid value should be

• the model of the network management card installed into the UPS that you are reading this value from as well as firmware version

• the OID that you are trying to adjust if you are when this message comes up

• version of the APC MIB you are using

• even.txt and config.ini from the NMC ([instructions here on how to obtain|http://nam-en.apc.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/9321/]

• check in web interface to see what the value is set to under UPS tab->Configuration->General

this should help us get started in the right direction.

[Anonymous user]

OK, cheers. I'll try and get some new batteries for it and see if that resolves it.

The load power is at 60.3% Watts. Is this what you meant?

FYI, the OIDS that zenoss is using to monitor are:
batteryCapacity 1.3.6.1.4.1.318.1.1.1.2.2.1.0
batteryOutputLoad 1.3.6.1.4.1.318.1.1.1.4.2.3.0
batteryRunTimeRemaining 1.3.6.1.4.1.318.1.1.1.2.2.3.0
iemStatusProbeCurrentTemp 1.3.6.1.4.1.318.1.1.10.2.3.2.1.4.1
upsAdvBatteryNumOfBadBattPacks 1.3.6.1.4.1.318.1.1.1.2.2.6.0
upsAdvBatteryReplaceIndicator 1.3.6.1.4.1.318.1.1.1.2.2.4.0
upsAdvBatteryTemperature 1.3.6.1.4.1.318.1.1.1.2.2.2.0
upsAdvOutputCurrent 1.3.6.1.4.1.318.1.1.1.4.2.4.0
upsBasicBatteryStatus 1.3.6.1.4.1.318.1.1.1.2.1.1.0
upsBasicBatteryTimeOnBattery 1.3.6.1.4.1.318.1.1.1.2.1.2.0
upsBasicConfigNumDevices 1.3.6.1.4.1.318.1.1.1.5.1.1.0
upsBasicOutputStatus 1.3.6.1.4.1.318.1.1.1.4.1.1.0

Message was edited by: The Goatreich

[BillP]

yup. sorry, forgot about SNMP.

60% isnt bad, so it is most likely time to get a new battery for this once you verify its age. if its a newer battery from APC, it should have its own serial number on it. the original APC battery will not have one on it.

[Anonymous user]

The batteries don't get used very often, literally just in emergency situations, and I can only think of one time in the two years I've worked here where we had a power outage. It is in an air-conditioned room, so the temperature is pretty stable. There have been times where the temperature has risen due to faulty A/C, but not particularly regularly.

I will suggest to my managers about trying the manual runtime calibration as this is holding live servers, which can't be turned of during the day. If that doesn't work then the only option left is a new battery.

Thanks once again for all your help and advice.

[Anonymous user]

Hi,
sorry I've taken so long to get back about this, and thanks for your reply.

To change the subject very slightly I'd like to shift the attention to another of our UPSs that has a similar problem, but I fear it may be a little more urgent.
Zenoss is our SNMP monitoring tool, and something I'd like to use to receive SNMP traps from our UPS and then send alerts to relevant people in our department if necessary.

At the moment the device has literally just been loaded into the zenoss program, and using the read snmp community.

The error I'm getting through zenoss is:
threshold of Battery Status exceeded: current value 3.00

However I also get e-mail alerts from the same UPS (I intend to phase these out if I can get the snmp tools working). This particular UPS gives the following two errors repeatedly:
Severe - UPS: Batteries discharged.
Informational - UPS: Battery discharge condition cleared.

Model of UPS: SU3000RMINET
Serial Number: YS0415110142
SNMP Card: AP9606
Firmware version of card: v3.0.1
OID: We're not actually trying to adjust this, just use it to monitor. I don't know exactly what OID zenoss is using, but it is part of the Zenpack "APC UPS PowerNet".
MIB: As above
Struggling to get the config.ini, using that link. Presumably because this is an AP9606 not a NMC. I have attached the event.txt. Will look further into this.
Web Interface still looks like the old style on the SNMP cards, underneath the configuration/General section there is only:
UPS Name: UPS_IDEN
Last Battery Replacement: 04/05/04
Audible Alarm: Power Fail
External Batteries: 000


Cheers for your help.

[BillP]

when was the last time the batteries were changed in your SU3000RMINET? how much runtime is it reporting total? what is your low battery duration set to?

it seems like this is "teetering" between a discharged and charged battery which is most likely the cause of an older, worn out battery, or an improper setting.

the low battery duration setting can be checked under the UPS name, configuration, shutdown parameters, low-battery duration.

the runtime should be under the status section.

and by the way, generally, when a value of -1 is reported via SNMP, it means the OID is not supported.

let me know when you check those settings.

[Anonymous user]

I've no idea when the battery was last changed. It's likely to be before my time at the company.
Runtime: 2 minutes
Low battery duration: 2 minutes

Cheers for the info regarding the -1 status. Could prove handy in diagnosing some thing when using zenoss in the future.

[BillP]

hm ok. makes sense. the serial number indicates the unit is from 2004 so it is possible that the UPS has 6 year old batteries in. how much load percentage is on the UPS?

the low battery duration is the same as the runtime so that is why you are getting these messages. if you have a high load on the UPS or recently added more stuff, this could be a cause and you should low the load (if its like 90-100%).

if it is a low load, its probably time to get a new battery since it has a diminished capacity after 6 years of service (assuming its original) 🙂

[Anonymous user]

OK, pulled the batteries out. There's a serial number, 3A0839X10272.

I half hoped that just reseating the batteries would resolve the error (we also getting the battery lights flashing in unison on the front panel), but no. I'll still look into replacing them.

[BillP · Accepted solution]

hm ok. the 08 in the serial number indicates its from 2008. do you get a lot of battery use/power fluctuations? also, is the rack fairly warm? this could cause the battery to go sooner than it should. i would expect the life of the battery to be 3-5 years but a few factors i mentioned could contribute to earlier failure. lastly, if the battery was stored improperly prior to purchase, either by you or the seller, it could cause an early failure.

since the battery is new, have you ever seen how long the battery lasts when there is a power outage? it could be a cosmetic thing so what you could do is set up a time to do a pull plug test and just let the UPS run on battery to see how long it goes. it is possible the battery may still be good but just require a calibration.

it seems like you have the issue [noted here|http://nam-en.apc.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1497/].