Smart-UPS RT 8000 XL Vbat column

[Anonymous user]

Greetings everyone!

Last night we had an unfortunate event where an APC 8000 XL UPS was continuously restarting all the devices plugged into it.

In the data logs there are some lower than usual values on some columns but unfortunately I have no clue what those columns headers mean.

Can you please help me telling what does Vbat stand from?

Also on %Cap (is this from Capacity?) drops to 0.0.

A final question. Is it possible for a console cable and a powered off laptop (the console cable was between the laptop and UPS console port) to produce all these? (I am sorry if this seems dumb but I have some colleagues who told me this....)

Thank you very much for your replies.

[BillP]

The problem with a UPS is that you can issue commands via a serial cable and put voltage/short the DB-9 pins to control it so this might be different than other serial devices. Also, depending on what signals, if any, are being sent via the serial port from the laptop could be done without a user's interaction or knowledge.

Anyway, this is an issue we see once in a while and it specifically causes self tests for some reason.

940-0024 is the part number on the cable, not serial number, and is the widely used Smart Signaling cable for UPSs.

So anyway, I can tell you for an APC UPS, you cannot leave a serial cable dangling with no configuration/reason because of issues like this. I can't speak to other pieces of equipment but I can speak to this one. Thus, when the cable is not use, we'd suggest you remove it to avoid any unforseen circumstances.

This is not something we've seen as a bug in the firmware, only when cable is left dangling or the serial cable is faulty itself.

[Anonymous user]

This is strange - my browser is not showing me that option. I will have to check other systems because I remember I have seen it in the upper right corner but at that time I didn't have the data with me. Now I have the data but it is not showing me the option......

[Anonymous user]

Ok - I have finally got that option....so strange, it depends what page are you replying from.....

Please see attached!

Many thanks!

[BillP]

I am trying to refresh myself here with the logs and problem you had.

Why is your UPS doing constant self tests every few seconds?? This is not normal and I am seeing that the UPS depleted its battery because of this which ultimately caused the UPS to turn off. So, I agree with your colleagues.

What is the part number of the cable attached to the laptop? Generally, if you have a management card, you should not have a serial cable attached to a computer in addition to it. A faulty or non APC serial cable can also cause constant self tests. It can also be caused if the laptop is sending signals via the serial cable that it shouldn't be.

[BillP]

Make sure you select "show advanced editor" while typing your reply and it will let you attach files.

[Anonymous user]

Greetings everyone!

Last night we had an unfortunate event where an APC 8000 XL UPS was continuously restarting all the devices plugged into it.

In the data logs there are some lower than usual values on some columns but unfortunately I have no clue what those columns headers mean.

Can you please help me telling what does Vbat stand from?

Also on %Cap (is this from Capacity?) drops to 0.0.

A final question. Is it possible for a console cable and a powered off laptop (the console cable was between the laptop and UPS console port) to produce all these? (I am sorry if this seems dumb but I have some colleagues who told me this....)

Thank you very much for your replies.

[BillP]

%Cap is the Battery Capacity percentage. VBat is your battery voltage. On this UPS it is typically ~216-218v.

Any strange serial cables attached could cause an issue. The full event log and data log (available via FTP) could be very helpful. event.txt and data.txt are the file names. instructions on getting the files are @ http://www.apc.com/site/support/index.cfm/faq/ in article FA156131 if you need help and want to provide the files.

[Anonymous user]

Many thanks for your quick reply!

Unfortunately the link you have provided is not accessible - I have tried yesterday to read from it also and was not working (saying a maintenance work so not sure it is temporary or not). But I have managed to connect via FTP once verified it is an active service in UPS admin interface.

Anyway - about the cable - was one provided with the APC device.

I have attached the requested files - please note that the event started on Wednesday at 22:32. It might be that the laptop battery where the console cable was attached exhausted at that time - so the laptop powered off (but not sure about this aspect). On that laptop there was no program like PowerChute or any active connection to UPS as it was on Stdby from Tuesday afternoon.

Many thanks for help!

[Anonymous user · Accepted solution]

Sorry for asking this - but I was not able to upload files nor find anything about how can I do it.

Should I just use the Link feature and create a link to our locations on some webservers where to put files or is there another simple way to achieve this?

Thank you!