Smart-UPS behavior if computer was manually shut down

[Anonymous user]

Hello,

we have the following situation: A Smart-UPS 750VA RMI2U is connected to a computer. Power is normally switched off during the night.
The computer is cofigured via Power Chute Business to shut itself down after some time when the UPS is on battery, which shortly afterwards leads the UPS to shut down. This works ok. When turning the power back on, the battery is still more than 15% filled (15% is set as "UPS Battery Turn On Capacity"), which means the computer can safely start up once power is restored.

However, if the computer was manually shut down before power has been cut, then the UPS almost discharges its battery over night as it doesn't shut down.

If it works, then I'd only have to enter a higher value for "Low Battery signal" to prevent the machine from dropping below 15% capacity. The problem is that the UPS takes some time to get back to 15% capacity in the morning ("Low battery signal" is set at 120 seconds)

I got some questions regarding this:
- How is the time remaining for the battery calculated, i.e. is there some difference if the computer is on or off when the power is cut?

- Will the time remaining on battery change if the computer is shut down while on battery?

- Will the UPS shut itself down if the threshold configured at "Low battery signal" has been reached even if the computer has been manually shut down before?


Thanks in advance!

Message was edited by: lpkfckh

[BillP]

Hey,

Unfortunately we don't provide PCBE api, so I don't beliveve there is a way to call "shutdown now" of the PCBE. Even you can call api, you will have to write a command file to call api, is it simpler than PCBE agent user interface? In my personal opinion, PCBE Agent page is very simple to operate, isn't it?

[BillP]

Hello:

To answer your question about the runtime calculations, the UPS calculates that based on load and battery capacity. When the computer is powered off, the remaining runtime will substantially increase due to the very low load. The "Low Battery Signal" will be signaled when it is under 2 minutes of runtime, based on the current load. If there is no computer attached at this time, the UPS will stay on until it runs out of battery.

With that said, the runtime is an estimate of the remaining runtime, and does not actually have any impact on how the UPS will actually function (excluding when the software shuts it down). Regardless of what the runtime indicates, the UPS will stay on until the battery runs out.

With no powered on computer attached, there is nothing to tell the UPS to shut off, therefore it will stay on until either manually powered off or until the battery runs out. It can also be powered off remotely using a Network Management Card (AP9617, AP9618, or AP9619)

I would also like to point out that nightly discharges will substantially decrease the overall life of the battery.



Does this answer all of your questions?


Thanks

[Anonymous user]

Thanks.

Yes that answers my initial questions (although I don't like the answers...;-) ).

We are currently checking whether the APC UPS suits our needs. If that is the case, then we'd buy some more for other computers.

Therefore I have a follow up question:
Is it possible to tell the UPS to shut down when the computer is being manually shut down with our current setup (i.e. no network management card; we are using Win XP by the way)?

The UPS is only used for the monitor and the computer and so it can go to sleep if the computer is turned off.

Otherwise, cutting power would be the only way to turn off the computer that prevents the battery from discharging. I guess, our customer wouldn't be too happy about that. (The power switch of the UPS is not reachable well, so turning it off manually as well when shutting down the computer isn't too well either)

Thanks again!

[Anonymous user]

Sorry for raising this topic again.

But the answer to the question above is critical for our decision whether we protect more machines with an UPS or whether we have to look for another solution.

Because the battery always fully discharging if the computer was manually shut down is not a good option.

[Cap1_apc]

Here's an idea:

If you are manually turning your computer off at night, why don't you just schedule the UPS to shutdown nightly? You can schedule a shutdown using PowerChute Business edition. You can set it for daily shutdown at night, and wakeup in the AM. For This would gracefully shutdown the OS at night and then the UPS.

You would just need to inform the users of the computer NOT to shutdown, or else PCBE won't be able to signal the UPS to shutdown. Basically, just leave the powering off/on to PCBE, and not the user.

If you have computers that need to run overnight, then you just wouldn't schedule this shutdown and let the UPS do its job.

Message was edited by: Cap1

[BillP]

Hi,

There is a number of ways around this, personally I don't use PCBE and have a number of installations where power saving is deployed without staff intervention to cut the energy bill (big savings annually).

One previously suggested is to use a NMC AP9617 to control the scheduling of the UPS.

Or, a less than ideal alternative could be a mains timer, one of those digital units with lots of on / off schedules after the UPS to the power strip for the PC, not really recommended but could work.

If at all possible the UPS should stay online, if it sleeps using a NMC that is ok, the battery life will increase dramatically this way.

Message was edited by: iFix.au

[Anonymous user]

Thanks for your input! A scheduled shutdown wouldn't really solve the problem as it isn't known in advance at which time the computer might be turned off.

If there'd be a way to use the "Shutdown now" feature of PCBE from outside of PCBE, then one could call that function when shutting down the computer, which would help solving the problem.

Otherwise one would need to forbid the user to shutdown the compter manually which is quite strange. And probably wouldn't be obeyed by all users. And then they'd complain abut the battery needing replacement very early.

[BillP]

Hi

PCBE is capable of doing what you needed! Please see the screenshot I attached. Let me know if you have other questions. I would not use schedule shutdown as PCBE 8.0 single agent does not have this feature and NMC is not free.

[Anonymous user · Accepted solution]

Thanks for your help!

Yes, I have a single agent installed, so scheduled shutdown is out anyway.

I know that there is a "Shotdown Now" feature like written above, which at least provides a way to do a manual shutdown.

But as I don't know whether the ones using the machines should be bothered with how to use PCBE, I'd like to know the other way round, i.e. how to turn off the UPS when using a "normal" manual windows shutdown. So, if there'd be a way to call that "Shutdown Now" feature without using the Agent Web Interface (e.g. via a command in a .bat file), then that would solve my problem.