Using a AP9631 - Question

[markgca_apc]

i have a SMX1500RM2U Smart UPS and want to add a Network card to it.  but i dont want to pay full price (its for a home office, and the cards are pretty pricey)

there are many used cards on ebay, but they dont come with the cables etc.

I downloaded the users guide and installation manual, and it looks pretty straightforward to use; just power down, install, likely reset the board to factory defaults.  then it should pick up a ip address from the dhcp server, and then i can set up the rest via the web browser.

am i missing anything?  any reason i need the console cable?  i would think no matter how it is configured the reset should get me back to where i can use it.  and i figure the console cable is for someone in a server farm to just set it up directly without going through any other issues.

But i dont know for sure and dont want to purchase something that will never work for me, or be too difficult to get set up.

also, the used AP9631 boards are the same price or even cheaper than the AP9630; i suspect this is due to the massive amount of the AP9631 cards and relatively few AP9630 cards listed for sale.  i only need the web monitoring etc, and not any sensors, but i dont see any downside in the 9631 card; it seems to just have the sensor/monitoring function in addition to the base functions of the AP9630 card, so if i dont use the sensors, no problem.  again, am i missing something here?

thanks for any guidance.  

[BillP]

You can set the IP address, etc., from the front panel of the SMX so there should be no need for any additional cable other than an Ethernet cable.  There is no downside to the AP9631, NMC2, other than the battery cannot be replaced as it can on the NMC1.

Also, if the card you finally purchase on eBay has DHCP set up initially, it should be no problem finding it using APC's Device IP Configuration Utility v5.0.2 or your own router's information.

[markgca_apc]

Thanks for the response.

i knew the battery couldnt be replaced on the AP9631, but thought that the case for all the Network Management Cards 2, including the AP9630.  but again i dont really know.

[BillP]

My mistake.  I was thinking of the AP9617 which I had in an earlier UPS.  You're correct.

[markgca_apc]

Perfect

just ordered one on ebay, cost under $70.  with any luck it will work.

thanks for the info!

[BillP · Accepted solution]

Hi Mark,

You don't have to power down your UPS to install the card when you get it. Just hot swap it right in as noted here -> http://www.apc.com/us/en/faqs/FA156132

Also, as soon as you install the card and see some LEDs on it, I recommend doing a format which will make the NMC fresh from the factory. Then, it will be reset to DHCP mode and you could rely on DHCP and check the IP it receives through the SMX UPS display or do what Joe did and configure a manual IP through the UPS display. You may need to set the LCD menu mode to advanced on the UPS which is done under configuration I think. Or, use the DHCP address to log in and change it over to a manual address. 

To format the card, get a paperclip or similar size tool and hold it to the top of the pinhole reset button on the AP9631 (for best alignment to the little rubber button on the PCB) and hold this for 20+ seconds. If you're doing it correctly, the status LED will pulse/flicker green and change to amber/orange when you can let go. It will reboot and then boot up fresh doing DHCP.

You can also use the APC Device IP Wizard to search your network for the card or to search an IP range if it grabs an address. The status LED with the checkmark and the X next to it on the ethernet port will go solid green when it has obtained an IP.

You only want to consider the console port serial cable if you forget the password. You'd need that to log in and reset the password without erasing all of your configuration. Otherwise, the only wait to reset the card will be to wipe everything and start over using that format procedure I recommended above.

Once you get into the NMC, I recommend upgrading it to v6.4.0 for Smart-UPS to get the latest features and benefits as well as security fixes that we can offer. You'll see that firmware here (http://www.apc.com/us/en/tools/download/) under Filter by Software/Firmware - UPS Network Management Cards and then look for SFSUMX640 to download. It is an .exe you can run to load three files. Detailed instructions on upgrading are available here if you need them -> http://www.schneider-electric.us/en/faqs/FA156047

Regarding the battery, this only keeps date/time when the NMC is powered off. As it is a coincell battery, it should last for many, many years and was never advertised as replaceable even though it used to be able to be swapped on the older management cards. Due to safety agency and regulatory changes, it can no longer be removed if someone did want to replace it.

Hope that helps, let us know if you have any questions. AP9630/31 are my favorite products 

[markgca_apc]

Thank you very much for the info!  that will really help

the unit should be here sometime next week; ill check the contacts to make sure it is hot plugable (though it seems version 2 units all have that capability) then update the firmware before i spend any time configuring it.

and ill let you know how it goes.

[BillP]

Hi Mark,

Yes, all of your products you are using are hot swappable because they are very new and modern. We haven't made anything in like 10-15+ years between UPS and SmartSlot accessories that aren't hot swappable. So, no worries and you don't have to waste your time checking.

[markgca_apc]

received the unit yesterday ($68 including shipping, for what appears to brand new AP9631 except for the faint marks where the screws held it into its previous home)

Hot swapped it in per your recommendation, then defaulted it to factory settings.

it got a address from the dhcp server.  

updated to 6.4.0, and started setting the options.

Install etc. went great thanks to your suggestions.

This board has exceeded my expectations; i have 3 servers i wanted to put on ups.  two are old and didnt have SNMP capability, so one of those was connected via USB port, and the other is remoted to that one (through some proprietary signaling).

the newer server is connected through SNMP, along with the VMs.  

Everything works great.  Thanks again for everything.

now i see the firmware on the ups (even though it came directly from APC) is a few versions old, so i will update that today.

then im done with this until 2020 when the battery needs to be replaced!

[BillP]

Good to hear about the AP working and taking the firmware update.

Regarding the UPS firmware update, more than likely you won't experience any problems but, for what it's worth, I've destroyed about three UPS from attempting a f/w update.  One SMT3000 and a couple of SMX3000s.  My recommendation is that, unless you know something's wrong with the UPS and it can be resolved by a firmware update, well, you know the old axiom, "If it ain't broke don't fix it"  might apply.

That being said, good luck with whichever way you choose to go.

[markgca_apc]

Joe;

thanks for the warning.  i had already started this by the time you posted, and fortunately it went well, no issues at all.

updated from 9.1 to 9.8

As far as issues; this is a brand new ups, so i figured why not update to the latest firmware now.  i wont be doing it again unless i find an issue...

thanks everyone, im very happy with the overall result.