2 PCs, 1 UPS

[BillP]

How can I shut down 2 PCs sharing 1 UPS? I currently have the ES-750.

[BillP]

How can I shut down 2 PCs sharing 1 UPS? I currently have the ES-750.

[Anonymous user]

Hi Robert,
You can shut down 2 PC's from one UPS with a script but there is a security risk (read below).

The scenario:
Both PC's are plugged to the battery protected receptacles on the UPS.
One of the PC's (PC1) is connected to the UPS with the data cable.
From PC1: control panel>power settings>Alarms> select the UPS to run a program (which will be your script file saved on PC1).
When the UPS is on battery and starts shutting down PC1, the script will be executed and it will shutdown PC2.

The script will contain the administrative username and password of PC2 in clear text which is not recommended from a security point of view.
You can see the script here. http://redmondmag.com/articles/2004/04/01/remote-shutdown.aspx
Just change the username and password to what you have.
Save it as .vbs file and you are set.

Hope this helps.

Krasi P.

[BillP]

I like this idea sort of. I don't want to shut down my 2nd PC unless the UPS device senses a power outage (not every time my first PC shuts down). Is there some sort of event that I could monitor or some signal I could get from Powerchute?

Nice script, however, you could do the same thing with psshutdown.exe.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897541.aspx

The piece that I am looking for is how to use PowerChute to signal me to shut down the other computer.

[Techie_apc]

Any one of the APC Smart UPS SUA series(http://www.apc.com/products/family/index.cfm?id=165&ISOCountryCode=US) with a Smart Slot accessory(Share UPS, Interface Expander or Network Management Card) can allow you to manage two or multiple systems from a Single UPS. Please view the below K-base document for more information on how to accomplish this function.
http://nam-en.apc.com/cgi-bin/nam_en.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=1141

I hope that this helps.

[BillP]

Thank you for the response. If I understand it my choices could be:

1. By an APC Smart UPS SUA series like the 750VA series which retails for $320. I could then purchase some additional accessories to make this work.

2. Purchase 2 APC BE550G - 550VA which retails fo about $40 each.

Why would anyone take option 1?

[Techie_apc]

Robert,

It is up to you to decide which option is suitable for your need. My understanding is that APC recommends Back UPS product line for home and home office computer systems. The Back UPS output waveform is Stepped approximation to a sine wave when it is on battery.

Smart UPS product line is recommended for business critical servers, voice and data networks, point of sale, retail/bank back office and ATM's. High real power output (watts), generous runtime, sine wave output, 16-segment LED visual display, and intelligent battery management make Smart-UPS the leading server class UPS. Included Power Chute management software provides IT administrators the comfort of safe system shutdown and advanced UPS management. Additional manageability is available through the Smart Slot, an internal accessory slot that allows installation of optional accessories to enhance the performance of your UPS.

For your information, Smart UPS Advantages over Back UPS product Line:

Output a pure sine wave on battery
All receptacles are battery back-up and surge protected
Smart-signaling
All units have Smart Boost and Smart Trim
Smart Slot bay for use with accessories
Sensitivity LED
Front Bezel/LED display

[BillP · Accepted solution]

you can buy two $40 UPSs and use two separate computers to manage them, or use the same computer to manage/monitor them, just not at the same time.

[Anonymous user]

Is it possible to:

(a) link the UPS to the NAS server. Get it to boot down.

(b) get all the computers to monitor the NAS IP address and shutdown if that IP is not available - would need the script above to be modified and a fixed IP for your NAS.

I'm running a laptop and the battery will shut down the laptop so assume for laptops all you need is to shutdown the NAS and let the laptops fend for themselves.

[BillP]

On 8/15/2017 1:56 PM, M said:

(a) link the UPS to the NAS server. Get it to boot down.

It depends on your NAS. There are certain NAS that are SNMP capable, you can use SNMP to get an OID if the UPS is running on battery or the battery is too low, in order to do this you need to make sure that your UPS is equipped with a network management card. There are also NAS that has USB/Serial communication to the UPS and has a built-in software to monitor the UPS.If you are using a NetGear ReadyNAS, we do have PowerChute Network Shutdown for ReadyNAS.

On 8/15/2017 1:56 PM, M said:

(b) get all the computers to monitor the NAS IP address and shutdown if that IP is not available - would need the script above to be modified and a fixed IP for your NAS

This is a possible setup/configuration that you can try. Unfortunately, we do not support creating/writing scripts. But we have FAQ's to assist you on how to set it up in our software.