Smart-UPS 3000

[BillP]

We have several UPS 3000's installed across different server rooms and I am trying to confirm the install date and if the battery has been replaced since that date?

Is there any way to find this information?

[BillP]

Hi Rob,

The UPS install date is not stored by the UPS or associated management options such as network management card or monitoring software. However, depending on the UPS model, if the units are the newer generation models equipped with LCD display, the battery install date will be available in the LCD display menu, section Status>Battery. Additionally, if the units are equipped with network management cards, the battery install date can be reviewed in the network management card web user interface Configuration>UPS>Last Battery Replacement, if this value was configured when the battery was installed, or last replaced. The network management card method will also work for previous generation UPS units that feature an LED front panel display.

[BillP]

Hi Szabi,

Thanks for the feedback.

I had found the web user interface and located the 'Last Battery Replacement' field, but my concern is that this field can easily be altered and I am suspicious as all the UPS interfaces show the same month and year!

Will the LCD display show the same date as the web Interface or the true date?

Thanks,

Rob

[BillP]

Hi Rob,

The Battery Install Date on the display can also be set / adjusted manually for most UPS models, depending on their firmware revision, so may not be an actual true date if it was set incorrectly.

One sure-fire way to confirm if the batteries were ever replaced in a UPS would involve removing the battery modules from the UPS and inspecting them - batteries are hot swappable, so no need to turn the UPS output power off, unless there are concerns with AC mains availability, as the UPS would not be able to transfer to battery operation if needed.

Batteries that are shipped with a UPS when that UPS is new, do not have individual Model/Serial number labels. 

APC RBC battery modules that are purchased / provided separately, feature their own Model/Serial number label, where the model typically starts with RBC or APCRBC, and the serial number is a combination of 12 alphanumeric characters.

If you can find labels like this on the batteries in these systems, it means those have been replaced since the UPS has been installed. The battery serial number also indicates the battery manufacture date (not the install date though), the 3th and 4th characters are the year of manufacture, the 5th and 6th are the week, e.g. xx1645yyyyyy would be manufactured in 2016 week 45.

[BillP · Accepted solution]

Many thanks Szabi, that is very useful to know.

Regards,

Rob