"Windows did not shut down correctly" when PCPE organised the shutdown with Back-UPS Pro 900

[Anonymous user]

I have a Back-UPS Pro 900 protecting a client's Windows server - Small Business Server 2011, so Windows Server 2008 R2.

I have installed PowerChute Personal Edition - because I can't use the Business Edition with this model, despite it being branded a Pro device.

Shutting down or hibernating manually and restarting works fine.

Shutting down or hibernating via the PowerChute software, when it switches off the UPS - and I don't seem to have any other choice - appears OK but on restarting, Windows always complains that "Windows did not shut down correctly", and gives the prompt for 30 seconds as to what to do next.

Starting up after this has worked OK so far, but I am concerned that something is going wrong in the shutdown sequence - perhaps the UPS is being powered off before Windows is really ready; at the very least the "shut down complete" info isn't making it onto disc before the power goes.

I don't want to find out in a real world situation, e.g. after the server has been running for a month and a real power outage happens out-of-hours - that the shutdown has gone worse and the machine can't automatically restart.

Is there anything I can do? Maybe later/beta firmware for the UPS that waits a second or two after it is signalled to power off, or an application update or Windows setting to delay the signal going to the UPS? Please don't tell me to buy another UPS.

It probably complicates matters but the storage is a RAID-6 array with RAID-1 SSD cache powered by an LSI MegaRAID card with CacheCade Pro option, configured for write-through cacheing but without a battery backup unit. The MegaRAID driver has disabled Windows' own write cache.

[BillP]

Hi,

On 2/28/2017 9:55 AM, John said:

Please don't tell me to buy another UPS.

I will not say that you need to purchase another UPS but I will say you have the wrong UPS for your configuration. When PowerChute Personal Edition starts the OS shutdown a signal is sent to the UPS to power down. The UPS will wait approximately 2 minutes and then power down. If the OS has not completed the shutdown process in the 2 minutes you may see the error you mentioned. The UPS shutdown delay is not user configurable with a Back-UPS and PowerChute Personal Edition. It is however configurable with a Smart-UPS and PowerChute Business Edition. 

[Anonymous user]

Ah, I see, it's not that PCPE (or indeed PCBE) send a signal to the UPS to remove power at the end of the shutdown sequence - as (for example) the free, open source apcupsd does on UN*X - but that the UPS cuts power after a fixed time-out (configurable, but still fixed, with a Smart-UPS), whether or not the Windows shutdown process has completed. That's... unfortunate.

[Anonymous user]

As it happens we do have a Smart-UPS X 750 as well. It's meant to keep the internet connection, phone system and CCTV running for as long as possible, and isn't connected to any PCs/servers. I understand it has a switched outlet group separate from the other outputs. Can I use the switched outlet to run the server for 5 minutes plus (say) a 6-minute timeout to shut down and disconnect it from the supply, while continuing to maintain the CCTV etc. from the other outlets for as long as the battery lasts? if the utility power is restored during the 6-minute shutdown time-out, will the Smart-UPS continue with the shutdown and power off procedure, then power the server up again?

[BillP]

Hi,

Yes. The SMX 750 has 2 outlet groups. A main and a switched. The main controls the switch so you should plug the CCTV and phone system into the main and have the PCs/servers plugged into the switched. The switched can be shutdown and if power is not restored then the main can be powered off. You can  control the power off delays and power on delay via the UPS LCD screen, via PowerChute Business Edition, or via NMC if one is installed. 

[voidstar_apc · Accepted solution]

On 2/28/2017 1:25 PM, John said:

if the utility power is restored during the 6-minute shutdown time-out, will the Smart-UPS continue with the shutdown and power off procedure, then power the server up again?

Yes -- once a shutdown starts it runs to completion regardless of AC availability. The UPS will wait for the shutdown delay (outlet group's turn off delay on the SmartUPS X 750), turn off the outlet group, and then when AC is available turn the outlet group back on.