DCE FAQ

In DCE 7.6.0 and higher, you can change the IP address of a discovered device without losing any data. After you change the IP address on the Network Management Card: Go to the Device > SNMP Device Communication Settings > Device Scan Settings option. Select a device, then select Edit Device Scan Settings. Change the IP address listed there. 138808999_542x400_360038795414.png

You can download the latest DCE device firmware update catalog that includes the IEC-certified NMC3 firmware 3.x from the EcoStruxure IT Entitlements portal. An active support contract for all monitored nodes is required.   If you do not monitor NMC3 devices, you can download the DCE device firmware update catalog (SFSWCDFCF) that does not include IEC-certified NMC 3.x firmware here.

Our Data Center Expert DDF repository contains the most commonly requested DDFs.   New third party DDFs for assets from manufacturers that are not included in your active DCE software support contract can only be added through the Asset Definition service.   You can use this service to request up to 20 DDFs to be delivered to you at a pre-determined time.    Before you request a new DDF   Visit the DDF download page to find an existing DDF for your device.   If no compatible DDF is available, request a new DDF. Our Asset Definition service is required. DDFs for devices from the following data center infrastructure device manufacturers are included with an active Data Center Expert software support contract or IT Expert subscription: Eaton Vertiv Raritan Server Technology CyberPower Tripp Lite Stultz   Accurate device documentation significantly improves DDF quality and successful device discovery. Please provide:   SNMP or Modbus data point documentation: SNMP MIB or Modbus register map SNMP walk or Modbus poll of the device How to create a device walk file   A Service Level Agreement (SLA) for creating a new DDF will be provided after all necessary information is received. EcoStruxure IT Data Center Expert: 20 days EcoStruxure IT Expert: 45 days

Access to customer support for this or any other APC product is available from virtually anywhere in the world. To access documents in the APC Knowledge Base, to submit customer support requests, or to locate the telephone number for the support you need, please do the following: Go to the APC Support page: http://www.apc.com/support. Select the appropriate country from the Country drop-down menu at the top of the page, and do any of the following: Use the available links to access web-based support, including links to a full range of self-help documents, and the APC Knowledge Base. Use the Phone support link under Ask APC in the left side of the page to access country-specific address, phone, and e-mail information.  You can also contact the APC representative or other distributor from whom you purchased your APC product for information on how to obtain local customer support.  

Data Center Expert version 8.1.0 introduced the public DCE REST API.   Instructions are available at https://<server_address>/isxg/rest   DCE 8.1.0 release notes    

Processing power, CPU utilization, and available system memory have the biggest impact on sensor loading time at login. The best results are seen with the i7 chipset with multiple cores. Connecting to DCE via HTTP or HTTPS has minimal impact on loading time. Although the primary focus is specific to DCE run on a physical server, this information technically applies to DCE virtual machines also. Windows Chipset OS Memory Sensor count Login time (Avg) Client CPU activity i7-7820HQ 2.90GHz Windows 10 32GB 10,000 00:00:04 15% i7-7820HQ 2.90GHz Windows 10 32GB 141,000 00:00:25 15% i7-6820HQ 2.71GHz Windows 10 16GB 264,000 00:01:24 20% i7-7820HQ 2.90GHz Windows 10 32GB 264,000 00:01:36 15% i7-7600U 2.80GHz Windows 10 16GB 264,000 00:02:05 20% i7-4600m Windows 10 8GB 264,000 00:02:05 10% i5-4300U 1.9GHz Windows 7 16GB 264,000 00:04:06 70% T9300 2.50GHz Windows 7 4GB 264,000 00:04:34 10% T9300 2.50GHz Windows 7 4GB 264,000 00:04:42 10% M-5Y71 1.2GHZ Windows 8 4GB 264,000 00:06:15 60%

This issue was addressed in DCE 8.0. EcoStruxure IT Data Center Expert 8.0 release notes Changing some system settings or using the File > Change Server option in the Data Center Expert client causes DCE to restart. In DCE 7.7.1 and newer, the client launcher does not reopen after DCE restarts to allow you to log in again. In DCE 7.9.3, the desktop shortcut created by the installer includes the -h parameter in the Target path to restore this functionality. The executable in the installation directory does not include this parameter. If you want to create a shortcut from the executable in the installation directory, you must add the -h parameter to the Target path: Go to the dcexpert folder in the DCE installation directory. Example: C:\Program Files\StruxureWare Data Center Expert 7.9.3\dcexpert. Right click and select Create shortcut. Right click the shortcut, select Properties, and then select the Shortcut tab. Add -h to the end of the Target path after the end quotation.  Click Apply. 8691473775005_8131873168029.png  

The DCE server upgrade progress displayed in the web client during the upgrade from DCE 7.9.3 to version 8.0 does not accurately represent the process. The upgrade completes successfully. This will be addressed in the next release. 11302874552093_11302746112925.png    

You can change the protocol only on APC SNMPv1 devices that support SNMPv3. For information about whether an APC SNMP device supports SNMPv3, consult the device documentation. Before you begin, it is recommended you view and confirm the devices you want to convert from SNMPv1 to SNMPv3 in the "Device Scan Settings" display, accessed from the SNMP Device Communication Settings option in the Device menu. Select the APC SNMP Device Configuration option in the Device menu. Select Configure Devices. Select the APC SNMPv3 device you want to use as the source. Click Retrieve Device Settings. Click Next to select the devices you want to convert to SNMPv3. To ensure only the devices you want to convert to SNMPv3 are selected, you can checkmark Select/Deselect All to clear the list, then checkmark the devices to include. Expand SNMPv1 Settings and checkmark the Access option. Double-click the Access option under SNMPv1 Settings, or select the Access option and click Edit, to change its setting to Disabled, if necessary. Uncheck Authentication options 1 - 4, if necessary. Expand the SNMPv3 Settings option. Double-click the Access option under SNMPv3 Settings, or select the Access option and click Edit, to change its setting to Enabled, if necessary. Expand the Authentication options 1 - 4 you want to use, select the Access option under each option, and click Edit, to change its setting to Enabled, if necessary. Checkmark other available options to change their settings, if necessary. The security settings on some target devices might require setting user passwords, authentication phrases, and encryption phrases manually at the device user interface. Click Finish. You can monitor progress applying the settings to the selected devices in the Device Configuration Status view, accessed from the Device option in the Window menu.

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Hello! It's nice to see you here! Welcome to the EcoStruxure IT Help Center!  Check out the EcoStruxure IT Expert demo This read-only self-service demo is based on a real organization with real data that demonstrates IT Expert functionality in a preconfigured environment - no signup required! More info     

Device Definition Files (DDF) were updated in Data Center Expert 7.4.3 to address a recently discovered issue in Data Center Expert v7.4.0, v7.4.1, and v7.4.2. Earlier Data Center Expert versions are not affected.  Affected devices have duplicate sensor entries in Data Center Expert, with sensor status reported as unplugged.  The values for the following sensors could not be corrected, causing some sensors to report as unplugged in DCE 7.4.3.  You can delete the unplugged sensors, but historical sensor data will be lost. Otherwise, you can leave the sensor in the unplugged state to maintain historical data. Contact your local technical support if you have questions about a specific sensor value. Sensor Model affected* Number of External Battery Packs Smart-UPS 1500/3000 Battery Current Symmetra PX 250/500 and Galaxy VM/VX 3-phase UPS (Main/Bypass) Input Apparent Power - Phase (1-3) Symmetra PX 250/500 and Galaxy VM/VX 3-phase UPS (Main/Bypass) Input Power - Phase (1-3) Symmetra PX 250/500 and Galaxy VM/VX 3-phase UPS (Main/Bypass) Input Current Phase - (1-3) Smart-UPS VT/RT, Symmetra PX, Silcon and Galaxy 3-phase UPS (Main/Bypass) Input Apparent Power Total Symmetra PX, Symmetra 250/500 UPS, and Silcon UPS Output Power VA - Phase (1-3) Smart-UPS VT/RT, Symmetra PX, Silcon and Galaxy 3-phase UPS Output Peak Current - Phase (1-3) Galaxy VM/VX UPS Output Current THD - Phase (1-3) Galaxy VM/VX UPS Input Peak Current Phase - (1-3) Galaxy VM/VX UPS Output Power Watts - Phase (1-3) Symmetra PX 250/500 and Galaxy VM/VX 3-phase UPS Battery Type Galaxy VM 180/200 UPS Battery Status Single phase Smart-UPS and Matrix UPS *Other models may be affected.

This table will help you accurately identify the appropriate DDF for any Uniflair model. Only one Carel pCOWeb SNMP DDF can be installed per DCE server regardless of vendor. See Carel pCOWeb cards for more information. NOTE: An asterisk (*) in the Device Family/SKU name indicates a wildcard value, for example, TRAF1221A1 and TRAC4042A1 would both fall under "TR******A (last letter is A). NOTE: pCO5 and pCO5+ are different controllers. Modbus File Name Device Family/SKU Controller/Interface uniflair_am_uniflair_le_amico_leonardo_ug40mp40_TCPIP_Modbus_CCU   pCO1/UG40   Uniflair LE: TDCR, TUCR, TDCV, TUCV, IDAV, TDAR, TDDR, TDDV, TDER, TDTR, TDTV, TDWR, TUAR, TUDR, TUDV, TUER, TUTR, TUTV, TUWR, TDAV, TDEV, TDWV, TUAV, TUEV, TUWV Uniflair AM: SDA, SDC, SDW, SUA, SUC, SUW   uniflair_am_uniflair_le_amico_leonardo_ug50_TCPIP_Modbus_CCU   pCO5+/UG50   Uniflair LE: HDCV, HDCV5000D, HDCV5000L   uniflair_aquacentr_TCPIP_Modbus_chiller_imperial (imperial units only) BCE*, BCW* NOTE: pCO controller determines the correct DDF to use. Controller MUST match pCO5+/UG50 uniflair_aquascrew_TCPIP_Modbus_chiller BRE* NOTE: pCO controller determines the correct DDF to use. Controller MUST match pCO5+/UG50 uniflair_aquascroll_TCPIP_Modbus_chiller ERAC, ERAH, ERAF, ERCC, ERCH, ERCF ISAC, ISAH, ISAF, ISCC, ISCH, ISCF TR******A (last letter is A) NOTE: Aquascroll Firmware pCO5+/UG50 uniflair_aranew_TCPIP_Modbus_chiller ARAC, ARAH, ARAF pCO1/MP20II uniflair_bce_TCPIP_Modbus_chiller BCE* NOTE: pCO controller determines the correct DDF to use. Controller MUST match pCO5/UG50 uniflair_bcwc_TCPIP_Modbus_chiller BCW* NOTE: pCO controller determines the correct DDF to use. Controller MUST match pCO3/UG50 uniflair_bra_TCPIP_Modbus_chiller BRA* pCO1/MP20II uniflair_bref_TCPIP_Modbus_chiller BRE* NOTE: pCO controller determines the correct DDF to use. Controller MUST match. pCO1/MP20II uniflair_brwc_TCPIP_Modbus_chiller BRR*, BRW* pCO1/MP20II uniflair_era_TCPIP_Modbus_chiller ERAC, ERAH, ERAF, ERCC, ERCH, ERCF NOTE: pCO controller and firmware determine the correct DDF to use. They MUST match. NOTE: Does NOT use Aquascroll Firmware pCO1/MP20II uniflair_isa_TCPIP_Modbus_chiller ISAC, ISAH, ISAF, ISCC, ISCH, ISCF NOTE: pCO controller and firmware determine the correct DDF to use. They MUST match. NOTE: Does NOT use Aquascroll Firmware pCO1/MP20II uniflair_lra_TCPIP_Modbus_chiller LRAC, LRAH pCOXS/- uniflair_sp_uniflair_wm_uniflair_mb_telnew_TCPIP_Modbus_CCU UCA* , UCF*, UWA*, UWF*,WDA*, WDF*, WMA*, WMF*,XDA* , XDF*, (ADD*/ XDD* displacement units), XMA*, XMF* pCO1/UG40 uniflair_tra_TCPIP_Modbus_chiller TR******A (last letter is A) NOTE: TRA 1.x Firmware pCO5+/UG50   SNMP NOTE: Any file name with a leading asterisk (*) is included with a DCE installation. NOTE: File names that are bold are considered pCOWeb SNMP DDFs as mentioned at the top of this article.  File Name Device Family/SKU Controller/Interface *apc_acrd2g ACRC60xx, ACRD60x Schneider C3P (R2)/Touch (4.3") apc_air_economizer IAEC25, IAEC50 Schneider J5-18DIN/Touch (7") *apcacirg2 ACRD10x, ACRD20x Schneider C3P (mR1)/PowerView *apcacsc ACSC10x Schneider C3P (mR1)/PowerView *apcraru ACF40x Schneider ARU (mR1)/PowerView *schneider_acrc301s ACRC30xx Schneider J5-13DIN/Touch (4.3") *schneiderelectric_ledxg2 LD*V* / IX*V* / I**V* Schneider J5-18DIN/Touch (7") schneiderelectric_tsatra TSA*, TR******A1 (last characters are A1) pCO5+/Touch (7") uniflair_am_uniflair_le_amico_leonardo_ug40mp40_SNMP_CCU Uniflair LE: TDCR, TUCR, TDCV, TUCV, IDAV, TDAR, TDDR, TDDV, TDER, TDTR, TDTV, TDWR, TUAR, TUDR, TUDV, TUER, TUTR, TUTV, TUWR, TDAV, TDEV, TDWV, TUAV, TUEV, TUWV Uniflair AM: SDA, SDC, SDW, SUA, SUC, SUW pCO1/UG40 uniflair_am_uniflair_le_amico_leonardo_ug50mp50_SNMP_CCU Uniflair LE: HDCV, HDCV5000D, HDCV5000L pCO5+/UG50 uniflair_aquacentr_SNMP_chiller_imperial (imperial units only) BCE*, BCW* NOTE: pCO controller determines the correct DDF to use. Controller MUST match pCO5+/UG50 uniflair_aquascrew_SNMP_chiller BRE* NOTE: pCO controller determines the correct DDF to use. Controller MUST match pCO5+/UG50 uniflair_aquascroll_SNMP_chiller ERAC, ERAH, ERAF, ERCC, ERCH, ERCF ISAC, ISAH, ISAF, ISCC, ISCH, ISCF TR******A (last letter is A) NOTE: Aquascroll Firmware pCO5+/UG50 uniflair_aranew_SNMP_chiller ARAC, ARAH, ARAF pCO1/MP20II uniflair_bce_SNMP_chiller (metric units only) BCE* NOTE: pCO controller determines the correct DDF to use. Controller MUST match pCO5/UG50 uniflair_bra_SNMP_chiller BRA* pCO1/MP20II uniflair_bref_SNMP_chiller BRE* NOTE: pCO controller determines the correct DDF to use. Controller MUST match pCO1/MP20II uniflair_brwc_SNMP_chiller BRR*, BRW* pCO1/MP20II uniflair_era_SNMP_chiller ERAC, ERAH, ERAF, ERCC, ERCH, ERCF NOTE: pCO controller and firmware determine the correct DDF to use. They MUST match NOTE: Does NOT use Aquascroll Firmware pCO1/MP20II uniflair_isa_SNMP_chiller ISAC, ISAH, ISAF, ISCC, ISCH, ISCF NOTE: pCO controller and firmware determine the correct DDF to use. They MUST match NOTE: Does NOT use Aquascroll Firmware pCO1/MP20II *uniflair_le_ddf T*C* (third letter "C") HDCV* T*AG, T*DG, T*WG, T*TG, T*EG, (last letter G) NOTE: pCO controller determines the correct DDF to use. Controller MUST match pCO5+/Touch (7") Uniflair_LEL LDCV* pCO5+/Touch (7") uniflair_lra_SNMP_chiller LRAC, LRAH pCOXS/- uniflair_sp_uniflair_wm_uniflair_mb_telnew_SNMP_CCU UCA* , UCF*, UWA*, UWF*,WDA*, WDF*, WMA*, WMF*,XDA* , XDF*, (ADD*/ XDD* displacement units), XMA*, XMF* pCO1/UG40 uniflair_trac_SNMP_chiller TR******A (last letter is A) NOTE: TRA 1.x Firmware pCO5+/UG50

DCE backups do not overwrite one another. A share may eventually get too full to accommodate more backups.   You cannot delete backups that exist on a share from the DCE client. You must access the shared drive/folder directly to delete old backups or add space to the current allocation if more space is required.   SMBv2 and higher support Server Message Block (SMB) v2 and v3 are supported in Data Center Expert 7.9.0 and newer. Data Center Expert 7.8.1 and older do not support SMB versions higher than version 1. Note: To backup DCE 7.8.1 to restore on DCE 7.9.0, you must use SMBv1.    Microsoft began disabling SMBv1 in Windows Updates. This can cause DCE 7.8.1 and older to be unable to back up to existing shares or mount new shares. More information about enabling SMBv1    NTLMv2 support Data Center Expert versions before 7.3.1 do not support mounting to shares that require NTLMv2 authentication. In some situations, the test mount might be successful, but does not authenticate. For DCE 7.3.1 and older, you must use a share that allows NTLMv1 authentication. Contact your local technical support to verify your software support and get update links.   FIPS mode Data Center Expert versions 8.2.0 and newer support FIPS mode. CIFS (Windows) mounts do not work when FIPS mode is enabled. MD5 authentication is required for CIFS, which is not supported in FIPS mode. See Server access     Messages No remote resource provided Failed to mount remote share The selected backup is not a valid backup. The selected backup is not complete. The selected backup does not match the running version. This backup was created with different hardware than the hardware your EcoStruxure IT Data Center Expert server is currently running. Are you sure you want to restore from the backup?   See  How to perform a backup in DCE Complete update process for DCE

Device status may be inaccurate because an attempt to transfer a device definition file (DDF) failed   If you have followed the instructions in NetBotz 750 appliance discovery process in DCE and the error has not cleared: Ping from the DCE server to the NetBotz 750. If ping fails, allow or enable ICMP in your firewall from the DCE server IP address to the NetBotz 750 IP address.  You might need to rediscover the device in DCE. For best results, update your DCE and NetBotz 750 to the latest versions. 

In DCE 7.9.0 and newer, the Launch to Device option does not work for NMC 1 devices that use HTTPS on the DCE private network. Connect a computer to the DCE private network to directly access the device's web user interface. NMC 1 does not support SSL protocols more recent than TLS 1.0. Updated security policies introduced in DCE 7.9.0 do not include TLS 1.0. The option to choose between TLS versions was removed from DCE for security reasons.   Sensor information, alarms, alarm notification, graphing, etc. for NMC 1 devices are not affected since they do not rely on web functionality.   This applies to devices with NMC 1 (AP9617, AP9618, AP9619) and devices with an embedded NMC 1 including, but not limited to: Metered/Switched Rack PDUs (AP78XX, AP79XX); Rack Automatic Transfer Switches (AP77XX); Environmental Monitoring Units (AP9320, AP9340, NetBotz 200).   See Known issues in DCE

Verify the Data Center Expert installer checksum on a Windows or Linux computer before you use it to perform a software update. DO NOT run the installer if your calculated value does not match the published checksum for your DCE version and operating system.   Note: DCE 8.2.0 and newer use a SHA256 checksum. Previous versions use SHA1 or MD5. Verify from Windows PowerShell Download the Data Center Expert upgrade.zip file to your Windows machine. Open PowerShell. The PowerShell.exe command starts a session in a command window.  Navigate to the directory containing the downloaded .zip file. Use the Get-FileHash PowerShell command to calculate the SHA256 checksum of the file and compare it against the published value in the table. Get-FileHash -Path .\upgrade-xxx.xx.zip -Algorithm SHA256 Verify from a Linux terminal Download the Data Center Expert upgrade.zip file to your CentOS or RHEL machine. Open a terminal window. Navigate to the directory containing the downloaded .zip file. Use the sha256sum terminal command to calculate the SHA256 checksum of the installer and compare it against the published value. sha256sum upgrade.zip See Complete update process for DCE

Before requesting support for a device, verify that it doesn't already exist in the system.   Search for existing DDFs   Type the device details in the search box on the DDF page here.   Verify whether the device exists in your installation of DCE   In the Data Center Expert Device menu, the Modbus Device Communication Settings > Device Definition Files option and the SNMP Device Communication Settings > Device Definition Files option list the Modbus or SNMP DDFs already installed on the DCE server.

WARNING: This process requires a reboot of the appliance.  The appliance will not collect any data from devices, including alarms that may occur, until the system comes back up after the reboot.  If multiple users use the system, you may want to notify them that the system will be rebooted in order to perform the steps listed below. For physical appliances, connect a keyboard and monitor to the appliance.  For virtual appliances, connect to the console. Reboot the DCE server by power cycling the physical appliance or virtual appliance. For DCE 7.7.x and older, log in within 5 minutes of rebooting with the following credentials: Username: apcreset Password: apc For DCE 7.8.0 and newer, log in within 5 minutes of rebooting with the following credentials: Username: apcreset Password: Use the password you set when you first deployed the DCE server. This was required in DCE 7.8.0 and newer to comply with California law. See DCE 7.8.0 release notes Follow the instructions when prompted to reset the apc admin user to factory defaults (apc/apc). NOTE: This will not reset the whole appliance to defaults, only the username and password for the default admin user. Log in to the DCE desktop client with the factory default username and password apc/apc. Go to System > Users and Device Group Access.  Select the apc user and then select Edit to change the password. If you experience any issues during this process, contact your local technical support.

Gracefully shut down the DCE virtual appliance: In the DCE desktop client, go to File > Shut down server. In your vSphere (VMware) virtual server settings, provide the new value for the amount of RAM (memory) or number of CPU (processors) desired. Save the settings and power on the DCE virtual appliance. See Complete update process for DCE