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- 2 Dec 2001
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I just wrote it, it's geeky so I thought I would post it
On a side note, I mispelt subnet as subnut and it is now my word of the day.
UPS Test Proposal
To correctly hook up the UPS/APC system to all the servers that connect to it, installing the server software that will act as a monitor to these machines, so that a graceful shutdown will occur at the loss of power and when it is assumed it will be safe to do so!
The manual states that not only must each machine that you want to monitor have the agent software installed on it, but it must also have a serial or USB connection to the UPS itself. I fins this hard to believe as the UPS has the potential to connect eight different devices, but only provides one serial/USB connection by default and then only offers the room for one expansion slot. The manual also states that the serial and USB connections cannot be used at the same time. So out of 8 power connections (it is my personal belief that if a server has 2 power connections then one should go thru the UPS and one should be directly fed to increase redundancy) only 2 can be used – I don’t think that’s right!!
In the lab I will be installing the software to one of the servers, preferably one with a domain controller role, connecting it via serial or USB (USB preferable?) and then ensure that I can monitor the status of the UPS. I will see what settings are available to me and then I will then cleverly simulate a power cut by turning the power off. And see what happens. I will see if my options come into affect and what changes they might have. I will then install the agent software on another server that is on the same subnet (also test different subnet, though that shouldn’t really be an eventuality) and see if the server application can monitor that agent, or whether it does in fact require a serial/USB connection to the ups as well! If it does I will give it one, but that will mean that we can only have 2 servers per ups per time (on the basis that each ups can only allow one connection per interface)
On a side note, I mispelt subnet as subnut and it is now my word of the day.