[SOLVED] UPS on Unraid - notifying a Mac slave?

[mrklaw]

Hi,

 

Just installed my APC UPS on my unraid server, and the associated apcupsd as master. But there isn't a compatible version of powerchute for Snow Leopard on Mac. OSX has its own built in UPS support but it seems to only work if it is connected directly to the USB cable from the UPS. So I can't find a way to get the mac to listen as a slave.

 

I expect there are a bunch of people on here with UPSes protecting their servers, and some of you must also have macs. So how have you gotten around this problem?

[Joe L.]

Hi,

 

Just installed my APC UPS on my unraid server, and the associated apcupsd as master. But there isn't a compatible version of powerchute for Snow Leopard on Mac. OSX has its own built in UPS support but it seems to only work if it is connected directly to the USB cable from the UPS. So I can't find a way to get the mac to listen as a slave.

 

I expect there are a bunch of people on here with UPSes protecting their servers, and some of you must also have macs. So how have you gotten around this problem?

I don't own a MAC, but about 10 seconds of googling resulted in this

http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/32917/apcupsd

 

Install it on the MAC, set it as a slave listening to the network.  The unRAID apcupsd is already notifying everything on the network when power is lost.

[mrklaw]

thanks, found that just after posting, looking at it now.

 

Will apcupsd send out a notification immediately on a power outage, or only after the delays/thresholds defined in the settings? As the Mac will be a slave I'm wondering whether I need to set its thresholds lower than the unraid server so it shuts down first, or whether the unraid master handles that?

[dgaschk]

Make sure the Mac shuts down first.

[mrklaw]

That's what I want. But eg, if I have the unraid to shut down at 10% battery left, do I set the mac to shut down at 15%, or will the unraid tell the mac for me? Just wondering if you set them separately or the master deals with it

[dgaschk]

The Mac must be configured to shutdown before the master.  Configure the Mac to shutdown first. The master does nothing.

[mrklaw]

So the mac just hears the battery warning (broadcast from apcupsd on my unraid server) and then looks after its own business based on the rules I give it?

 

Ok, thanks.

[dgaschk]

There is no broadcast. The slave periodically queries the master for UPS status and then makes its own decision.

[mrklaw]

Ok, thanks.

 

As an aside, any Things to consider regarding shut down timing for unraid? Eg if my mac and server are idle, current draw will be fairly low. If I set shutdown to 10%, is it possible the spike in power with the drives spinning up etc would mess with the APC's estimate of remaining time?

[Joe L.]

Ok, thanks.

 

As an aside, any Things to consider regarding shut down timing for unraid? Eg if my mac and server are idle, current draw will be fairly low. If I set shutdown to 10%, is it possible the spike in power with the drives spinning up etc would mess with the APC's estimate of remaining time?

Its estimate is constantly modified based on current draw.  Most APC UPS know how much wattage you are using and will adjust accordingly.  As you said, when all disks are idle, the estimated run-time will be much higher than when all the disks spin-up.  The disks will all need to be spun up to shut down the array, so make sure to leave some spare run-time when configuring the shutdown on a power failure.

[Johnm]

Ok, thanks.

 

As an aside, any Things to consider regarding shut down timing for unraid? Eg if my mac and server are idle, current draw will be fairly low. If I set shutdown to 10%, is it possible the spike in power with the drives spinning up etc would mess with the APC's estimate of remaining time?

 

Yes.

What Joe said...

 

I saw that you said 10% last night but was to tired to reply.

That leaves you little to no room for shutting down.

 

the drives all spin up to start the shut down and it has run out of juice... this might be worse then just pulling the plug..

 

I tend to shut my servers down a lot sooner. I should have about 20 min of run time on my servers with my UPS. I shut them all down after about 5 min.

Why?

1. if the power is out for more then a few min, I'll assume it is not returning in the next few minutes.

this should give me about 50% battery left once it is all shut down and happy.

 

2. more then once when the power has gone out, once it is restored, it has gone back out almost right away. That, or it has come back on in a brownout state. This way, I still have some battery left to protect my servers (recharging can take 8+ hours). i can shut them down a second time.

 

3. running on batteries is actually bad for the batteries.. it shortens their overall life. I cant use the server while on batteries anyways.. i might as will down it. this on is minor but still a factor...

 

since i have gotten my UPS for unRAID, I have needed it at least 6 times that I know of.

 

Don't forget to put switch that the Mac and unRAID use to communicate with each other on the UPS.

 

[mrklaw]

Very good points.

 

I have a 700VA ups, and everything connected should be less than 100W even fully loaded (half that at idle), so if I set the server to power down at 50% battery, then the mac at 60% so it goes first? The switch and router can just sit there until the ups switches off.

 

Do you like to use time elapsed, battery remaining, or time remaining - Or a combination of all three?so eg time elapsed 300 seconds, or battery left 50% or time remaining 5 minutes