Just got the Smart-UPS 1000 2RU which has both USB and serial ports. Which one is best used with unRAID? Not sure but I think less config is with the USB route, however I kind of much more prefer the screw type connectors of the serial cable. I've got both cables with the UPS and I also have a spare serial port on my X7SBE. System is powered by a Corsair HX750 PSU.

 

Any hints as to what to do best are highly appreciated!

To answer my own post, perhaps someone else might find this useful.

 

USB is preconfigured, so no interaction is needed. For serial there is a slight change in /boot/packages/apc*install and apc*conf needed: No need to comment out the serial device /dev/ttyS0 and also an additional sed is needed to change the UPSTYPE from usb to apcsmart.

 

Restarted the daemon and everyhing works. I think I will leave it connect through serial in order to save the USB ports for sticks and the like. The serial port wouldn't get any use otherwise.

 

Still waiting for the AP9617 Network Management Card in order to get all the details and be able to connect via IP to UPS.

I'm having trouble with the serial connection to my 4U Smarp-UPS 1400. It only has a serial connection so USB is not an option.

 

What version of apcupsd are you using?

 

Can you expound on which files you changed and what the changes are?

 

Thanks

I'm having trouble with the serial connection to my 4U Smarp-UPS 1400. It only has a serial connection so USB is not an option.

 

What version of apcupsd are you using?

 

Can you expound on which files you changed and what the changes are?

 

Thanks

Are you installing this by hand, or are you using the package-manager in unMENU?  I ask because the package-manager in unMENU has fields to make the configuration easier for most people, including those with a serial connection.

 

The apcupsd configuration page looks like this:

 

If you want to do it all on your own, the logic needed is all in the PACKAGE_INSTALLATION lines in the .conf file for the package.  You can view it here at google.code

http://code.google.com/p/unraid-unmenu/source/browse/trunk/apcupsd-unmenu-package.conf

 

Joe L.

khager, use the package from unMenu to configure the apcupsd, the serial connection works like a charm. In addition to that you may go to System Info in unMenu and click on UPS Status in order to get a status display (basically verify that your settings are correct). As Joe L. pointed and showed above.

I've never tried to set it up manually. I'm using unMenu v1.3, Rev 97.

My unMenu Package Manager screen shows two versions: 3.14.3 and 3.14.8 - I've tried them both

 

With 3.14.8

I put "YES" in the "Use Serial Port?" field and "smart" in the "Cable Type" field.

On the System Info page I click "UPS Status" and I get:

Error contacting apcupsd @ localhost:3551: Connection refused

and I find this in my syslog:

<Date/Time> <ServerName> apcupsd[18850]: apcupsd FATAL ERROR in smartsetup.c at line 70 Cannot open UPS port /dev/usb/hiddev0: No such file or directory 

which looks to me like it's still trying for a USB port.

 

 

With 3.14.3

I put "YES" in the "Use Serial Port?" field and "smart" in the "Cable Type" field.

On the System Info page I click "UPS Status" and I get:

Error contacting host localhost port 3551: Connection refused

and I find this in my syslog:

<Date/Time> <ServerName> apcupsd[20101]: apcupsd FATAL ERROR in smartsetup.c at line 171 PANIC! Cannot communicate with UPS via serial port. Please make sure the port specified on the DEVICE directive is correct, and that your cable specification on the UPSCABLE directive is correct.

 

I have the serial port enabled in the BIOS but I don't remember what interrupt it's set for. Do you know what it should be?

I'm using the serial cable that came with the UPS (DB9 - DB9) but I honestly don't know (for sure) if that cable is good. I don't have an RS-232 box to test it with but I could try to verify the cable with a continuity tester if you think the cable may be an issue. Do you know if I need a null-modem cable for that or should it be straight-through?

 

Thanks,

Kyle

The APC serial cable is a special one, so use only the APC supplied DB9 cable. The serial port used should be /dev/ttyS0.

hhhmmmm - OK now I'm stretching the limits of my Linux knowledge.

 

My motherboard only has one serial header so there's no room for confusion on the hardware side.

Does "ttyS0" map to a specific interrupt or is it just always the first serial port found?

Or is there some other method to ensure that "ttyS0" maps to that DB9 on the back of my machine (which connects to the serial header on my mobo)?

The /dev/ttyS0 device is automatically generated in Linux so that it maps to the first serial port. 99.9% you must use this to reference the serial port for use with your APC and not anything else.

Since /dev/ttyS0 exists, I can assume Linux "sees" that as a serial port during bootup, right?

If so then I guess that takes me back to the cable or possible the UPS itself. I wish there was something I could do to test the port itself to make sure.

 

I have two of those cables that came with two different UPS's. I'm not using one of them so I'll try switching it out and see what happens.

 

What about the port speed? Do I need to do something to set that properly (and if so how and what speed should it be)?

 

Thanks,

Kyle

Well - it's not the cable or the UPS. Both work fine on my Ubuntu server.

 

I've been round and round with this. Double checked everything, tried different interrupts on the serial port, etc. About the only thing it can be at this point is either the port itself on the mobo or that doodad that plugs into the mobo and converts it to a DB9 port on the back. I never could get it to work with my last mobo and I'm using the same doodad so that's probably the culprit but I don't have any way to really test it.

 

For now, I'm sharing the UPS with my Ubuntu server / unRAID server as a slave (ethernet connection). I just manually configured apcupsd.conf and saved a copy on the flash drive which I copy back over after installing during boot up.

 

I would really prefer unRAID to be the master so the boxes that mount shares from it would shutdown first. At least what I have now  is better than just pulling the plug.

 

I've got batteries on order for another UPS with a USB port. When those come in I'll try again with unRAID as the master using a  USB port.

 

Well - it's not the cable or the UPS. Both work fine on my Ubuntu server.

 

I've been round and round with this. Double checked everything, tried different interrupts on the serial port, etc. About the only thing it can be at this point is either the port itself on the mobo or that doodad that plugs into the mobo and converts it to a DB9 port on the back. I never could get it to work with my last mobo and I'm using the same doodad so that's probably the culprit but I don't have any way to really test it.

 

For now, I'm sharing the UPS with my Ubuntu server / unRAID server as a slave (ethernet connection). I just manually configured apcupsd.conf and saved a copy on the flash drive which I copy back over after installing during boot up.

 

I would really prefer unRAID to be the master so the boxes that mount shares from it would shutdown first. At least what I have now  is better than just pulling the plug.

 

I've got batteries on order for another UPS with a USB port. When those come in I'll try again with unRAID as the master using a  USB port.

 

I know this is asking a dumb question, but you didn't disable the serial port in the BIOS, did you?

That's not a dumb question. That's just like something I would do.

 

But I did check that. I even tried a few different address/irq settings to no avail.

Just to be sure (in case you know the answer to this).

 

I have a Supermicro C2SEA mobo (American Megatrends BIOS).

 

In the I/O section, there's a setting for the serial port. There are 4 address/IRQ options plus one that "Disabled". I tried 2 of the address/IRQ combinations (i.e. that setting was not set to "Disabled").

 

There's not another place in the BIOS that would disable the serial port, is there?

About the only thing it can be at this point is either the port itself on the mobo or that doodad that plugs into the mobo and converts it to a DB9 port on the back. I never could get it to work with my last mobo and I'm using the same doodad so that's probably the culprit but I don't have any way to really test it.

 

Is this an original Supermicro part? If not, there is a description in the manual about the header pins on the C2SEA. Could you see those match the proper pins on the DB9 connectror (compare with a DB9 standard pin description). And if you take it out you may check both ends of this cable with a multimeter to see if the cable is ok.

starcat, I was thinking the same thing. I'll pull that out and test it next time I have the box open. I'll post the results here.

 

Just for kicks, can someone who has the serial port working post the address & IRQ settings for that port? I haven't heard anywhere that it matters but that would rule out another variable.

 

Thanks,

Kyle

starcat, I was thinking the same thing. I'll pull that out and test it next time I have the box open. I'll post the results here.

 

Just for kicks, can someone who has the serial port working post the address & IRQ settings for that port? I haven't heard anywhere that it matters but that would rule out another variable.

 

Thanks,

Kyle

What might matter is if your motherboard had multiple serial ports and

you were connecting to port 1 with your cable and the apcupsd was looking for it on port 0.

 

 

There's only one serial port header on this motherboard (and no built-in serial ports on the back).