Headless Server: Worth A UPS?

[rmac321]

Originally Posted by S_M_E

I can't count the number of times I've had to hit the power switch after power outages but perhaps it's because I'm not installing the UPS SW.

Speculation only: I suspect that the auto power on could be triggered by the MB noting the loss of the 5v stby. Perhaps it depends on whether the BIOS is set for "Always on" vs "last state".

[S_M_E]

Maybe, it could depend on the BIOS mfr too, not all BIOS have the same settings. Luckily most of our power hits are short enough to not have to shutdown, which is why I try to extend runtime as long as I can rather than shutting down quickly.

[lovingHDTV]

Originally Posted by S_M_E

Check at http://www.batteryspec.com too, they've been the cheapest I've found so far...

I get my replacements here:

http://www.batterywholesale.com/batt...APC-batteries/

of course it is only a 15 min drive for me, but they do ship.

dave

[lovingHDTV]

Originally Posted by S_M_E

I've had cyberpower, belkin and apc units that didn't power back on after AC came back on, maybe they've changed...

EDIT:
I just found a setting in the software manual for one UPS that I own has a setting that does reboot the UPS when AC is restored. Unfortunately, I can't install the required UPS software on Vista64. So it looks like the newer units may have that option, in SW, if it supports your OS. Now I'm not sure how it would work if you allowed the OS to manage the UPS, without the UPS SW installed, though...

Look into apcupsd. That is what I run on all my computers. It allows for powering on the AC supplies after line power has been restored.

dave

[S_M_E]

Originally Posted by lovingHDTV

I get my replacements here:

http://www.batterywholesale.com/batt...APC-batteries/

of course it is only a 15 min drive for me, but they do ship.

They're 6 bucks more expensive for the RBC32 battery pack but if you don't have to ship, it might be worth it...

Originally Posted by lovingHDTV

Look into apcupsd. That is what I run on all my computers. It allows for powering on the AC supplies after line power has been restored.

It seems to have issues with Vista64. The service won't start.

[PeteCress]

Originally Posted by rmac321

Speculation only: I suspect that the auto power on could be triggered by the MB noting the loss of the 5v stby. Perhaps it depends on whether the BIOS is set for "Always on" vs "last state".

I think I'm on to something: http://tinyurl.com/bg86ts

[CarlR]

Originally Posted by S_M_E

That's right, if the SW shuts it down it stays down until you start it up manually. If the power stays out long enough to drain the UPS battery, then when the power comes back on (if the UPS switches back on automatically) then the BIOS would restart the computer too. The BIOS will not restart a computer that's been shutdown, only one that lost power, if the UPS shut it down it never lost power. A UPS would have to detect when the power went from battery to mains and it would have to know that the computer was shutdown, then it would have to cycle the power to that outlet in order for it to work. I know of none that are that smart.

My 900AV and 1100AV Belkin UPSs have that feature (sort of) - which is configurable in the software. You tell it how long wait after sending the shut-down command (I use 2 minutes) and it will turn off power to its outputs after that delay. When the AC comes back up the outputs turn on and the PC will boot.

[S_M_E]

Originally Posted by CarlR

My 900AV and 1100AV Belkin UPSs have that feature (sort of) - which is configurable in the software. You tell it how long wait after sending the shut-down command (I use 2 minutes) and it will turn off power to its outputs after that delay. When the AC comes back up the outputs turn on and the PC will boot.

Unfortunately, the Belkin SW for the 1100VA that I own doesn't support Vista64 either but I did find that feature mentioned in the SW manual so it does exist. I'm not that worried though, as I said, my UPSs usually outlasts our shorter blackouts so I rarely have to shutdown any of the machines anyway...

[Taddeusz]

On my server I have the APC PowerChute set to hibernate the computer when there is 5min of battery left. Then I have the BIOS set to always power back on after a failure. It will hibernate then after power has been restored and the UPS comes back on my server will turn back on and come out of hibernate.

[CarlR]

Originally Posted by S_M_E

Unfortunately, the Belkin SW for the 1100VA that I own doesn't support Vista64 either but I did find that feature mentioned in the SW manual so it does exist. I'm not that worried though, as I said, my UPSs usually outlasts our shorter blackouts so I rarely have to shutdown any of the machines anyway...

I haven't tried it, but there might be a chance that the UPS settings are actually stored in the UPS, rather than in the software. So if you configured the UPS with a WinXP PC these settings would "stick" even if you didn't have the software running on the Vista machine.

[S_M_E]

Originally Posted by CarlR

I haven't tried it, but there might be a chance that the UPS settings are actually stored in the UPS, rather than in the software. So if you configured the UPS with a WinXP PC these settings would "stick" even if you didn't have the software running on the Vista machine.

I have no XP machines on my LAN anymore either. In fact, plugging in the USB cable to Vista64 doesn't even detect the Belkin UPS as a battery, it detects it as a HID-compliant device. Perhaps a newer UPS will support Vista64 better but I can live with it, as is, until I need another UPS.

[Taddeusz]

Originally Posted by S_M_E

I have no XP machines on my LAN anymore either. In fact, plugging in the USB cable to Vista64 doesn't even detect the Belkin UPS as a battery, it detects it as a HID-compliant device. Perhaps a newer UPS will support Vista64 better but I can live with it, as is, until I need another UPS.

AFAIK, APC UPS's are the only ones I've ever seen show up as a battery in Windows. All the other ones I've used have proprietary drivers.

[S_M_E]

Originally Posted by S_M_E

Unfortunately, the Belkin SW for the 1100VA that I own doesn't support Vista64 either...

I take it back, the newest Belkin SW doesn't say it supports Vista64 but since it's java based it installs and appears to work on Vista64 but the "Auto Reboot UPS When AC Input Restored" is still not an option. Now I'm just to lazy to test it...