GENERICUPS(8)                     NUT Manual                     GENERICUPS(8)



NAME
       genericups - Driver for contact-closure UPS equipment

NOTE
       This man page only documents the specific features of the genericups
       driver. For information about the core driver, see nutupsdrv(8).

SUPPORTED HARDWARE
       This driver supports hardware from many different manufacturers as it
       only uses the very simplest of signaling schemes. Contact closure
       refers to a kind of interface where basic high/low signals are provided
       to indicate status. This kind of UPS can only report line power and
       battery status.

       This means that you will only get the essentials in ups.status: OL, OB,
       and LB. Anything else requires a smarter UPS.

CABLING
       Cabling is different for every kind of UPS. See the table below for
       information on what is known to work with a given UPS type.

EXTRA ARGUMENTS
       This driver supports the following settings in the ups.conf(5):

       upstype=type
           Required. Configures the driver for a specific kind of UPS. See the
           UPS Types section below for more information on which entries are
           available.

       mfr=string
           Optional. The very nature of a generic UPS driver sometimes means
           that the stock manufacturer data has no relation to the actual
           hardware that is attached. With the mfr setting, you can change the
           value that is seen by clients that monitor this UPS.

       model=string
           Optional. This is like mfr above, but it overrides the model string
           instead.

       serial=string
           Optional. This is like mfr above and intended to record the
           identification string of the UPS. It is titled "serial" because
           usually this string is referred to as the serial number.

       sdtime=value
           Optional. The driver will sleep for this many seconds after setting
           the shutdown signal. This is necessary for some hardware which
           requires a sustained level to activate the shutdown sequence.

           The default behavior of the driver is to exit immediately. If this
           doesn't reliably trigger a shutdown in your UPS hardware, use this
           setting to give it more time to react.

           Note
           very large values for sdtime may create warnings from upsdrvctl if
           it gets tired of waiting for the driver to return.

CUSTOM CONFIGURATIONS
       You may override the values for CP, OL, LB, and SD by defining them in
       the ups.conf(5) after the upstype setting.

       For example, to set the cable power to DTR and the low battery value to
       DCD, it would look like this:

           CP = DTR

           LB = DCD

       Recognized values for input lines are CTS, DCD, and RNG. Recognized
       values for output lines are DTR, RTS, and ST. See below for more about
       what these signals mean.

       These values may be negated for active low signals. That is, "LB=-DCD"
       recognizes a low battery condition when DCD is not held high.

TYPE INFORMATION
       The essence of a UPS definition in this driver is how it uses the
       serial lines that are available. These are the abbreviations you will
       see below:

       OL
           On line (no power failure) (opposite of OB - on battery)

       LB
           Low battery

       SD
           Shutdown load

       CP
           Cable power (must be present for cable to have valid reading)

       CTS
           Clear to Send. Received from the UPS.

       RTS
           Ready to Send. Sent by the PC.

       DCD
           Data Carrier Detect. Received from the UPS.

       RNG
           Ring indicate. Received from the UPS.

       DTR
           Data Terminal Ready. Sent by the PC.

       ST
           Send a BREAK on the transmit data line

       A "-" in front of a signal name (like -RNG) means that the indicated
       condition is signaled with an active low signal. For example, [LB=-RNG]
       means the battery is low when the ring indicate line goes low, and that
       the battery is OK when that line is held high.

UPS TYPES
       0 = UPSonic LAN Saver 600

           [CP=DTR+RTS] [OL=-CTS] [LB=DCD] [SD=DTR]

       1 = APC Back-UPS/Back-UPS Pro/Smart-UPS with 940-0095A/C cable

           [CP=DTR] [OL=-RNG] [LB=DCD] [SD=RTS]

       2 = APC Back-UPS/Back-UPS Pro/Smart-UPS with 940-0020B cable

           [CP=RTS] [OL=-CTS] [LB=DCD] [SD=DTR+RTS]

           Type 2 has also been reported to work with the 940-0020C cable.

       3 = PowerTech Comp1000 with DTR cable power

           [CP=DTR] [OL=CTS] [LB=DCD] [SD=DTR+RTS]

       4 = Generic RUPS Model

           [CP=RTS] [OL=CTS] [LB=-DCD] [SD=-RTS]

       5 = Tripp Lite UPS with Lan2.2 interface (black 73-0844 cable)

           [CP=DTR] [OL=CTS] [LB=-DCD] [SD=DTR+RTS]

       6 = Best Patriot with INT51 cable

           [CP=DTR] [OL=CTS] [LB=-DCD] [SD=RTS]

       7 = CyberPower Power99 Also Upsonic Power Guardian PG-500, Belkin
       Belkin Home Office, F6H350-SER, F6H500-SER, F6H650-SER

           [CP=RTS] [OL=CTS] [LB=-DCD] [SD=DTR]

       8 = Nitram Elite 500

           [CP=DTR] [OL=CTS] [LB=-DCD] [SD=???]

       9 = APC Back-UPS/Back-UPS Pro/Smart-UPS with 940-0023A cable

           [CP=none] [OL=-DCD] [LB=CTS] [SD=RTS]

       10 = Victron Lite with crack cable

           [CP=RTS] [OL=CTS] [LB=-DCD] [SD=DTR]

       11 = Powerware 3115

           [CP=DTR] [OL=-CTS] [LB=-DCD] [SD=ST]

       12 = APC Back-UPS Office with 940-0119A cable

           [CP=RTS] [OL=-CTS] [LB=DCD] [SD=DTR]

       13 = RPT Repoteck RPT-800A/RPT-162A

           [CP=DTR+RTS] [OL=DCD] [LB=-CTS] [SD=ST]

       14 = Online P-series

           [CP=DTR] [OL=DCD] [LB=-CTS] [SD=RTS]

       15 = Powerware 5119, 5125

           [CP=DTR] [OL=CTS] [LB=-DCD] [SD=ST]

       16 = Nitram Elite 2002

           [CP=DTR+RTS] [OL=CTS] [LB=-DCD] [SD=???]

       17 = PowerKinetics 9001

           [CP=DTR] [OL=CTS] [LB=-DCD] [SD=???]

       18 = TrippLite Omni 450LAN with Martin's cabling

           [CP=DTR] [OL=CTS] [LB=DCD] [SD=none]

       19 = Fideltronic Ares Series

           [CP=DTR] [OL=CTS] [LB=-DCD] [SD=RTS]

       20 = Powerware 5119 RM

           [CP=DTR] [OL=-CTS] [LB=DCD] [SD=ST]

           Check docs/cables/powerware.txt

       21 = Generic RUPS 2000 (Megatec M2501 cable)

           [CP=RTS] [OL=CTS] [LB=-DCD] [SD=RTS+DTR]

       22 = Gamatronic All models with alarm interface (also CyberPower SL
       series)

           [CP=RTS] [OL=CTS] [LB=-DCD] [SD=DTR]

SIMILAR MODELS
       Many different UPS companies make models with similar interfaces. The
       RUPS cable seems to be especially popular in the "power strip" variety
       of UPS found in office supply stores. If your UPS works with an entry
       in the table above, but the model or manufacturer information don't
       match, don't despair. You can fix that easily by using the mfr and
       model variables documented above in your ups.conf(5).

TESTING COMPATIBILITY
       If your UPS isn't listed above, you can try going through the list
       until you find one that works. There is a lot of cable and interface
       reuse in the UPS world, and you may find a match.

       To do this, first make sure nothing important is plugged into the
       outlets on the UPS, as you may inadvertently switch it off. Definitely
       make sure that the computer you're using is not plugged into that UPS.
       Plug in something small like a lamp so you know when power is being
       supplied to the outlets.

       Now, you can either attempt to make an educated guess based on the
       documentation your manufacturer has provided (if any), or just start
       going down the list.

   Step 1
       Pick a driver to try from the list (genericups -h) and go to step 2.

   Step 2
       Start the driver with the type you want to try -

           genericups -x upstype=n /dev/port

       Let upsd sync up (watch the syslog), and then run upsc to see what it
       found. If the STATUS is right (should be OL for on line), continue to
       Step 3, otherwise go back to step 1.

       Alternatively, you can run genericups in debug mode -

           genericups -DDDDD -x upstype=n /dev/port

       In this mode it will be running in the foreground and continuously
       display the line and battery status of the UPS.

   Step 3
       Disconnect the UPS from the wall/mains power. This is easiest if you
       have a switched outlet in between it and the wall, but you can also
       just pull the plug to test. The lamp should stay lit, and the status
       should switch to "OB". If the lamp went out or the status didn't go to
       "OB" within about 15 seconds, go to Step 1. Otherwise, continue to Step
       4.

   Step 4
       At this point, we know that OL and OB work. If nothing else beyond this
       point works, you at least know what your OL/OB value should be.

       Wait for the UPS to start complaining about a low battery. Depending on
       the size of your UPS battery and the lamp's bulb, this could take
       awhile. It should start complaining audibly at some point. When this
       happens, STATUS should show "OB LB" within 15 seconds. If not, go to
       Step 1, otherwise continue to Step 5.

   Step 5
       So far: OL works, OB works, and LB works.

       With the UPS running on battery, run the genericups driver with the -k
       switch to shut it down.

           genericups -x upstype=n -k /dev/port

       If the UPS turns off the lamp, you're done. At this point, you have
       verified that the shutdown sequence actually does what you want. You
       can start using the genericups driver with this type number for normal
       operations.

       You should use your findings to add a section to your ups.conf. Here is
       a quick example:

           [myups]
                   driver = genericups
                   port = /dev/ttyS0
                   upstype = 1

       Change the port and upstype values to match your system.

NEW SUPPORT
       If the above testing sequence fails, you will probably need to create a
       new entry to support your hardware. All UPS types are determined from
       the table in the genericups.h file in the source tree.

       On a standard 9 pin serial port, there are 6 lines that are used as the
       standard "high/low" signal levels. 4 of them are incoming (to the PC,
       from the UPS), and the other 2 are outgoing (to the UPS, from the PC).
       The other 3 are the receive/transmit lines and the ground.

       Be aware that many manufacturers remap pins within the cable. If you
       have any doubts, a quick check with a multimeter should confirm whether
       the cable is straight-through or not. Another thing to keep in mind is
       that some cables have electronics in them to do special things. Some
       have resistors and transistors on board to change behavior depending on
       what's being supplied by the PC.

SPECIFIC MODEL NOTES
       These have been contributed by users of this driver.

       The Centralion CL series may power down the load if the driver starts
       up with the UPS running on battery as the default line settings contain
       the shutdown sequence. - Neil Muller

       The Tripp-Lite Internet Office 700 must be used with the black 73-0844
       cable instead of the gray 73-0743 cable. This entry should work with
       any of their models with the Lan 2.2 interface - see the sticker by the
       DB9 connector on the UPS. - Stephen Brown

       Type 5 should work with the Tripp-Lite Lan 2.1 interface and the
       73-0724 cable. This was tested with the OmniSmart 675 PNP on Red Hat
       7.2. - Q Giese

       Types 7 and 10 should both work with the PhoenixTec A1000.

BUGS
       There is no way to reliably detect a contact-closure UPS. This means
       the driver will start up happily even if no UPS is detected. It also
       means that if the connection between the UPS and computer is
       interrupted, you may not be able to sense this in software.

       Most contact-closure UPSes will not power down the load if the line
       power is present. This can create a race when using slave upsmon(8)
       systems. See the upsmon(8) man page for more information.

       The solution to both of these problems is to upgrade to a smart
       protocol UPS of some kind that allows detection and proper load cycling
       on command.

SEE ALSO
   The core driver
       nutupsdrv(8)

   Internet resources
       The NUT (Network UPS Tools) home page: http://www.networkupstools.org/



Network UPS Tools                 05/21/2012                     GENERICUPS(8)
