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Managing APC UPSs with a Mac
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ghporter
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Dec 28, 2007, 11:02 AM
 
I find that the configuration options in APC's "Power Chute Personal Edition" software for OS X are pretty skimpy, especially when compared to the Windows version. Is there any other source for managing these UPSs?

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
hyteckit
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Dec 28, 2007, 11:42 AM
 
I just bought an APC UPS. Power Chute Personal Edition is skimpy alright. Does only one thing. Shut down your computer. What a disappointment. Also got a Belkin UPS. Lots more features with it's JAVA app, but it doesn't work.

I guess you'll have to upgrade the PowerChute software.
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Kenneth
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Dec 28, 2007, 01:38 PM
 
I have an APC UPS, but I stick with the Mac OS X build-in feature. What's the benefit of using the APC software?
     
IceEnclosure
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Dec 28, 2007, 01:53 PM
 
Belkin's BullDog software was pretty cool, I only used it for a short while over a year ago. I use OS X's built in set-up as well.
ice
     
ghporter  (op)
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Dec 28, 2007, 02:26 PM
 
The thing I want (REALLY REALLY REALLY WANT) to do is shut off the bleeding alarms on my UPSs. I got an email from APC that says I can use the Windows version of Power Chute Personal to change the settings and that they'll stick, so I'm going to give that a shot.

This was precipitated by a short power outage at about 12:30 this morning. I have a bunch of UPSs, and they ALL tried to tell me that they were running on battery. The only way to shut the things up was to turn them off, which defeats the purpose, right? Besides, one of our dogs is freaked clean out by all those high-pitched beeps, and he decided he wanted to sleep on our bed, all 80 pounds of him. Not at all cool.

I wish there were a better option than just using a Windows program.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
Macola
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Dec 28, 2007, 04:19 PM
 
Can you disable the alarm on the unit itself (i.e., through hardware)? I thought I could do that with mine, but don't remember how I did it.
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ghporter  (op)
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Dec 28, 2007, 11:08 PM
 
No, they're all handled by firmware, or I'd be all over those things! The older units used to have a dip switch on the back to adjust sensitivity, threshold, and whether or not the alarm would sound, as well as a switch on the front to shut it up when it went off. No more.

Unfortunately, two of my units are "slightly older" devices, and they take a special cable-RJ45 on one end, and DB9 on the other. I have to get up in my attic and search for an old UPS box to see if I still have that cable. Hopefully I do and won't have to spend the money on a new one-which would be worthwhile, but not timely. So far, I have half of the four UPSs I'm worried about configured to be silent, but they are the ones in the study, not in the living room (where they can bother the snot out of our easily freaked out dog). So I have motivation to get into the attic tomorrow. Wish me luck!

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Dec 29, 2007, 04:47 PM
 
Yeah, the alarms on the UPSs are pretty annoying. If/when our power goes out, I usually have to turn off the UPSs to silence the alarms (3 Belkin units). However, my main reason for having them is so I can cleanly shutdown the computers (or have them shut themselves down if I'm not home) instead of having them lose power in the middle of something important (or destructive).
     
ghporter  (op)
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Dec 29, 2007, 05:35 PM
 
I'm not nearly as worried about the devices in my study, where the computers and network boxes are. It's the UPS in my entertainment center and the one my answering machine is on that are the real problem-and they are the ones I'm still looking for the cables for!

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
IceEnclosure
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Dec 30, 2007, 01:54 AM
 
So stupid, they should all definitely have a "shut me up" button. After Hurricane Wilma we had no power for 14 days! I would power up the UPS to charge a handful of cellphones, usually about 30 minutes worth. Damn alarm going the whole time, shut up!
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ghporter  (op)
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Dec 30, 2007, 08:26 PM
 
Well I've searched everywhere and I can't find the right cable so I'm going to buy one-just to keep the darn things quiet. We'll see how well this works.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
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Jan 2, 2008, 11:20 AM
 
Good luck--let us know how it goes. It's definitely an issue I'll need to consider for my next UPS purchase.
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ghporter  (op)
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Jan 2, 2008, 12:53 PM
 
Well my cable should be delivered on Friday, so once all of the UPSs are set (using a Windows computer) to be silent, I'll test all of them. I was actually hoping to find a third-party app that runs on OS X and does what their Windows app does. I cannot be the only Mac user that wants to shut these bloody things up.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
Macola
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Jan 3, 2008, 06:30 PM
 
Are you running XP in Parallels or VMWare? If so, that may work for the firmware update.
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ghporter  (op)
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Jan 3, 2008, 08:12 PM
 
I have Parallels, but it doesn't properly interact with the USB system, so it can't communicate with the UPS. On the other hand, I booted my iMac into XP and used it (with the cable connected straight to the unit, not through a hub) to set the UPS the iMac is on and the one my network hardware is on. I plan to boot my MBP into XP to handle the other two. I'm gonna be busy tomorrow, I have other stuff showing up along with the cable...

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Jan 5, 2008, 06:01 AM
 
There is third party software.

equinux - Website

I'm not seeing the option to turn off the alarm sound in their manual, but they do accept feedback.
     
ghporter  (op)
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Jan 5, 2008, 12:02 PM
 
Thanks, vmarks. I'll look at that.

Update: my cable won't be in until Tuesday... Seems the vendor was overly optimistic about how quickly FedEx would pick it up in the first place... Sigh.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
Kenneth
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Jan 10, 2008, 01:22 AM
 
One thing that bothers me. From time to time, the UPS decided to wake up my Mac. Anyone experienced that?
     
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Jan 10, 2008, 02:27 PM
 
Mine do that when there's enough of a voltage drop on the circuit to kick the UPS into action. I don't think there's anything you can do about it.
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Kenneth
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Jan 10, 2008, 03:22 PM
 
I guess. Normally, my Mac will go back to sleep mode when it didn't get the correct password nor 'time out'. With this power issue, it will stay on.
     
ghporter  (op)
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Jan 11, 2008, 09:55 PM
 
Well I have finally resolved my "the other two UPSs" issue. It turns out that they're older than the versions that can be controlled, even with Windows software. So in a fit of technology, I just opened them up and took out their stinkin' little buzzers! Me and my soldering iron were victorious!

I've been in contact with the equinux people and while silencing alarms isn't a feature of their APC Tracker app, but they "think" that a hack they put in for an earlier customer may still be there-if so it will automatically silence the alarms on an UPS as soon as you run the app connected to it. Since I already have a way to make sure they're silenced, I may play with the free 30 day app and see what it does.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
bmwparamedic
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Jan 13, 2008, 01:31 PM
 
Is there a benefit for running a UPS on a laptop?
     
ghporter  (op)
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Jan 14, 2008, 09:24 AM
 
Originally Posted by bmwparamedic View Post
Is there a benefit for running a UPS on a laptop?
Not in the usual "uninterrupted usage" sense-between your AC adapter and the laptop's battery, you'll keep running even if the mains quit. But UPSs provide power conditioning (the better units do a better job, of course) which means that your AC adapter won't have to suck up sags and spikes like it would if you had it plugged straight into the mains. With that said, all of the places I use my MBP and plug it in have generally decent power, so I don't travel with a surge suppressor, let alone an UPS.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
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Jan 14, 2008, 06:44 PM
 
The University I'm at has APC UPS at all our desk and I plug my MacBook into it when I'm there.
     
ghporter  (op)
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Jan 14, 2008, 10:06 PM
 
Originally Posted by bmwparamedic View Post
The University I'm at has APC UPS at all our desk and I plug my MacBook into it when I'm there.
Can't hurt a thing-and the UPS's outlets are probably easier to get at than wall outlets.

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bmwparamedic
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Jan 14, 2008, 11:58 PM
 
Originally Posted by ghporter View Post
Can't hurt a thing-and the UPS's outlets are probably easier to get at than wall outlets.
Agreed, we have those ones which look like Digital scales.
     
TechnoBob
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Feb 7, 2008, 03:34 AM
 
A serious problem Mac users have with the APC UPS is that if there are slight voltage fluctuations--such that the UPS enters a "clicking" cycle (switching back and forth between battery and line power every three-fourths of a second)--the PowerChute software for the Mac is not capable of changing the UPS's Sensitivity setting.

APC's telephone Tech Support people suggest that to cure the clicking problem, the Sensitivity should be changed from High to Medium, but that can only be done with PC software.

I had hoped that APC Tracker (the third-party software referenced by vmarks, above) would allow this control, but the Sensitivity setting topic is not even mentioned in the APC Tracker documentation.

So, my APC UPS continued its clicking until I disconnected it from my Mac. The UPS now sits uselessly to one side.
     
ghporter  (op)
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Feb 7, 2008, 09:42 AM
 
Bob, since you CAN adjust the UPS's sensitivity with the PC software, find a PC and do it! The setting sticks, so once you change it, it won't revert. APC Tracker doesn't do enough for me to recommend it over my current system-using either my Mac booted into Windows (the USB ports don't work right using Parallels) or a separate PC laptop to change the UPS's settings. But then I am pretty heavily invested in PCs already anyway. Still, APC isn't doing us any favors with their Mac version of PowerChute either...

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
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Feb 7, 2008, 10:05 AM
 
I am little confused. What's exactly happening with your UPSes?

Cuz with my three APCs if the power goes out, I get a series of beeps, but then the beeping just stops. When the power comes back on, it's still silent.

I'm not running any APC software though. My Macs just stay on until the battery runs out. (I don't really care that much about having auto shut down, because all I want is to have enough time to close my documents before the power runs out, when I am physically at the computer and using it.)
     
TechnoBob
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Feb 7, 2008, 11:53 AM
 
Eug, you asked "What's exactly happening...?"

The answer is apparently that the power company doesn't always meet the exacting standards (at the default "High Sensitivity" setting) of the UPS's input voltage checks. This could be voltage level and/or phase, I think.

When this happens, the UPS goes into a fast (every second or so) cycle of "Power Bad! Shutdown imminent!", "Power's Back. Problem Solved," during which time the aforementioned clicking is heard on each cycle. This causes (a) interruptive alerts from PowerChute to the computer, making it impossible to get any work done, and (b) a gradual decrease in UPS battery life due to the stress of the cycle. Since the computer doesn't actually shut down, one solution is to remove the USB connection so that (a) doesn't happen, but the consequence of (b) will be to ruin the battery.

I've had this UPS for over a year, and this problem has occurred three times, spaced many months apart. The first two times, I did all the "battery removal and reset" voodoo that APC telephone Tech Support suggested--with no success--over a couple of days, and just as I was about to give up, the problem went away. This time, the problem has continued for four days, and is continuing. (I have the UPS plugged in, but disconnected from the computer, so I can try every six hours or so to see if the "clicking cycle" is still happening.)

Hope that explains the situation.

- - - -

ghporter, thanks. It is reassuring to know that the sensitivity setting change (from "High" to "Medium", I believe it should be) will stick, if I can make it happen. Is it as simple as talking my next-door neighbor into letting me run the PowerChute software on his PC, with my UPS plugged into one of his USB ports? Sounds like that might be worth the effort.

Device Reference: APC Backup-UPS ES 750, model BE750BB, s/n 3B0609X03890
     
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Feb 7, 2008, 12:50 PM
 
I have given up on UPSs. They just don't last long enough, IMO, the low end doesn't offer enough juice to my G5, and I have more faith in California's power grid than I did back in 2000 when I purchased my first unit.

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Feb 7, 2008, 03:51 PM
 
Thanx for the explanation Bob. In retrospect, I probably have gotten an errant beep once or twice in the last couple of years, but that's it. (I have three UPSes). I guess I'm lucky then.


Originally Posted by Not a Quarter Pounder with cheese
I have given up on UPSs. They just don't last long enough, IMO, the low end doesn't offer enough juice to my G5, and I have more faith in California's power grid than I did back in 2000 when I purchased my first unit.
What G5 might I ask? I tend to wait until Dell or one of the local stores has a blowout on UPSes before I buy. I recently picked up a 725 VA 450 Watt APC UPS for cheap. I'm running both a 20" G4 iMac and a dual-core Dell with 17" monitor off it simultaneously (although the Dell is a fairly low end machine).

Would such a UPS not be good enough for your G5?

I also have a 550 VA 330 Watt APC UPS running a C2D 24" iMac fine. And I use a super small 325 VA 185 Watt APC UPS for my Cube with 20" screen.

However, if you want something more robust, I agree the 800+ VA / 500+ Watt UPSes tend to be pricey and don't go on sale very often.
     
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Feb 7, 2008, 05:43 PM
 
I like my new name, Eug.

I'm talking entry level - UPSes (350s). I'm sure a 750 would be fine, but I don't want to spend $90 or so on one that will likely go out on me within a few years any way. The POS Energizer brand UPS I bought on sale from CompUSA would trip into battery mode whenever my DP 2.0 was processing at high levels. Perhaps if the warranties were better I'd consider another one, but power failures represented bigger risks before OS X and journaling. Our power is usually stable, given how Gray Davis could swindled years ago for it (although that could change in the future), and I'll take my chances on an occasional outage now and again.

"The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground." TJ
     
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Feb 7, 2008, 05:59 PM
 
Yeah, those 350 VA units are not appropriate for a lot of setups. Fine for my G4 450 Cube though of course. Actually, I tried my iMac G4 20" with it and it worked just fine too even with an external 3.5" Firewire drive, but I think that's pushing it.

Anyways, I paid $69.95 CAD for the 725 VA on sale, which is quite reasonable for peace of mind IMO. YMMV as always though.
     
ghporter  (op)
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Feb 7, 2008, 07:16 PM
 
Originally Posted by TechnoBob View Post
ghporter, thanks. It is reassuring to know that the sensitivity setting change (from "High" to "Medium", I believe it should be) will stick, if I can make it happen. Is it as simple as talking my next-door neighbor into letting me run the PowerChute software on his PC, with my UPS plugged into one of his USB ports? Sounds like that might be worth the effort.

Device Reference: APC Backup-UPS ES 750, model BE750BB, s/n 3B0609X03890
You'll have to check APC's site, but I think that's one of the newer units so it should work. It really is that simple-you plug in the UPS, load the software (order is important here), and then configure it via the software. Once you unplug the UPS, the software will still be on the PC, so if you have another UPS to configure you just plug that one in and (maybe) restart the software.

I use 500VA UPSs, except for one 350 that just powers my answering machine/cordless phone base. A 500VA device should allow an Intel 20" iMac to run for almost 20 minutes-plenty of time for a graceful shutdown. 350s are really not very useful for computers because they don't provide much time, but for things like network hardware, they work fine. I just happen to have my network stuff plugged into a500VA unit because that one was on sale when I needed a new UPS. LOTS of reserve power on that one!

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
   
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