[GLLUG] Re: apcupsd

[Mike Rambo]

Server Admin wrote:
> 
> Well, Jeff, I didn't want to "rain on your parade", but I'm afraid you have a UPS that will not tell your computer when to shut down and that's important of course. However, they WILL sense when the power has an outage and kick in to keep your computer running. BUT, that means either you have to hope the power comes back on before the battery runs out, OR that you happen to be present when the power goes off and can manually shut down the computer.
> 

FWIW, purely in the interest of trying to be helpful...

One thing you can do in this circumstance is to use an old
external modem to signal the computer when power goes down.
I'd have to look up the details again but I think you force
DTR high on the modem and have it powered from a non-UPS
protected source. When power goes down so does the DTR
signal. Monitor that signal and shut your box down
accordingly.

I know this is certainly not the most professional way to
address this problem (Smart-UPS's have already been
suggested for that), but it is a cheap way out that makes
use of that old 2400 baud modem in the bottom drawer of your
parts cabinet.


-- 
Mike Rambo
mrambo@lsd.k12.mi.us