5.1.1 PowerAssistant for Linux's Shutdown Procedure
In order to let your computers be shut down gracefully, you should pay attention to the shutdown procedure executed by PowerAssistant for Linux. Figure 5.1 shows the flow chart of the procedure.
Before the shutdown procedure be proceeded, PowerAssistant will issue warning messages to related users notifying them the impending shutdown action.
If user schedules actions such as turn off UPS weekly/monthly or turn off UPS on a special day, within the pre-defined time (specified by the "Warning Before Sche. Shutdown") before the specified time, the Agent will trigger the "Begin Specially Turn off UPS Warning" or "Begin Weekly Turn off UPS Warning" or "Begin Monthly Turn off UPS Warning" event and act according to the Smart Events' settings. If the "Notify" option is selected, the Agent will issue warning messages at an interval of 5 minutes (during the last 10 minutes, the warning interval will be changed to 1 minute).
5.1.2 Shutdown Parameters
You should pay more attention to the shutdown parameters since it has close relationship to the shutdown procedures PowerAssistant executes and is very important to your operating systems and computer devices. For detail information about how to set the shutdown parameters correctly, please refer to 4.3.
5.1.3 Schedule Shutdown
User can arrange the weekly schedule or monthly schedule, or specify a special day to shut down their computer systems and turn off their UPS automatically. Enter the "Schedule Options" window to arrange the schedules.
Weekly Shutdown: To set up the weekly shutdown schedule, first enable the "Weekly" button in the "Shutdown Options" window (figure 4.2) and select the "Action" as "Turn Off UPS" in the lower part of the window. Then specify the start time (select one of the seven week days and specify the shutdown begin time) and last time and press the "Add" button to add this action into the schedule list. The "Last time" means the how many minutes/hours/days should the UPS keep turned off. The time unit's default value is minute and the default shutdown time is 10 minutes after the current time on the same week day as the current day.
User can also modify the added schedules. Hightlight the schedule you want to modify and do the modification if necessary and press the "Modify" button to validate your change. If want to delete a schedule, you simply hight the schedule you want to delete and press the "Remove" button.
After the modification be done, select the "OK" button to make the change valid and exit the "Schedule Options" window, or select the "Apply" button to validate the latest change and remain youself in the window. Select the "Cancel" button will discard all your modifications.
Monthly Shutdown: The steps to arrange a UPS's monthly shutdown schedule is similar to the weekly schedule. Only two differences. The first is that you should enable the "Monthly" button and second is that you will select which in a month you want your UPS to be shut down.
Special Day Shutdown: To arrange a special day shutdown schedule, you must enable the "Special" button and specify the shutdown start date and time, and then the "Last Time". After that, press the "Add" button to add the schedule to the schedule list. The modifying and removing procedure of the special schedule is similar to the procedures of monthly and weekly schedule.
After the modification be done, select the "OK" button to make the change valid and exit the "Schedule Options" window, or select the "Apply" button to validate the latest change and remain youself in the window. Select the "Cancel" button will discard all your modifications.
5.1.4 Smart-Event Shutdown
Severe power events will also cause PowerAssistant to execute the shutdown procedure. Since the basic purpose of this software is to keep user's operating systems and computer devices away from the crisis caused by power failure, you need not to worry about the power crisis. PowerAssistant has already arranged for this.
Considering that not all the users' situations are the same, PowerAssistant for Linux provides Smart-Event to provide users the flexibility to tailor PowerAssistant's power events to meet their special reqirements. This means that in addition to those sever events that PowerAssistant will always execute the shutdown action, some other events can also be defined to cause PowerAssistant to execute the shutdown actions.
5.1.5 Shutdown Immediately
You can select to let PowerAssistant for Linux execute the shutdown action immediately or after a specified time. Select the "Shutdown Server..." from the "Control" menu in the monitor window's menu bar and key in the the shutdown delay time(in seconds) in the displayed dialog box named "Shutdown Server". After the "OK" button is pressed, your server and UPS will be shutdown after the specified shutdown delay time reaches. The default shutdown delay time is 0 second, this means that your server will be shut down immediately when the "OK" button is pressed.
You can arrange the weekly/monthly schedule or a special day schedule for you UPS in PowerAssistant for Linux to run the self-test action. The self-test action also can be proceeded immediately and last a specified time.
Weekly Test: Enter the "Schedule Options" window to arrange the UPS's weekly test schedule. The setting procedure is similar to the weekly shutdown schedule. The differences are that you must select the "Selftest" from the "Action" list and you can't specify the selftest's last time.
Monthly Test: Enter the "Schedule Options" window to arrange the UPS's monthly test schedule. The setting procedure is similar to the monthly shutdown schedule. The differences are that you must select the "Selftest" from the "Action" list and you can't specify the selftest's last time.
Special Day Test: Enter the "Schedule Options" window to arrange the UPS's special day test schedule. The setting procedure is similar to the special day shutdown schedule. The differences are that you must select the "Selftest" from the "Action" list and you can't specify the selftest's last time.
Test Immediately: In addition to the scheduled UPS self-test, PowerAssistant for Linux provides the immediately test choice. Select the "UPS Selftest..." from the "Control" menu in the monitor window to run the action.
This menu item will pop up the dialog box to let the user enter the battery changed date. The BU707 and BU100 UPS do not support this function at present.
In PowerAssistant for Linux, user can test the UPS's buzzer through software. Select "Buzzer Test" from the "Control" menu will cause the software to run buzzer test immediately if user first enabled the Buzzer in the "Control" menu. User also can select the "Autotest" item from the "Control" menu to let PowerAssistant to run buzzer test automatically as predefined.
The BU707 and BU100 UPS do not support this function at present.
5.5 Input Voltage Detection Level
This is the entrance for the user to adjust his UPS's sensitivity and voltage mode.his function is supported only by the BX series UPS currently.