Chap3. Monitoring UPS's Working Status

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3.1 Start/Stop PowerAssistant Agent

You can start PowerAssistant's Agent manually in case it wasn't started successfully when your Linux system started up or it was stopped abnormally.

To start PowerAssistant's Agent, you must first become the system's superuser. Then use the 'agentmanage' command under '/usr/lib/powerassistant' directory to start the Agent:

#cd /usr/lib/powerassistant
#./agentmanage

An interactive menu will be displayed waiting for your choice:

1. Start local agent
2. Start a Monitor on XWINDOW
0. exit agent manager.

Select '1' to Start your local agent.

If your local agent is running normally at the background, the first item in the above menu will be changed to "Stop local agent". Then you can select '1. Stop local agent' to stop the local agent manually.

3.2 Start PowerAssistant Monitor in X Window

When your Linux system starting up, the Monitor module won't be started automatically. To view an UPS's working status or change an UPS's settings you must start PowerAssistant's Monitor manually.

If you want to use the Monitor window, you must first change your identity to the root user and start the X window.Then in the X window, open a terminal window to start the Monitor. There are two entrances to the Monitor's window:

1. Start 'agentmanage' to enter the Monitor window:

# cd /usr/lib/powerassistant
# ./agentmanage

After the menu displayed , select '2' to start the Monitor. Then the Monitor's netsearch window will appear displaying all the UPSs in your LAN, see figure 3.1.

2. Run the 'monitor' module to enter the Monitor window:

# cd /usr/lib/powerassistant
# ./monitor

The same monitor window as figure 3.1 shows will appear immediately.

3.3 Find an UPS on Your Network

As default, the Monitor's netsearch window will be displayed when you start the monitor module to show you all the UPSs in your LAN indicating their rough working status such as "UPS online" or "Communication Lost". To learn the details of an UPS, you should select to display only one UPS's status in the Monitor window .

There are three methods to display a particular UPS's detailed working status:

  1. In figure 3.1's window, highlight the item of the computer which connected to the UPS you want to monitor and select it. Then a dialog box (see figure 3.2) titled "logon" will be displayed. After you key in your user name and password and select the "OK" button the related monitor window will be displayed, see figure 3.3.

  2. In figure 3.1's window, select the "Monitor Another Server" item from the "System" menu and in the appeared dialog box (figure3.2), key in your user name and password. After you press the "OK" button,the related monitor window will be displayed, see figure 3.3

  3. In the window shown as figure 3.3, select the "Monitor Another Server..." from the "System" menu to display the related monitor window. The other steps are the same as above.

3.4 The Main Screen of PowerAssistant for Linux

The PowerAssistant's main screen is your main working area. It provides you the working status and the hardware and utility infomation of the UPS and allows you to set all the changeable parameters of PowerAssistant. See figure 3.3.

  1. The Menu Bar

    The menu bar of PowerAssistant's Monitor window has five menus:

    • System: This menu provides you the entrance to other UPS's monitor window in the LAN and the entrance to become this agent's administrator

    • View: This menu allows you to set logging options and view the data log and event log PowerAssistant recorded.

    • Configuration: This menu allows you to set the UPS operating parameters,arrange the shutdown and test schedules, specify the logging options, tailor the smart events and define special event users.

    • Control: This menu allows you to shutdown the server after a specified time, run UPS self-test, do battery maintenance, test buzzer or set the UPS input voltage leve detection mode.

    • Help: This menu provides you the entrance to this help manual and the version information of this software.

  2. Hardware and Status Window

    The upper left-hand section of the main screen is the hardware and status window which displays the UPS's hardware information, the working status, the communication port and the computer name:

    • Server Name: Tells you the host computer name for the UPS which you are viewing the data and status. This means you can log into one computer while viewing another host computer's UPS status.

    • UPS Status: Displays the UPS's current status. The possible status can be: On Line, Bypass/Boost, UPS Failed, Testing, UPS Overload or UPS shutdown is active.

    • Battery Status: Displays the UPS's current battery status. The possible status can be: Battery Normal, Battery testing, Battery Low, Battery Weak, UPS Battery is disconnected.

    • Agent Status: Displays the agent's current working status. It could be 'Agent Normal' which means the agent is working normally in the background or 'Shutting Down' which means the agent is proceeding the shutdown procedure.

    • Buzzer Status: Shows you whether the UPS's buzzer function is disabled or enabled, depends on your settings.If your UPS doesn't support this function, this item will has an 'Off' display.

    • Autotest Status: Shows you whether the UPS's buzzer autotest function is disabled or enabled, depends on your settings.If your UPS doesn't support this function, this item will has an 'Off' display.

    • I/O Voltage Level: Disable/Enable. Only available for the BN series UPS.

    • ACPI Status: Disable/Enable. The status depends on your settings in the 'Shutdown Options' window(figure3.5). If 'ACPI' is enabled, 'Auto Reboot' will be disabled.

    • Auto Reboot Status: Disable/Enable. The status depends on your settings in the 'Shutdown Options' window(figure3.5). If 'Auto Reboot' is enabled, 'ACPI' will be disabled.

    • UPS Test: Indicates whether the UPS Test is ongoing

    • Battery Test: Indicates whether the Battery Test is ongoing.

    • COM Port: Indicates which communication port is dedicated to the UPS.

    • UPS Model: The UPS model which is being monitored by PowerAssistant.

    • Agent Type: The agent type you selected while installation or set in the Monitor window. The possible value can be high level server, low level server or normal level server.

  3. Next Shutdown/Bootup time Bar

    The next shutdown and bootup time bar displays the upcoming shutdown and bootup time the PowerAssistant agent will execute.

  4. Bar Graph Window

    In the right part of the monitor window in figure3.3, five bar graphs are displayed, telling you the input voltage and frequency, the output voltage, the UPS load and the battery capacity:

    • Input Voltage: The current utility line voltage

    • Output Voltage: The current UPS's output voltage

    • Input Frequency: The current utility line's frequency.

    • Load: The load, as a percent of total capacity, currently plugged on the UPS.

    • Battery Capacity: This bar has no significance currently.

  5. Last Two Events Window

    At the bottom of the main screen of PowerAssistant for Linux, the last two events in PowerAssistant's event log are displayed.


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