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On Thursday 18 August 2005 18:04, Robert Paulsen wrote:
In a recent thread there were questions about UPS software for SuSE where I pointed out that apcupsd was a good choice for APC UPS systems. I also noted that it was a good idea to get the software from http://apcupsd.com.
Someone replied that instead of apcupsd one should use the PowerChute software from th official APC site so I got a copy to check it out. I found that it has some problems:
1) PowerChute for Linux is not a complete package. Here is a quote from the documentation:
NOTE: Your Linux download only includes the Agent component of the three PowerChute Business Edition software components. The other two components only run on Windows...
2) PowerChute doesn't support a USB connection, which is the only type of connection that was shipped with the APC system I recently bought (BackUPS XS-1000). PowerChute insists on using a serial port. You will need to contact APC to get the proper serial cable.
3) PowerChute depends on a specific version of Java.
About apcupsd:
The version that comes with SuSE 9.3 (3.10.16) works, but it has a minor problem with the USB connection in that it gets some of the status wrong. There are some other problems as well, but its main functions do work OK.
I got the latest source (3.10.18) from http://apcupsd.com and have been using that successfully for some time now. I didn't use the web site's rpm version (it only advertises SuSE support up to version 9.2) from the web site.
The rpm on the SuSE CD/DVD has been patched by SuSE to improve its init script and a few other things. So, the best thing seems to be to install the rpm from the SuSE 9.3 CD/DVD, save the init script, build and install the newer version from the apcups web site, then put back the SuSE version of the init script. This is what I have done. Building the package is fairly standard -- configure, make, make install. But configure requires some options:
./configure --enable-cgi --enable-pthreads --enable-net \ --enable-master-slave --enable-apcsmart \ --enable-dumb --enable-usb make make install
You may need to copy some files (e.g. the CGI files?) to their correct directories -- I don't remember exactly what I did.
I know that all sounds like a lot of trouble, but it really isn't too hard and once installed apcupsd is a snap to configure and run. Work it all out with the SuSE version first then copy in the updated executables.
If you could try and remember everything you did, from initial installation
and use of your 9.3 system with your APC UPS, it'd be a great help to many of
us 'slower' users and would probably end up in the unofficial SuSE FAQ.
Thanks too for all you've shown and posted so far. Once you have it all here
in a step-by-step (if you're so inclined), you'll be a hero! ;-)
John
--
Stop the invasion of illegal aliens swarming across our borders!