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    Proper UPS management

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved General pfSense Questions
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    • S Offline
      SteveITS Rebel Alliance @Wastapi
      last edited by

      @wastapi Do you have "Shutdown Behavior" set to Halt or Power Off? What hardware...some Netgate of the smaller devices can't power off on command.

      If general notifications are enabled (System/Advanced) pfSense will email when it boots up.

      Only install packages for your version, or risk breaking it. Select your branch in System/Update/Update Settings.
      When upgrading, allow 10-15 minutes to reboot, or more depending on packages, and device or disk speed.
      Upvote ๐Ÿ‘ helpful posts!

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      • W Offline
        Wastapi @SteveITS
        last edited by

        Thanks! @steveits

        It is installed on an eMachine PC / AMD Athlon(tm) Dual Core Processor 4050e
        Yes, you're right I was set to Halt in apcupsd! Good catch. I have now set it to Power Off.

        But how will the PC start again if it is OFF? I need to set something in the Bios?

        Is there a good way to test this other than pulling the plug?
        Will it send all the notifications I have mentioned in my procedure above?

        Thanks!

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        • T Offline
          tquade @Wastapi
          last edited by

          @wastapi

          "But how will the PC start again if it is OFF? I need to set something in the Bios?" Yes you do.

          "Is there a good way to test this other than pulling the plug?" Pulling the plug is the sure test.

          Ted

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          • S Offline
            SteveITS Rebel Alliance @Wastapi
            last edited by

            @wastapi said in Proper UPS management:

            PC start again if it is OFF

            If it's a PC, most have a BIOS setting for power loss of on/off/last state (whatever it was when power was lost).

            Only install packages for your version, or risk breaking it. Select your branch in System/Update/Update Settings.
            When upgrading, allow 10-15 minutes to reboot, or more depending on packages, and device or disk speed.
            Upvote ๐Ÿ‘ helpful posts!

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            • W Offline
              Wastapi @SteveITS
              last edited by Wastapi

              @steveits

              But I don't want the PC to reboot right when the power comes up. I need the battery to charge a bit don't I ?

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              • AndyRHA Offline
                AndyRH
                last edited by

                Maybe, if you are working with the assumption the power may not be stable after an outage you want enough charge to shutdown again. 1 way is to make sure you shutdown the first time with enough battery to start and stop again. Automated and without a generator there are limited scenarios you can successfully code for.

                o||||o
                7100-1u

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                • stephenw10S Offline
                  stephenw10 Netgate Administrator @Wastapi
                  last edited by

                  @wastapi said in Proper UPS management:

                  When it reaches the threshold, it sends a signal to the BIOS of the computer for it to do a full startup.

                  Not sure how you expect to achieve that. Wake on Serial? Wake on USB? I've never tried anything like that but you'd need support for it in both the UPS and the BIOS. Nothing (we can influence) is running at that point so it can't be coded.

                  Steve

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                  • S Offline
                    SteveITS Rebel Alliance @Wastapi
                    last edited by

                    @wastapi said in Proper UPS management:

                    I don't want the PC to reboot right when the power comes up. I need the battery to charge a bit don't I ?

                    The Windows APC software has a setting for, basically, "don't turn on until the battery is at _% charge" but I don't see that in this package.

                    Only install packages for your version, or risk breaking it. Select your branch in System/Update/Update Settings.
                    When upgrading, allow 10-15 minutes to reboot, or more depending on packages, and device or disk speed.
                    Upvote ๐Ÿ‘ helpful posts!

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                    • W Offline
                      Wastapi @AndyRH
                      last edited by Wastapi

                      Ok... so though the Bios. But then:

                      The UPS will send a signal on USB for the computer to shut down.
                      The computer will shut down
                      But since this is a UPS, there will STILL be power delivered to the electric outlet.
                      Hence the BIOS will detect power and start again right away?!
                      How will the computer detect the power is back if indeed it still receives power from the battery the whole time?

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                      • S Offline
                        SteveITS Rebel Alliance @Wastapi
                        last edited by

                        @wastapi The assumption is, I think, that at 5% battery it's unlikely wall power will return in the next few minutes. So there is a window there. When the UPS does shut off power it's like unplugging the cord to the PC. When power is restored it will provide power again. To the PC it looks like the power cord was reconnected.

                        Only install packages for your version, or risk breaking it. Select your branch in System/Update/Update Settings.
                        When upgrading, allow 10-15 minutes to reboot, or more depending on packages, and device or disk speed.
                        Upvote ๐Ÿ‘ helpful posts!

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                        • stephenw10S Offline
                          stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
                          last edited by

                          Ah, yes the UPS can simply not supply power again until it has charged to some specified level. Assuming it can be set for that.

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