• Categories
  • Recent
  • Tags
  • Popular
  • Users
  • Search
  • Register
  • Login
Netgate Discussion Forum
  • Categories
  • Recent
  • Tags
  • Popular
  • Users
  • Search
  • Register
  • Login

Help with getting APC Powerchute working with pfSense

Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Hardware
9 Posts 4 Posters 2.0k Views
Loading More Posts
  • Oldest to Newest
  • Newest to Oldest
  • Most Votes
Reply
  • Reply as topic
Log in to reply
This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
  • R
    Radius118
    last edited by Radius118 Nov 14, 2018, 4:30 AM Nov 14, 2018, 4:29 AM

    Hi...

    Been running pfSense successfully for about a year now. The only issue I have had was a corruption issue when the power went out.

    I now have an older APC 3000XLM UPS unit with a network monitoring card that I picked up and refurbished. The unit works well as does the powerchute software on my windows based PCs connected to it.

    I thought perhaps I might be smart about things and try to figure out how to get the Linux version of Powerchute working on my pfSense box.

    Unfortunately I am completely lost at the command line on pfSense. I tried following some instructions I found online for freeBSD to mount my USB thumb drive and nothing works. So I hit the wall pretty early! :(

    So, would someone be willing to help me out? I need to figure out how to get my thumb drive mounted so I can put the installation package on the box, then figure out how to uncompress it and run it.

    Thank you!

    P.S. I did read about apcupsd but from my understanding it only supports a direct wired connection to the UPS. I need a daemon that will register and connected with the management card in the UPS. Unless I missed something?

    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
    • G
      Grimson Banned
      last edited by Nov 14, 2018, 4:35 AM

      http://www.apcupsd.org/manual/manual.html#powerchute-network-shutdown-driver-pcnet RTFM

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • R
        Radius118
        last edited by Nov 14, 2018, 4:40 AM

        Hey thanks for the quick reply and info.

        Guess I missed that in TFM.

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • S
          stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
          last edited by Nov 14, 2018, 12:19 PM

          Yeah, you should be able to use the pfSense apcupsd package by selecting 'pcnet' as the ups type.

          Steve

          R 1 Reply Last reply Nov 14, 2018, 3:45 PM Reply Quote 1
          • R
            Radius118 @stephenw10
            last edited by Nov 14, 2018, 3:45 PM

            @stephenw10 said in Help with getting APC Powerchute working with pfSense:

            Yeah, you should be able to use the pfSense apcupsd package by selecting 'pcnet' as the ups type.

            Steve

            Hi Steve..

            Thank you for that. I did not think to look at the Package Manager to see if apcupsd was an available package.

            Now that I have done that and installed the package it's time to figure out how to configure it. Thanks for the info.

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • R
              Radius118
              last edited by Nov 14, 2018, 4:13 PM

              Looks like it is working! :)

              Thank you for the help!

              Running: apcaccess -h 0.0.0.0:3551

              APC : 001,050,1138
              DATE : 2018-11-14 07:57:21 -0800
              HOSTNAME : pfSense.grip.local
              VERSION : 3.14.14 (31 May 2016) freebsd
              UPSNAME : Grip_APC
              CABLE : Ethernet Link
              DRIVER : PCNET UPS Driver
              UPSMODE : Stand Alone
              STARTTIME: 2018-11-14 07:57:20 -0800
              MODEL : Smart-UPS 3000 XLM
              STATUS : ONLINE
              LINEV : 115.2 Volts
              LOADPCT : 34.4 Percent
              BCHARGE : 100.0 Percent
              TIMELEFT : 5.0 Minutes
              MBATTCHG : 40 Percent
              MINTIMEL : 3 Minutes
              MAXTIME : 0 Seconds
              MAXLINEV : 120.2 Volts
              MINLINEV : 114.4 Volts
              OUTPUTV : 115.2 Volts
              SENSE : High
              DWAKE : 60 Seconds
              DSHUTD : 90 Seconds
              DLOWBATT : 2 Minutes
              LOTRANS : 106.0 Volts
              HITRANS : 127.0 Volts
              RETPCT : 0.0 Percent
              ITEMP : 29.7 C
              ALARMDEL : 5 Seconds
              BATTV : 54.8 Volts
              LINEFREQ : 60.0 Hz
              LASTXFER : Line voltage notch or spike
              NUMXFERS : 0
              TONBATT : 0 Seconds
              CUMONBATT: 0 Seconds
              XOFFBATT : N/A
              SELFTEST : NO
              STESTI : 168
              STATFLAG : 0x05000008
              REG1 : 0x00
              REG2 : 0x00
              REG3 : 0x00
              MANDATE : 10/04/07
              SERIALNO : XXXXXXXXXXXX
              BATTDATE : 11/13/18
              NOMOUTV : 120 Volts
              NOMBATTV : 48.0 Volts
              EXTBATTS : 0
              FIRMWARE : 715.3.D
              END APC : 2018-11-14 08:09:59 -0800

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
              • M
                MacUsers
                last edited by Jul 9, 2020, 12:59 AM

                Hi @Radius118
                I know it's a yrs. old thread but I'm having the same issue of not connecting. I have a SMT1000RM2U and a newer NMC (APC9630) but all I get STATUS : COMMLOST running apcaccess -h 0.0.0.0:3551. Could you tell me how did you config the both side pls?

                -S

                R 1 Reply Last reply Jul 13, 2020, 2:56 AM Reply Quote 0
                • R
                  Radius118 @MacUsers
                  last edited by Jul 13, 2020, 2:56 AM

                  @MacUsers said in Help with getting APC Powerchute working with pfSense:

                  Hi @Radius118
                  I know it's a yrs. old thread but I'm having the same issue of not connecting. I have a SMT1000RM2U and a newer NMC (APC9630) but all I get STATUS : COMMLOST running apcaccess -h 0.0.0.0:3551. Could you tell me how did you config the both side pls?

                  -S

                  You know to be honest it was so long ago I really don't remember I used the included apcupsd package and I remember it was pretty straightforward. Perhaps the issue is the newer APC-9630 isn't compatible with apcupsd? I don't really know.

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • M
                    MacUsers
                    last edited by MacUsers Jul 17, 2020, 7:50 PM Jul 17, 2020, 7:49 PM

                    I figured out after a couple of days why it was not working. I think not really documented clearly, how it's supposed to work, at least I didn't find out: info are scattered around in the APC forum discussions and the some of the docs.
                    First of all, for the PCNET type, it uses pass/auth phrase instead of password and that needs to defined in the NMC web-gui, which is placed in rather odd-place: under Configuration > Shutdown:

                    6fdbe869-42bd-4a69-94d5-8cd0b80dbd02-image.png

                    re. https://www.se.com/uk/en/faqs/FA159659/

                    That user (e.g. netman, which I setup as a network-only user) must be created first. PCNS uses both the password & pass-phrase for that user and APCUPSD uses only the pass-phrase. After that both started working. Hope it will help others, if get stuck the same way I was.

                    -S

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • First post
                      Last post
                    Copyright 2025 Rubicon Communications LLC (Netgate). All rights reserved.
                      This community forum collects and processes your personal information.
                      consent.not_received