CyberPower UPS configuration with Mint
 

Try as I might, I have never been able to get any Linux computer to shut down automatically in the event of a power failure. I've mainly, over the years, used Mint and Xubuntu.

Currently, I have a computer, mainly used as a file server, that has Mint 18 installed. I've got it hooked up to a CyberPower 825LCD UPS. Although the UPS is detected, there is no option for auto shutdown out of the box.

So, I've installed PowerPanel for Linux, which is CyberPower's proprietary software. I can use the Pwrstat command to get status and configuration information, but no matter what command I enter, and even when I play around with the settings in the config file, /etc/pwrstatd.conf, the computer fails to shut down in the specified time when I unplug the UPS.

I've also tried Network UPS Tools (NUT) in the past, but I've been unable to figure out the proper driver settings.

Bottom line: Does anyone either: (1) know how to configure PowerPanel for Linux; (2) know how to make NUT work with a CyberPower 825LCD, or (3) as a last resort, know of some UPS that I can buy and some software that I can use to get automatic shutdown working?

I've been using apc ups's, currently Back-UPS ES 750 with apcupsd 3.14.14, works fine with automatic shutdown.

Thanks. I have an old APC unit that's gathering dust. Not sure if it still works, but one option is that I can try to get a battery installed and see if I can configure it to shut down the server with APCUPSD.

The autonomy of a UPS depends on the load so I wouldn't expect the shutdown process to kick in for probably 20 to 30 mins after power loss.

I found the User Manual here.

Useful info on configuring, Cyberpower Power Panel here though you may already have this stuff. :)

Play Bonny!

:hattip:

Thanks, Soadyheid and Glorsplitz. I've determined that my old APC unit, a Back-UPS RS1500, that's been sitting in my garage needs a special data cable, which I have ordered. Once I get it and some batteries, I'll try it with apcupsd, as recommended by Glorsplitz.

In the meantime, I'm going to continue playing around with the commands and config file in Power Panel to see if I can get auto-shutdown working with the CyberPower 825LCD. If anyone has experience configuring Power Panel and has any tips, I'd appreciate hearing them.

As a side note, I do need to get this working. I'm in the process of switching my data shares from ext4 to btrfs, and despite btrfs supposedly being production ready (except for RAID 5/6 which I'm not using), I still don't 100% trust it to maintain data integrity in the event of a power failure, so I need graceful shutdown.

I've had a number of graceful shutdowns using an apc ups and apcupsd.

and from here

so there ya go!

I was also "missing" a cable so I looked into making my own. The pin-out diagram is shown here. Turned out my "lost" cable was still in the box that the UPC came in. Posting this in case anyone else has an old APC UPS that still uses one of these cables who may want to make their own USB connection.

Thanks, Steve. I reviewed the diagram. I believe that I now understand the logic of the connection using those old cables, which is always helpful when troubleshooting. However, making my own cable would be beyond my technical skills. Fortunately, I found a cable on eBay for about six dollars that claims to be compatible. It's coming from China so I've got a bit of a wait.