dummy-ups(8)

1DUMMY-UPS(8)                      NUT Manual                      DUMMY-UPS(8)
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NAME

6       dummy-ups - Driver for multi-purpose UPS emulation
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NOTE

9       This man page only documents the specific features of the dummy-ups
10       driver. For information about the core driver, see nutupsdrv(8).
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DESCRIPTION

13       This program is a multi-purpose UPS emulation tool. Its behavior
14       depends on the running mode:
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16   Dummy Mode
17       dummy-ups looks like a standard device driver to upsd(8) and allows one
18       to change any value for testing purposes. It is both interactive,
19       controllable through the upsrw(1) and upscmd(1) commands (or equivalent
20       graphical tool), and batchable through script files. It can be
21       configured, launched and used as any other real driver. This mode is
22       mostly useful for development and testing purposes.
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24   Repeater Mode
25       dummy-ups acts as a NUT client, simply forwarding data. This can be
26       useful for supervision purposes. This can also allow some load sharing
27       between several UPS instances, using a point-to-point communication
28       with the UPS.
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IMPLEMENTATION

31       The port specification depends on the running mode, and allows the
32       driver to select the right mode.
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34   Dummy Mode
35       Port is a definition file name for dummy-ups. This can either be an
36       absolute or a relative path name. In the latter case the NUT sysconfig
37       directory (ie /etc/nut, /usr/local/ups/etc, ...) is prepended.
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39       For instance:
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41           [dummy]
42                   driver = dummy-ups
43                   port = evolution500.dev
44                   desc = "dummy-ups in dummy mode"
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46       This file is generally named "something.dev". It contains a list of all
47       valid data and associated values, and has the same format as an upsc(8)
48       dump (<varname>: <value>). So you can easily create definition files
49       from an existing UPS using "upsc > file.dev". It can also be empty, in
50       which case only a basic set of data is available: device., driver.,
51       ups.mfr, ups.model, ups.status
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53       Samples definition files are available in the "data" directory of the
54       nut source tree, and generally in the sysconfig directory of your
55       system distribution.
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57       Since dummy-ups will loop on reading this file, you can dynamically
58       modify it to interact with the driver. This will avoid message spam
59       into your system log files, if you are using NUT default configuration.
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61       You can also use the "TIMER <seconds>" instruction to create scheduled
62       events sequences. For example, the following sequence will loop on
63       switching ups.status between "OL", "OB" and "OB LB" every minute:
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65           ups.status: OL
66           TIMER 60
67           ups.status: OB
68           TIMER 60
69           ups.status: LB
70           TIMER 60
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72       It is wise to end the script with a TIMER. Otherwise dummy-ups will
73       directly go back to the beginning of the file.
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75   Repeater Mode
76       Port is the name of a remote UPS, using the NUT form, ie:
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78           <upsname>@<hostname>[:<port>]
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80       For instance:
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82           [repeater]
83                       driver = dummy-ups
84                       port = ups@hostname
85                       desc = "dummy-ups in repeater mode"
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87       Unlike UPS specifications in the rest of NUT, the @hostname portion is
88       not optional - it is the @ character which enables Repeater Mode. To
89       refer to an UPS on the same host as dummy-ups, use port =
90       upsname@localhost.
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INTERACTION

93       Once the driver is loaded in dummy mode, you can change any variables,
94       except those of the driver.* and server.* collections. You can do this
95       by either editing the definition file, or use the upsrw(1) and
96       upscmd(1) commands.
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98       Note that in simulation mode, new variables can be added on the fly, by
99       adding these to the definition file. Conversely, if you need to remove
100       variable (such as transient ones, like ups.alarm), simply update these
101       by setting an empty value. As a result, they will get removed from the
102       data.
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104       In repeater mode, the driver acts according to the capabilities of the
105       UPS, and so support the same instant commands and settable values.
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BACKGROUND

108       Dummy Mode was originally written in one evening to replace the
109       previous dummycons testing driver, which was too limited, and required
110       a terminal for interaction.
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112       dummy-ups is useful for NUT client development, and other testing
113       purposes.
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115       It also helps the NUT Quality Assurance effort, by automating some
116       tests on the NUT framework.
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118       It now offers a repeater mode. This will help in building the Meta UPS
119       approach, which allows one to build a virtual device, composed of
120       several other devices (either UPS, PDUs).
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BUGS

123       Instant commands are not yet supported in Dummy Mode, and data need
124       name/value checking enforcement, as well as boundaries or enumeration
125       definition.
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AUTHOR

128       Arnaud Quette
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