1GENERICUPS(8) NUT Manual GENERICUPS(8)
2
6 genericups - Driver for contact-closure UPS equipment
7
9 This man page only documents the specific features of the genericups
10 driver. For information about the core driver, see nutupsdrv(8).
11
13 This driver supports hardware from many different manufacturers as it
14 only uses the very simplest of signaling schemes. Contact closure
15 refers to a kind of interface where basic high/low signals are provided
16 to indicate status. This kind of UPS can only report line power and
17 battery status.
18 This means that you will only get the essentials in ups.status: OL, OB,
20 and LB (some UPSes may also support RB and BYPASS). Anything else
21 requires a smarter UPS.
22
24 Cabling is different for every kind of UPS. See the table below for
25 information on what is known to work with a given UPS type.
26
28 This driver supports the following settings in the ups.conf(5):
29 upstype=type
31 Required. Configures the driver for a specific kind of UPS. See the
32 UPS Types section below for more information on which entries are
33 available.
34 mfr=string
36 Optional. The very nature of a generic UPS driver sometimes means
37 that the stock manufacturer data has no relation to the actual
38 hardware that is attached. With the mfr setting, you can change the
39 value that is seen by clients that monitor this UPS.
40 model=string
42 Optional. This is like mfr above, but it overrides the model string
43 instead.
44 serial=string
46 Optional. This is like mfr above and intended to record the
47 identification string of the UPS. It is titled "serial" because
48 usually this string is referred to as the serial number.
49 sdtime=value
51 Optional. The driver will sleep for this many seconds after setting
52 the shutdown signal. This is necessary for some hardware which
53 requires a sustained level to activate the shutdown sequence.
54 The default behavior of the driver is to exit immediately. If this
56 doesn’t reliably trigger a shutdown in your UPS hardware, use this
57 setting to give it more time to react.
58 Note
60 very large values for sdtime may create warnings from upsdrvctl if
61 it gets tired of waiting for the driver to return.
62
64 You may override the values for CP, OL, LB, and SD by defining them in
65 the ups.conf(5) after the upstype setting.
66 For example, to set the cable power to DTR and the low battery value to
68 DCD, it would look like this:
69 CP = DTR
71 LB = DCD
73 Recognized values for input lines are CTS, DCD, and RNG. Recognized
75 values for output lines are DTR, RTS, and ST. See below for more about
76 what these signals mean.
77 These values may be negated for active low signals. That is, "LB=-DCD"
79 recognizes a low battery condition when DCD is not held high.
80
82 The essence of a UPS definition in this driver is how it uses the
83 serial lines that are available. These are the abbreviations you will
84 see below:
85 OL
87 On line (no power failure) (opposite of OB - on battery)
88 LB
90 Low battery
91 RB
93 Replace battery
94 BYPASS
96 Battery bypass active or no battery installed
97 SD
99 Shutdown load
100 CP
102 Cable power (must be present for cable to have valid reading)
103 CTS
105 Clear to Send. Received from the UPS.
106 RTS
108 Ready to Send. Sent by the PC.
109 DCD
111 Data Carrier Detect. Received from the UPS.
112 RNG
114 Ring indicate. Received from the UPS.
115 DTR
117 Data Terminal Ready. Sent by the PC.
118 DSR
120 Data Set Ready. Received from the UPS.
121 ST
123 Send a BREAK on the transmit data line
124 NULL
126 Disable this signal. Disabled signal will always be low except for
127 OL which will always be high.
128 none
130 Alias to NULL which matches some other documentation.
131 A "-" in front of a signal name (like -RNG) means that the indicated
133 condition is signaled with an active low signal. For example, [LB=-RNG]
134 means the battery is low when the ring indicate line goes low, and that
135 the battery is OK when that line is held high.
136
138 0 = UPSonic LAN Saver 600
139 [CP=DTR+RTS] [OL=-CTS] [LB=DCD] [SD=DTR]
141 1 = APC Back-UPS/Back-UPS Pro/Smart-UPS with 940-0095A/C cable
143 [CP=DTR] [OL=-RNG] [LB=DCD] [SD=RTS]
145 2 = APC Back-UPS/Back-UPS Pro/Smart-UPS with 940-0020B cable
147 [CP=RTS] [OL=-CTS] [LB=DCD] [SD=DTR+RTS]
149 Type 2 has also been reported to work with the 940-0020C cable.
151 3 = PowerTech Comp1000 with DTR cable power
153 [CP=DTR] [OL=CTS] [LB=DCD] [SD=DTR+RTS]
155 4 = Generic RUPS Model
157 [CP=RTS] [OL=CTS] [LB=-DCD] [SD=-RTS]
159 5 = Tripp Lite UPS with Lan2.2 interface (black 73-0844 cable)
161 [CP=DTR] [OL=CTS] [LB=-DCD] [SD=DTR+RTS]
163 6 = Best Patriot with INT51 cable
165 [CP=DTR] [OL=CTS] [LB=-DCD] [SD=RTS]
167 7 = CyberPower Power99 Also Upsonic Power Guardian PG-500, Belkin
169 Belkin Home Office, F6H350-SER, F6H500-SER, F6H650-SER, Eaton
170 Management Card Contact - Config3 with cable 66033 (shutdown does not
171 work)
172 [CP=RTS] [OL=CTS] [LB=-DCD] [SD=DTR]
174 8 = Nitram Elite 500
176 [CP=DTR] [OL=CTS] [LB=-DCD] [SD=???]
178 9 = APC Back-UPS/Back-UPS Pro/Smart-UPS with 940-0023A cable
180 [CP=none] [OL=-DCD] [LB=CTS] [SD=RTS]
182 10 = Victron Lite with crack cable
184 [CP=RTS] [OL=CTS] [LB=-DCD] [SD=DTR]
186 11 = Powerware 3115
188 [CP=DTR] [OL=-CTS] [LB=-DCD] [SD=ST]
190 12 = APC Back-UPS Office with 940-0119A cable
192 [CP=RTS] [OL=-CTS] [LB=DCD] [SD=DTR]
194 13 = RPT Repoteck RPT-800A/RPT-162A
196 [CP=DTR+RTS] [OL=DCD] [LB=-CTS] [SD=ST]
198 14 = Online P-series
200 [CP=DTR] [OL=DCD] [LB=-CTS] [SD=RTS]
202 15 = Powerware 5119, 5125
204 [CP=DTR] [OL=CTS] [LB=-DCD] [SD=ST]
206 16 = Nitram Elite 2002
208 [CP=DTR+RTS] [OL=CTS] [LB=-DCD] [SD=???]
210 17 = PowerKinetics 9001
212 [CP=DTR] [OL=CTS] [LB=-DCD] [SD=???]
214 18 = TrippLite Omni 450LAN with Martin’s cabling
216 [CP=DTR] [OL=CTS] [LB=DCD] [SD=none]
218 19 = Fideltronic Ares Series
220 [CP=DTR] [OL=CTS] [LB=-DCD] [SD=RTS]
222 20 = Powerware 5119 RM
224 [CP=DTR] [OL=-CTS] [LB=DCD] [SD=ST]
226 Check docs/cables/powerware.txt
228 21 = Generic RUPS 2000 (Megatec M2501 cable)
230 [CP=RTS] [OL=CTS] [LB=-DCD] [SD=RTS+DTR]
232 22 = Gamatronic All models with alarm interface (also CyberPower SL
234 series)
235 [CP=RTS] [OL=CTS] [LB=-DCD] [SD=DTR]
237 23 = Generic FTTx (Fiber to the x) battery backup with 4-wire telemetry
239 interface
240 [CP=RTS] [OL=CTS] [LB=-DCD] [RB=-RNG] [BYPASS=-DSR] [SD=none]
242
244 Many different UPS companies make models with similar interfaces. The
245 RUPS cable seems to be especially popular in the "power strip" variety
246 of UPS found in office supply stores. If your UPS works with an entry
247 in the table above, but the model or manufacturer information don’t
248 match, don’t despair. You can fix that easily by using the mfr and
249 model variables documented above in your ups.conf(5).
250
252 If your UPS isn’t listed above, you can try going through the list
253 until you find one that works. There is a lot of cable and interface
254 reuse in the UPS world, and you may find a match.
255 To do this, first make sure nothing important is plugged into the
257 outlets on the UPS, as you may inadvertently switch it off. Definitely
258 make sure that the computer you’re using is not plugged into that UPS.
259 Plug in something small like a lamp so you know when power is being
260 supplied to the outlets.
261 Now, you can either attempt to make an educated guess based on the
263 documentation your manufacturer has provided (if any), or just start
264 going down the list.
265 Step 1
267 Pick a driver to try from the list (genericups -h) and go to step 2.
268 Step 2
270 Start the driver with the type you want to try -
271 genericups -x upstype=n /dev/port
273 Let upsd sync up (watch the syslog), and then run upsc to see what it
275 found. If the STATUS is right (should be OL for on line), continue to
276 Step 3, otherwise go back to step 1.
277 Alternatively, you can run genericups in debug mode -
279 genericups -DDDDD -x upstype=n /dev/port
281 In this mode it will be running in the foreground and continuously
283 display the line and battery status of the UPS.
284 Step 3
286 Disconnect the UPS from the wall/mains power. This is easiest if you
287 have a switched outlet in between it and the wall, but you can also
288 just pull the plug to test. The lamp should stay lit, and the status
289 should switch to "OB". If the lamp went out or the status didn’t go to
290 "OB" within about 15 seconds, go to Step 1. Otherwise, continue to Step
291 4.
292 Step 4
294 At this point, we know that OL and OB work. If nothing else beyond this
295 point works, you at least know what your OL/OB value should be.
296 Wait for the UPS to start complaining about a low battery. Depending on
298 the size of your UPS battery and the lamp’s bulb, this could take
299 awhile. It should start complaining audibly at some point. When this
300 happens, STATUS should show "OB LB" within 15 seconds. If not, go to
301 Step 1, otherwise continue to Step 5.
302 Step 5
304 So far: OL works, OB works, and LB works.
305 With the UPS running on battery, run the genericups driver with the -k
307 switch to shut it down.
308 genericups -x upstype=n -k /dev/port
310 If the UPS turns off the lamp, you’re done. At this point, you have
312 verified that the shutdown sequence actually does what you want. You
313 can start using the genericups driver with this type number for normal
314 operations.
315 You should use your findings to add a section to your ups.conf. Here is
317 a quick example:
318 [myups]
320 driver = genericups
321 port = /dev/ttyS0
322 upstype = 1
323 Change the port and upstype values to match your system.
325
327 If the above testing sequence fails, you will probably need to create a
328 new entry to support your hardware. All UPS types are determined from
329 the table in the genericups.h file in the source tree.
330 On a standard 9 pin serial port, there are 6 lines that are used as the
332 standard "high/low" signal levels. 4 of them are incoming (to the PC,
333 from the UPS), and the other 2 are outgoing (to the UPS, from the PC).
334 The other 3 are the receive/transmit lines and the ground.
335 Be aware that many manufacturers remap pins within the cable. If you
337 have any doubts, a quick check with a multimeter should confirm whether
338 the cable is straight-through or not. Another thing to keep in mind is
339 that some cables have electronics in them to do special things. Some
340 have resistors and transistors on board to change behavior depending on
341 what’s being supplied by the PC.
342
344 These have been contributed by users of this driver.
345 The Centralion CL series may power down the load if the driver starts
347 up with the UPS running on battery as the default line settings contain
348 the shutdown sequence. - Neil Muller
349 The Tripp-Lite Internet Office 700 must be used with the black 73-0844
351 cable instead of the gray 73-0743 cable. This entry should work with
352 any of their models with the Lan 2.2 interface - see the sticker by the
353 DB9 connector on the UPS. - Stephen Brown
354 Type 5 should work with the Tripp-Lite Lan 2.1 interface and the
356 73-0724 cable. This was tested with the OmniSmart 675 PNP on Red Hat
357 7.2. - Q Giese
358 Types 7 and 10 should both work with the PhoenixTec A1000.
360
362 There is no way to reliably detect a contact-closure UPS. This means
363 the driver will start up happily even if no UPS is detected. It also
364 means that if the connection between the UPS and computer is
365 interrupted, you may not be able to sense this in software.
366 Most contact-closure UPSes will not power down the load if the line
368 power is present. This can create a race when using secondary upsmon(8)
369 systems. See the upsmon(8) man page for more information.
370 The solution to both of these problems is to upgrade to a smart
372 protocol UPS of some kind that allows detection and proper load cycling
373 on command.
374
376 The core driver
377 nutupsdrv(8)
378 Internet resources:
380 The NUT (Network UPS Tools) home page: http://www.networkupstools.org/
381Network UPS Tools 2.8.0 04/26/2022 GENERICUPS(8)