Personal computing discussed

Moderators: renee, mac_h8r1, Nemesis

 
mmmmmdonuts21
Gerbil Elite
Topic Author
Posts: 593
Joined: Wed Jul 16, 2008 9:09 am

Connecting two computers to a UPS

Mon Feb 08, 2010 2:00 pm

I have an APC 1300VA UPS and it has automatic shutdown features that can be accessed through there powerchute program they have via a single USB cable that plugs into the UPS. I was wondering if it is possible or if anyone knows a way to connect two computers to the powerchute program via the USB at the same time? I am trying to have my home server and desktop use the same automatic shutdown feature as they are right next to each other. Thanks.
To Start Press Any Key'. Where's the ANY key?
If something's hard to do, then it's not worth doing
You know, boys, a nuclear reactor is a lot like a woman. You just have to read the manual and press the right buttons.
 
mortifiedPenguin
Gerbil Elite
Posts: 812
Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2007 7:46 pm

Re: Connecting two computers to a UPS

Mon Feb 08, 2010 7:51 pm

I don't have a UPS (would be nice though), but some searching yields this from an FAQ on uninterruptiblesolutions.com
Q. I have multiple computers I want to run off one UPS. How can I make sure they all shutdown properly when the UPS runs out of battery?
A. If you have less than 5 computers running on one UPS, you can use APC’s PowerChute Business Edition to shutdown all the computers simultaneously when the power fails for a long period of time. APC also makes several ethernet based SNMP cards which an unlimited number of computers can monitor. Please see our Management Devices section for more information on SmartSlot cards.

It sounds like the business version of PowerChute supports multiple computers, but I am unsure of how exactly it works. You can also apparently download the business edition for free from APC's website: http://www.apc.com/tools/download/index.cfm (under "Software Upgrades - PowerChute Business Edition"). I didn't proceed past the download page, but it may be worth a shot.
2600K @ 4.8GHz; XSPC Rasa/RX240/RX120 Phobya Xtreme 200; Asus P8Z68-V Pro; 16GB Corsair Vengeance 1333 C9; 2x7970 OC w/ Razor 7970; Force GT 120GB; 3x F3 1TB; Corsair HX750; X-Fi Titanium; Corsair Obsidian 650D; Dell 2408WFP Rev. A01; 2x Dell U2412m
 
Captain Ned
Global Moderator
Posts: 28704
Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2002 7:00 pm
Location: Vermont, USA

Re: Connecting two computers to a UPS

Mon Feb 08, 2010 8:13 pm

mortifiedPenguin wrote:
It sounds like the business version of PowerChute supports multiple computers, but I am unsure of how exactly it works.

It's pretty simple. PowerChute (or any UPS app) runs on every box plugged into the UPS. Each box has a USB (or serial, if you're old school) connection to the UPS. You configure PowerChute to shut down the computer either by time elapsed since power fail or by percentage of UPS battery remaining. The on-box software counts down from the power loss event communicated over USB, or waits until the UPS sends a "low battery" signal over USB. PowerChute then executes a standard Windows shutdown.
What we have today is way too much pluribus and not enough unum.
 
just brew it!
Administrator
Posts: 54500
Joined: Tue Aug 20, 2002 10:51 pm
Location: Somewhere, having a beer

Re: Connecting two computers to a UPS

Mon Feb 08, 2010 8:45 pm

Captain Ned wrote:
It's pretty simple. PowerChute (or any UPS app) runs on every box plugged into the UPS. Each box has a USB (or serial, if you're old school) connection to the UPS.

How is that supposed to work if the UPS only has one port?
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
 
mortifiedPenguin
Gerbil Elite
Posts: 812
Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2007 7:46 pm

Re: Connecting two computers to a UPS

Mon Feb 08, 2010 9:01 pm

just brew it! wrote:
How is that supposed to work if the UPS only has one port?
That's what I meant. I pretty much pre-assumed what Captain Ned said.
2600K @ 4.8GHz; XSPC Rasa/RX240/RX120 Phobya Xtreme 200; Asus P8Z68-V Pro; 16GB Corsair Vengeance 1333 C9; 2x7970 OC w/ Razor 7970; Force GT 120GB; 3x F3 1TB; Corsair HX750; X-Fi Titanium; Corsair Obsidian 650D; Dell 2408WFP Rev. A01; 2x Dell U2412m
 
Captain Ned
Global Moderator
Posts: 28704
Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2002 7:00 pm
Location: Vermont, USA

Re: Connecting two computers to a UPS

Mon Feb 08, 2010 9:14 pm

mortifiedPenguin wrote:
just brew it! wrote:
How is that supposed to work if the UPS only has one port?
That's what I meant. I pretty much pre-assumed what Captain Ned said.

USB hubs are supposed to be bi-directional, so plugging a hub into the 1 USB port on a UPS should expose the software functionality to all boxen connected to the hub.

[/handwave]
What we have today is way too much pluribus and not enough unum.
 
just brew it!
Administrator
Posts: 54500
Joined: Tue Aug 20, 2002 10:51 pm
Location: Somewhere, having a beer

Re: Connecting two computers to a UPS

Mon Feb 08, 2010 10:23 pm

Captain Ned wrote:
USB hubs are supposed to be bi-directional, so plugging a hub into the 1 USB port on a UPS should expose the software functionality to all boxen connected to the hub.

But USB hubs have only one "upstream" port.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
 
Captain Ned
Global Moderator
Posts: 28704
Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2002 7:00 pm
Location: Vermont, USA

Re: Connecting two computers to a UPS

Mon Feb 08, 2010 10:51 pm

just brew it! wrote:
Captain Ned wrote:
USB hubs are supposed to be bi-directional, so plugging a hub into the 1 USB port on a UPS should expose the software functionality to all boxen connected to the hub.
But USB hubs have only one "upstream" port.

I'm handwaving that if the hub's upstream port is connected to the UPS, it'll all automagically work. IOW, I'm hoping that the UPS itself has enough brains to see multiple devices connected through 1 USB cable.
What we have today is way too much pluribus and not enough unum.
 
just brew it!
Administrator
Posts: 54500
Joined: Tue Aug 20, 2002 10:51 pm
Location: Somewhere, having a beer

Re: Connecting two computers to a UPS

Mon Feb 08, 2010 11:03 pm

Captain Ned wrote:
I'm handwaving that if the hub's upstream port is connected to the UPS, it'll all automagically work. IOW, I'm hoping that the UPS itself has enough brains to see multiple devices connected through 1 USB cable.

While USB hubs are indeed "bidirectional" in the sense that data needs to pass through them in both directions, the protocol is not symmetrical. You can't just connect a device which expects to be a USB slave to the master (upstream) port of the hub, and devices which expect to be masters to the slave (downstream) ports, and expect things to work.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
 
SNM
Emperor Gerbilius I
Posts: 6209
Joined: Fri Dec 30, 2005 10:37 am

Re: Connecting two computers to a UPS

Mon Feb 08, 2010 11:04 pm

Yeah, I'd guess the software is depending on a pre-existing network of some kind. Which could be problematic depending on the setup.
Core i7 920, 3x2GB Corsair DDR3 1600, 80GB X25-M, 1TB WD Caviar Black, MSI X58 Pro-E, Radeon 4890, Cooler Master iGreen 600, Antec P183, opticals
 
mortifiedPenguin
Gerbil Elite
Posts: 812
Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2007 7:46 pm

Re: Connecting two computers to a UPS

Tue Feb 09, 2010 3:51 am

SNM wrote:
Yeah, I'd guess the software is depending on a pre-existing network of some kind. Which could be problematic depending on the setup.
My search also found some hits on using batch files that would send shutdown commands (shutdown.exe and the like, I guess) through the network once the UPS lost power. It's possible that PowerChute has an execute script or batch file option that would trigger the commands to be sent through the network. The problem with this is that if the computer with the scripts installed is turned off and the other ones are on, then the "listener" for the UPS power loss signal doesn't hear anything and... the other computers never get the shutdown command.
2600K @ 4.8GHz; XSPC Rasa/RX240/RX120 Phobya Xtreme 200; Asus P8Z68-V Pro; 16GB Corsair Vengeance 1333 C9; 2x7970 OC w/ Razor 7970; Force GT 120GB; 3x F3 1TB; Corsair HX750; X-Fi Titanium; Corsair Obsidian 650D; Dell 2408WFP Rev. A01; 2x Dell U2412m
 
mmmmmdonuts21
Gerbil Elite
Topic Author
Posts: 593
Joined: Wed Jul 16, 2008 9:09 am

Re: Connecting two computers to a UPS

Tue Feb 09, 2010 9:03 am

Thank you all for your suggestions. After a long night of trial and error trying a most of the methods that you suggested I sorted out what seems possible and what is very difficult.

1) The USB hub port splitting was the first thing I tried before I even posted this question and that doesn't work.

2) I managed to get the powerchute business edition a try with a custom script I found on a website (it might have been uninterruptiblesolutions). I managed to get it to work although I ran into is sort of what mortifiedPenguin suggested would happen, when power is truly lost. Since my router and network switch are not in the same room and not able to be on battery backup without another UPS, the network would go down and I would have one computer shutdown correctly and not the other.

3) I tried running the scripts on my WHS machine, and although I did get it eventually to work after about 4 hours, it wasn't without a lot of hacking and imoh not really worth it. I also don't think I could replicate the steps I took to get this to work anyway.

Bottom Line: After a long and frustrating night, I think I am just going to spend the $60 to get another UPS. Thanks again for all the help.
To Start Press Any Key'. Where's the ANY key?
If something's hard to do, then it's not worth doing
You know, boys, a nuclear reactor is a lot like a woman. You just have to read the manual and press the right buttons.
 
just brew it!
Administrator
Posts: 54500
Joined: Tue Aug 20, 2002 10:51 pm
Location: Somewhere, having a beer

Re: Connecting two computers to a UPS

Tue Feb 09, 2010 10:17 am

mmmmmdonuts21 wrote:
Bottom Line: After a long and frustrating night, I think I am just going to spend the $60 to get another UPS. Thanks again for all the help.

I wouldn't trust a $60 UPS to run anything, other than (maybe) just the network router and switch. Every cheap UPS I've ever bought has died after a year or two. One of them even in a puff of smoke and a shower of sparks.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
 
mmmmmdonuts21
Gerbil Elite
Topic Author
Posts: 593
Joined: Wed Jul 16, 2008 9:09 am

Re: Connecting two computers to a UPS

Tue Feb 09, 2010 11:02 am

This is what I was planning on getting:

APC Back-UPS ES BE550G 550 VA 330 Watts http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16842101343&Tpk=apc%20550

My WHS has a dual core atom processor. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813500027&cm_re=zotac-_-13-500-027-_-Product

It never draws more than 45 watts from the wall. I basically just use this as a low power file server.

Do you still think I need a better UPS? Nothing else will be plugged into it except a switch or a router in the future possibly.
To Start Press Any Key'. Where's the ANY key?
If something's hard to do, then it's not worth doing
You know, boys, a nuclear reactor is a lot like a woman. You just have to read the manual and press the right buttons.
 
notfred
Maximum Gerbil
Posts: 4610
Joined: Tue Aug 10, 2004 10:10 am
Location: Ottawa, Canada

Re: Connecting two computers to a UPS

Wed Feb 10, 2010 9:16 am

It's done via network connectivity. I did some work on the driver for the MGE UTalk UPS for Network UPS Tools which is a UNIX based solution with some bits ported to Windows. It also lets you put the status on the web like this. One master is connected to the UPS control connection, slave machines talk to the master over the network. Master sees the UPS running out of juice and signals the slaves to shutdown, then when they are done it shuts down itself placing the UPS in the right state to come back up when the power comes back on.
 
just brew it!
Administrator
Posts: 54500
Joined: Tue Aug 20, 2002 10:51 pm
Location: Somewhere, having a beer

Re: Connecting two computers to a UPS

Wed Feb 10, 2010 10:16 am

mmmmmdonuts21 wrote:
Do you still think I need a better UPS? Nothing else will be plugged into it except a switch or a router in the future possibly.

It's not so much a capacity issue as a reliability issue. Cheap UPSes use cheap components which are prone to failing unexpectedly. I suppose it is still better than nothing...
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
 
Scrotos
Graphmaster Gerbil
Posts: 1109
Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2007 12:57 pm
Location: Denver, CO.

Re: Connecting two computers to a UPS

Wed Feb 10, 2010 12:18 pm

Put the cheaper UPS on your network switch/router area. Then if power goes out it will last long enough for the "master" computer to send a remote shutdown over the network and you can still have two computers plugged into your 1300VA monster APC.

Protecting your networking stuff is a good idea in general, anyway.
 
davidm71
Gerbil In Training
Posts: 8
Joined: Sat Nov 15, 2008 5:33 pm

Re: Connecting two computers to a UPS

Wed Dec 08, 2021 10:13 pm

Can't you hook up the UPS to a switch with a cat5 cable and then run cat5 to usb cables onto each machine?

Thanks
 
tfp
Grand Gerbil Poohbah
Posts: 3413
Joined: Wed Sep 24, 2003 11:09 am

Re: Connecting two computers to a UPS

Thu Dec 09, 2021 2:45 pm

Probably not any more with this being 11 years ago but hey maybe they are still running the same setup, and same UPS, and still visit this forum

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest
GZIP: On