UPS nomination

[Rusty Carruth]

> ---------
> ah but let's be clear so everyone doesn't just blindly buy APC
> 
> Not all APC UPS units support Linux - their Back-UPS do but their
> cheapies do not.

In fact, to be absolutely clear:

APC's Back-UPS 'sortof' work under linux, assuming you don't mind
using their non-source solution.  However, beware - the voltage levels
for the 'low battery' indicator DOES NOT obey valid RS-232 levels!
If your computer happens to allow 0v as one level and +12 as the
other then you can use LB, else you cannot sense LB at all.  Ever.

(It may be 0 and -12, but I think its +12)

(Did you mean SmartUPS instead of BackUps?)

Also, NUT supports the smart ups models, but there are some
amusing things to do with cables supplied....

In any case, we have 4 of the "Back-UPS" models at work that,
if we could have returned I would have, since they use invalid
signal levels for Low Battery.  I've decided to stick a linux
PC running NUT in between the UPS and the Sparcs...

Also, on the nut mailing list, about 1/month we get reports
of folks having problems with getting their APCs to work
fully (supply all the status values).  The APC protocol is
NOT open, and must be reverse engineered.  Unless that's changed
very recently...

'Course, I'm sitting right next to an APC SmartUPS 1000 that's
running my firewall and main machine, so I suppose I don't
dislike them TOO much (but I'd never buy them retail!)...

rc