Logging
Event Log
A PowerChute event can be critical, warning, or informational. An example of a critical event is a low battery, and a warning event could be when power to the UPS has been interrupted. Informational events are everyday occurrences such as the monitoring of your system has started, or a self test has passed.
The screen lists and classifies the recent UPS events and the date and time each event occurred. The list starts with the most recent events. See
Event Configuration for descriptions of events.
To export the log to a text file, EventLog.txt, click the button. View this file in
C:\Program Files\APC\PowerChute Serial Shutdown\agent
(or wherever it is installed).
To delete the contents of the event log, click the button at the bottom of the screen.
Click to view events that might have occurred after you first displayed this screen.
Energy Usage Log
PowerChute stores the connected UPS device’s energy usage in a log file, located in the C:\Program Files\APC\PowerChute Serial Shutdown\agent\energylog directory (or wherever it is installed).
The energy usage logs have the following structure:
2010timestamp;realLoad(watts);relativeLoad(percentage);calculatedLoad(watts)
For example: 368633153;200.0;200.0;200.0
Reading the Log File
Timestamp: To interpret the timestamp:
1 . Calculate the difference between the UNIX timestamp starting point (01/01/1970) and the 2010timestamp value from the log (01/01/2010), which is 1262304000.
2 . Add the timestamp value from the log file (for example 368633153) to 1262304000, which equals 1,630,937,153.
3 . Using a third-party tool such as
Epoch Converter, enter the value calculated in step 2 into the text box and click . The output will reveal the timestamp:
Converting 1630937153:
Assuming that this timestamp is in seconds:
GMT: Monday, September 6, 2021 2:05:53 PM
Your time zone: Monday, September 6, 2021 3:05:53 PM GMT+01:00 DST
Relative: 2 days ago
Load Entries: Each entry in the log file captures the UPS device’s energy usage in Watts over a 5-minute period. If the realLoad column has a value other than null, it will be used. If the realLoad value is null, the calculatedLoad is used instead. If both values are null, the line is skipped. For example: 368633153;200.0;200.0;200.0 equals 200.0 Watts.
Calculating Energy Usage
To convert the load value in Watts used in 5 minutes into kilowatt hours (kWh), divide the load value by 12,000. For example: 200.0 Watts used in 5 minutes equals 0.01666667 kWh. This 12,000 value is calculated using the following formula:
1 . Multiply the load value by 300,000 to convert the interval from 5 minutes into milliseconds (5 x 60 x 1000).
2 . Divide the value by 3,600,000,000 to convert the interval into seconds, then hours, and then from Watts to Kilowatts (3600 x 1000 x 1000).
Data Log
The View Data Log screen logs are sorted by date, then time, with the most recent data appearing at the top of each screen. This table gives a brief description of the fields:
Field | Description |
Input Line Voltage (VAC) | The AC voltage being provided to the UPS at the time that the entry is made in the data log. |
UPS Output Voltage (VAC) | The voltage, in volts AC, supplied by the UPS to its supported equipment. |
Battery Voltage (VDC) | The voltage, in volts DC, on the UPS device's battery. |
Battery Charge (%) | The percentage charge of the UPS battery capacity. |
Input Frequency (Hz) | The frequency, in Hertz, of the input voltage to the UPS. |
Output Frequency (Hz) | The frequency, in Hertz, of the output voltage. |
UPS Load (%) | The percentage of the possible UPS load that your equipment used during the recording interval. |
Internal UPS Temp (°C) | The UPS temperature in degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit. NOTE: If the UPS has no internal temperature sensor, this column does not display. |
Use the button to hide any of the displayed columns, other than date and time which cannot be hidden.
Click the button to display the column checkboxes and clear any checkbox to hide that column. This feature affects the display only; all data is still recorded.
By clicking and dragging on a column heading, e.g. Output Frequency (Hz), you can move and re-arrange columns. To return to the original, default arrangement, click on the button.
To delete all records in the data log, click at the bottom of the screen.
Click to view new data since you first displayed this screen.
Log Settings
Log Settings enables you to configure the recording parameters of both the Event and Data Logs. This includes disabling logging. If event logging is disabled, the options relating to logging in
Event Configuration are also disabled.
The Event Log records individual event occurrences. The Data Log, by contrast, provides you with a snapshot of your system by recording values at regular time intervals.
Use and to choose a time interval for deleting log entries. For example, if you choose a month, then entries are deleted when they are a month old.
Log files taking up disk space
The log files can take a lot of disk space on your server. Be aware of this when you configure the options on this screen:
• With the fields (Event Log Entry Expiration and Data Log Entry Expiration), choosing a long time interval could mean that your log eventually takes up a lot of disk space.
• The field specifies how often the data is recorded to the Data Log. The smaller the interval, the more times the data is recorded and the larger the log file.
• If you choose , the files might get very large after a period of time.