PowerChute
Event Configuration
The screen lists the events that can occur and separates them into three categories - critical (severe), warning, and informational. You cannot change an event's category.
By default, the Informational events are hidden, click the
+ icon beside to display them. You can also click the
- sign to hide any of the three categories.
You can configure events to cause certain actions, named in separate columns:
• Logging: Records the event in the Event Log when the checkbox is selected.
• E-Mail: Sends an e-mail message to users and administrators when an event occurs. The checkbox must be selected to enable this. E-mail must be configured in PowerChute, see
E-Mail Settings.
• Shutdown: Initiates an operating system shutdown sequence in response to an event when the checkbox is selected. See
Shutdown.
IMPORTANT: Changing the shutdown and command file options for events has a direct effect on the configuration you specify on the
Shutdown Settings page. See
Power Outage Configuration and Shutdown on Event Configuration.
• Command File: Runs a user-specified command file when an event occurs.
Command files are often used to shut down open applications in order to avoid loss of data. They have to be placed in this folder:
<Installation folder>\APC\PowerChute Serial Shutdown\agent\cmdfiles
which for example is, by default on Windows, this folder:
C:\Program Files\APC\PowerChute Serial Shutdown\agent\cmdfiles
Click on the Command File icon to enable it, and choose a file to run and a duration.
All command file types are supported.
IMPORTANT: PowerChute does not check the contents of a command file before executing it.
When you have enabled a command file for an event, the icon color changes from grey,
, to green,
.
Some events cannot be configured to trigger certain actions and have no checkbox for that action. For example, most informational events cannot cause a shutdown so the checkbox is missing in the Shutdown column for those events.
Description of events
For descriptions of individual events, see:
The events that display depend on your UPS, some events described below might not display for your UPS.
Critical (severe) events can cause the UPS to stop supplying power to its supported equipment. These events require your immediate attention.
Event Name | Description |
Low Battery | A UPS that is operating on battery power has reached the low runtime threshold - the Runtime Remaining reported by the UPS is less than the value on the Shutdown Settings screen. Alternatively, a UPS management accessory (such as a UPS Interface Expander 2 Card) has triggered the Low Battery event in order to request a shutdown. |
Warning events alert you to situations that should be monitored
Event Name | Description |
On Battery | The UPS has switched to battery operation due to a power outage or poor power quality. |
Time On Battery Threshold Exceeded | The UPS on battery power has reached the number of seconds configured via ”. |
Invalid Configuration File | The contents of the pcssconfig.ini file are invalid. Open the pcssconfig.ini file using a text editor (e.g. Notepad) to view and resolve the errors. |
Invalid User Login | A user has unsuccessfully attempted to log in to the PowerChute user interface. NOTE: PowerChute will automatically “lock out” for 2 minutes after three unsuccessful login attempts (incorrect username and/or password) to prevent brute force password cracking. |
Informational events report data about the operation of the UPS device.
Event Name | Description |
No Longer On Battery | AC utility power has been restored; the UPS is no longer running on battery power. This event follows On Battery. |
Shutdown Starting
Shutdown in Progress | Various stages of the shutdown procedure. |
Communication Established | PowerChute has established communication with the UPS. |
Monitoring Started
Monitoring Stopped | PowerChute has started or stopped monitoring the UPS. |
Configuration File Changed | The pcssconfig.ini file has been edited directly. |
User Logged On | A user has successfully logged into the PowerChute user interface. |
User Logged Off | A user has successfully logged out of the PowerChute user interface or the PowerChute session has expired. By default, the PowerChute session times out after 15 minutes of inactivity and users will be automatically logged out of the PowerChute UI. |
E-Mail Settings
The screen lists the e-mail addresses of users configured to be notified when an event occurs. In order to receive e-mail notifications when an event occurs, the e-mail address must be set up here. See
Event Configuration for information on configuring an event to send an e-mail when it occurs.
The following five fields must be defined to enable PowerChute to send e-mail messages when events occur. (This includes messages to pagers that accept e-mail).
• identifies the SMTP server by one of the three methods mentioned: its name, its IPv4 address, or its IPv6 address. An example hostname is mail.server.com.
• specifies the e-mail that the recipient gets the mail from. It is the e-mail account to be used to send notifications.
• specifies the port number from which e-mail is sent via SMTP. Port numbers can have a maximum of five digits and can be set to 25, 465, 587, or any number ranging from 5000 to 32768. If you do not enter a port number, the default of 25 is used.
• defines the e-mail encryption protocol that will be used when e-mail is sent. There are three options available:
– None selected – if authentication is disabled, no e-mail encryption protocol will be used and e-mail will be sent unencrypted. If authentication is enabled, e-mail will be encrypted using the SMTPS protocol.
– – e-mail will be encrypted using the SSL encryption protocol. You must select port 465 or the port your email administrator has assigned for SSL communications.
– – e-mail will be encrypted using the TLS encryption protocol. You must select port 587 or the port your email administrator has assigned for TLS communications.
The checkbox, if selected, verifies that the provided SMTP Server has a valid certificate to ensure you are connected to the correct server. This setting reduces the risk of man-in-the-middle attacks and should be selected if SSL/TLS is selected.
Click the button to send a test e-mail to all configured recipients. This button is only enabled when valid e-mail settings and e-mail recipients are provided. If you do not receive a test e-mail, check the pcss.log file for errors. Common reasons for the test e-mail not being received are incorrect credentials, server identity mismatch, proxy issues, the SMTP server is unreachable, or the chosen protocol is not supported.
If you are using SSL/TLS and your SMTP Server uses a self-signed certificate, the certificate must be added to the trusted certificate store of the bundled Java JRE.
On Windows:
1 . Stop the PowerChute service via the services console – PowerChute Serial Shutdown – or using the command net stop APCPBEAgent
2 . Copy server.crt (or server.cer) to the security directory in the installed PowerChute directory (e.g. C:\Program Files\APC\PowerChute Serial Shutdown\jre\lib\security).
3 . Open a command prompt with Administrator privileges and navigate to this security directory.
4 . Execute the following command to import the email certificate into the JRE trusted certificate store:
..\..\bin\keytool -import –alias mailserv –file server.crt –keystore cacerts –storepass changeit
5 . Accept the certificate when prompted.
6 . Start the PowerChute service via the services console – PowerChute Serial Shutdown – or using the command net start APCPBEAgent
On Unix/Linux:
1 . Stop the PowerChute service using one of the following commands: service pbeagent stop, or systemctl stop PBEAgent.service, or /etc/init.d/PBEAgent stop
2 . Copy server.crt (or server.cer) to the security directory in the installed PowerChute directory (e.g. opt/APC/PowerChuteSerialShutdown/jre/lib/security)
3 . Open a Terminal with Administrator privileges and navigate to this security directory.
4 . Execute the following command to import the email certificate into the JRE trusted certificate store:
../../bin/keytool -import –alias mailserv –file server.crt –keystore cacerts –storepass changeit
5 . Accept the certificate when prompted.
6 . Start the PowerChute service using one of the following commands: service pbeagent start, or systemctl start PBEAgent.service, or /etc/init.d/PBEAgent start
NOTE: In the above examples, mailserv is the alias of the mail server used within the cert file, and server.crt is the self-signed SSL cert of the mail server. .cer files are also accepted.
Adding and removing e-mail recipients
To add an e-mail, under the section, type an e-mail address and click the Apply button.
To remove an e-mail, select the checkbox to the right of the address, and click Apply.
Filling in the and under is optional. If present, the information is included in e-mails. The name is intended to represent the person responsible for the maintenance of the UPS. The location is the physical location of the server hosting the PowerChute Agent.
We advise testing your e-mail settings after configuration. You can do this by selecting an E-Mail checkbox for an event with
Event Configuration, and then create that event.
Authenticating e-mail
Authenticating e-mail is optional. You can enable it by selecting the checkbox. Contact your e-mail administrator if you’re not sure about authentication.
If you are going to use authentication, you can specify a server username and password in the respective fields, but you do not have to do so. If you don’t specify a server username and password, PowerChute uses the to obtain a list of IP Addresses that are allowed to send authenticated e-mails.
SNMP Settings
PowerChute Serial Shutdown can be configured to communicate via Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), and can be discovered via SNMP by a Network Management System (NMS). Using SNMP and the PowerNet MIB, you can query and configure PowerChute settings, and generate SNMP traps to automatically notify you of UPS shutdown events and lost communication events.
The PowerNet MIB is located in the etc directory in the PowerChute installation directory. The latest version is also available on the
APC website, choose
Firmware Upgrades - MIB from the
Filter by Software / Firmware drop-down box.
SNMPv1 and SNMPv3 are supported by PowerChute Serial Shutdown, and are enabled via the Agent web interface. The SNMP Agent is not discoverable via SNMP until SNMPv1 or SNMPv3 is enabled, and one user profile is configured.
SNMPv1 is less secure than SNMPv3. SNMPv1 does not provide encryption or authentication, and the Community Name is sent over the network in plain text. To use encryption and authentication with SNMP, configure SNMPv3 settings.
See below for:
• SNMPv1 Configuration
• SNMPv3 Configuration
• SNMP Trap Configuration
• SNMP Data Points
SNMP v1 Configuration
Select Enable SNMPv1 access to configure the User Profiles required to communicate via SNMPv1. Select Add Profile or edit the default profile (PCSSUser) and configure:
1 . Community Name: The Community Name is sent with each SNMP request to obtain access to a device. The maximum length is 15 ASCII characters.
2 . NMS IP/Host Name: The IP address, Host Name or Fully Qualified Domain Name of the Network Management System (NMS). An NMS is software that is used to manage software and hardware components on the network. It can be used to manage PowerChute via SNMP by issuing SNMP GET and SET commands. The default value of 0.0.0.0 permits access from any NMS.
3 . Access Type:
– Disable: No SNMP GET or SET requests are permitted.
– Read: Only SNMP GET requests are permitted.
– Read/Write: SNMP GET and SET requests are permitted.
To edit an existing SNMPv1 user profile, click the pen icon. To delete an SNMPv1 user profile, click the bin icon.
Click Apply to save the SNMPv1 configuration.
Certain Network Management Systems require the SNMP Engine ID to communicate via SNMP. The SNMP Engine ID is displayed under the Miscellaneous section of the SNMP Settings page.
See also: SNMP Data Points below.
SNMP v3 Configuration
Select Enable SNMPv3 access to configure the SNMPv3 settings. Select Add Profile and configure:
1 . User Name: In SNMPv3, all GET and SET requests and SNMP Traps are matched to a user profile by the User Name. Enter a user name of a length less than or equal to 32 ASCII characters.
2 . Authentication Protocol: Select MD5, SHA-1 or SHA-2 (SHA256 or SHA512) protocol. It is recommended to use an SHA-2 protocol, if the NMS supports it.
3 . Authentication Passphrase: Enter an authentication password for the protocol selected, of 8-32 ASCII characters.
4 . Privacy Protocol: Select AES-128, AES-192, AES-192 Ex†, AES-256, AES-256 Ex†, or DES. It is recommended to use the AES-256 protocol, if the NMS and PowerChute JRE support it:
NOTE: Certain SNMP Network Management Systems use a non-standard AES key extension algorithm for 192 and 256 bit key lengths. This non-standard implementation or “Key extension algorithm” is specified by the IETF.
If your NMS requires the use of the Key Extension algorithm, select Privacy Protocol options AES-192 Ex or AES-256 Ex.
5 . Privacy Passphrase: Enter a privacy password for the encryption protocol selected, of 8-32 ASCII characters.
6 . Access Type:
– Disable: No SNMP GET or SET requests are permitted.
– Read: Only SNMP GET requests are permitted.
– Read/Write: SNMP GET and SET requests are permitted.
To edit an existing SNMPv1 user profile, click the pen icon. To delete an SNMPv1 user profile, click the bin icon.
Click Apply to save the SNMPv1 configuration.
Certain Network Management Systems require the SNMP Engine ID to communicate via SNMP. The SNMP Engine ID is displayed under the Miscellaneous section of the SNMP Settings page.
See also: SNMP Data Points
SNMP Trap Configuration
You can specify the device(s) that receive the SNMP traps generated by PowerChute for UPS critical and lost communication events.
To configure a Trap Receiver, select Add Trap Receiver and configure:
1 . Enable: Select the checkbox to enable the Trap Receiver.
2 . NMS IP/Host Name: The IP address, Host Name or Fully Qualified Domain Name of the NMS.
3 . Port: The port on which the NMS will listen for incoming traps. The default port number is 162.
4 . SNMPv1: Select this if you want to send the traps via SNMPv1.
– Community Name: Enter the Community Name of the SNMPv1 user profile to be used as an identifier when SNMPv1 traps are sent to this receiver.
5 . SNMPv3: Select this if you want to send the traps via SNMPv3.
– User Name: Select the user name of the SNMPv3 user profile to be used as an identifier when SNMPv3 traps are sent to this receiver.
Click the SNMP Trap Receiver Test to send a test trap to the configured Trap Receiver. Check the Trap Receiver to ensure that the test trap was received.
To edit an existing SNMPv1 user profile, click the pen icon. To delete an SNMPv1 user profile, click the bin icon
PowerChute sends SNMP traps to the configured Trap Receiver(s) upon the following events:
• PowerChute Shutdown Event Occurs
When a shutdown event occurs and a Shutdown is triggered, PowerChute sends an SNMP trap to the configured Trap Receiver detailing the Event Name.
• PowerChute Shutdown Event Resolved
If the option to Send Trap when condition is cleared is enabled, when the shutdown event which triggered a Shutdown is resolved, PowerChute sends an SNMP trap to the configured NMS.
PowerChute sends SNMP traps to the configured Trap Receiver(s) when the Communication Lost event occurs.
If the option to Send Trap when condition is cleared is enabled, a Communications Established trap is sent when the communications lost event is resolved.
Software Update Available Trap
When the PowerChute Auto Update functionality detects that there is a new update available; a trap is sent to the configured Trap Receiver.
PowerChute Test Trap
When configuring a Trap Receiver, a test trap can be sent to determine if the Trap Receiver is receiving the traps. See SNMP Trap Configuration.
To configure the settings for UPS Critical Event or Lost Communication traps:
1 . Go to SNMP Settings > SNMP Traps
2 . Click on the icon next to UPS Critical Events or Lost Communication Events
3 . Select the Enable checkbox to enable traps for those events.
4 . Delay: Specify the length of time that Event must persist before a trap is sent. If the Event is cleared before this time, no trap is sent.
5 . Repeat Interval: Specify the time interval in seconds that the trap is re-sent.
6 . Select:
– Repeat until condition clears if you want the trap to be sent at the repeat interval until the Event is cleared.
– Repeat X times to specify the number of times the trap will be sent when the Event occurs.
7 . Select Send Trap when condition is cleared to be notified when the Event is cleared.
NOTE: If the PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent is shutdown due to a UPS Critical Event, no clearing Trap will be sent to the NMS.
See also: SNMP Data Points > SNMP Traps
SNMP Data Points
The following table lists the SNMP Object Identifiers (OIDs) supported by PowerChute Serial Shutdown.
NOTE: Your UPS may not support all SNMP OIDs listed.
Refer to the PowerNet MIB available on the
APC website for detailed descriptions of each OID, including parameters for SET and GET operations.
SNMP OID Name | Access | Description |
upsBasicBatteryStatus | read-only | The status of the UPS batteries. |
upsBasicOutputStatus | read-only | The current state of the UPS (e.g. On Line, On Battery, etc.). |
upsAdvConfigAllowedSetTable | read-only | Read this OID to get the UPS data points for which you set values, using an SNMP SET. Querying this table returns the following OIDs: • upsAdvConfigRatedOutputVoltage • upsAdvConfigHighTransferVolt • upsAdvLowTransferVolt • upsAdvConfigLowBatteryRunTime |
upsAdvControlBypassSwitch | read-write | Write to this OID to control the UPS bypass mode. |
upsAdvTestDiagnostics | read-write | Write to this OID to command the UPS to perform a diagnostic self test. |
upsAdvTestDiagnosticsResults | read-only | The results of the last diagnostic UPS Self Test. |
upsAdvTestRuntimeCalibration | read-write | Writing to this OID provides options to perform a Runtime Calibration Test. |
upsAdvTestCalibrationResults | read-only | The results of the last Runtime Calibration test. |
upsCommStatus | read-only | The status of the SNMP Agent’s communication with the UPS. |
SNMP OID Name | Access | Description |
pcbehostname | read-only | The hostname of the PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent. |
pcbeVersion | read-only | The PowerChute Serial Shutdown version number, in the format x.x.x.x. |
pcbeOS | read-only | The operating system and version on which the PowerChute Serial Shutdown is installed. |
pcbeJavaVersion | read-only | The version of Java installed with PowerChute Serial Shutdown. |
pcbeUIProtocol | read-only | The protocol used to connect to the PowerChute Agent web interface (http/ https). |
pcbeHttpsPort | read-only | The port used for the PowerChute https web interface. |
SNMP OID Name | Access | Description |
pcbeCriticalFlag | read-only | This OID indicates that PowerChute Serial Shutdown has begun a graceful shutdown of the host. |
pcbeCriticalCause | read-only | This OID provides the reason that PowerChute Serial Shutdown has begun a graceful shutdown of the host. |
pcbeComsLostFlag | read-only | This OID indicates that PowerChute cannot communicate with the UPS. |
pcbeUpdateAvailableFlag | read-only | This OID indicates that a new version of PowerChute is available. |
pcbeUpdateDesc | read-only | This OID provides the description of the new version of PowerChute that is available. |
SNMP Traps
The tables below details the OID names of the SNMP traps sent by PowerChute for critical and lost communication events.
SNMP OID Name | Level | Description |
pcbeCriticalEventActive | Severe | PowerChute Serial Shutdown has begun a graceful shutdown of the host due to a critical event. |
pcbeCriticalEventResolved | Informational | The PowerChute critical event has been resolved, and a graceful shutdown of the host continues. |
SNMP OID Name | Level | Description |
pcbeComsLost | Severe | PowerChute cannot communicate with the UPS. |
pcbeComsLostResolved | Informational | PowerChute has re-established communications with the UPS. |
Other Events
SNMP OID Name | Level | Description |
pcbeTest | Informational | PowerChute has sent a test trap to the NMS. |
pcbeUpdateAvailable | Informational | PowerChute has detected that an update is available. |