PowerChute Network Shutdown (PCNS) and Network Management Card (NMC) environmental event integration

Issue

PowerChute Network Shutdown (PCNS) and Network Management Card (NMC) environmental event integration


Product Line

• UPS Network Management Card 1 (NMC1) - AP9618, AP9619

• UPS Network Management Card 2 (NMC2) - AP9631/AP9631CH, AP9635/AP9635CH, AP9537SUM

Environment
 

• All firmware versions (unless otherwise noted)
• All serial numbers
• Various UPS Network Management Card applications

Cause

This article outlines the functionality and expected behavior between UPS Network Management Cards with environmental monitoring capability and PowerChute Network Shutdown as far as the ability to shutdown PowerChute clients based on environmental events.



Resolution

PowerChute Network Shutdown integration with a Network Management Card can be used in order to achieve event actions/graceful shutdown based on environmental events (if the Network Management Card supports environmental monitoring). These environmental events include temperature/humidity violations as well as dry contact input contact events.

ANY type of temperature violation (low temp, high temp, min temp, etc) will cause an event action, if configured to do so.

 

• Network Management Card 1 devices - AP9618, AP9619 - support temperature violation actions/shutdowns with AP9512T/AP9512TBLK or AP9512TH/AP9512THBLK PS/2 connector type of probes. The Network Management Card 1 devices support input contact event actions based on the integrated dry contacts & relay I/O built on to the card.

 

• Network Management Card 2 - AP9631/AP9631CH, AP9635/AP9635CH*, AP9537SUM- supports temperature violation shutdowns with AP9335T or AP9335TH RJ45 connector type probes. A temperature probe must be plugged into Universal I/O Port 1 to integrate with PowerChute Network Shutdown. The Network Management Card 2 supports input contact event actions with the addition of the AP9810 Dry Contacts & Relay I/O accessory dongle. The AP9810 accessory dongle must be plugged into Universal I/O Port 2 to integrate with PowerChute Network Shutdown.

One note is that environmental monitoring events can trigger a shutdown of the PowerChute Network Shutdown client and the UPS. However, a clearing of the Environmental condition will not cause the UPS or the server to turn back on. The user must turn the UPS back on if a shutdown is initiated by PowerChute. When a UPS switches to battery and is eventually shutdown by PowerChute, it can be configured to turn back on once power is restored.


Note: Depending on the UPS application running on the AP9635/AP935CH, only temperature and/or humidity violations may be supported strictly for monitoring purposes, no PowerChute Network client shutdown operations. For example, the sypx application does support PCNS client shutdown based on environmental events assuming the UPS is online but other AP9635/AP9635CH applications do not necessarily support them.