APC Smart-UPS SMT2200R2X180

[grok9600]

Hello, wasn't sure if this was the right place for this..I am looking for easiest way to control/monitor this UPS. I would also like for my unraid server to be able to display the UPS stats. With my other server and my non-rack UPS, I just plugged a supplied serial port to usb cable and it shows up in unraid. I am looking to achieve the same thing. Ideally I would want to be able to power it on and off or perform tests, etc. It has a serial port and usb a port on the back - and also has an AP9630 network management card 2 installed. What would be the difference between using the serial port, the usb port, and using the add-on card (AP9630) with the rj45 ? Are they all just different interfaces to do the same thing? First time having a rackmount UPS and it didn't come with any cables

 

[klui]

The NMC/NMC 2 allow you to monitor and control the UPS without software running on another computer. They have SNMP capabilities so any network monitoring system can get periodic telemetry and act upon events. You can connect using a web browser or CLI (ssh/telnet) for remote management.

The AP9630 is a basic management card; the AP9631 has Universal I/O ports that allow you to connect up to 2 accessories among these possible ones: temperature sensor, temperature & humidity sensor, and dry contact I/O accessory.

 

[grok9600]

Ok so just a normal rj45 it sounds like. That is better than the proprietary serial cables I was hearing about. Thanks!

 

[klui]

The NMC 2 does have a proprietary serial connector. While their older UPSes have the proprietary wiring but somewhat standard RJ11, RJ45, etc. console jacks, the NMC 2 has a console port in the form of an 2.5 mm audio jack.

 

[grok9600]

Thanks, I picked up the correct cable this type. Appears to be USB 940-0299 which has the USB to AJ 2.5. Do you know if my unraid server will then be able to show the UPS statistics after setting the subnet, gateway, and IP on the UPS? Or will I also need a data/serial to USB like on the standalone units?

 

[ccie4526]

Using one of the NMC variants (NMC1: AP9617/9618/9619, NMC2: AP9630/9631, NMC3: AP9640/9641), these devices are web/ssh managed and monitor-able with SNMP. They're just like a network card in your PC or server. 10/100/1000BaseT standard ethernet depending on which card model. Once you have the device configured with an IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway, they can be reachable and monitored from anywhere on the network. And once that part is working, there's no need for a serial or USB connection whatsoever. The only time you need the (probably) proprietary serial cable is if/when you need to factory reset the NMC because you don't have the password. And once the device is reachable on the network, anything can monitor it, not just one specific server.