On Friday 09 March 2007, Mikkel L. Ellertson wrote: >Mogens Kjaer wrote: >> Mike McCarty wrote: >> .... >> >>> Can you give me any reason why one would want to have extended >>> conversations with an UPS if the only real option is to shut >>> down anyway? >> >> Modern UPSes do a lot of selftests, especially on the >> battery, so it is important to get a notification when >> the battery needs to be replaced. > >I have found that "smart" UPSs can provide you with other handy >information as well. I like being able to find the charge level of >hte battery, how much power the system is drawing, and things of >that nature. If the UPS also does AVR, it can be handy to know how >often it has to supplement or reduce line voltage. And while the >calibration is not as good as I would like, they can also be used to >record line voltage that can provide clues to other voltage related >problems you may experience. (It can save you from having to attach >a recording volt meter.) > FWIW, this 'bulldog' software from Belkin does all that, including issuing shutdown commands to every specified machine on your network that depends on this ups for power should the AC die for some reason. That also is why I would like to make it work through /dev/hiddev0 as opposed to /dev/ttyUSB0, which requires a $35 cable to implement. I have 2 of them tied up now, and I don't want to get into a situation where I need to go get another of these adapter cables everytime I go to town for beer. >Mikkel >-- > > Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, >for thou art crunchy and taste good with Ketchup! -- Cheers, Gene "There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order." -Ed Howdershelt (Author) Did you move a lot of KOREAN STEAK KNIVES this trip, Dingy?