User Guide

PowerChute™ Serial Shutdown v1.3 Agent

For Smart-UPS models with prefix SMT, SMX, SURTD, SRT, SMTL, SCL, SMC, and SRTL

TME10991B-001
Publication Date: November 2024
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Table of Contents
Introduction ........................................................................ 1
Supported UPS Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Related Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

How to Log On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Account Lock-Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Changing Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

UPS Device Model............................................................. 3

UPS Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
System Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Power Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Battery Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Outlet Groups Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Outlet Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Battery Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Predicting the replacement date of your UPS battery . . . . . . . . .7
Internal and External Battery Packs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Battery Management for SRT/SMTL Model UPS units . . . . . . . .7
Order Battery Packs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

UPS Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Power Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

General Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Bypass Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

PowerChute ..................................................................... 16
Event Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Description of events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Command file durations and shutdowns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide i

 E-Mail Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Adding and removing e-mail recipients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Authenticating e-mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

SNMP Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
SNMP v1 Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
SNMP v3 Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
SNMP Trap Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
SNMP Data Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
SNMP Traps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Shutdown......................................................................... 33
Initial Setup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Shutdown Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Power Outage Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Power Outage Configuration and Shutdown on Event Configuration 34
Interactivity in shutdown durations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Scheduled Shutdown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Viewing and creating scheduled shutdowns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
Moving and resizing schedules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Overlapping scheduled shutdowns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Daylight savings and scheduled shutdowns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Outlet Sequence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Examples of how you might use this screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
Using the graph and common fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Choosing which individual outlet groups to turn off in a shutdown 40
Deciding on delay times for individual outlet groups . . . . . . . . .41

Load Shedding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Outlet Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Shutdown Now . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Logging ............................................................................ 47
Event Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide ii

 Energy Usage Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Reading the Log File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Calculating Energy Usage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

Data Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Log Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Log files taking up disk space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

Energy Management ....................................................... 50

Energy Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Energy report time span . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Energy usage reported by the UPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50

Energy Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Energy calculation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51

About ............................................................................... 52

General ............................................................................ 53
PowerChute Configuration File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Resetting your Username and Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

Java Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Replace Default PowerChute SSL Certificate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Third Party Licenses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Preferences ..................................................................... 56
Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

PowerChute Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Troubleshooting ............................................................... 57
PowerChute Files ZIP Archive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide iii

Introduction
PowerChute™ Serial Shutdown (PowerChute) provides UPS management, system shutdown, and energy
management for devices connected to the UPS, via serial or USB interface.

In the case of a UPS critical event, the software performs a graceful system shutdown of connected devices
before the UPS battery is exhausted.

Following installation, configure the software using the PowerChute initial setup wizard. This ensures that
PowerChute is configured to monitor and manage your system for power events.

This document describes the options available in the PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent user interface for
a Type A UPS.

Supported UPS Types

During manual installation you are asked to select your UPS from a list of UPS model prefixes:

• The UPS model is found on the printed label at the rear of your UPS:
– Type A
Smart-UPS models with prefix SMT, SMX, SURTD, SRT, SMTL, SCL, SMC, and SRTL including
models SRC2KUXI, SRC3KUXI, and SRC3KUXIX709.
– Type B
• Smart-UPS models excluding UPS models with prefix SMT, SMX, SURTD, SRT, SMTL, SCL,
SMC, SRTL, and models SRC2KUXI, SRC3KUXI, and SRC3KUXIX709.
• Easy Online UPS models with the SRV prefix.
Visit Knowledge Base article FA315835 to find out more about UPS model types.

Related Documents
This document describes the PowerChute Agent web user interface:

• For information on installing PowerChute Serial Shutdown, see the PowerChute Serial Shutdown
Installation Guide.
• For security-related information, see the PowerChute Serial Shutdown Security Handbook.
• For up-to-date information on the operating systems, JRE, service packs, and processors with which
PowerChute Serial Shutdown is compatible, see the latest revision of PowerChute Serial Shutdown
Operating System and Processor Compatibility Chart.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 1

How to Log On
You can access the user interface of the PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent in two ways, locally and remotely.

To access the PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent on a local Windows computer, select the Windows start
button, then select PowerChute Serial Shutdown > PowerChute Serial Shutdown.

To access the PowerChute Agent remotely, in a Web browser type the servername or Agent IP address and
port:

https://servername:6547
https://agentipaddress:6547

For example, if your server is named COMP1, enter:

https://COMP1:6547
If you have forgotten the username or password created during installation, you can reset the
credentials by using the PowerChute configuration file. See Resetting your Username and
Password.

Account Lock-Out
PowerChute will automatically “lock out” for 2 minutes after three unsuccessful login attempts (incorrect
username and/or password) to prevent brute force password cracking.

Changing Language
The PowerChute Agent User Interface (UI) is available in 7 languages: English, Chinese, French, German,
Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, and Spanish. To change the UI display language, click on the language selector in
the top-right corner of the UI, and select a language from the drop-down list.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 2

UPS Device Model
The model name of your UPS displays at the top level of these menu options, e.g. Smart-UPS 1500, Smart-
UPS 3000. All of the menu options relate to your UPS.

UPS Status
The UPS Status screen has four sections — System Status, Power Status, Battery Status, and Outlet
Groups Status.

Each of the sections is collapsible and expandable by clicking the – and + icon to the left of the
section name.

System Status
The Device Status field under System Status indicates the present operating status of the UPS and displays
one of the following states listed in the table below. NOTE: Possible states depend on the UPS model.

Possible
Device Status Description
On Line The UPS is running normally on AC utility power.

On Line (Green The UPS is running normally on AC utility power, and the electrical input is being
Mode) utilized with high efficiency.

In addition, the value must be above the At runtime limit value set on Shutdown
Settings.
Initializing The UPS is attempting to establish communications with the UPS.

On Battery The UPS is using its battery to provide output power to the load.

Low Battery The UPS is on battery, and the “Runtime Remaining” reported by the UPS is less
than the At runtime limit value on the Shutdown Settings screen.

By default, a Low Battery shutdown begins. (It is possible to reverse this setting
on the Event Configuration screen).
Battery Discharged The UPS is on line, and the “Runtime Remaining” reported by the UPS is less
than the At runtime limit value on the Shutdown Settings screen.

If you get a power outage when your battery is discharged, PowerChute

immediately begins the process of gracefully shutting down your system.

PowerChute can display this status immediately after a runtime calibration (which
deeply discharges the battery) or when the UPS returns to On Line operation after
an extended power outage.

NOTE: It is possible to see this status when the “Battery Charge” under Battery
Status on this screen is displaying as 100%. This can happen when the “Runtime
Remaining” value falls below the At runtime limit value set on Shutdown
Settings.
Replace Battery The UPS battery has reached the end of its life.

See Battery Management for more information.

No Batteries Your UPS cannot detect any batteries.
Attached

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 3

 Possible
Device Status Description
UPS in Bypass* Your UPS is in bypass mode.

Maintenance Your UPS is on bypass for maintenance purposes.

Bypass*
UPS Initiated The UPS is reporting an internal hardware issue that caused it to switch to bypass
Bypass* operation. For further information, see the support services at www.apc.com/
support.
User Initiated A user requested bypass operation through either the PowerChute Serial
Bypass* Shutdown or the UPS LCD user interface.
Bypass* Power The UPS auxiliary power supply is not functioning. For further information, see the
Supply Fault support services at www.apc.com/support.

NOTE: If you try to put the UPS on bypass while this condition exists, the UPS
loses all output power and the connected load shuts off.
Overloaded The UPS cannot support the current load. Unplug some equipment to reduce the
load.

If the UPS still indicates an overload, see the support services at www.apc.com/
support.
AVR Boost Active The UPS is using AVR Boost (Automatic Voltage Regulator) to correct a low input
voltage without switching to battery power.
AVR Trim Active The UPS is using AVR Trim to correct a high input voltage without switching to
battery power.
Performing Self Test The UPS is performing a self test, see Diagnostics.
Performing The UPS is performing a runtime calibration, see Diagnostics.
Calibration
Sleeping One or more outlets on your UPS are turned off but are scheduled to turn on.

Unknown The status of the UPS is unknown.

UPS Communication The PowerChute Agent has lost communications with the UPS.
Lost
Make sure that the UPS cable is securely connected at both ends.
UPS Off Your UPS is turned off.

* While on bypass, the UPS can protect its supported equipment from power surges and minor power disturbances, but
not from other power problems like a power outage.
System Status also reports the following:

Field Description
UPS Load In watts, the power supplied by the UPS as a percentage of its full rating.

Runtime Remaining The amount of time the UPS — while on battery — could support the present
load. The value is shown in minutes.

Internal Temperature The temperature inside the UPS.

Load Power In VA, volt-ampere, the power supplied by the UPS as a percentage of its full
rating.
Load Current The current drawn from the UPS by the connected equipment.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 4

 Field Description
UPS LCD is Read- NOTE: This field does not display for all UPS devices.
Only
This field informs you whether or not the UPS can be configured through its LCD
interface.

When this field value is Yes, you cannot configure values through the LCD user
interface. (You can change this setting on the UPS Settings screen).

Even when the value is Yes, you can still use the LCD on the UPS to:
1. Turn off the UPS with a delay.
2. Turn off immediately.
3. Reboot with a delay.
4. Reboot immediately.

See also “UPS LCD is Read-Only” on General Settings.

Power Status
Power Status reports on the power voltage and frequency of your UPS.

Battery Status
Battery Status reports the following:

Field Description
Battery Charge The present charge of the UPS battery, as a percentage of the total possible
capacity.
Battery Voltage The present voltage of the UPS battery.

Total Battery Packs This is only reported for some UPS types. It states the number of battery packs
connected to your UPS.

Outlet Groups Status

Outlet Groups Status shows the name and present status of each outlet group on your UPS.

See Outlet Setup, Outlet Sequence, and Outlet Control for further information on outlet groups.

Outlet Setup
On this screen, you specify the outlet group that supplies power to the server with the PowerChute Agent.
(This screen is also part of the shutdown configuration accessible through Initial Setup)
Specifying the outlet that supplies power to the server with the PowerChute Agent is very
important for graceful shutdown.

Any delays set under the Operating System and Application Shutdown section in the Shutdown Settings
screen will only apply to the outlet group supplying power to the server running the PowerChute Agent.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 5

 You can change the outlet group supplying power to the server with PowerChute Agent at any time. Be aware
though that this can impact scheduled shutdowns and the sequencing of turn offs and turn ons of outlet groups
and their loads. See Scheduled Shutdown and Outlet Sequence.

NOTE: The selected outlet group is always included in a shutdown sequence triggered by an event, or via the
Shutdown Now page. If you change the outlet group supplying power to the server, the previously specified
outlet group will remain included in the shutdown sequence. To remove an outlet group from a shutdown
sequence, see Outlet Sequence.

The PowerChute logo, , displays beside the outlet group with the PowerChute Agent after you
select it.
You can also name your outlet groups on this screen, using US-ASCII characters only, codes 32-126.

Battery Management
Use this screen to view the present status of your UPS batteries. The screen also lists information on your
battery packs including the part numbers, and a prediction as to when your batteries need replacing.

Some fields described in this section do not display for every UPS and configuration.

For more information, see Battery Management for SRT/SMTL Model UPS units.

Field Description
Battery Status The possible values here are Normal, Replace Battery, and No Batteries
Attached.

If you need to replace your battery, see Battery Part Number below.
Battery Charge The present charge of the UPS battery, as a percentage of the total possible
capacity.
Battery Voltage The present voltage of your UPS battery (as distinct from AC utility power) in volts
DC.
Runtime Remaining The amount of time the UPS battery could support its load.
Number of Times on This value does not display for all UPS devices.
Battery
The number of times the UPS battery supplied power to your system during AC
utility power outages.
Total Time on This value does not display for all UPS devices.
Battery
The total amount of time the UPS battery supplied power to your system during AC
utility power outages.
Battery Part Number This part number is essential for re-ordering. Click on the Re-Order Battery link to
go to a web page where you can buy a new battery for your UPS online.

If a part number is not shown for your UPS device, the Re-Order Battery link will
take you to a web page where you can enter your UPS model number to find the
correct replacement battery for your device.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 6

Predicting the replacement date of your UPS battery
The Predictive Battery Replacement section of this Battery Management screen can help ensure your battery
is in good working order by notifying you when your UPS battery is nearing the end of its life

Field Description
Battery Installation This displays the date that your UPS battery was installed.
Date
For some UPS devices, this information is derived from the UPS itself. For other
devices you can input an installation month and year.
Predicted This date is supplied by the UPS and indicates when it is recommended that the
Replacement Date battery be replaced.

Internal and External Battery Packs

For some UPS devices only, the collapsible sections named Internal Battery Packs and Battery Packs give
up-to-date information on the number of battery packs installed within the UPS itself and the number of external
battery packs attached to the UPS.

If PowerChute cannot identify an internal battery pack, the battery pack information will be displayed in the
Battery Packs section.

For certain UPS models, the number of battery packs can be edited via the PowerChute Agent web interface.
The range of values permitted for Total Battery Packs is 0-99. Changing the total number of battery packs
changes the UPS “Runtime Remaining” on the UPS Status screen.

NOTE: Total Battery Packs must reflect the number of physical battery packs connected to the UPS, or
unexpected behavior may occur.

Battery Management for SRT/SMTL Model UPS units

For SRT and SMTL model UPS units, use this screen to view the present status of your UPS battery cartridges.
The screen also lists information on your internal and where relevant external battery packs, and can predict
when your batteries need to be replaced.
There are two types of Battery Pack:

• Internal Battery Pack - a battery pack that is internal to the UPS. Internal battery packs contain one
battery cartridge.
• External Battery Pack - a battery pack that resides outside of the UPS unit. External battery packs can
contain two battery cartridges per battery pack. External Battery Packs are displayed in the Battery
Packs section of the PowerChute UI.
Some of the fields detailed below will not be displayed unless a minimum load of 10%
is connected to the UPS.

Battery Charge

The charge of all UPS batteries present, as a percentage of the total possible capacity. This field will display No
Batteries Attached if all UPS batteries are disconnected.

Battery Voltage
The voltage of all UPS batteries present (as distinct from AC utility power) in volts DC. This field will display No
Batteries Attached if all UPS batteries are disconnected.

Runtime Remaining
The amount of time the UPS batteries present can support its load. When additional batteries are added to the
UPS, the Runtime Remaining value will increase. The Runtime Remaining value is set to 0 when all UPS batteries
are disconnected.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 7

 Firmware Revision
The firmware version of the UPS Battery Pack. NOTE: This value does not display for all UPS devices.

Battery Pack - SKU

The SKU of the External Battery Pack.
Battery Pack Condition
This indicates the health of the External Battery Pack. For health status of the Cartridges within the Battery
Pack, see “Battery Status”.
Possible values include:

Status Description Action

Normal Battery is in normal state No action required.

General Error The Battery Pack is reporting a Go to the APC by Schneider

non-specific error. Electric website, or contact your
local Customer Care Center for
more information.
Communication Error There is a communication issue Go to the APC by Schneider
between the Battery Pack and the Electric website, or contact your
UPS. local Customer Care Center for
more information.
Disconnected Battery Pack The Battery Pack is disconnected. Check that the battery pack is
connected correctly.
Go to the APC by Schneider
Electric website, or contact your
local Customer Care Center for
more information.
Firmware Mismatch There is a mismatch between the Go to the APC by Schneider
Battery Pack Firmware and the Electric website, or contact your
UPS Firmware. local Customer Care Center for
more information.
Overtemperature Warning The battery temperature has Go to the APC by Schneider
exceeded the warning threshold. Electric website, or contact your
local Customer Care Center for
more information.
Overtemperature Critical The battery temperature has Do not attempt to use the UPS.
exceeded the critical threshold. Turn off the UPS and have it
serviced immediately.
Go to the APC by Schneider
Electric website, or contact your
local Customer Care Center for
more information.
Temperature Sensor Fault There is an error in the Go to the APC by Schneider
temperature sensor. Electric website, or contact your
local Customer Care Center for
more information.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 8

 Battery Status

Possible values include:

Status Description
Normal The battery is in a normal state.

No Batteries Attached The battery is disconnected.

Battery near end of life The battery will soon need to be replaced. See Order Battery Packs.
Battery lifetime exceeded It is recommended that the battery is replaced. See Order
Battery Packs.
Replace Battery The battery needs to be replaced. See Order Battery Packs.
Battery lifetime alarm An alarm to indicate that the battery will need to be replaced or is near
acknowledged end of life has been acknowledged through the LCD screen of the
UPS unit. See Order Battery Packs.

Battery Installation Date

This displays the date that your UPS battery was installed. For SRT model UPS units, this information is
derived from the UPS itself. You can change the date by entering new month and year values.

Predicted Replacement Date

This date is supplied by the UPS and indicates when it is recommended that the battery be replaced.

Order Battery Packs

Use this section to order new Battery Packs:

Field Description
Replacement The SKU of the Battery Pack in your UPS is displayed. Click on the Re-Order
Battery Battery link to open a web page where you can buy a new battery for your UPS.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 9

Diagnostics
The Diagnostic screen displays the last diagnostic results, and enables you to initiate tests and calibrations.

There are three types of diagnostics:

• a self test performs internal UPS diagnostics

NOTE: If the UPS is On Battery, a self test cannot be performed. Restore power to the UPS to run a self
test.
• an alarm test of your UPS (using a drop-down box in the Initiate Diagnostics section).
• a runtime calibration causes the UPS to recalculate its available runtime capacity based on its present
load. This ensures that the runtime reported is more accurate. Not all UPS models support runtime
calibration. See “Notes on Runtime Calibration” below.
You can initiate an immediate self test, a calibration, or a UPS alarm test by selecting an option in the drop-
down box under the Initiate Diagnostics section and clicking on Apply.

Notes on Runtime Calibration

• Runtime calibrations deeply discharge UPS batteries, which can leave a UPS temporarily unable to
support its equipment if a power outage occurs.
• You can perform a calibration only if battery capacity is at 100%.
• The load on your UPS must be at least 10% without fluctuating to guarantee that a calibration will be
accepted. This percentage varies based on UPS model, and will be higher if you have external batteries;
the percentage value will vary depending on the number and the type.
• To optimize the efficacy of the runtime calibration, it is recommended to perform the calibration using a
connected device load that accurately represents the average load on the UPS.
• Frequent calibrations reduce the life of batteries. Therefore, select runtime calibrations to occur only
annually or semi-annually. Also perform a calibration whenever you significantly change the load that the
UPS is supporting.
In the Schedule Self Test section, you can configure your system to perform a self test at frequencies available
in the drop-down box, explained in the table below.

Field Description
On UPS start-up The UPS performs a self test when it turns on.

On UPS start-up and The UPS performs a self test when it turns on and subsequently performs a test
every 7 days since every 7 days. (The dates do not deviate from the 7-day interval unless you turn the
start-up date UPS off and then on again).

For example, you turn on the UPS on September 3, so it performs a self test at
turn-on and subsequently on Sept. 10, Sept. 17, Sept. 24, etc.
On UPS start-up and The UPS performs a self test when it turns on and subsequently performs a test
every 14 days since every 14 days.
start-up date
See the example in the row above.
On UPS start-up and The UPS performs a self test when it turns on and subsequently performs a test
every 7 days since every 7 days. However, if you manual initiate a self test, using this screen or
last test directly on the UPS, this changes the dates (in contrast to the second item in the
drop-down box where the dates would not change).

For example, you turn on the UPS on September 3, so it performs a self test at
turn-on and subsequently on Sept. 10. You then initiate a manual self test on Sept.
12, and the 7-date intervals continue on Sept. 19, Sept. 26, etc.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 10

 Field Description
On UPS start-up and The UPS performs a self test when it turns on and subsequently performs a test
every 14 days since every 14 days. However, if you manual initiate a self test, using this screen or
last test directly on the UPS, this changes the dates.

See an example in the row above.

The UPS reports the following values for status:

Test Status Description

In Progress The diagnostic test is ongoing.

Passed The self test passed.

This is not relevant for the other tests: alarm test and calibration
Failed Your self test, alarm test, or calibration did not succeed.

Refused Your UPS refused the diagnostic test.

For a calibration, this will happen when the load on the UPS is less than 10% of its
full capacity. In addition, for a calibration the UPS battery must be fully charged.

Aborted Your self test, alarm test, or calibration could not run to completion because
something stopped it, for example, a power outage, or it was canceled by a user.
Completed Your runtime calibration has finished successfully.

Unknown The status of your diagnostic test is unknown. This could be caused by a
communication issue.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 11

UPS Settings
Use this screen to configure UPS values and thresholds, for example, output voltage. and a maximum internal
temperature.

The options explained below do not display for all UPS devices. Only supported options will be
displayed for your UPS model.

Power Settings
Field Description
Output Voltagea The voltage the UPS will supply when operating on battery power.

NOTE: For some UPS models, you can only change this setting on the
UPS directly.
Upper Bypass Limitb When operating in bypass, this is the highest voltage the UPS will
supply to the connected load.
Lower Bypass Limit When operating in bypass, this is the lowest voltage the UPS will supply
to the connected load.
High Transfer Voltage On UPS devices that do NOT support bypass, this is the highest
voltage the UPS will supply to the connected load.

NOTE: On UPS devices that support AVR Trim, it will be reported when
the Input Voltage is higher than this value.
Low Transfer Voltage On UPS devices that do NOT support bypass, this is the lowest voltage
the UPS will supply to the connected load.

NOTE: On UPS devices that support AVR Boost, it will be reported

when the Input Voltage is lower than this value.
Sensitivity The sensitivity of the UPS to distortions in the line voltage.
a
If you change the Output Voltage setting, the UPS sometimes changes the Upper and Lower Bypass Limit
values, also displaying on this screen. When that happens, these fields become read-only. Check these values
after you set output voltage.
b
If the supported equipment can tolerate a wide voltage range for On Line operation, you can increase the Upper
Bypass Limit value and decrease the Lower Bypass Limit value. A wider voltage range reduces the number of
times the UPS switches to battery operation, especially in areas where the input voltage is unstable or is
chronically high or low.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 12

General Settings
The options explained below do not display for all UPS devices. Only supported options will be
displayed for your UPS model.

Field Description
UPS Name A user-customizable name for the UPS. You can use US-ASCII
characters only, codes 32-126.

NOTE: Depending on the UPS type, a maximum of between 8 to

16 alphanumeric characters is allowed.

The PowerChute Server Description in the top-left corner of the

UI defaults to the UPS Name. This description is user-
customizable and if edited, it will override the UPS Name.
Audible Alarm With this field, you can enable or disable the UPS audible alarm
that sounds in response to power problems. On the top right of
your screen, one of the following four alarm icons displays:

The alarm is enabled.

The alarm is currently in operation.

The alarm is disabled.

Your system has lost communications with your UPS.

UPS LCD is Read-Only This field does not display for all UPS devices and firmware.

Choose Yes or No from the drop-down box to determine whether

a user can configure the UPS through its LCD interface.

When this field value is Yes, you cannot configure values through
the LCD user interface. The default is No.

Even when the value is Yes, you can still use the LCD on the UPS
to:
• Turn off the UPS with a delay.
• Turn off immediately.
• Reboot with a delay.
• Reboot immediately.

Setting the UPS LCD to read-only and turning off the outlet group
with the PowerChute Agent will necessitate a UPS reboot to turn
the outlet group back ona.

NOTE:
• The ability to set your UPS LCD to read-only
depends on your UPS firmware version.
• Regardless of this LCD setting, if you can access
this PowerChute user interface, you can configure
the values.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 13

 Field Description
UPS Output Load Threshold Each UPS has a maximum rating, for example, 1500 VA. Use this
field to set the preferred highest percentage of this rating used by
the load.

For example if this threshold is set to 70(%), when the load

consumes more then 1050 VA (70% of 1500), the Output Load
Threshold Exceeded event is generated.
High Internal Temp Threshold When this temperature is exceeded, an UPS Internal
Temperature Threshold Exceeded event is generated. (By
default, this event causes a shutdown).

This temperature should be greater than (or at least equal to) the
High Internal Temp Warning Threshold in the row below.

NOTE: Set this value above the normal temperature range of the
UPS. If you don’t, the Internal Temperature Exceeds Critical
Range event will be continually generated.

To troubleshoot this, see UPS Internal Temperature Threshold

Exceeded.
High Internal Temp Warning When this temperature is exceeded, a UPS Internal
Threshold Temperature Warning event is generated.
a
One specific outcome could be as follows:
1. Set the LCD to read-only.
2. Use the PowerChute Outlet Control screen to shut down (without reboot) the outlet
providing power to your server with the PowerChute Agent installed.
3. You cannot subsequently turn on that outlet manually (as the LCD is read-only).
4. Furthermore, because the PowerChute outlet is turned off, the Agent interface is
unavailable, so you cannot change the LCD read-only setting.
5. To turn the outlet group back on, you need to restart your UPS manually, which means
that every device temporarily loses power.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 14

Bypass Settings
The UPS can be placed into bypass mode for maintenance.

The options explained below do not display for all UPS devices. Only supported options will be
displayed for your UPS model.

Mains Input Condition

When the UPS is in bypass, it cannot support its load if a power outage occurs.

To place the UPS in bypass, the input voltage to the UPS must fall between the upper and lower bypass limits.

Possible values include:

Status Description
Acceptable Input voltage is within the bypass limits. The UPS can be placed into bypass mode.

Pending Acceptable Input voltage is marginally outside the bypass limits.

Voltage Too High Input voltage is above the upper bypass limit.

Voltage Too Low Input voltage is below the lower bypass limit.

Distorted Input voltage is distorted.

Frequency Too Low The frequency of the mains input is too low to allow bypass. Check the UPS LCD
for the acceptable bypass frequency.
Frequency Too High The frequency of the mains input is too high to allow bypass. Check the UPS LCD
for the acceptable bypass frequency.
Frequency and Phase The Frequency and Phase of the mains input is not locked.
not locked

Select Bypass Action

Action Description
Put in Bypass This option is available when the UPS is not in bypass mode.

Return from Bypass This option is available when the UPS is in bypass mode.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 15

PowerChute

Event Configuration
The Event Configuration 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 Informational 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.

You can disable all logging, see Log Settings.

• 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, .

See also Command file durations and shutdowns and Power Outage Configuration and Shutdown on
Event Configuration.

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:

• Critical events
• Warning events
• Informational events

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 16

 The events that display depend on your UPS, some events described below might not display for
your UPS.

Critical events
Critical (severe) events can cause the UPS to stop supplying power to its supported equipment. These events
require your immediate attention.

Event Name Description

Communication Lost While A problem occurred causing PowerChute to lose communication with the
on Battery UPS while the UPS was operating on battery power.

Make sure that the proper communications cable is being used and that it
is connected correctly.
UPS Internal Temperature The internal temperature of the UPS has exceeded the user-configured
Threshold Exceeded threshold. This causes a shutdown which cannot be canceled, even if the
internal temperature returns to normal.

You can set this threshold in the High Internal Temp Threshold under
UPS Settings.

After this event occurs, to prevent it occurring repeatedly, when you log
onto the machine with the Agent installed, you must stop the Agent service
immediately. You should disconnect your UPS and wait for the temperature
to cool down.

See “Starting and Stopping the PowerChute Agent” in the Installation

Guide available on the APC website.
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
At runtime limit value on the Shutdown Settings screen.

Warning events
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.
Battery Discharged An On Line UPS has reached the low runtime threshold. If a power outage
occurs, a shutdown will begin immediately.

The low runtime threshold indicates that the Runtime Remaining

reported by the UPS is less than the At runtime limit value on the
Shutdown Settings screen.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 17

 Event Name Description
Overload The UPS cannot support the current load. It is at 105% or more of its
maximum capacity. (This percentage varies between UPS devices and
can be as high as 110%).

If the overload was not caused by adding new load equipment, do the
following:

1. Run a UPS self test to see if the problem clears.

2. If the problem persists, disconnect all equipment from the UPS and
reboot the UPS.

3. If the problem is cleared, reconnect and turn on the load equipment,

one piece at a time, to determine which piece of equipment causes the
overload.

If the overload still exists, the UPS needs to be repaired or replaced. For
further information, see the support services at www.apc.com/support.
Self Test Failed The UPS did not pass its last self test. It might have a bad battery.

If the system is reporting an Insufficient Runtime Available or an

Overload condition, clear the event and test the UPS again.

If the self test fails again, see the support services at www.apc.com/
support.
Communication Lost Communication between PowerChute and the UPS has been lost while
the UPS was On Line. Make sure that the proper communications cable is
being used and that it is connected correctly.

See also Communication Lost While on Battery.

Time on Battery Threshold The UPS is on battery and has breached the user-configured threshold.
Exceeded
Specifically, the time that the UPS has been on battery exceeds the After
UPS has been on battery for value on the Shutdown Settings screen.
Output Load Threshold The UPS has exceeded the user-defined load threshold. See UPS
Exceeded Output Load Threshold on UPS Settings.

This threshold event can be seen as a warning. The UPS itself determines
when the UPS is actually overloaded and this generates another more
serious event, see Overload.
Insufficient Runtime The UPS is On Line and is below the low runtime threshold - the Runtime
Available Remaining reported by the UPS is less than the total turn-off delays for
the outlet group supplying power to the Agent.

This outlet group is designated by the PowerChute logo on the Outlet

Sequence screen, see Using the graph and common fields.

In a forced shutdown, the UPS might not have enough runtime available
to perform a graceful shutdown.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 18

 Event Name Description
Low Runtime Available The UPS is on battery and is below the low runtime threshold - the
Runtime Remaining reported by the UPS is less than the total turn-off
delays for the outlet group supplying power to the Agent.

This outlet group is designated by the PowerChute logo on the Outlet

Sequence screen, see “Using the graph and common fields”.

In a forced shutdown, the UPS will NOT have enough runtime available to
perform a graceful shutdown.
Battery Needs Replacing One or more UPS batteries need to be replaced.

See Battery Management.

UPS Internal Temperature The warning threshold in place for your UPS internal temperature has
Warning been exceeded. See High Internal Temp Warning Threshold.
Bypass Internal Fault The UPS has reported an internal hardware problem.

AVR Boost Enabled The UPS began using AVR Boost to correct a low voltage condition.

AVR Trim Enabled The UPS began using AVR Trim to correct a high voltage condition.

Battery Disconnected The battery in your UPS has been disconnected or removed.

Reconnect the battery. If this does not clear the problem, see the support
services at www.apc.com/support.
Frequent Overvoltage The UPS has been using its AVR Trim feature to decrease a high input
voltage more than five times during the last 24 hours, or more than fifteen
times during the last seven days. This may indicate that the quality of the
input voltage provided to the UPS needs to be improved.

This event will resolve when the input voltage returns to normal, or the
input voltage becomes too high to be gracefully decreased (On Battery
event).

If the devices connected to the UPS can accept a less sensitive input
power quality, configure the UPS to use the AVR Trim feature less
frequently, by setting High Transfer Voltage to its highest setting, and the
Sensitivity to Low.
Frequent Undervoltage The UPS has been using its AVR Boost feature to increase a low input
voltage more than five times during the last 24 hours, or more than fifteen
times during the last seven days. This may indicate that the quality of the
input voltage provided to the UPS needs to be improved.

This event will resolve when the input voltage returns to normal, or the
input voltage becomes too low to be gracefully increased (On Battery
event).

If the devices connected to the UPS can accept a less sensitive input
power quality, configure the UPS to use the AVR Boost feature less
frequently, by setting the Low Transfer Voltage to its lowest setting, and
the Sensitivity to Low.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 19

 Event Name Description
Extended Overvoltage The UPS has been using its AVR Trim feature to decrease a high input
voltage continuously for at least one hour. This may indicate that the
quality of the input voltage provided to the UPS needs to be improved.

This event will resolve when the input voltage returns to normal, or the
input voltage becomes too high to be gracefully decreased (On Battery
event).

If the devices connected to the UPS can accept a less sensitive input
power quality, configure the UPS to use the AVR Trim feature less
frequently, by setting the High Transfer Voltage to its highest setting, and
the Sensitivity to Low.

Contact APC Support for information on how to improve the quality of

UPS input power.
Extended Undervoltage The UPS has been using its AVR Boost feature to increase a low input
voltage continuously for at least one hour. This may indicate that the
quality of the input voltage provided to the UPS needs to be improved.

This event will resolve when the input voltage returns to normal, or the
input voltage becomes too low to be gracefully increased (On Battery
event).

If the devices connected to the UPS can accept a less sensitive input
power quality, configure the UPS to use the AVR Boost feature less
frequently, by setting the Low Transfer Voltage to its lowest setting, and
the Sensitivity to Low.

Contact APC Support for information on how to improve the quality of

UPS input power.
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
Informational events report data about the operation of the UPS device.

Event Name Description

On Line (Green Mode) Your UPS has begun operating in green mode: it is running normally on AC
utility power, and the electrical input is being utilized with high efficiency.

NOTE: Some UPS devices can incorrectly signal they are in this mode when
the internal battery is disconnected.
No Longer On Battery AC utility power has been restored; the UPS is no longer running on battery
power. This event follows On Battery.
Overload Solved The overload condition has been corrected. See Overload.

Output Load in Range The UPS load out-of-range condition has been corrected. See Output Load
Threshold Exceeded.
Shutdown Starting Various stages of the shutdown procedure.
Shutdown in Progress

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 20

 Event Name Description
Calibration Started Various stages of a runtime calibration. A calibration cancellation can be
Calibration Complete caused by either a user or a power outage. See Diagnostics.
Calibration Canceled
Communication PowerChute has established communication with the UPS.
Established
Monitoring Started PowerChute has started or stopped monitoring the UPS.
Monitoring Stopped
Sufficient Runtime This event follows Insufficient Runtime Available. Your UPS now has
Available enough runtime available to perform a graceful shutdown.
Administrative Shutdown You have commanded a shutdown to start soon. This event is shown either
Scheduled ten minutes before a scheduled shutdown is due to occur, or when a
shutdown has been created in the Shutdown Now screen. An administrative
shutdown is caused by a user rather than an event such as a power outage.
See Shutdown.
Administrative Shutdown A shutdown will start after the user-specified delay has expired. This delay is
Pending specified in the Scheduled Shutdown screen, or under ‘Begin OS Shutdown
Sequence In’ in the Shutdown Now screen. See Shutdown.
Administrative Shutdown Cancel Server Shutdown was selected by the user and the shutdown
Canceled process was aborted. An administrative shutdown is caused by a user rather
than an event such as a power outage. See Shutdown.
Self Test Initiated The UPS has started or passed its internal diagnostic self test.
Self Test Passed See Diagnostics for details of the date and status of the self test.
AVR Boost No Longer The UPS no longer needs to use AVR Boost to correct a low voltage
Active condition. This event follows AVR Boost Enabled.
AVR Trim No Longer Active The UPS no longer needs to use AVR Trim to correct a high voltage
condition. This event follows AVR Trim Enabled.
Battery Reconnected The battery in your UPS had previously been disconnected and is now
reconnected.
Bypass Maintenance The UPS has been switched to bypass using the rear-panel switch on the
device.
Bypass User-Initiated A user has initiated a bypass using either the software or the UPS front-panel
control.
Bypass Ended The UPS is no longer on bypass.

Battery Replaced Various states relating to the battery.

Internal Temperature in The internal temperature of the UPS has returned to an acceptable level.
Range This event follows UPS Internal Temperature Threshold Exceeded or UPS
Internal Temperature Warning.
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.
Command file durations and shutdowns
The Time for other applications to shut down on the Outlet Sequence screen is an important element in a
shutdown (see the OFF sequence for more details). The value is read-only on the Outlet Sequence screen.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 21

 It represents the longest command file duration configured for any event that has shutdown enabled. Time for
other applications to shut down is automatically updated when the longest command file duration is
increased by using the Event Configuration screen.

For example, the Battery Discharged and On Battery events are both configured to shutdown. If you configure
the command file associated with the Battery Discharged event to have a duration of 3 minutes, and the On
Battery command file duration to 4 minutes, Time for other applications to shut down will be 4 minutes .

Longest command file Time for other

duration for a shutdown event applications to shut down
(Event Configuration) (Shutdown Settings)

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 22

E-Mail Settings
The E-Mail Settings 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).

• SMTP Server (Hostname, IPv4, or IPv6) 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.
• From E-Mail Address specifies the e-mail that the recipient gets the mail from. It is the e-mail account to
be used to send notifications.
• Port 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.
• Use SSL/TLS 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.
– SSL – 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.
– TLS – 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 Enable Server Identity Check 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 Test 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.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 23

 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.
For more information, see Replace Default PowerChute SSL Certificate.
See also: Authenticating e-mail.

Adding and removing e-mail recipients

To add an e-mail, under the Add/Remove E-Mail Recipients 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 Contact Name and System Location under Contact Information 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.

See “Authenticating e-mail” below.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 24

 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 Basic E-Mail for Authentication
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 SMTP Server (Hostname, IPv4, or IPv6) to obtain a list of IP Addresses that are allowed to send
authenticated e-mails.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 25

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 SNMP3 settings.

See:

• 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

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 26

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 Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 27

 UPS Critical Events
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.

Lost Communication Events

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.

Other Events
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.

Configuring SNMP Trap Notification Settings

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

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 28

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.

UPS Information
SNMP OID Name Access Description
upsBasicIdentModel read-only The UPS Model Name (e.g. APC Smart-UPS 1000).
upsBasicIdentName read-write The UPS Name.
upsAdvIdentFirmwareRevision read-only The version number of the UPS firmware.
upsAdvIdentDateOfManufacture read-only The date that the UPS was manufactured, in mm/dd/
yy or mm/dd/yyyy format.
upsAdvIdentSerialNumber read-only The internal serial number of the UPS internal
microprocessor. NOTE: This value does not
correspond to the serial number at the back of the
UPS.
upsBasicBatteryStatus read-only The status of the UPS batteries.
upsBasicBatteryTimeOnBattery read-only The elapsed time since the UPS switched to battery
power.
upsBasicBatteryLastReplaceDate read-write The date that the UPS batteries were last replaced, in
mm/dd/yy or mm/dd/yyyy format.
upsAdvBatteryCapacity read-only The remaining battery capacity, expressed as a
percentage of full capacity.
upsAdvBatteryTemperature read-only The current internal UPS temperature, in Celsius.
upsAdvBatteryRunTimeRemainin read-only The time remaining before the UPS batteries will be
g depleted.
upsAdvBatteryReplaceIndicator read-only This value indicates if the UPS batteries need to be
replaced.
upsAdvBatteryNumOfBattPacks read-only The number of external battery packs connected to
the UPS.
upsAdvBatteryActualVoltage read-only The battery voltage, in Volts.
upsBasicInputPhase read-only The current AC input phase.
upsAdvInputLineVoltage read-only The current voltage of the input power to the UPS, in
VAC.
upsAdvInputFrequency read-only The current input frequency to the UPS, in Hertz.
upsAdvInputLineFailCause read-only The most recent reason why the UPS transferred to
battery power.
upsBasicOutputStatus read-only The current state of the UPS (e.g. On Line, On
Battery, etc.).
upsBasicOutputPhase read-only The current output phase.
upsAdvOutputVoltage read-only The output voltage of the UPS, in VAC.
upsAdvOutputFrequency read-only The current output frequency of the UPS, in Hertz.
upsAdvOutputLoad read-only The current UPS load expressed as a percentage of
the UPS rated capacity.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 29

 upsAdvOutputCurrent read-only The current (in amperes) drawn by the load
connected to the UPS.
upsAdvConfigRatedOutputVoltag read-write The nominal output voltage from the UPS, in VAC.
e
upsAdvConfigHighTransferVolt read-write The maximum line voltage in VAC permitted
before the UPS transfers to battery power. See
High Transfer Voltage.
upsAdvConfigLowTransferVolt read-write The minimum line voltage in VAC permitted before
the UPS transfers to battery power. See Low
Transfer Voltage.
upsAdvConfigAlarm read-write An indication of how the UPS should handle audible
line fail alarms.
upsAdvConfigSensitivity read-write The sensitivity of the UPS to input power noise.
upsAdvConfigLowBatteryRunTim read-write The desired runtime of the UPS, once the low battery
e condition is reached, in seconds.
upsAdvConfigShutoffDelay read-write The number of seconds the UPS remains on, once it
has been commanded to turn off.
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

The query also returns the acceptable range of values

you can set for each OID. If your UPS does not
support an OID, the query will return null.
upsAdvControlFlashAndBeep read-write Write to this OID to control the UPS audible alarms
and UPS display indicator lights.
upsAdvControlBypassSwitch read-write Write to this OID to control the UPS bypass mode.
upsAdvTestDiagnosticSchedule read-write Write to this OID to control the battery test schedule of
the UPS.
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.
upsAdvTestLastDiagnosticsDate read-only The date of the last UPS diagnostic test in mm/dd/yy
format.
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.
upsAdvTestCalibrationDate read-only The date the last Runtime Calibration test was
performed, in mm/dd/yy format.
upsCommStatus read-only The status of the SNMP Agent’s communication with
the UPS.
powerNetSoftwareSystemDescrip read-only A description of the PowerChute Serial Shutdown
tion Agent.
upsOutletGroupStatusTableSize read-only The number of outlet groups in the UPS.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 30

 upsOutletGroupStatusTable read-only This table allows you to get the status of the outlet
groups in a UPS, as defined in the PowerNet MIB.
The number of entries in this table depends on
upsOutletGroupStatusTableSize
upsOutletGroupConfigTableSize read-only The number of outlet groups in the UPS.
upsOutletGroupConfigTable read-write A list of outlet groups that can be configured with a
range of parameters as defined in the PowerNet
MIB:
• Name
• PowerOnDelay
• PowerOffDelay
• RebootDuration
• MinReturnRuntime
• LoadShedControlSkipOffDelay
• LoadShedControlAutoRestart
• LoadShedControlTimeOnBattery
• LoadShedControlRuntimeRemaining
• LoadShedControlInOverload
• LoadShedTimeOnBattery
• upsOutletGroupConfigLoadShedRuntimeRemaining
PowerChute Serial Shutdown Identity Information
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.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Alarm Information

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.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 31

 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.

UPS Critical 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.

Lost Communication Events

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.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 32

Shutdown
In PowerChute Serial Shutdown, shutdowns can be initiated:

• Through an event occurring, see Event Configuration.

• By using a schedule, see Scheduled Shutdown.
• By manually shutting down your system, see Shutdown Now.
• By manually shutting down an outlet, see Outlet Control.
Shutdowns can also be initiated manually through the UPS LCD, or via UPS Load Shedding, or from “outside”
PowerChute, e.g. from the Network Management Card (NMC). However, using the NMC in conjunction with
PowerChute Serial Shutdown is not supported.

Initial Setup
This option guides you through a series of screens that enable you to complete your shutdown configuration.

You can select this menu option at any time but this screen displays automatically until you have confirmed
which outlet group is supplying power to the server hosting the PowerChute Agent (which displays on the
Outlet Setup screen).

The configuration screens are listed below in their display order. You can also access these screens individually
at any time.

• Preferences
• Outlet Setup
• Shutdown Settings
• Outlet Sequence
• Scheduled Shutdown
You can exit the shutdown configuration on any of the screens. When you click the Next or
Advanced Setup button, your changes are saved and are retained even if you cancel out of the
Initial Setup sequence before the end.

The Initial Setup screen is the default user interface until:

1.You accept the default outlet group presented by selecting the checkbox Confirm <Outlet Group name>
is powering the server with the PowerChute Agent and clicking Apply
OR

2.You select a different outlet group in the drop-down box and click Apply.

Shutdown Settings
This screen summarizes your shutdown configuration and also enables you to configure some steps of the
shutdown sequence. (This screen is also part of the shutdown configuration accessible through Initial Setup).

The summary includes timing and delays, with the “base time” being the occurrence of the On Battery event.
Note also that when load shedding is enabled, a warning is displayed at the bottom of this screen (see Load
Shedding).

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 33

 The options chosen on this screen can affect the configuration of events, set up in Event
Configuration. This can include which events are selected to cause a shutdown. Read the other
sections below for further information.

See also:

• Power Outage Configuration

• Power Outage Configuration and Shutdown on Event Configuration
• Interactivity in shutdown durations

Power Outage Configuration

The Power Outage Configuration options define the response when a power problem causes the UPS to
switch to battery operation.

• Immediately initiates a shutdown as soon as a On Battery event indicates that the UPS switched to
battery power.
• After UPS has been on battery for initiates a shutdown when the UPS has been operating on battery
power for the period of time configured here.
• At runtime limit configures the Low Battery event to shut down; this is viewable on the Event
Configuration screen.
The Low Battery event is generated when the UPS is on battery and the battery runtime falls below the
number of seconds you set here.
The Battery Discharged event is generated when the UPS is on line and the battery runtime falls below
the number of seconds you set here.
• Do not shut down during a power outage relies on the Low Runtime Warning event to cause a
shutdown.
The Low Runtime Warning event is generated when battery runtime falls below the combined time
configured for Application and Operating System shutdown: see the Operating System and
Application Shutdown section of this screen.

NOTE: This Low Runtime Warning event does not display on the Event Configuration screen as it is not
configurable (because it always causes a shutdown).
When you select different radio button options here, the displayed summary information on this screen (under
the Shutdown Summary heading) changes.

When any of the Outlet group turns off when checkboxes on Load Shedding are selected, this
can impact how this screen works. A warning displays on this screen to inform you of this.

Power Outage Configuration and Shutdown on Event Configuration

Choosing one of the four Power Outage Configuration options on Shutdown Settings (discussed above)
works interactively with the Event Configuration Shutdown checkboxes for different events.

You can see this by selecting a radio button option here, pressing Apply, and going to the Event Configuration
screen to note the differences.

This is also true in reverse: changing a Shutdown checkbox for an event in Event Configuration can change
which radio button option is selected here on Shutdown Settings.

If the check box is selected, a warning appears on the screen to inform you of this.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 34

 This table summarizes the interaction:

...the Shutdown checkbox of these events is selected

With this On
Battery option Time on Battery
selected: Low Battery On Battery Threshold
Exceeded
Immediately No Yes No
After UPS has been No No Yes
on battery for
At runtime limit Yes No No
Do not shut down in No No No
the event of a
power outage

* The Low Runtime Remaining event is always configured to shutdown for these Power Outage Configuration options.
This event is only displayed in the Event Log, and is not configurable on the Event Configuration page.
For example, if you choose Immediately here and apply it, you will see in the On Battery row of Event
Configuration that the Shutdown checkbox has been selected automatically.

And if you then clear the Shutdown checkbox for the On Battery event of Event Configuration, apply it, and
return here to Shutdown Settings, the Immediate option will NOT be the selected option.

Interactivity in shutdown durations

The value for Time for operating system to shut down on this Shutdown Settings screen displays as a
read-only field on the Outlet Sequence screen, see OFF sequence. By default, upon installation this value is
set to 180 seconds.

Another field on this Shutdown Settings screen, Time required for command file to run under Operating
System and Application Shutdown, interacts with the Command File Execution Duration field for the
Shutdown Starting event on Event Configuration. When they are changed, these fields automatically update
each other.

Shutdown Starting command Time required for

file duration (Event command file to run
Configuration)

(Note that the Time required for command file to run field only displays on Shutdown Settings when you
have chosen a command file).

Hyper-V Server operating system shuts itself down only after shutting down its virtual machines.
Allow for this in the Time for operating system to shut down value. Perform a test shutdown to
gauge the time needed.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 35

Scheduled Shutdown
Use this option to view and create scheduled shutdowns. (This screen is also part of the shutdown
configuration accessible through Initial Setup).

See Outlet Sequence for information on setting up delays and sequencing in shutdowns.

Viewing and creating scheduled shutdowns

The calendar view is by month. Move from month to month by clicking on the arrow buttons on the top left.
Click on the today button beside the arrow buttons to make today the highlighted date.

You can schedule a shutdown to:

• Occur once: runs once only

• Repeat Daily: runs every day at the same time.
• Repeat Weekly: runs on the same day of the week, every week.
A schedule that displays in red or with a red outline indicates one of the following:

1.The scheduled shutdown is due to run within ten minutes. At this point, you cannot edit a schedule though
you can cancel it. The schedule is labeled as Pending.
2.The schedule can’t be run: something has happened since you created the scheduled shutdown. For
example, you might have changed the outlet providing power to the PowerChute Agent (see Outlet
Setup).
– You should edit or delete this schedule, see “Creating and Editing Schedules”.
See also:

• Moving and resizing schedules

• Overlapping scheduled shutdowns
• Daylight savings and scheduled shutdowns

Creating and editing schedules

Ensure that your local time settings (timezone, date, and time) are correct. We recommend that
you don't create schedules from a web user interface in a different time zone.

To create a schedule:

• Click on a date in the main calendar view, and the Scheduled Shutdown dialog displays.

NOTE: You can only create shutdown schedules for a future time and date.
• Fill in the fields:

–Schedule Name: Provide a meaningful name for the schedule.

–Shutdown sequence starts at: Enter the date and time at which you want the shutdown sequence to
begin. Notes:
• You can define the shutdown sequence by configuring the Shutdown Settings.
• Once you enter a date and time to start the shutdown sequence, you must consider the values of
Time required for command file to run and the Time for Operating System to shutdown,
defined in the Shutdown Settings, when configuring the Turn-on sequence time. The UPS
cannot turn on before it has completed a shutdown.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 36

 – T urn-on sequence starts at: Enter the date and time at which you want the turn on sequence to
begin.
NOTE: You can define the turn on delay settings on the Outlet Sequence page.
• If you select a Main Outlet Group to shut down, its Switched Outlet Groups are automatically selected
also. A Main Outlet Group always turns off its Switched Outlet Groups before it turns off; see Outlet
Sequence.
• Click OK and the schedule displays back on the calendar view.
• You can enter as many schedules as you like during a session and they all display in the calendar.
NOTE: Browser performance may suffer if you enter more than 1000 schedules.
• However, they are not saved until you press the Apply button.
To change or delete a schedule:

• Click on the scheduled shutdown in the main calendar view and the Scheduled Shutdown dialog
displays with the current details.
• Change any field value as necessary and choose OK.
• Choose the Delete button to erase it from the calendar view.
A schedule is removed from the calendar after it runs.

A scheduled shutdown starts with the shutdown being initiated, and ends with the turn-on
command. Though the schedule duration does not appear to include the turn-on delays, they are
added to the schedule when it is executed. See Outlet Sequence.

Moving and resizing schedules

You can move a schedule in the calendar view by clicking and dragging. However, you can’t copy a schedule.

You can expand a schedule into a future date, but not into a past date. Expanding can save you time
because you don’t need to open the Scheduled Shutdown dialog.

To expand in the calendar view, hover the mouse pointer over the right edge of the schedule until you see the
double-headed arrow, and click and drag.

Overlapping scheduled shutdowns

Two overlapping scheduled shutdowns have some or all of their timing in common.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown uses criteria to ensure that the overlapping schedules you enter make sense, as
well as actually being possible to run.

To achieve this, PowerChute prevents the creation of some overlapping schedules and enforces priorities and
rules, as outlined in “Guidelines for running overlapping schedules”.

Guidelines for running overlapping schedules

If schedules overlap when they have one outlet group in common, then only one schedule is actually run.

How does PowerChute decide which one is run? By using this logic:

A once-off schedule has priority over:

1. a weekly schedule which has priority over

2. a daily schedule
The starting and ending times of the schedules are irrelevant in this.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 37

 For example, see the graphic, showing two overlapping schedules which both shut down the outlet called “Main
Server”. Even though it begins later, the “Once off with Main Server” schedule has priority over the “Weekly for
Main Server” schedule, and it is the only schedule which will run.

Prioritizing once-off schedules enables you to schedule a unique shutdown like a public holiday.

Prioritizing weekly over daily schedules enables you to shut down at the weekend, while maintaining
daily scheduled shutdowns.

IMPORTANT : As indicated, a schedule could be designated to start before an overlapping one and
still not run.

Daylight savings and scheduled shutdowns

Don’t schedule a shutdown to start or finish during a Spring daylight savings “transition hour”.

The transition hour means the skipped hour when daylight savings commences in Spring.

Outlet Sequence
The Outlet Sequence screen enables you to configure your outlet groups to turn off and on in a specific
sequence during a shutdown. (This screen is also part of the shutdown configuration accessible through Initial
Setup).

Additionally, you can choose whether outlet groups should automatically turn back on after a shutdown. (By
default, they turn on).

The delays on this screen apply to all shutdowns whether initiated by a power event, a scheduled
shutdown, or manually by a user.

IMPORTANT : The Load Shedding settings impact these on the Outlet Sequence screen page.

Examples of how you might use this screen

You configure the Off Sequencing of your outlet groups by specifying the turn-off delays of individual outlet
groups.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 38

 An example of this usage is in electronic “Point of sale” transactions, where it is essential to ensure that all the
front office equipment has been shut down gracefully before the back office equipment shuts down also. This
maintains the accuracy of the sales transaction data.

Similarly, On Sequencing is achieved by delaying the turning on of individual outlet groups. This applies when
your system is starting up initially or on the return of AC utility power after an outage.

You might use on sequencing to avoid a temporary overload if all the devices connected to your UPS try to turn
on at the same time. Another use might be to ensure that certain equipment, such as network switch devices,
turns on before other equipment, such as servers, which need the network switch in order to communicate.

Turning On
Outlet Group Outlet Group Outlet Group
with no delay with 40 sec delay with 80 sec delay

0 100

Seconds

Understanding the usage of outlet groups can be facilitated by thinking of them as separate UPS devices in
their functionality, or “virtual UPS devices”.

Using the graph and common fields

The graph at the top of this Outlet Sequence screen shows a timeline of delays, turn offs, and turn ons, for each
outlet group included in a shutdown.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 39

 Each outlet group has its own row in the graph, with the outlet group name on the same row, to the right. The
outlet group supplying power to the PowerChute Agent is designated by the PowerChute logo,

Time, in minutes and seconds, is measured along the bottom of the graph. The selected outlet group has a
green border in the graph.

Move your pointer over each section in the graph to display text with information on time values for that outlet group.

View and edit the turn off and turn on values in individual fields lower down on the screen.

To move between outlets, you can either click on a different row in the graph, or select a different tab.
The Automatically turn on all outlet groups when AC utility power returns checkbox
underneath the graph applies to all outlet groups displayed on this screen. If you want to turn on
outlets manually after your system has turned off, clear this checkbox.

Choosing which individual outlet groups to turn off in a shutdown

At the top of each area under the tabs, a message states whether the selected outlet group turns off during a
shutdown. The outlet group supplying power to the PowerChute Agent always turns off during a shutdown, so
This outlet group is included in a turn-off sequence always displays under that tab.

What displays here for other outlet groups depends on which type of outlet group — Main or Switched —
supplies power to the server that the PowerChute Agent is protecting. The different set-ups are discussed
below.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 40

 NOTE: On Smart-UPS devices, any outlet group labeled Group 1, Group 2, is a Switched Outlet Group. Any
unlabelled outlet group is a Main Outlet Group. (Some devices have no Main Outlet Group).

• If your UPS has a Main Outlet Group and it supplies power to the PowerChute Agent, then all outlet
groups will automatically turn off. When turning off, a Main Outlet Group always turns off all the Switched
Outlet Groups.

Main Outlet Group

Turning off a Main Outlet

Group also turns off all
Switched Outlet Groups

Group 1 Group 2

• If you use a Switched Outlet Group to supply power to the server running the PowerChute Agent, then
that server automatically turns off in a shutdown; the Main Outlet Group has a checkbox Turn this outlet
group off enabling you to choose whether or not to turn the group off.
– If you choose to turn this Main Outlet Group off, then all other Switched Outlet Groups turn off in a
shutdown.
– If you choose not to turn off the Main Outlet Group in a shutdown, then you have the choice whether to
turn off other Switched Outlet Groups.
• If you have only Switched Outlet Groups, then the group supplying power to the PowerChute Agent
always shuts down and ALL other groups have a choice of whether to be shut down or not.
When the Turn this outlet group off checkbox displays, and you clear the box, then the outlet
group disappears from the timeline graphic.

Deciding on delay times for individual outlet groups

You can set delay times for both turning OFF an outlet group and turning it back ON with the Time for outlet
group to turn off and Time before outlet group turns on fields respectively.

Referencing the timeline graph for individual outlet groups in comparison with any other outlet
groups can be very helpful in understanding how they work in tandem.

Simply placing the mouse pointer over the different graph rows displays values and delay labels. The graph
also shows the order, from left to right, of delay times coming into play.

OFF sequence
Any Main Outlet Group can only turn off AFTER all the Switched Outlet Groups are off.

The outlet group supplying power to the PowerChute Agent has these possible turn-off delay times:

• Time for other applications to shut down: this value represents a duration for applications like Siebel
and Microsoft SQL to shut down gracefully and for any command file to run.

This is a read-only value here. In many circumstances, it derives from Time required for
command file to run on Shutdown Settings. However, if you configure ANY individual
shutdown

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 41

 event to use a greater command file running time, then that is displayed here instead. (You configure this on
Event Configuration). See also the Interactivity in shutdown durations.
• Total time for <outlet group name> to turn off: This displays when the PowerChute Agent outlet group
is also the Main Outlet Group. The field shows the greatest length of time configured for the other outlets
groups to turn off, in the Turn outlet group off after field. (Any Main Outlet Group has to wait for the
Switched Outlet Groups to turn off first).
• Time for operating system to shut down: this value is configured on the Shutdown Settings screen.

Turn-off delays for the PowerChute Agent Outlet Group

Other
applications
+ Operating
System
shutdown shutdown
Main Outlet Group

Group 1

As indicated in the bullets above, any outlet group other than the group supplying power to the PowerChute
Agent has this field: Turn outlet group off after.

ON sequence
When turning on, the Main Outlet Group turns on first, and its delays must have expired before the Switched
Outlet Groups turn on.

The “stay off” times and “turn on” delays are separate concepts, and have separate values.

All configured Switched Outlet Groups receive the command to start the turn-on process at the
same time: their different delays can vary their actual turn on.

Timeline for Turning On

Switched Outlets Main Outlet Group Main Outlet Group
‘Stay O ’ time turns on & its delays sends turn-on signal
expires expire to all switched outlets
Switched outlets turn on in sequence according to their delay times

Seconds

The following fields are present for all outlet groups, Main or Switched:

• Outlet group stays off for a minimum of: Regardless of any other outlet group, the individual group
always stays off for at least the amount of time specified here.
NOTE: A Main Outlet Group cannot start its turn on until the Switched Outlet Groups have finished their
stay-off delay times.

• Minimum battery runtime required before outlet group turns on: Entering a value in this field
ensures that the outlet group does not turn on unless the UPS can support the load on this outlet group
for this amount of time.
• Use this additional delay to sequence outlet group turn-on: Entering different delay values in this field
causes the sequencing of turn ons. See the different possibilities below. Place the mouse pointer over
the different graph rows for further information on the delay values shown.
– If you have a UPS with Switched Outlet Groups only:
Their individual Use this additional delay... delay times start to count down simultaneously.
– If you have a UPS with both Main and Switched Outlet Groups:

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 42

 On the Main Outlet Group, the turn on begins after the minimum stay-off times for all outlet groups
have expired and its own Use this additional delay... time has elapsed, in that order.
On the Switched Outlet Groups, after the Main Outlet Group is turned on, their individual Use this
additional delay... delay times begin to count down.
• Waiting for other outlet groups is a non-editable value that shows how long a group must wait for other
outlet groups before starting its own Use this additional delay... delay time. It does not always have a
value. (Move your pointer over the graph rows to understand this concept in practice). It can be derived
from several factors:
– waiting for a Main Outlet Group to turn on
– the turn-off delays of other outlet groups
– the stay-off delays of other outlet groups

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 43

Load Shedding
Load shedding enables you to specify conditions to turn off power to individual Switched Outlet Groups.

See Shutdown Now for information on manually turning off outlet groups with immediate effect.

An example of using this load shedding option would be for turning off non-critical loads like monitors when the
UPS is running on battery or is overloaded. This would preserve the battery charge and the runtime for
essential loads.

Another example would be to disable an automatic restart after an overload in order to investigate the cause of
the overload before turning the outlet group back on.

Load shedding is available for UPS devices with Switched Outlet Groups but NOT for a Main
Outlet Group. If your UPS has no Switched Outlet Groups, then the menu item does not display.

IMPORTANT : The Load Shedding settings impact those on the Outlet Sequence page! You should
clear the top three checkboxes if you don’t want to use load shedding.

If you have more than one Switched Outlet Group, click on the relevant tab.

When any checkbox is selected under the Outlet group turns off when heading, and the individual condition
is met, then that outlet turns off. It is NOT necessary for all three conditions to be met to have the outlet group
turn off.

The UPS determines when an overload event occurs, see Overload.

If you have selected the UPS Overload condition exists checkbox and an overload occurs which turns off the
outlet group, it might not be possible to turn the outlet group back on without first clearing the checkbox.

As displayed under Associated actions, you can enable two actions to occur when load shedding turns off an
outlet group.

• The Use Turn Off Delay value is derived from Outlet Sequence.

The turn-off delay is NOT observed with an overload even if you select Use Turn Off Delay.
It is observed with the other two labels: Time on battery exceeds and Remaining runtime while on
battery falls below.
• You can configure an outlet group to restart by selecting Turn on outlet group automatically when AC
utility power returns.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 44

Outlet Control
The Control Outlet Groups screen shows you the name and present status of each outlet group on your UPS. In
addition you can specify actions to occur immediately by choosing from lists in the drop-down boxes.

No actions are available for the Main Outlet Group unless all Switched Outlet Groups are turned off,
and their status here is displayed as Off.

The possible types of status for each outlet group are:

• On
• On, turning off
• On, processing shutdown
• On, processing reboot
• On, processing sleep
• On, processing shutdown for load shedding
• Off
• Off, turning on
• Off, processing shutdown
• Off, processing reboot
• Off, processing sleep
To choose an action for an outlet group, select it from the drop-down box and click Apply. These actions
include rebooting which is useful for bringing unresponsive equipment back into operation. The Off action can
be used to prevent other people from adding unauthorized equipment to a UPS.

The available actions are below, (see also Outlet Sequence):

• Off with Delay - turn off the outlet group power while enforcing the configured delays.
• Off Immediately - turn off the outlet group power without any delays.
• Shut down with Delay, AC restart - turn off the outlet group while enforcing the configured delays; if AC
utility power subsequently returns, the outlet group will restart, with configured delays.
• Shut down Immediately, AC restart - turn off the outlet group without any delays; if AC utility power
subsequently returns, the outlet group will restart, with configured delays.
• Reboot with Delay - turn off and restart the outlet group while enforcing all the configured turn-off and
turn-on delays.
• Reboot Immediately - turn off immediately; restart the outlet group with the configured delays.
This user interface always displays a confirmation screen before carrying out any of these actions.
Use the Confirm button on that screen to continue with the action or Cancel to stop. The
confirmation screen also specifies any configured delays in seconds.

IMPORTANT: Setting the UPS LCD to read-only and turning off the outlet group with the PowerChute
Agent will necessitate a UPS reboot to turn the outlet group back on. See UPS LCD is Read-Only
and the table footnote.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 45

Shutdown Now
Use the Shutdown Now screen to initiate a shutdown sequence, either immediately or within fifteen minutes.
You can also control how and when the UPS turns on after the shutdown.

The screen can be used as a quick alternative to scheduling a once-off shutdown.In addition, it gives you the
option of manually turning on power to the UPS after a shutdown.

UPS Shutdown Type With both of these options in this drop-down box —
Delayed Wakeup and Manual Restart — the turn-
off delays you have set up on Outlet Sequence are
observed.

However, the turn-on delays are observed with

Delayed Wakeup but they are NOT observed with
Manual Restart.
Wakeup Delay This field displays only when you choose Delayed
Wakeup.

Use it to specify the amount of time the UPS will

remain turned off. The Time for operating system to
shut down and Time for other applications to shut
down are subtracted from this Wakeup Delay, to
ensure that all switched outlet groups commence turn
on at the same time.

Example:

For a UPS with two switched outlet groups (1 & 2):

• Outlet Group 1: Time for operating system to shut
down and Time for other applications to shut down
are set to 2 minutes each.
• Outlet Group 2: Time for operating system to shut
down and Time for other applications to shut down
are set to 1 minute each.
• If you set the Wakeup Delay for the UPS to 6 minutes:
- Outlet Group 1 is asleep for 2 minutes
(6 minutes minus 2+2 minutes)
- Outlet Group 2 is asleep for 4 minutes
(6 minutes minus 1+1 minutes)
- Both Switched Outlet Groups commence Turn On
delay at the same time.

Use the Cancel Pending Shutdown button on this screen if you change your mind about shutting
down. It displays on this screen before the shutdown commences.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 46

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 View Event Log 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 Export 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 Clear Log button at the bottom of the screen.

Click Refresh 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 Timestamp to Human date. 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.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 47

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 Show / Hide Columns 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 Reset Columns button.

To delete all records in the data log, click Clear Log at the bottom of the screen.

Click Refresh 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.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 48

 Use Event Log Entry Expiration and Data Log Entry Expiration 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 Expiration 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 Data Recording Interval 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 Do Not Delete Entries, the files might get very large after a period of time.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 49

Energy Management
Energy Management enables you to monitor the energy consumption of equipment attached to your UPS. This
includes carbon dioxide consumption and your energy costs.

Energy Management accesses data on Schneider Electric servers by using the Internet.

Energy Reporting
The energy report gives you information on Energy consumed in kilowatts per hour and the Cost incurred in
your local currency.

On installation, PowerChute references your operating system and determines your system locale. From
the locale, PowerChute determines average prices and emissions for your country. (See Energy
Settings).

CO2: The carbon dioxide that was emitted in generating this energy. This is measured over the chosen time
period in kilograms or pounds.

Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas — it traps heat radiation that would otherwise escape from Earth — and is
a primary cause of climate change.

Energy report time span

The energy report period is by default from the PowerChute Serial Shutdown installation date today.

You cannot enter a date prior to the PowerChute installation date in the From field. You cannot enter a date
after today’s date in the To field.

If you change the From date, this new date becomes the default, whereas the To date is always today’s date.

(If you have performed a PowerChute upgrade, the From date is still the original installation date).

Energy usage reported by the UPS

For some UPS devices, cumulative energy from your UPS is displayed in the Cumulative energy from your
UPS field at the bottom of the screen. This will always correspond to the kWh on the UPS LCD. It is the total
energy usage of the UPS, so will also include any energy used prior to the PowerChute installation.

If you replace the UPS supporting your server with another UPS, the existing energy report values are
not deleted.

Energy Settings
With this screen, you can change the country used in energy calculations, the cost of your energy, and your
CO2 emissions calculation.

If you change your country here, ALL historical values, including CO2 emissions, are deleted. This is
because energy costs vary between countries, so the historical costs would be very likely inaccurate.

The country selected is used to calculate average costs. However, if you know your energy costs from your
electricity bill, then you can use the Cost per < Kilowatt/Pounds>Hour column to input a different value.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 50

 Click on the plus symbol at the foot of the Energy Cost History table to add another row.

Click on the pen icon to edit a row and the bin icon to delete a row.

If you delete a row, it will not be used in any future energy calculation.

Energy calculation
The costs and dates on display here combine to generate the report on Energy Reporting.

For example, suppose your screen by default displays 04/25/2017 with a cost of 0.1. You add a row with a date
of 10/30/2017 and a cost of 0.15.

For the example, let’s say today’s date is January 3, 2018 (displayed as 01/03/2018).

In calculating the total cost, the Energy Reporting screen uses the 0.1 cost per hour for the dates 04/25 to 10/29
in 2017, and the 0.15 cost per hour for the period from 10/30/2017 to 01/03/2018.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 51

About
The About dialog provides information about the UPS, and the system connected to the UPS.

UPS Information Parameters

Parameter Description
UPS Model The model name of the UPS, e.g. Smart-UPS 750.
UPS SKU The SKU of the UPS, e.g. SMT750.
Firmware Revision The revision of the UPS firmware. NOTE: This value does not
display for all UPS devices.
Manufacture Date The date that the UPS was manufactured.
Serial Number The serial number of the UPS. This number is also printed on the
label of the UPS.
Battery Installation Date The date the UPS battery was installed.
UPS Name The UPS name, as defined on the UPS Settings page.
Protected System Information
Parameter Description
Server Name The name of the server connected to the UPS on which the
PowerChute Agent is running.
IP Address The IP address(es) of the server connected to the UPS.
Operating System The operating system running on the server connected to the UPS.
UPS Communication Port The communication port on the server to which the PowerChute
Agent is connected.
Contact Name The contact name assigned to the server connected to the UPS.
System Location The location of the server connected to the UPS.

Product Version
Parameter Description
PowerChute Serial Shutdown The version number of the PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent
Agent Version running on the server.
Java Version The version number of Java running on the server.

To update the Java version used with PowerChute, see Java

Update.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 52

General

PowerChute Configuration File

PowerChute stores some configuration settings in a file called pcssconfig.ini, located in the Agent
directory in the installed PowerChute directory. If the default location was chosen during installation, the
pcssconfig.ini file can be found at:

• C:\Program Files\APC\PowerChute Serial Shutdown\agent for Windows systems

• /opt/APC/PowerChuteSerialShutdown/Agent/ for Linux systems
It is not recommended to edit the pcssconfig.ini file directly as this may lead to
invalid configurations.

It is not recommended to delete the pcssconfig.ini or pcssconfig_backup.ini files from the

installation directory. Deleting these files will result in the PowerChute service not starting, and PowerChute
must be uninstalled and re-installed.

PowerChute stores the below settings to the configuration file:

• Scheduled Shutdown
• SNMP Settings

SNMPv3 passphrases are not saved to the configuration file as they need to be stored
securely. When the configuration file is copied over to another machine, you must
manually enter the passphrases. For more information, see Knowledge Base article
FA360658.
• Changing Language
After you have configured one installation of PowerChute, you can use the pcssconfig.ini file to apply the
same configuration to another copy of PowerChute on a different machine.

To apply the settings on the target machine:

1. Stop the PowerChute service. For more information, see Knowledge Base article FA360654.
2. Replace the existing copy of pcssconfig.ini in the Agent directory.
3. Start the PowerChute service.
Resetting your Username and Password
If you have forgotten the username or password created during installation, you can reset the credentials by
using the pcssconfig.ini file:

1. Open the pcssconfig.ini file with a text editor (e.g. Notepad) and add the following:
[Credentials]
username=
password=

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 53

 Enter the new username and password directly after the equals sign.
– The username must be between 6 and 128 characters in length.
– The password requires:
• Minimum 8 and maximum 128 characters in length
• 1 upper and lower case letter
• 1 number or special character
• The username cannot be part of the password.
NOTE: The username and password cannot contain double-byte characters.
2. Save the pcssconfig.ini file.
3. Restart the APC PBE Agent service. See Knowledge Base article FA360654.
4. If the username and password meet the requirements, the [Credentials] section is deleted from the
pcssconfig.ini file, and the new credentials are ready to use.
– If the credentials entered in pcssconfig.ini do not meet the requirements, an error is written to
the file. Check the file for the error, adjust the credentials accordingly, and restart the Agent service.
5. Log in to the PowerChute web interface with your new credentials.

Java Update
The Java Update feature enables you to change the Java Development Kit (JDK) used by PowerChute to any
other JDK already installed on your system. Follow the steps below to update the Java version used by
PowerChute:

1. Download a valid JDK on your system. JDKs can be downloaded from the Adoptium OpenJDK
website.
PowerChute v1.3 ships with latest version of Adoptium OpenJDK release. You can only
update the Java version used with PowerChute to a 64-bit JDK.

The Java versions supported by PowerChute are available in the Compatibility Chart.
2. Navigate to the PowerChute installation directory, and create a new folder called “Updates”. If the
default installation directory was chosen during installation, this location will be:
– C:\Program Files\APC\PowerChute Serial Shutdown\Updates for Windows systems
3. /opt/APC/PowerChuteSerialShutdown/Updates/ for Linux systems
4. Copy the Java file (tar.gz or zip) downloaded in Step 1 above to the Updates directory.
4. Navigate to the About dialog in the PowerChute UI. Under Software Updates, the downloaded Java
file will be listed in a drop-down box in the Java Update Available field.
5. Select the Java version you want to update PowerChute to use from the drop-down box, and click
Update Java.
6. An authentication dialog will appear asking for your PowerChute credentials if you are upgrading the
Java version used for the first time. Enter your credentials and click Sign In. Upon successful
authentication, the Java upgrade process begins.
7. PowerChute restarts automatically during the Java upgrade process. Wait 3-5 minutes for the Java
version to successfully update.
8. When the PowerChute service restarts, refresh your browser and navigate to the About dialog. The
Java Version field will be updated to show the new Java used by PowerChute.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 54

Replace Default PowerChute SSL Certificate
For information on how to replace the default PowerChute SSL certificate, see the
PowerChute Serial Shutdown Security Handbook.

Third Party Licenses

Third party licenses used in PowerChute Serial Shutdown are available to view in the
THIRDPARTYLICENSEREADME.txt file in the Agent directory. If the default location was chosen during
installation, this text file can be found at:

• C:\Program Files\APC\PowerChute Serial Shutdown\agent for Windows systems

• /opt/APC/PowerChuteSerialShutdown/Agent/ for Linux systems

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 55

Preferences

Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP)

PowerChute's Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP) provides us with the information that
enables us to improve our product and services, and helps us to advise you on how best to deploy and
configure PowerChute.

As part of the CEIP, we will collect certain information about how you configure and use PowerChute Serial
Shutdown in your environment. This information is completely anonymous, and cannot be used to personally
identity any individual. For more information, please refer to the CEIP Frequency Asked Questions.

By default, you are participating in the PowerChute CEIP. If you prefer not to participate, unselect the Join
PowerChute Customer Experience Improvement Program ("CEIP") checkbox in the PowerChute
Customer Experience Improvement Program page. You can join or leave the CEIP at any time.

PowerChute Updates
PowerChute automatically checks for updates and informs you if a new version of the software is available to
download. This update check sends anonymous PowerChute environment data to the Schneider Electric
update server.

The Enable PowerChute Updates checkbox is selected by default. If you prefer to opt-out of checking for
updates, unselect this checkbox.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 56

Troubleshooting

PowerChute Files ZIP Archive

To help the PowerChute team resolve customer issues, the PowerChute files ZIP archive feature creates a ZIP
archive of the necessary PowerChute configuration files for troubleshooting. This feature can be found in the
Troubleshooting section in the About dialog. This ZIP archive will be saved in the Agent directory in the
installed PowerChute directory. If the default location was chosen during installation, the PcssFiles-
<TimeStamp>.zip file can be found at:

• C:\Program Files\APC\PowerChute Serial Shutdown\agent for Windows systems

• /opt/APC/PowerChuteSerialShutdown/Agent/ for Linux systems
The PowerChute configuration files exported to the ZIP archive are:

energylog directory DataLog file

etc directory EventLog.txt file
EventLog_Eng.txt cmdfile.log file
log directory pcssconfig.ini file
comps.m11 file PCSS-Summary.json file
critical.cfg file proclog.txt file
data.dat file

If you have a PowerChute customer issue, contact your regional Technical Support team, and provide the
PcssFiles-<TimeStamp>.zip file to help resolve your issue.

PowerChute Serial Shutdown Agent User Guide 57

 APC by Schneider Electric
Worldwide Customer Support
Customer support for this or any other product is available at no charge in any of the following ways:
• Visit the APC by Schneider Electric web site, to access documents in the APC Knowledge Base and
to submit customer support requests.
– www.apc.com (Corporate Headquarters)
Connect to localized APC by Schneider Electric web site for specific countries, each of which
provides customer support information.
– www.apc.com/support/
Global support searching APC Knowledge Base and using e-support.
• Contact the APC by Schneider Electric Customer Support Center by telephone or e-mail.
– Local, country-specific centers: go to www.apc.com/support/contact for contact information.

For information on how to obtain local customer support, contact the APC by Schneider Electric
representative or other distributor from whom you purchased your APC by Schneider Electric product.

As standards, specifications, and designs change from time to time, please ask for confirmation of the information given in this publication.
© 2024 Schneider Electric. All Rights Reserved. Schneider Electric, APC and PowerChute are trademarks and the property of Schneider Electric
SE, its subsidiaries and affiliated companies. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

TME10991B-001 11/2024