With a few keystrokes, you can utilize the power of PowerChute plus to enhance the reliability and manageability of network and web servers. APC designed PowerChute plus software to meet the demands of sensitive, high performance network equipment. Since PowerChute plus software is certified for operating systems such as Microsoft Windows, Windows NT, Novell NetWare, IBM OS/2, LAN Server, and Sun Solaris, you are ensured of operating system compatibility.

PowerChute plus dramatically enhances network reliability by automatically responding to protect system/data integrity during power crisis situations. It proactively manages the APC UPSs protecting your network and provides administrators with premium power management tools. With PowerChute plus you have the ability to manage your APC UPS's via the standard PowerChute plus interface, SNMP, DMI, and Web browsers. Features vary by operating system. See below a“Features by OS”chart to help you determine feature availability for your OS.

New Features for Windows NT:

• Smart Scheduling
  New graphical interface permits easy and flexible UPS management.
• BackOffice Compatible
• WorkSafe Feature
  In the event of a power outage, PowerChute Plus will save open files and closes open applications before shutting down.
• Wide Area Monitoring
  Now supports cross domain monitoring. This new feature makes PowerChute Plus ideal for WAN-wide UPS applications.
• DMI Compliant
  PowerChute Plus now permits seamless integration with DMI-based server management packages such as LANDesk Manager.
• Microsoft SMS Compatibility
  This enhancement greatly reduces the administrative tasks of upgrades and installations.

Power Crisis Management

Unattended and Scheduled System Shutdown and Automatic Reboot
During an extended power outage, the UPS system battery can be drained before an operator can shut down the computer system gracefully. In this case, the system will crash as if no UPS were present. PowerChute plus software ensures that the system is safely shut down and that data is safely stored before battery backup power is exhausted, even if the system is unattended. Administrators no longer have to race around to shut off systems before batteries become depleted. PowerChute plus can be configured to automatically power down a system safely when it is not in use (at night or on weekends) and reboot the system before the work day or week begins. This feature results in added system security and an electrical energy cost savings of up to 76% based on a typical 40-hour work week.

Multi-server shutdown
PowerChute plus provides safe, unattended, multiple server shutdown for users planning to connect more than one server to the same UPS. The SmartSlot™ Interface Expander™ accessory option gives administrators the ability to control three servers. Additionally, APC's Share-UPSTM provides operating system independent shutdown for up to eight servers.

Power event notification for users
PowerChute plus also warns LAN users of power problems and impending shutdown before safely shutting down the server. Users have ample time to save files and exit their desktop OS. They also receive periodic alerts about the time remaining until shutdown. Power event messages can also be customized to warn users in their native language and to provide real-time notification of local or remote problems.

Power event notification for administrators
One key to successful LAN administration is the ability to manage remote LANs and to solve power problems without users ever knowing a problem existed. For example, a UPS on a far-off server has switched to battery. Before PowerChute plus notifies users of the potential problem, a network administrator receives notification and can use the PowerChute plus UPS Power Events Log to diagnose the problem. If a minor voltage fluctuation triggered the alert, and the fluctuations do not threaten hardware, the administrator can adjust the remote UPS's voltage tolerance window to prevent shutdown. PowerChute plus thus helps save the cost of lost productivity because of an unnecessary system shutdown, and the network administrator never leaves his or her desk.

WorkSafeª application shutdown
When bad power strikes, and PowerChute plus opts for automatic server shutdown, critical applications like Lotus Notes or SAP R/3 may be open and unattended. To prevent expensive data corruption of those server applications, WorkSafe provides safe, unattended application shutdown before the server shutdown process begins.

Proactive UPS Management

Scheduled UPS Self-tests
PowerChute plus software can schedule a Smart-UPS or Matrix-UPS to perform periodic self-tests to monitor the health of the UPS. This ensures problems such as weakened batteries are detected before they impact uptime. In the complex world of network management, UPS preventative maintenance is often the last thing on a“to-do”list. Administrators don't have time to walk from UPS to UPS to initiate weekly self-tests. The solution: PowerChute plus software-scheduled UPS testing. Scheduled testing increases network reliability by automatically informing administrators whenever a battery needs replacement or a UPS requires service. In fact, the software can notify a service provider automatically via E-mail or pager.

Automatic UPS battery conservation
If a UPS shuts down the server, but is unable to turn off its own electrical outlets, the server will continue to drain the UPS batteries until they are discharged. If power comes back and then flicks off again, the depleted UPS will be unable to power the load and the server will crash on start-up. APC software turns off the UPS's power outlets, conserving the battery for subsequent power outages, and decreasing recharge time.

Managed Power Tool Box

Remote UPS management via workstations
Few companies can afford to employ on-site administrators at branch sites, or to fly trained personnel to remote sites to configure UPS parameters, reboot servers or diagnose power problems. APC software provides remote control of both UPS and server, saving airfare and on-site support and personnel costs.

With PowerChute plus, administrators can look out across the LAN or WAN (enhanced with included PowerNet SNMP Agent plug-ins) and program internal UPS parameters, or obtain the status of any UPS from a local workstation. PowerChute plus allows authorized users to monitor and manage UPS functions, electrical power, and environmental factors like temperature and humidity (with APC Measure-UPS accessory) without having a network superuser or supervisor account.

Real-time graphical display of power/UPS status
The PowerChute plus intuitive management screen provides a quick, visual status-check of the power line and environmental conditions (when used with a Measure-UPS™ environmental monitoring accessory) for fast problem detection and diagnosis. Check important operating data such as UPS status and battery runtime (in minutes or % of battery capacity), which provide a gauge for determining when shutdown will occur. Administrators can also examine load capacity and voltage to determine the health of the UPS at a glance.

UPS power event logging
UPS status changes, power disturbances and environmental problems can be time-stamped and documented in both the standard server error log and the UPS power events log. Administrators can diagnose UPS/power problems and perform corrective action before uptime is affected.

UPS Parameter Configuration
Because you can't ensure every server and UPS in your network receives uniform power or is exposed to stable environmental conditions, you need the ability to fine-tune your equipment to respond appropriately to variations in power levels and temperature or humidity fluctuations. If your power supply is prone to minute but frequent variations, PowerChute allows you to adjust the high/low transfer parameter so your UPS doesn't continuously switch to battery mode. You can also custom control the UPS wake-up delay to ensure the batteries are sufficiently charged before the server automatically reboots. These and other configuration points help maintain maximum secure uptime and provide you peace of mind in even the most unpredictable environments.

Management Plug-ins

Plug-ins are additional pieces of software that enhance the functionality of PowerChute plus. Advanced software plug-ins allow you to customize PowerChute plus to meet the needs of and integrate with several powerful programs.

Server Management Solutions
PowerChute plus Plug-ins allow users to manage their APC UPS directly from their server management package. Network administrators simply don’t have time to use four or five different tools to perform a single task, so APC PowerChute plus ensures complete integration of key UPS/power information with many server management packages. Users can quickly and easily determine UPS status, configure parameters, and even perform shutdown and reboot Ð all from within their server management programs. APC provides full support for:

• Compaq Insight Manager
• IBM Netfinity
• HP NetServer Assistant
• LANDesk Server Manager
• Microsoft SMS

Microsoft SMS Compatibility
APC’s PowerChute plus is now fully compatible with Microsoft’s SMS. Via SMS, PowerChute plus can be configured to install over a network to any SMS manageable computer. Administrators can now upgrade servers that already have PowerChute plus, or install PowerChute plus onto new servers. This enhancement greatly reduces the administrative tasks of upgrades or installations.

In addition, PowerChute plus provides safe, orderly shutdown of mission-critical applications that could suffer data corruption during an unattended shutdown: Microsoft Back Office

• Internet Information Server
• SQL Server
• Exchange Server
• SMS Server
• SAP R/3
• Lotus Notes
• NetScape Communications Server

APC Communication Plug-Ins for remote management
PowerChute plus Remote Management Plug-ins provide the ability to perform the gamut of power management tasks utilizing standard industry protocols.

Unique Internet/Intranet integration

PowerChute plus provides three key features that make it the best choice for Web Server power protection: WebAgent, WebAlert and Web Server Shutdown. PowerChute plus has proven compatibility with the leading web server operating systems, which allows APC UPS units to integrate easily with Web management and power protection strategies.

WebAgent
WebAgent allows a user to monitor their UPS utilizing a Web Browser. Users have secure access to their Web server UPS information from anywhere on the Internet or Intranet. It is no longer necessary for the administrator to be logged into the network in order to configure/monitor the UPS/power information. In addition, the GUI in the browser may be more familiar and comfortable than APC's proprietary interface. The PowerChute plus WebAgent brings the power and flexibility of the Internet to the core of APC power protection.

WebAlert
On a typical LAN or WAN, when the server UPS goes to battery, PowerChute plus broadcasts a message to users logged into that server warning them of an impending shutdown and giving them the opportunity to save data and log off before shutdown occurs. When utilizing a web server, users don't generally log onto the server, so communication with a user is more complex. A user could browse a web server on UPS battery power and never know about the power problem or impending shutdown until it's too late. If the user happened to be downloading a file, commencing a transaction, or exchanging other data with the server, the data could instantly vanish or be corrupted when the web server was downed. WebAlert proactively notifies users via the web browser that the UPS is running on battery and that the server will shutdown.

Web server shutdown
This feature provides unattended graceful shutdown of the Web server application in the event of an extended power outage. Without this feature, users run the risk of file corruption when the operating system shuts down. APC guards against data damage by safely and automatically shutting down the Web server application before proceeding with the operating system shutdown. Compatible with:

• Internet Information Server
• Netscape Enterprise Server
• Netscape FastTrack Server

This tri-level functionality found only in APC PowerChute plus power management software is a necessity for any Web server UPS. Without these pieces in place, both web server reliability and customer/surfer satisfaction are in jeopardy.

Features

Basic Signaling Service
Some operating systems provide a basic UPS monitoring service. American Power Conversion offers a number of cable kits to make use of this basic signaling service. Basic signaling service is available for: Banyan Vines (APC part #940-0004), AS/400 (APC part #940-0006), Windows NT/Lantastic/LANServer (APC part #940-0020), and SCO Unix (part #AP9823).

Basic PowerChute
APC also offers basic PowerChute packages for the following operating systems: VMS; Open VMS, (APC part# AP9006), and MacOS (part#AP9001). Novell’s UPS Monitoring Board is also available (part # AP9500). In addition, APC offers the Control-UPS/400 accessory for Smart-UPS or Matrix-UPS. This accessory provides advanced PowerChute plus functionality for the AS/400 platform (APC part # AP9012).

Back-UPS Support
All versions of PowerChute plus also support APC’s Back-UPS with unattended operating system shutdown, user notification, and automatic reboot of the server. All operating systems listed in the chart above are supported with a Back-UPS except SGI Irix and DEC UNIX.