Configuring a UPS device

You can use one of two configuration methods to add UPS devices to a Series 9X8 systems. For the first or only UPS, which is attached to the third serial port on the system's LAN/Console I/O interface card, you use NMMGR to set the data preconfigured in the default configuration group supplied with the FOS tape. You perform this procedure once, immediately after you install a new system. For additional UPS devices, which are attached to a DTC serial I/O port, you use NMMGR to supply all of the information necessary to configure the device(s). (As the final step in this second method, you will cross-validate the configuration files with SYSGEN.)

On a Series 991 or 995, all UPS devices are attached to the system via a DTC serial I/O port. As a result, you use NMMGR to configure them in a procedure similar to configuring terminals, and then cross-validate the configuration files with SYSGEN. Use this procedure any time you need to configure UPS devices.




	NOTE: Each UPS device, and only a UPS device, `must` have its device class name set to `HPUPSDEV` during I/O configuration. Otherwise, the UPS Monitor/iX software will not be able to initialize and communicate with the UPS device(s) correctly.

To configure the first UPS on a Series 9X8

After you have installed a new Series 9X8 system, you must "set" the UPS configuration data supplied in default configuration group. To configure the first UPS, do the following:

Boot the system using the default configuration group.
At the MPE prompt, start the NMMGR program. Enter:
:RUN NMMGR.PUB.SYS
Press the Open Config softkey twice and wait while NMMGR opens a configuration file.
Enter a node name and press the Save Data softkey.
Press the Go to DTS softkey to display the DTS configuration screen.
Tab to the third field and enter the physical path of the LAN/Console I/O interface card, then press the Save Data softkey.
Press the Go to UPS Port softkey and at the UPS Port screen, verify that the LDEV number is correct, the Parity Checking option is set to none, and the baud rate to 1200. Make any changes to this screen if it is necessary to correct the values.
Press the Save Data softkey to save your UPS Port configuration. (Note that the upper right corner of the screen will change from Data: N to Data: Y.)
Press Prior Screen twice and at the Main screen, press Utility.
At the Utility screen, press Validate Link/DTS to cross-validate the DTC configuration with the SYSGEN configuration.
Once validation is complete, press Prior Screen three times and at the Open Configuration File screen, press Exit Program to exit NMMGR.
Reboot the system to make the new configuration effective.
Turn power to the DTC hardware off and then on again to download the correct baud rate for the UPS port to the DTC hardware. (On some systems, cycling the power to a DTC may require you to unplug it and plug it in again.)

NOTE: If you don't know the path of the Console/LAN interface card, start SYSGEN's I/O configurator and at the io> prompt, use the LDEV command to check the path:

   io>LDEV LDEV=20

The console will be on an I/O path of the form XX/XX.0, such as 56/56.0. The UPS device that you are configuring will have a path of the form XX/XX.3 (for example, 56.3). Exit the I/O configurator and Sysgen and use this information in step 6.

To configure a UPS connected via a DTC port

Use the following steps when you are configuring additional UPS devices (i.e., those other than the first one) on the Series 9X8 system and for configuring all UPS devices on the Series 991 and 995 systems.

At the MPE prompt, start the NMMGR program. Enter:
:RUN NMMGR.PUB.SYS
Press the Open Config softkey twice and wait while NMMGR opens a configuration file.
Press Go to DTS to enter the DTS configurator.
Press Go to DTC and choose the appropriate DTC configurator for the system (DTC16ix, DTC16MX, DTC16, DTC48, etc.).
Choose an available LDEV number for the UPS you are configuring, and determine which DTC port (DTC card number and port number) the UPS is connected to.
Press the Config Card softkey to enter the DTC card configurator.
Add each UPS by entering its logical device number in the Ldev field and UP10D12 in the Profile Name field. When you have added all UPS devices, press Save Data
Press the Validate Link/DTS softkey to cross-validate the DTC configuration with the SYSGEN configuration.
Once validation is complete, press Prior Screen until you see the Open Configuration File screen, and then press Exit Program to exit NMMGR.
If you see a message that the NETXPORT subsystem has not been validated, ignore it and exit the program.
Shut down the system.
Turn power to the DTC hardware off and then on again to download the correct baud rate for the UPS port to the DTC hardware. (On some systems, cycling the power to a DTC may require you to unplug it and plug it in again.)
Reboot the system to make the new configuration effective.

To use UPS Monitor/iX software

Once you have configured UPS devices on the system, they will automatically be monitored by the UPS Monitor/iX software. This software causes the UPS devices to emulate the traditional battery backup method of system powerfail handling and recovery.

The UPS Monitor/iX process behaves in one of two ways, depending on the system on which Release 5.0 of MPE/iX has been installed:

When installed on a system that has been configured with UPS devices, UPS Monitor/iX runs continually while the system is up to monitor all of the UPS devices for power failure and any other hardware status conditions. It reports these conditions to the system operator's console via console messages and records them in the system log file.
When installed on an old system that does not use UPS devices, UPS Monitor/iX is launched at startup, discovers that there are no UPS devices on the system, and terminates itself. In this case, the system uses the existing battery backup method of system power failure protection.




	NOTE: UPS monitoring is event number 148 in the system log files. The default is ON (i.e. UPS hardware conditions are recorded in the files) regardless of whether the system has UPS power fail protection or not. In the latter case, when no UPS devices have been configured, the system log files will receive and record two UPS-related messages each time the system starts: one indicating that the UPS Monitor/iX process has been launched and a second message which says that no UPS devices are found in the I/O configuration.

System behavior when AC power fails

Whenever input AC power to any UPS device fails, the UPS hardware switches to internal battery operation to continue to deliver output AC power to the computer equipment. No actual power failure occurs at the computer equipment itself and, as a result, the SPU continues to operate. However, the actual behavior of the system will vary depending on how much of the system equipment is provided with UPS power.

In the "minimal" case, where only the SPU and any Remote Busses receive UPS power (and assuming that disks are external to the SPU), the system is most likely to appear to be dormant (like a traditional battery backup method system) because the system can not make progress once the disks lose power and spin down. The system will simply enter its "idle loop", waiting for disk I/O operations to complete, and that won't happen until AC power returns and the disks spin up again.

But in expanded UPS coverage systems, where some or all of the disks receive UPS power, the system may continue to run to some extent. Again, it depends on what resources the system needs to perform its workload. Batch jobs that only need CPU, memory, and disk I/O can continue to run undisturbed. Processing that requires tape or printer or terminal I/O will be blocked if those peripherals do not have UPS power.

UPS Monitor/iX issues a warning message to the system console to notify the operator that the particular UPS (identified by its LDEV number) has reported to the system that its input AC power has failed. In the following example, UPS Monitor/iX reports and power failure and a recovery shortly thereafter:

Example ? Sample Console Messages from UPS Monitor/iX

   :showtime

   FRI, AUG 13, 1993, 11:27 AM

   :

   :11:27/50/UPS LDEV 102 reports loss of AC input power. (UPSERR 0033)



   **RECOVERY FROM POWER FAIL**



   11:27/50/UPS LDEV 102 reports AC input power restored. (UPSWRN 0036)



   :

UPS Monitor/iX also writes a system log file entry that denotes the input power loss to the UPS device. Read ''To enable logging of UPS activity'' and ''To review UPS activity recorded in the system log file'', later in this chapter for more information.

System Behavior When AC Power Returns

The behavior of the system when AC input power returns to the UPS is very similar to that of the battery backup method systems. One of two things will happen: a recovery from power failure (if AC power returns before the UPS battery that backs up the SPU becomes exhausted) or a system crash.

If AC power returns before the UPS battery becomes exhausted (up to fifteen minutes when starting with fully charged UPS batteries; less if the batteries were already partially discharged), then the system recovers from the AC power failure and resumes normal operation. In this case, UPS Monitor/iX displays a message on the system console, posts an entry in the system log files, and broadcasts the following message to all active user terminals:

   ** RECOVERY FROM POWERFAIL **

If the UPS battery that powers the SPU becomes exhausted before AC input power returns, then the system really does lose AC power and crashes. In this case, when AC power does return and the UPS turns on again, the system reboots just as if it used battery backup.

To enable logging of UPS activity

The UPS Monitor/iX program posts UPS status and alarm messages to the system log files. If system logging for the UPS Monitor/iX (which is event number 148) is turned on, you can review the messages to troubleshoot your system configuration and evaluate system performance.

As the default, event 148 is ON. To verify that it is or, if necessary, to turn it on, do the following:

At the MPE prompt, start SYSGEN by entering:
:SYSGEN
At the sysgen> prompt, start the LOG configurator by entering:
sysgen>LOG
To display which system logging events are enabled or disabled, enter:
log>SHOW SLOG
You will see a list of information similar to the example shown on the next page.
To turn UPS Monitor/iX logging on (if it is currently listed as OFF), enter:
log>SLOG ON=148
To exit the LOG configurator and SYSGEN, enter the EXIT command twice. You will see the MPE prompt displayed on your screen.

Example ? Sample System Log Configuration

   log>SHOW SLOG



           system log events             event #       status

           -----------------             -------       ------

           System logging enabled          100          OFF

           System up record                101          ON

           Job initiation record           102          OFF

           Job termination record          103          OFF

           Process termination record      104          OFF

           NM file close record            105          OFF

           System shutdown record          106          ON

           Power failure record            107          ON

           Spooling log record             108          OFF

           I/O error record                111          ON

           Physical mount/dismount         112          OFF

           Logical mount/dismount          113          OFF

           Tape labels record              114          OFF

           Console log record              115          ON

           Program file event              116          ON

           NCS spooling log record         120          ON

           Architected interface record    130          0N

           Password changes                134          ON

           System logging configuration    135          ON

           Restore logging                 136          ON

           Printer access failure          137          ON

           ACD changes                     138          ON

           Stream initiation               139          ON

           User logging                    140          ON

           Process creation                141          ON

           Chgroup record                  143          ON

           File open record                144          ON

           Maintenance request log         146          OFF

           UPS Monitor Event Logging       148          OFF

           Diagnostic Information          150          ON

           High Priority Machine Check     151          ON

           Low Priority Machine Check      152          ON

           Directory Open/Close Logging    155          OFF

           CM File Close                   160          OFF

           Chdir                           161          OFF

           Process Adoption                162          OFF

           File Owner Change               163          OFF

   log>

To review UPS activity recorded in the system log file

UPS Monitor/iX status and alarm messages are recorded in the system log files as event number 148. You can use the LOGTOOL utility to review entries in the system log file about the performance and condition of UPS devices on your system. To do so, follow these steps:

List the names of the log files currently on your system. At the MPE prompt, enter:
:LISTFILE LOG@.PUB.SYS
Note the number of the last log file in the list (other than LOGDCC). You will use it in step 5.
Start the system diagnostic utility. At the MPE prompt, enter:
:SYSDIAG
Run the LOGTOOL utility. Enter:
DUI >RUN LOGTOOL
To review the current logfile, use the SWITCHLOG command to close it and open a new one.
DUI >SWITCHLOG
List the UPS-related messages (which are recorded as system log event number 148) in the log file that you want to review. For example, if the last log file displayed with the LISTFILE command was LOG00017, enter:
DUI >LIST LOG=17;TYPE=148
Or, if the last log file was LOG00017 and you then issued the SWITCHLOG command, to see the most recent log file you would enter:
DUI >LIST LOG=18;TYPE=148
In a moment, you will see the contents of the system log files for event 148, which stores UPS-related messages. If event 148 was disabled, you are informed that no messages are found.

Configuring a UPS device

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