APCUPSD(8)		  BSD System Manager's Manual		    APCUPSD(8)

NAME
     apcupsd — a daemon for controlling most APC UPSes

SYNOPSIS
     apcupsd [-b] [-d level | --debug level] [-f file | --config-file file]
	     [-P file | --pid-file file]
	     [-p | --kill-on-powerfail | -t | --term-on-powerfail] [-R]

     apcupsd [-k | --killpower | --hibernate | -o | --power-off]

     apcupsd [-h | --help]

     apcupsd [-V | --version]

DESCRIPTION
     The apcupsd daemon controls the operation of most American Power Conver‐
     sion Corp (APC) UPSes.  During a power failure, apcupsd informs users
     about the loss of utility power and that a shutdown may occur.  If util‐
     ity power is not restored, a system shutdown will follow when the battery
     is exhausted, a specified timeout expires, a specified battery charge
     percentage is reached, or a specified battery runtime (based on internal
     UPS calculations and determined by power consumption rates) expires.  If
     the utility power is restored before one of the these shutdown conditions
     is met, apcupsd will inform users of this and the shutdown will generally
     be cancelled.  Refer to the Implementation Notes section below for situa‐
     tions in which the shutdown may not be cancelled.

     The meaning of the command line options is as follows:

     -b		 Run in the foreground, do not detach and become a daemon.

     -d level --debug level
		 Set debugging output level where level is a number greater
		 than zero.

     -f file --config-file file
		 Load the specified configuration file.	 The default configu‐
		 ration file is /etc/apcupsd/apcupsd.conf.  It must be changed
		 when running more than one copy of apcupsd on the same com‐
		 puter to control multiple UPSes.

     -k | --killpower | --hibernate
		 Power down the UPS in hibernate mode after a 10 second delay.
		 This option is normally only used by apcupsd itself to power
		 down the UPS after a system shutdown has almost completed.
		 In hibernate mode, the UPS will again supply power to the
		 system when the utility power returns.

     -o | --power-off
		 Power down UPS completely. The UPS will not supply power to
		 the system when the utility power returns.

     -P file --pid-file file
		 Create the specified process ID file. The default is
		 /var/run/apcupsd.pid.	It must be changed when running more
		 than one copy of apcupsd on the same computer to control mul‐
		 tiple UPSes.

     -p --kill-on-powerfail
		 apcupsd commands the UPS to power down in hibernate mode just
		 before apcupsd starts the system shutdown. This relies on the
		 grace shutdown delay of a Smart-UPS being long enough to
		 allow the system to shutdown completely before the UPS shuts
		 off the power to the system and goes into hibernate mode.
		 This shutdown grace delay is a programmable value stored in a
		 Smart-UPS EEPROM which can be changed using apctest(8).  In
		 hibernate mode, the UPS will again supply power to the system
		 when the utility power returns. Refer to apcupsd.conf(5) for
		 an alternative method using the KILLDELAY configuration
		 directive and the only method available when using a Back-UPS
		 or other UPS operating in simple signalling mode.

     -t --term-on-powerfail
		 apcupsd exits immediately when it issues the system shutdown
		 command.  This behaviour is useful for those systems where it
		 is not possible to insert apcupsd commands in a halt script
		 to issue the killpower command.  Without this option, apcupsd
		 will wait for the SIGTERM signal from the system shutdown
		 process before exiting.

     -R		 Put a UPS which runs in smart signalling mode by default (eg
		 a Smart-UPS) into simple signalling mode.

     -v --version
		 Prints the apcupsd version number and the program help.

     -h --help	 Prints the program help.

     The apcupsd daemon supports a networking mode called Network Information
     Server  (NIS) -- not related  to Sun's NIS/YP -- in which the daemon
     serves status and event information to clients over a network. See the
     "Running The Network Information Server" section of the apcupsd manual
     for more information and configuration details on this mode.

     The apcupsd daemon also supports a Smart-UPS in SNMP mode provided an APC
     Web/SNMP or APC PowerNet SNMP card is installed in the UPS's SmartSlot.
     For more information and configuration details on this mode, refer to the
     "Support for SNMP UPSes" section of the apcupsd manual.

IMPLEMENTATION NOTES
     The shutdown is made by calls to the script /etc/apcupsd/apccontrol by
     the apcupsd daemon.  Consequently, no changes to /etc/inittab are neces‐
     sary on Linux as there is no communication between the daemon and the
     init(1) process.  Installation of the daemon modifies the halt script so
     that at the end of the shutdown process, the daemon will be re-executed
     to power off the UPS in hibernate mode.

     On some operating systems (eg FreeBSD) there is no halt script so apccon‐
     trol must be modified to cause the daemon to power off the UPS after a
     delay.  Alternatives are to use the --kill-on-powerfail command on the
     apcupsd command line or refer to apcupsd.conf(5) for details of the
     KILLDELAY configuration directive.

CONFIGURATION
     It will almost certainly be necessary to customise the configuration
     information in the /etc/apcupsd/apcupsd.conf configuration file to suit
     your configuration and desired UPS behaviour.

     For information on the configuration directives and the format of the
     configuration file, refer to apcupsd.conf(5).

EVENTS
     apcupsd generates events when certain conditions occur.  These events are
     sent to the system log and, optionally, to the temporary events file
     (/var/log/apcupsd.events).	 They also generate a call to  the
     /etc/apcupsd/apccontrol script which in turn will call any custom scripts
     placed in the /etc/apcupsd directory which may override apccontrol's
     default behaviour. For details of the events and customising apccontrol's
     behaviour, refer to apccontrol(8).

DATA FILE FORMAT
     If the DATATIME configuration directive is set to non-zero, apcupsd will
     log a data record at the interval defined by the DATATIME directive. This
     data record is in a format similar to the APC PowerChute software data
     file format.

STATUS REPORT FORMAT
     The status report output format is simple ASCII. Generally there is a
     single piece of information on each line of output. The content varies
     based on the model of UPS being used and, in some cases, the firmware
     version. This status report is also optionally written the the
     /etc/apcupsd/apcupsd.status file. Refer to apcaccess(8) for full details
     of the status report output.

FILES
     /etc/apcupsd/apcupsd.conf default configuration file

     /var/run/apcupsd.pid default process ID file

     /var/log/apcupsd.status optional status file

     /var/log/apcupsd.events default events file

SEE ALSO
     apcupsd.conf(5), apcaccess(8), apccontrol(8), apctest(8).

     The HTML apcupsd manual installed on your system or available online at
     http://www.apcupsd.org/

AUTHORS
   This page
     Trevor Roydhouse (current)
     Andre M. Hedrick
     Christopher J. Reimer

   Software
     Adam Kropelin (current Project Manager and Code Maintainer)
     Kern Sibbald (former Project Manager and Code Maintainer)
     Riccardo Facchetti (former Project Manager and Code Maintainer)
     Andre M. Hedrick (Project Founder and former Code Maintainer)

   Contributors
     An enormous number of users who have devoted their time and energy to
     this project -- thanks.

apcupsd v3.14.6		       January 10, 2009		       apcupsd v3.14.6
