UPS.CONF(5) NUT Manual UPS.CONF(5)
NAME
ups.conf - UPS definitions for Network UPS Tools
DESCRIPTION
This file is read by the driver controller upsdrvctl(8), the UPS drivers that use the common core (see nutupsdrv(8), and upsd(8)). The file
begins with global directives, and then each UPS has a section which contains a number of directives that set parameters for that UPS.
A UPS section begins with the name of the UPS in brackets, and continues until the next UPS name in brackets or until EOF. The name
"default" is used internally in upsd, so you can't use it in this file.
You must define the driver and port elements for each entry. Anything after that in a section is optional. A simple example might look like
this:
[myups]
driver = blazer_ser
port = /dev/ttyS0
desc = "Web server UPS"
A slightly more complicated version includes some extras for the hardware-specific part of the driver:
[bigups]
driver = apcsmart
port = /dev/cua00
cable = 940-0095B
sdtype = 2
desc = "Database server UPS"
In this case, the apcsmart(8) driver will receive variables called "cable" and "sdtype" which have special meanings. See the man pages of
your driver(s) to learn which variables are supported and what they do.
GLOBAL DIRECTIVES
chroot
Optional. The driver will chroot(2) to this directory during initialization. This can be useful when securing systems.
driverpath
Optional. Path name of the directory in which the UPS driver executables reside. If you don't specify this, the programs look in a
built-in default directory, which is often /usr/local/ups/bin.
maxstartdelay
Optional. Same as the UPS field of the same name, but this is the default for UPSes that don't have the field.
pollinterval
Optional. The status of the UPS will be refreshed after a maximum delay which is controlled by this setting. This is normally 2
seconds. This may be useful if the driver is creating too much of a load on your system or network.
user
Optional. If started as root, the driver will setuid(2) to the user id associated with username.
UPS FIELDS
driver
Required. This specifies which program will be monitoring this UPS. You need to specify the one that is compatible with your hardware.
See nutupsdrv(8) for more information on drivers in general and pointers to the man pages of specific drivers.
port
Required. This is the serial port where the UPS is connected. On a Linux system, the first serial port usually is /dev/ttyS0. On
FreeBSD and similar systems, it probably will be /dev/cuaa0.
sdorder
Optional. When you have multiple UPSes on your system, you usually need to turn them off in a certain order. upsdrvctl shuts down all
the 0s, then the 1s, 2s, and so on. To exclude a UPS from the shutdown sequence, set this to -1.
The default value for this parameter is 0.
desc
Optional. This allows you to set a brief description that upsd will provide to clients that ask for a list of connected equipment.
nolock
Optional. When you specify this, the driver skips the port locking routines every time it starts. This may allow other processes to
seize the port if you start more than one accidentally.
You should only use this if your system won't work without it.
This may be needed on Mac OS X systems.
ignorelb
Optional. When you specify this, the driver ignores a low battery condition flag that is reported by the UPS (some devices will switch
off almost immediately after setting this flag, or will report this as soons as the mains fails). Instead it will use either of the
following conditions to determine when the battery is low:
battery.charge < battery.charge.low
battery.runtime < battery.runtime.low
The idea is to set the battery.charge.low and/or battery.runtime.low levels in ups.conf to a value that gives enough time to cleanly
shutdown your system:
override.battery.charge.low = 30
override.battery.runtime.low = 180
In order for this to work, your UPS should be able to (reliably) report charge and/or runtime remaining on battery. Use with caution!
maxstartdelay
Optional. This can be set as a global variable above your first UPS definition and it can also be set in a UPS section. This value
controls how long upsdrvctl will wait for the driver to finish starting. This keeps your system from getting stuck due to a broken
driver or UPS.
The default is 45 seconds.
default.<variable>
Optional. Set a default value for <variable> which is used in case the UPS doesn't provide a value, but will be overwritten if a value
is available from the UPS:
default.input.voltage.nominal = 230
The above will report the nominal input voltage to be 230, unless the UPS tells us differently.
override.<variable>
Optional. Set a value for <value> that overrides any value that may be read from the UPS. Used for overriding values from the UPS that
are clearly wrong (some devices report wrong values for battery voltage for instance):
override.battery.voltage.nominal = 12
Use with caution! This will only change the appearance of the variable to the outside world, internally in the UPS the original value
is used.
All other fields are passed through to the hardware-specific part of the driver. See those manuals for the list of what is allowed.
INTEGRATION
upsdrvctl(8) uses this file to start and stop the drivers.
The drivers themselves also obtain configuration data from this file. Each driver looks up its section and uses that to configure itself.
upsd(8) learns about which UPSes are installed on this system by reading this file. If this system is called "doghouse" and you have
defined a UPS in your ups.conf called "snoopy", then you can monitor it from upsc(8) or similar as "snoopy@doghouse".
SEE ALSO
upsd(8), nutupsdrv(8), upsdrvctl(8)
Internet resources
The NUT (Network UPS Tools) home page: http://www.networkupstools.org/
Network UPS Tools 05/21/2012 UPS.CONF(5)