Network UPS Tools for ESXI 5.5

[metril]

Well, I had a hell of a time trying to get my Cyberpower 1350PFCLCD UPS to work with my two ESXI hosts.

My first ESXI host runs Pfsense and all the other network security goodies and hosts the VCenter appliance. My second ESXI host runs all my VMs for massive storage, download clients, newsgroup aggregators, compile servers, etc. So, really a lot of stuff that I can't have corrupt on me due to a sudden power loss. A graceful shutdown is really really needed.

I tried Cyberpower's VM appliance, but that was a fail since it required an appliance running each host. One would act as the agent and the other as the client. Running multiple instances of the same appliance is a waste of resources. So, I needed an alternative solution.

I tried to setup the command line powerpanel tools on a debian VM and have it run a script, via plink, on each host. However, there were issues with trying to get VMs to shutdown and then finally poweroff the hosts. I would get "Maintenance Mode" required errors when Maintenance Mode isn't even needed. The workaround would have been to use a Windows VM with the VMware powercli tools installed and use the esxcli commands, but this is too much just to initiate a graceful shutdown on power loss.

Lo and behold, I found the Network UPS Tools (NUT) for ESXI.

http://www.networkupstools.org/index.html
http://rene.margar.fr/2012/05/client-nut-pour-esxi-5-0/

I created a small debian VM to run the NUT server. I installed the VIM on each ESXI 5.5 host and pointed them to the NUT server. After setting some UPS overrides, I am now able to gracefully shutdown both ESXI 5.5 hosts using just 1 UPS.

The following link was much easier to follow than the NUT documentation.

http://blog.shadypixel.com/monitoring-a-ups-with-nut-on-debian-or-ubuntu-linux/

Hopefully this helps someone.

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

This looks like a good guide.

I still haven't bought my UPS, but I am doing research.

Just for clarification, this method requires that X be installed in the VM? That seems like a bummer and waste of resources as well...

 

[bds1904]

How did you get the vm nut server to see the ups usb connection? Passthrough the usb?

Passthrough isn't an option for me, but I would be willing to bet a Pi could run nut.

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

How did you get the vm nut server to see the ups usb connection? Passthrough the usb?

Passthrough isn't an option for me, but I would be willing to bet a Pi could run nut.

How come USB passthrough isn't an option for you?

Basic USB passthrough (where ESXi owns the controller, and passes through the USB device) doesn't require VT-d / IOMMU. It isn't the fastest in the world, but I doubt the interface needs to be fast for UPS purposes.

 

[bds1904]

How come USB passthrough isn't an option for you?

Basic USB passthrough (where ESXi owns the controller, and passes through the USB device) doesn't require VT-d / IOMMU. It isn't the fastest in the world, but I doubt the interface needs to be fast for UPS purposes.

Because I have a san box to shut down last. All the storage for the 4 esxi hosts is on the san. The esxi boxes have no local storage. If I run it as a vm then it will leave the san box powered on. Running it on a pi will solve that problem. AFIK the nut server doesn't work on solaris but the client does.

As far as config goes, can you set servers to shut down in a certain order or at a certain battery percentage?

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

I'm about ready to give up on apcupsd as mentioned in my thread here.

I figured I'd try NUT instead.

That link you posted regarding ESXi nut package is all in French, having trouble following it.

Does this work in the Free version of ESXi, or does it require vMA?

Also, the package says it is for 5.0, will it work in 5.5 as well?

Thanks,
Matt

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

Well,

That was fun.

NUT has provided to be completely useless for me and my APC SUA1500

The serial driver says my UPS is an uncrecognized device

The upshid driver segfaults as does the snmp driver...

NUT just does not want to interface with my SUA1500 or AP9617 at all in any way

 

[bds1904]

The APC SUA1500 or 8617 does not appear to be on the supported hardware list.

As a matter of fact, not many APC's are. I wonder if they use some proprietary communication protocol or something.

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

The APC SUA1500 or 8617 does not appear to be on the supported hardware list.

As a matter of fact, not many APC's are. I wonder if they use some proprietary communication protocol or something.

That would explain the serial device problems, but both the USBHID driver and the SNMP driver are supposedly device agnostic standards, and should just work, but they segfaulted

 

[Netwerkz101]

<snipped for brevity>

I tried Cyberpower's VM appliance, but that was a fail since it required an appliance running each host. One would act as the agent and the other as the client. Running multiple instances of the same appliance is a waste of resources. So, I needed an alternative solution.
<snipped>

I created a small debian VM to run the NUT server. I installed the VIM on each ESXI 5.5 host and pointed them to the NUT server. After setting some UPS overrides, I am now able to gracefully shutdown both ESXI 5.5 hosts using just 1 UPS.
<snipped>

Darn .. i just downloaded the Cyberpower Agent Appliance ... okay.. but if you still
have to install a Debian VM on each host ...how is that different from installing the agent VM on each host.

Doing it all with one UPS is nice

I am sure I am missing something. I guess I have more reading to do