Adding a new PDU

Opengear console servers manage serial and network PDUs from over 100 vendors. We do this by embedding the open source PowerMan (serial PDU) and Network UPS Tools (SNMP network PDU) software and providing our own powerstrip drivers. As such we cover models from most vendors (including APC, Baytech, ServerTech, TrippLite etc) however we don't (as yet) cover them all :) 

If you have a network connect PDU you would like supported contact us (email: [e-mail]) and we'll help include your MIB in the NUT supported power devices. 

Alternately if you have a serially connected PDU you can add it yourself as a new type into your console server's configuration. It does require some work from you on the command line though it is quite simple (and our support engineers will happily help):

• At the Serial and Network: Serial menu, you select Power Strip Mode and the Power Device Type for the switch being controlled. This selection will cause information contained in /etc/powerstrips.xml to be used to configure and control devices attached to the nominated serial port. However the configuration also looks for (and loads)/etc/config/powerstrips.xml if it exists.
• So as Administrator you can add support for additional devices by putting new definitions into/etc/config/powerstrips.xml. This file can be created on a host system and copied to the console manager device

The following example is advice given to a customer who was looking to add support for their WTI NBB-1600CE-D16 device (the console server at the time only supported the configuration for WTI's NetPowerSeries and RPS10 models):

• In /etc/powerstrips.xml is where we keep the configuration for built in power strips so you are able to scan the .xml set up files for the other WTI devices (and you will notice that they are almost the same save for the number of outlets and id tag and driver.)
• You will then need to make a new powerstrips.xml file in the writeable portion of flash in /etc/config/powerstrips.xml(using vi to make and edit the file). The set up would be along the lines of: 
  
  <powerstrips>
  <serial>
  <id>WTI RPS10</id>
  <outlet port="1">1</outlet>
  <outlet port="2">2</outlet>
  <outlet port="3">3</outlet>
  <outlet port="4">4</outlet>
  <outlet port="5">5</outlet>
  <outlet port="6">6</outlet>
  <outlet port="7">7</outlet>
  <outlet port="8">8</outlet>
  <outlet port="9">9</outlet>
  <outlet port="10">10</outlet>
  <on>/bin/powerman -1 `basename $port`_$outlet</on>
  <off>/bin/powerman -0 `basename $port`_$outlet</off>
  <cycle>/bin/powerman -c `basename $port`_$outlet</cycle>
  <status>/bin/powerman -q `basename $port`_$outlet</status>
  <temp>powerman -P `basename $port`_0 | cut -f2 -d </temp>
  <speed>9600</speed>
  <charsize>8</charsize>
  <stop>1</stop>
  <parity>None</parity>
  <powerman>
  <name>wti-rps10.dev</name>
  </powerman>
  </serial>
  </powerstrips>
  
  
• You'll also need to change the id tag to match your WTI model, add more outlets, and the most important thing is to see which powerman device driver works. Try the wti-rps10.dev (only works up to outlet 10) if that does not work try wti.dev (only works to outlet 8) and then you need to build another driver that corresponds to the number of outlets based on the one that works.
• The drivers are stored in the /etc/config/powerman/ directory. The easiest way to build a driver is to copy the one that works i.e. wti.dev like this: # cp /etc/config/powerman/wti.dev /etc/config/powerman/wti-d16.dev
• Then use vi to edit it and add more outlets to the plug name line. Of course use the appropriate driver above, the wti.dev or the wti-rps10.dev