Intelligent UPSs and Intelligent Power Switches

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Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) provides backup power to a server in the event of a power failure. Some UPS units, known as intelligent UPSs, and intelligent power switches can provide limited remote management capabilities such as powering up, powering down, and resetting a server.

If an intelligent UPS or intelligent power switch is integrated with terminal concentrator functionality, it can provide pass-through serial connection between the management computer and the server running Windows Server 2003. In this case, the port on the management computer has a serial connection to an external serial port on the UPS or power switch, which in turn has a serial connection to the server.

The situation just described can provide a more economical solution than an internal service processor: You can access the intelligent UPS, firmware console redirection, and Emergency Management Services through the same communication channel if all these components use the same terminal conventions, such as VT-UTF8. When the components share the same terminal conventions, each component can consistently interpret escape sequences passed to it. For an example of this type of configuration, see "Designing the Hardware Configuration" later in this chapter.

If the intelligent UPS or intelligent power switch shares the same management channel with Emergency Management Services, the UPS or power switch must passively monitor the serial data stream and respond only when it detects VT-UTF8, VT100+, or VT100 escape sequences that apply to it. For more information about using an intelligent UPS or intelligent power switch with Emergency Management Services, see the Storage Technologies Collection of the Windows Server 2003 Technical Reference (or see the Storage Technologies Collection on the Web at https://www.microsoft.com/reskit).

If you plan to use an intelligent UPS or intelligent power switch with Emergency Management Services, the server running Windows Server 2003 must be configured to start automatically when power is applied.

Tip

  • The firmware for your server might provide a configuration option for automatically starting the computer when power is applied.