Network Management Card Connection

Network Management Card 2 firmware v6.8.0 and higher, and Network Management Card 3 firmware v1.1.0.16 and higher uses the HTTPS protocol by default. The default protocol for PowerChute is HTTPS which can be changed to HTTP, although it is not recommended.

The default port is 80 for HTTP, and 443 for HTTPS. Do not change this number unless you changed the port being used by your NMC.

For Redundant and Parallel configurations, you need to enter more than one IP address to enable communications with all the relevant NMCs.

For more information on UPS configurations and supported UPS models, view the Application Note "PowerChute Network Shutdown Operating Modes and supported UPS Configurations" here.

Add each IP address using the + Add IP Address button. Enter the IP address of the NMC in the UPS. Click OK.

To edit an IP address, click the icon. To delete an IP address, click the icon.

Certificate Management

The registration process will be unsuccessful if you attempt to register an NMC with an untrusted SSL certificate and the "Error registering with the Network Management Card(s)" error message will be displayed. Click the Fix Issues button to view the Certificate Management page where you can view the certificate details including the hostname, and expiry date, and if the certificate is within its validity period.

You can only add the NMC host certificate to the PowerChute-keystore via this method. You can add CA certificates to the PowerChute-keystore using the keytool command. Please refer to the steps outlined in the "Changing the password for the Java Keystore" topic in the PowerChute Security Handbook for more information.

If you exit the PowerChute Setup wizard without adding the NMC SSL certificate(s) to the PowerChute-keystore, PowerChute will not be able to communicate properly with the NMC. Ensure that you complete the NMC registration process in the PowerChute Setup wizard and add any NMC SSL certificates to the PowerChute-keystore if you trust them.

Click the button to view additional details of a certificate including:

Version
Subject
Issuer
Serial Number
Valid From
Valid To
Public Key Information
Signature Algorithm
Certificate Chain

Check the checkbox and click the Accept Certificate button to add the displayed certificate to the PowerChute-keystore. If there are multiple certificates listed in the Certificate Chain, you can select them and import them at the same time. When all certificates have been validated, click Next to continue with your PowerChute setup. You should only add certificates you recognize and trust to the PowerChute-keystore.

PowerChute does not validate certificates added to the PowerChute-keystore. PowerChute will continue to trust certificates in the PowerChute-keystore after they have expired or been revoked. It is your responsibility to remove these certificates from the PowerChute-keystore once they are no longer needed.

Verify Certificates in PowerChute-keystore

You can verify that the displayed certificates were successfully added to the PowerChute-keystore:

You must manually change the PowerChute-keystore password before you can access it. Please refer to the "Changing the password for the Java Keystore" topic in the PowerChute Security Handbook.

Launch a terminal or command prompt and change the directory to the group1 directory of where PowerChute is installed. If the default location was chosen during installation, this will be:
- C:\Program Files\APC\PowerChute\group1\ for Windows machines
- opt/APC/PowerChute/group1 for Linux machines
Run the command:
- ..\jre_x64\bin\keytool.exe -list -keystore PowerChute-keystore for Windows machines
- ../jre_x64/bin/keytool -list -keystore PowerChute-keystore for Linux machines
When prompted, enter the password you created for the PowerChute-keystore.
The certificates and their fingerprints will be displayed.

The contents of the PowerChute-keystore can be viewed without a password. However, the integrity of the PowerChute-keystore cannot be verified without a password.

NMC PowerChute Support

In NMC 2 firmware v6.8.0 and higher and NMC 3 firmware v1.1.0.16 and higher, PowerChute support is disabled by default. This may result in an error while PowerChute registers with the NMC(s). If an error is displayed, log in to the NMC UI and ensure PowerChute support is enabled.

In the NMC Web UI, you must specify a user name and authentication phrase before PowerChute can be enabled. You must also choose the protocol used to communicate with PowerChute (HTTP/HTTPS). NOTE: The chosen protocol must be enabled on the NMC before PowerChute communications can be established. For more information, refer to the NMC User Guide.