Shutdown Command Files

A Shutdown Command File can be configured to run if a UPS critical event is triggered.

Full path to command file: You must specify the full path name of the command file, including the disk drive or volume name. For Linux and Unix systems, the file should execute permissions of chmod +x [command file name].

The command file must be located in the user_files folder, or a sub-folder, in the PowerChute installation directory. If the default installation directory was chosen during installation, this location will be:

  • C:\Program Files\APC\PowerChute\user_files for Windows systems

  • /opt/APC/PowerChute/user_files/ for Linux systems

NOTE: If you are upgrading to PowerChute v5.2, any command files used in a previous version of PowerChute must be manually added to the user_files folder. If the command files are not added to the directory, you will see the below errors/warnings for the ShutdownStarting event, and all events configured to run a command file, in the Event Log:

ERROR: Event ShutdownStarting is enabled for command file execution, but an invalid value for shutdownCommandFile is specified.

WARNING: Disabling command file execution for event ShutdownStarting due to bad parameters. Please validate the configuration.

It is strongly recommended you validate your configuration after an upgrade.

 

Duration: Enter the number of seconds that the shutdown command file requires to execute. 

NOTE: For Advanced UPS Configurations, if there are different command files configured for each UPS Setup, PowerChute may need to wait for all command files to finish executing before proceeding with the final steps in the shutdown sequence. This is dependent on the timing that UPS critical events occur on each UPS Setup. PowerChute will automatically increase the Outlet Group Power Off delay or Maximum Required delay (non-outlet aware UPS) to include the combined total of the shutdown command file durations for each UPS Setup. This can impact the runtime available on the UPSs during a shutdown. To accommodate this, set the low battery duration on the UPSs accordingly.

You must determine the time required for your command file to execute. PowerChute cannot determine whether the command file has completed, so it will wait only the amount of time entered before triggering an operating system shutdown.

The command file runs using the local system account. For Linux/Unix the command file must be executed with root privileges. PowerChute cannot execute programs that require interaction with the desktop; only command line enabled programs are supported.