[Nut-upsuser] Belkin Regulator Pro dropping connection and halting

[Gene Heskett]

On Thursday, December 02, 2010 04:36:43 pm John Bayly did opine:

> On 02/12/2010 15:28, Gene Heskett wrote:
> > On Thursday, December 02, 2010 10:05:54 am Arjen de Korte did opine:
> >> Citeren Arnaud Quette<aquette.dev at gmail.com>:
> >>>> Thanks for the suggestions, I've added the flush statement as well
> >>>> as some debugging information. As this is a intermittent issue I
> >>>> decided to try overloading the UPS by sending it repeated beeper
> >>>> commands while watching the debug output. What appears to happen
> >>>> is that the UPS returns an unknown "~00R000" response. This means
> >>>> get_belkin_reply() returns -1, causing a datastale state is set
> >>>> when called from do_status().
> >>> 
> >>> you should remove the datastale() call since upsd will automatically
> >>> flag the device as stalled if it has failed to update its data for
> >>> 15 seconds (default of MAXAGE).
> >> 
> >> Not at all!
> >> 
> >> The upsd server will only declare the *driver* stale if it fails to
> >> respond within MAXAGE seconds. However, as long as it keeps answering
> >> the PING from the server, it will not be declared stale. This
> >> mechanism is something completely different from what happens if the
> >> driver calls dstate_datastale(). In that case the driver tells the
> >> upsd server that the *UPS* fails to respond. See the chapter on
> >> "Staleness control" in docs/new-drivers.txt.
> >> 
> >> What really needs to be done, is that the driver doesn't treat the
> >> "~00R000" reply as an error condition. Apparently the UPS
> >> acknowledges the receipt of data, without further response
> >> (indicating that 0 bytes follow). The belkin driver doesn't accept
> >> this at the moment and requires that a reply follows. This is what
> >> needs to be changed.
> >> 
> >> Last but not least, in most drivers, we allow a couple of missed
> >> replies before we call dstate_datastale() so that glitches don't lead
> >> to automatic reconnects.
> >> 
> >> Best regards, Arjen
> > 
> > I've been sitting here following this thread and wondering if the OP
> > has told us everything?  He may indeed be using serial at the ups,
> > but if he has a pl2303 ser-usb adapter in the signal path and is
> > using a ttyUSB# connection, then there could be a possibility that
> > the pl2303 adapter is eating his lunch, specifically the first byte
> > of a packet at frequent intervals, and this will confuse virtually
> > all upsd implementations regardless of whose upsd it is, including
> > belkin's own, now Jurassic dated bulldog software.
> > 
> > Most of the more modern belkin UPS's do conform to the usb-hid specs,
> > and I have had zero problems with loss of comm with mine over a pure
> > usb circuit.
> > 
> > usb 2-9: new low speed USB device using ohci_hcd and address 5
> > usb 2-9: New USB device found, idVendor=050d, idProduct=0751
> > usb 2-9: New USB device strings: Mfr=4, Product=20, SerialNumber=0
> > usb 2-9: Product: Belkin UPS
> > usb 2-9: Manufacturer: Belkin
> > 
> > It is a 1500 WA rated device also.
> > 
> > I have another 1500WA rated Belkin, several years older and on its 4th
> > set of batteries, that either isn't usb-hid con-formant, or when I
> > last tried to run Nut against it, Nut's usb-hidraw wasn't up to
> > speed.  It is now running my milling machines computer.  That
> > computer is running Ubuntu-10.04, but emc is fussy about what you
> > plug into a usb port, a usb key for instance is a guaranteed wrecked
> > part because of the huge IRQ lockout times associated with the
> > challenge/response time of the key as the I/O scheduler makes sure
> > all the caches associated with have been flushed.
> > 
> > That is from lessons learned while talking to myself. ;-)
> 
> Nope, it's definately serial, UPS is on the D9 port (/dev/cuad0). I'm
> using the belkin driver, not the belkinunv or usb-hid drivers.
> Unfortunately Belkin seem to have disavowed all knowledge of the device
> as it's nowhere to be found on their website. Best description of it on
> a reseller's site:
> http://uk.insight.com/p/497211/belkin-regulator-pro-network-ups-ups-1400
> -va.html

That appears to be the Euro version of my older one, same box and front 
panel.  And my snmp slot was empty, so I did not re-install the card slot 
for it when I last had it apart last spring to replace the batteries.  I 
had to dismantle it quite far as the old ones had swelled and were bound in 
the frame.  This one does not have a usb port, although it looks as if 
there might be a 9 pin usb header on its controller board, a dual row of 5 
with one of the end pins missing.  In fact, I wonder if a std computer 
breakout, back panel to motherboard usb kit might actually work?  I have a 
spare of those, and the next time I haul it off the shelf (its 6+ feet up in 
the air, sitting on a brace across the rafters in my shop building, and 
pretty heavy for the old man to get it down & back up), so I might just see 
what I blow if I hook it up to a usb port.  I will probably be needing 
batteries again by then, and if I let the smoke out or break the mirror, I 
have had close to 10 years out of it anyway.

-- 
Cheers, Gene
"There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
 soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
-Ed Howdershelt (Author)
I'm totally DESPONDENT over the LIBYAN situation and the price of CHICKEN 
...