Apc Switched Pdu Ap7900 Users Manual Rack

Apc Switched PDU AP7900 apc7900

AP7900 to the manual 91d2cdb4-664e-44df-bcc5-b346393220d0

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Contents
Introduction--1
Product Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Access Procedures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Upgrading Firmware through a Serial Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Front Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Watchdog Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Control Console--15
How to Log On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Main Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Control Console Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

How to Recover From a Lost Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Web Interface--24
How to Log On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Summary Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Navigation Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Device and Outlet Management Menus--33
How to Configure and Control Outlet Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Outlet Settings for Outlets and Outlet Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Switched Rack PDU Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Scheduling Outlet Actions (Web Interface Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Event-Related Menus--53
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Event Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Event Actions (Web Interface Only). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Event Recipients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
E-mail Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
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How to Configure Individual Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
I

Data Menu (Web Interface Only)--69
Log Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Configuration Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Network Menu--71
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

System Menu--96
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Option Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Boot Mode--110
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
DHCP Configuration Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Option Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Security--117
Security Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Encryption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Creating and Installing Digital Certificates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Firewalls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Using the APC Security Wizard--134
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Create a Root Certificate & Server Certificates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Create a Server Certificate and Signing Request . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Create an SSH Host Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

APC Device IP Configuration Wizard--148
Purpose and Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Install the Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Use the Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150

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How to Export Configuration Settings--153
Retrieving and Exporting the .ini File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
The Upload Event and Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Using the APC Device IP Configuration Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

File Transfers--161
Upgrading Firmware: Methods and Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Verifying Upgrades and Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

Product Information--171
Warranty and Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Life-Support Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Index--174

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USER’S GUIDE

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

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III

Introduction
Product Description
The APC® Switched Rack Power Distribution Unit (PDU) is a stand-alone,
network-manageable device that provides current monitoring and allows
programmable control of eight, sixteen, or twenty-four power outlets
(depending on the model).
You can manage a Switched Rack PDU through its Web interface, its
control console, the InfraStruXure® Manager, or SNMP:
• The Web interface supports using HTTPS access with Secure Sockets
Layer (SSL) and using HTTP access.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Features of the Switched Rack PDU

• You can access the control console through a serial connection, Telnet,
or Secure SHell (SSH).
• Your Rack PDU is compatible with the APC InfraStruXure system and
can be monitored and managed through the InfraStruXure Manager.
• You can use an SNMP browser and the APC PowerNet® Management
Information Base (MIB) to manage your Rack PDU.
Switched Rack PDUs have these additional features:
• Current monitoring per phase or bank
• Configurable alarm thresholds that provide network and visual alarms
to help avoid overloaded circuits
• Independent outlet control
• Configurable power delays
• 24 independent outlet user accounts
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• Four levels of user access accounts—Administrator, Device Manager,
Read Only User, and Outlet User
• Event and data logging—the event log is accessible by Telnet, Secure
CoPy (SCP), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), serial connection, or Web
browser (using HTTPS access with SSL, or using HTTP access). The
data log is accessible by Web Browser, SCP, and FTP
• SNMP traps, Syslog messages, and e-mail notifications based on the
severity level of Rack PDU and system events
• A selection of security protocols for authentication and encryption
The Rack PDU does not provide power protection. Therefore,
APC does not recommend plugging a unit directly into any
unprotected power source, such as a wall outlet.

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USER’S GUIDE

• E-mail notifications for Rack PDU and system events

Initial setup
You must define the following three TCP/IP settings for the Switched Rack
PDU before it can operate on the network:
• IP address of the Rack PDU
• Subnet mask
• IP address of the default gateway

See also

To configure the TCP/IP settings, see the Installation and Quick
Start manual provided as a PDF file on the Utility CD that came
with your Rack PDU and as a printed manual.

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Access Procedures
Overview

For more information about the internal user interfaces, see
Control Console and Web Interface.
The SNMP interface also allows you to use an SNMP browser with the
PowerNet® Management Information Base (MIB) to manage the Rack
PDU.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

The Switched Rack PDU has two internal interfaces (control console and
Web interface) that allow you to manage the Rack PDU.

See also

To use the PowerNet MIB with an SNMP browser, see the
PowerNet® SNMP Management Information Base (MIB)
Reference Guide (\doc\en\mibguide.pdf), which is provided on the
Utility CD that came with your Switched Rack PDU.

Access priority for logging on
Only one user at a time can log on to the Rack PDU to use its internal user
interface features. The priority for access is as follows:
• Local access to the control console from a computer with a direct serial
connection to the Rack PDU always has the highest priority.
• Telnet or Secure SHell (SSH) access to the control console from a
remote computer has priority over Web access.
• Web access, either directly or through the InfraStruXure Manager, has
the lowest priority.

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Types of user accounts
The Rack PDU has four levels of access (Administrator, Device Manager,
Read-Only User, and Outlet User), all of which are protected by password
and user name requirements.

• A Device Manager can use only the following menus:
– The Device Manager menu and its sub-menus in the control
console, and all menus in the top section of the navigation panel of
the Web Interface (Switched Rack PDU and Outlets).
– The Log option in the Events menu in the Web interface. A Device
Manager can also access the event log in the control console by
pressing CTRL-L.
The Device Manager’s default user name is device; the password is apc.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

• An Administrator can use all of the management menus available in
the control console and the Web interface. The Administrator’s default
user name and password are both apc.

• An Outlet User can access only the following menus:
– the Control option of the Outlets menu of the Web interface.
– the Device Manager menu and the Phase/Bank Monitor, Outlet
Control, and Power Supply Status sub-menus in the control console.
• A Read-Only User has the following restricted access:
– Access through the Web interface only.
– Access to the same menus as a Device Manager, but without the
capability to change configurations, control devices, or delete data.
Links to configuration options are visible but are disabled, and the
event and data logs display no Delete button.
The Read-Only User’s default user name is readonly, and the default
password is apc.
To set User Name and Password values for the four
account types, see User Manager and Outlet User Manager.
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Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

You must use the Web interface to configure values for the
Read-Only User, and you must use the control console to
configure values for an Outlet User.

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How to Recover From a Lost Password
You can use a local computer, a computer that connects to the Rack PDU
or other device through the serial port to access the control console.

2. Connect the serial cable (990-0144) to the selected port on the
computer and to the configuration port at the Rack PDU:
3. Run a terminal program (such as HyperTerminal®) and configure the
selected port as follows:
– 9600 bps
– 8 data bits
– no parity

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

1. Select a serial port at the local computer, and disable any service that
uses that port.

– 1 stop bit
– no flow control
4. Press ENTER, repeatedly if necessary, to display the User Name
prompt. If you are unable to display the User Name prompt, verify the
following:
– The serial port is not in use by another application.
– The terminal settings are correct as specified in step 3.
– The correct cable is being used as specified in step 2.
5. Press the Reset button. The Status LED will flash alternately orange
and green. Press the Reset button a second time immediately while
the LED is flashing to reset the user name and password to their
defaults temporarily.
6. Press ENTER as many times as necessary to redisplay the User Name
prompt, then use the default, apc, for the user name and password. (If
you take longer than 30 seconds to log on after the User Name prompt
is redisplayed, you must repeat step 5 and log on again.)
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7. From the Control Console menu, select System, then User
Manager.
8. Select Administrator, and change the User Name and Password
settings, both of which are now defined as apc.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

9. Press CTRL-C, log off, reconnect any serial cable you disconnected,
and restart any service you disabled.

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Upgrading Firmware through a Serial Connection

You can use a local computer that connects to the Rack PDU through the
serial port on the front panel of the unit.
1. Select a serial port at the local computer, and disable any service
which uses that port.
2. Use the supplied serial cable (940-0144) to connect the selected port
to the serial port on the front panel of the Rack PDU.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

For a complete description of how to download a firmware upgrade
for your Rack PDU, see Upgrading Firmware: Methods and Tools.
That section also explains how to use network-based file transfer
tools, which complete a firmware upgrade more quickly than the
XMODEM protocol described here, which uses a serial connection.

3. Run a terminal program (such as HyperTerminal) and configure the
selected port for 9600 bps, 8 data bits, no parity, 1 stop bit, and no flow
control. Save the changes.
4. Press ENTER, repeatedly if necessary, to display the User Name
prompt.
5. Enter your user name and password (both apc, by default, for
administrators only) and press the ENTER key.
6. From the Control Console menu, select, in order, System, Tools, File
Transfer, and XMODEM.
7. At the prompt Perform transfer with XMODEM-CRC? type YES,
and press ENTER.
8. The system will then prompt you to choose a transfer rate and to
change your terminal settings to match the transfer rate. Press ENTER
to set the Switched Rack PDU to accept the download.

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9. In the terminal program, send the file using the XMODEM protocol.
When the transfer finishes, the console will prompt you to restore the
baud rate to normal.
Do not interrupt the download.
The Rack PDU will restart when the download is complete.
Upgrading the firmware will not interfere with the operation of
the outlets.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Caution

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Front Panel

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Single-phase

Three-phase
Three-phase Switched Rack PDUs have one of the following two front
panels:

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Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Item

Function

 Load Indicator LED

Identifies overload and warning conditions for the
displayed phase or bank. See Load indicator LED.

 Input Selector

On 3-phase models, press the input selector to
monitor the current of the next phase or bank.
For either 1- or 3-phase units, press and hold the
input selector to display the IP address of the Rack
PDU or to invert the display. At five seconds, the IP
address is displayed; at ten seconds the displayed
numbers invert.

 10/100 Base-T Connector

Connects the Rack PDU to the network.

 Status LED

See Status LED.

 Link-RX/TX LED

See Link-RX/TX (10/100) LED.

 RJ-12 Serial Port

Connects the Rack PDU to a terminal emulator
program for local access to the control console.
(Use the supplied serial cable 940-0144.)

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Function

 Digital Display

Displays the current (amps) for the phase or bank
indicated by the illuminated Load Indicator LED. On
3-phase units, the Digital Display will cycle through
the phases or banks, displaying the current for each
for 3 seconds.
If an internal communication failure or power supply
failure occurs (for either a 1- or 3-phase model), the
Digital Display displays Er, which you can clear by
pressing the input selector.

 Reset Button

Resets the Rack PDU without affecting the outlet
status.

Link-RX/TX (10/100) LED
This LED indicates the network status.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Item

Condition

Description

Off

The device that connects the Rack PDU to the network is off or
not operating correctly.

Flashing Green

The Rack PDU is receiving data packets from the network at 10
Megabits per second (Mbps).

Flashing Orange

The Rack PDU is receiving data packets from the network at
100 Megabits per second (Mbps).

Solid Green or
Orange

The Rack PDU is not receiving any network traffic.

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Status LED
Condition

Description

Off

The Rack PDU has no power.

Solid Green

The Rack PDU has valid TCP/IP settings.

Flashing Green

The Rack PDU does not have valid TCP/IP settings.†

Solid Orange

A hardware failure has been detected in the Rack PDU. Contact
APC Worldwide Customer Support.

Flashing Orange

The Rack PDU is making BOOTP requests.

Flashing Orange and
Green (alternating)

The Rack PDU is making DHCP requests.

† If you do not use a BOOTP or DHCP server, see the Installation and Quick Start manual
provided in PDF on the Utility CD that came with your Rack PDU and as a printed manual to
configure the TCP/IP settings.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

This LED indicates the network status of the Rack PDU.

Load indicator LED
The load indicator LED identifies overload and warning conditions for the
displayed phase or bank.
Condition

Description

Solid Green

The current of the displayed phase or bank is below the
Current Overload threshold.

Yellow

The displayed phase or bank is in a Near Overload Warning
condition. The current is above the Near Overload Warning
threshold.

Red

The displayed phase or bank is in an Overload condition. The
current is above the Overload Alarm threshold.

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Watchdog Features
Overview

Network interface watchdog mechanism
The Rack PDU implements internal watchdog mechanisms to protect itself
from becoming inaccessible over the network. For example, if the Rack
PDU does not receive any network traffic for 9.5 minutes (either direct
traffic, such as SNMP, or broadcast traffic, such as an Address Resolution
Protocol [ARP] request), it assumes that there is a problem with its network
interface and restarts itself.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

To detect internal problems and recover from unanticipated inputs, the Rack
PDU uses internal, system-wide watchdog mechanisms. When it restarts
itself to recover from an internal problem, a System: Warmstart event is
recorded in the event log.

Resetting the network timer
To ensure that the Rack PDU does not restart if the network is quiet for 9.5
minutes, the Rack PDU attempts to contact the Default Gateway every 4.5
minutes. If the gateway is present, it responds to the Rack PDU, and that
response restarts the 9.5-minute timer. If your application does not require
or have a gateway, specify the IP address of a computer that is running on
the network most of the time and is on the same subnet. The network traffic
of that computer will restart the 9.5-minute timer frequently enough to
prevent the Rack PDU from restarting.

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Control Console
How to Log On
You can use either a local (serial) connection, or a remote (Telnet or SSH)
connection to access the control console.
Use case-sensitive User Name and Password entries to log on (by default,
apc and apc for an Administrator, or device and apc for a Device
Manager). A Read-Only User has no access to the control console.
If you cannot remember your user name or password, see
How to Recover From a Lost Password.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Overview

There is no default password for Outlet User accounts. (An Administrator
must define the password and other account characteristics for an Outlet
User.)
See Outlet User Manager.

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Remote access to the control console

Telnet for basic access. Telnet provides the basic security of
authentication by user name and password, but not the high-security
benefits of encryption. To use Telnet to access the control console from any
computer on the same subnet:
1. At a command prompt, type telnet and the System IP address for
the Rack PDU (when the PDU uses the default Telnet port of 23), and
then press ENTER. For example:
telnet 139.225.6.133

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

You can access the control console through Telnet or Secure SHell (SSH),
depending on which is enabled. (An Administrator can enable these access
methods through the Telnet/SSH option of the Network menu.) By default,
Telnet is enabled. Enabling SSH automatically disables Telnet.

If the PDU uses a non-default port number (between 5000
and 32768), you need to include a colon or a space
(depending on your Telnet client) after the IP address and
then enter the port number.
2. Enter the user name and password (by default, apc and apc for an
Administrator, or device and apc for a Device Manager).

SSH for high-security access. If you use the high security of SSL for the
Web interface, use Secure SHell (SSH) for access to the control console.
SSH encrypts user names, passwords and transmitted data.
The interface, user accounts, and user access rights are the same whether
you access the control console through SSH or Telnet, but to use SSH, you
must first configure SSH and have an SSH client program installed on your
computer.

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Local access to the control console
You can use a local computer that connects to the Rack PDU through the
serial port on the front panel of the unit.

2. Use the supplied serial cable (940-0144) to connect the selected port
to the serial port on the front panel of the Rack PDU.
3. Run a terminal program (such as HyperTerminal) and configure the
selected port for 9600 bps, 8 data bits, no parity, 1 stop bit, and no flow
control. Save the changes.
4. Press ENTER, repeatedly if necessary, to display the User Name
prompt.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

1. Select a serial port at the local computer, and disable any service
which uses that port.

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Main Screen
Example main screen

User Name : apc
Password : ***

American Power Conversion
Network Management Card AOS
v2.6.4
(c) Copyright 2002 All Rights Reserved Rack PDU APP
v2.6.6
------------------------------------------------------------------------------Name
: MS3 Test Unit
Date : 6/25/2004
Contact
: Bill Cooper
Time : 10:16:58
Location : Testing Lab
User : Administrator
Up Time
: 0 Days 0 Hours 43 Minutes
Stat : P+ N+ A+
Switched Rack PDU: Communication Established

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

The main screen that is displayed when you log on to the control console of
a Rack PDU:

------- Control Console ------------------------------------------------------1234-

Device Manager
Network
System
Logout

- Main Menu, - Refresh, - Event Log

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Information and status fields

Network Management Card AOS
Rack PDU APP

v2.6.4
v2.6.6

• Three fields identify the system Name, Contact, and Location values.
Name
: MS3 Test Unit
Contact
: Bill Cooper
Location : Testing Lab

To set the Name, Contact, and Location values, see System
Menu.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Main screen information fields.
• Two fields identify the APC operating system (AOS) and application
(APP) firmware versions. The application firmware uses a name that
identifies the type of device that connects to the network. In the
Example main screen, the application firmware for the Rack PDU is
displayed.

• An Up Time field reports how long the Rack PDU has been running
since it was last reset or since power was applied.
Up Time

: 0 Days 0 Hours 43 Minutes

• Two fields identify when you logged on, by Date and Time.
Date : 6/25/2004
Time : 10:16:58

• A User field identifies whether you logged on as Administrator, Device
Manager, or Outlet User.
User : Administrator

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Main screen status fields.
• A Stat field reports the Rack PDU status.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Stat : P+ N+ A+

P+

The APC operating system (AOS) is functioning properly.

N+

The network is functioning properly.

N?

A BOOTP request cycle is in progress.

N–

The Rack PDU failed to connect to the network.

N!

Another device is using the IP address of the Rack PDU.

A+

The application is functioning properly.

A–

The application has a bad checksum.

A?

The application is initializing.

A!

The application is not compatible with the AOS.

If the AOS status is not P+, contact APC Worldwide Customer
Support, even if you can still access the Rack PDU.
• A Rack PDU model and name field reports the status of the Rack PDU.
For example:
Switched Rack PDU: Communication Established

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Control Console Menus
Menu structure

For menus that allow you to change a setting, you must use the Accept
Changes option to save the changes you made.
While in a menu, you can also do the following:
• Type ? and press ENTER to access brief menu option descriptions (if
the menu has help available).
• Press ENTER to refresh the menu.
• Press ESC to go back to the menu from which you accessed the
current menu.
• Press CTRL-C to return to the main (control console) menu.
• Press CTRL-L to access the event log (Administrator and Device
Manager only).

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

The menus in the control console list options by number and name. To use
an option, type the corresponding number and press ENTER, then follow
any on-screen instructions.

For information about the event log, see Event-Related
Menus.

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Main menu
The main control console menu has options that provide access to the
management features of the control console:
1- Device Manager
2- Network

4- Logout
s

When you log on as Device Manager or as an Outlet User,
you will not have access to the Network or System menus.

Device Manager option
This option accesses the Device Manager menu. Select the components
you want to manage from this menu. To do any of the following tasks, see
Switched Rack PDU Settings:

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

3- System

1- Phase/Bank Monitor/Configuration
2- Phase/Bank Outlet Restriction Configuration
3- Outlet Control/Configuration
4- Power Supply Status

Option 4 is not available to outlet users.

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Network option
To do any of the following tasks, see Network Menu:
• Configure the TCP/IP settings for the Rack PDU or, when the Rack
PDU will obtain its TCP/IP settings from a server, configure the settings
for the type of server (DHCP or BOOTP) to be used.
• Define settings that affect the FTP, Telnet, Web interface and SSL,
SNMP, e-mail, DNS, and Syslog features of the Rack PDU.

System option
To do any of the following tasks, see System Menu:
• Control Administrator, Device Manager, and Outlet User access
• Define the system Name, Contact, and Location values
• Set the date and time used by the Rack PDU
• Restart the Rack PDU
• Reset control console settings to their default values
• Access system information about the Rack PDU

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

• Use the Ping utility.

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Web Interface
How to Log On
You can use the DNS name or System IP address of the Switched Rack
PDU for the URL address of the Web interface.
If you are using HTTPS (SSL/TSL) as your access protocol, your
login credentials are compared with information in a server
certificate. If the certificate was created with the APC Security
Wizard, when you log on you must use the same identifier for the
Rack PDU as you specified for the common name in the certificate
(either the IP address or the DNS name).

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Overview

Use your case-sensitive user name and password settings to log on. The
default user name differs by account type:
• apc for an Administrator
• device for a Device Manager
• readonly for a Read Only User
The default password is apc for all three account types.
There is no default password for Outlet User accounts. (An Administrator
must define the password and other account characteristics for an Outlet
User.)
See Outlet User Manager.

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See Web/SSL (Web/SSL/TLS in the control console) to select, enable,
and disable the protocols that control access to the Web interface and
to define the Web-server ports for the protocols.

Supported Web browsers
As your browser, you can use Microsoft® Internet Explorer (IE) 5.0 (and
higher) or Netscape® 4.0.8 (and higher, except Netscape 6.x) to access the
Rack PDU through its Web interface. Other commonly available browsers
also may work but have not been fully tested by APC.
Data verification, the event log, and the data log require that you enable the
following for your Web browser:

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

For information about the Web page that appears when you log on
to the Web interface, see Summary Page.

• JavaScript
• Java
• Cookies
In addition, the Rack PDU cannot work with a proxy server. Therefore,
before you can use a Web browser to access its Web interface, you must
do one of the following:
• Configure the Web browser to disable the use of a proxy server for the
Rack PDU.
• Configure the proxy server so that it does not proxy the specific IP
address of the Rack PDU.

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URL address formats

If the error “You are not authorized to view this page” occurs
(Internet Explorer only), someone is logged onto the Web interface
or control console. If the error “No Response” (Netscape) or “This
page cannot be displayed” (Internet Explorer) occurs, Web access
may be disabled, or the Rack PDU may use a non-default Webserver port that you did not specify correctly in the address. (For
Internet Explorer, you must type http:// or https://as part of
the address when any port other than 80 is used.)

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Type the Rack PDU’s DNS name or IP address in the Web browser’s URL
address field and press ENTER. Except when you specify a non-default web
server port in Internet Explorer, http:// or https:// is automatically
added by the browser.

For more information, see Port assignments.
• For a DNS name of Web1, the entry would be one of the following:
–http://Web1 if HTTP is your access mode
–https://Web1 if HTTPS (SSL/TLS) is your access mode
• For a System IP address of 139.225.6.133, when the Rack PDU uses the
default port (80) at the Web server, the entry would be one of the following:
–http://139.225.6.133 if HTTP is your access mode
–https//139.225.6.133 if HTTPS (SSL/TLS) is your access mode
• For a System IP address of 139.225.6.133, when the Rack PDU uses
a non-default port (5000, in this example) at the Web server, the entry
would be one of the following:
–http://139.225.6.133:5000 if HTTP is your access mode

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–https://139.225.6.133:5000 if HTTPS (SSL/TLS) is your
access mode
26

Summary Page
When you log on to the Web interface at the Switched Rack PDU, the status
view is at the right side of the screen, the quick status tab is at the upper
right, and the navigation menu is at the left.

The Status view has three sections:
• The Device Status section reports any active alarm or warning
conditions and displays the load for each phase or bank, including a
graphic representation of the load thresholds.
• The Outlet Status section shows the number, phase or bank (for 3phase models), state (on, off), and name of the outlet.
• The Switched Rack PDU Parameters section shows the following:

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Status

– The Name, Contact, and Location information for the Rack PDU
– The date and time you logged on
– The Type of User (Administrator, Device Manager, Read Only
User, or Outlet User)
– The time (Up Time) the Rack PDU has been running continuously
since it was last reset or power was applied
– The rating of the Rack PDU (1- or 3-phase, and the maximum
number of amps per phase or bank)

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27

Quick status tab
The quick status tab is displayed at the upper right on every page in the
Web interface. The tab shows active alarms and warnings and a link to the
online help.

Click the green “device operating normally” icon to return to the status
screen where the current for each phase or bank is displayed.

Click the warning icon to return to the status screen where active warnings
are displayed. Put the mouse cursor on the icon to view details of the
warning.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Click the help icon to access the online help for the displayed page.

Click the alarm icon to return to the status screen where active alarms are
displayed. Put the mouse cursor on the icon to display details of the alarm.

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Navigation Menu
On the Web interface, the navigation menu (left frame) has the following
elements:
• IP address of the Rack PDU
• Menus to manage the Rack PDU and its components:
– Switched Rack PDU menu with Configuration and Scheduling as
options
– Outlets menu with Control, Configuration, and Outlet Groups as
options
• Menus to manage the event log, data log, network connection, and
system parameters:
– Events menu

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Overview

– Data menu
– Network menu
– System menu
When you log on as a Device Manager or Read-Only User, the
Network and System menus are not displayed. Options to
make any changes are not available for the Read-Only User.
When you log on as an Outlet User, the Switched Rack PDU,
Events, Network, and System menus are not displayed.
• Logout option
• Help menu
• Links menu

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29

Selecting a menu to perform a task
• To do the following, see Switched Rack PDU Settings:
– Configure the overload and low load thresholds for each phase or
bank.
– Configure the Overload Outlet Restriction for each phase or bank.
• To do the following, see Outlet Settings for Outlets and Outlet Groups:
– Apply power to and remove power from the outlets.
– Set Power On Delay, Power Off Delay, and Reboot Duration for
the outlets.
– Set the names and associated links for the outlets.
– Create, enable, and use synchronized outlet groups.
• To do the following, see Event-Related Menus:

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

– Set the Name, Location, and Coldstart Delay for the Rack PDU.

– Access the event log.
– Configure the actions to be taken based on the severity level of an
event.
– Configure SNMP Trap Receiver settings for sending event-based
traps.
– Define who will receive e-mail notifications and Syslog messages for
events.
– Test e-mail settings.
• To do the following, see Data Menu (Web Interface Only):
– Access the data log.
– Define the log interval (how often data will be sampled and
recorded) for the data log.

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• To do the following, see Network Menu:
– Identify the Domain Name System (DNS) Server, test its network
connection, and enable or disable DNS Reverse Lookup Event
Logging (which logs the domain name of the device associated with
each event).
– Define settings for FTP, Telnet, SSH, the Web interface, SNMP,
e-mail, and SSL/TLS.
– Configure the Rack PDU’s Syslog message feature.
• To do the following, see System Menu:
– Control Administrator and Device Manager access.
– Manage Outlet User access.
– Define the system Name, Contact, and Location values.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

– Configure new TCP/IP settings for the Rack PDU.

– Set the date and time used by the Rack PDU.
– Restart the Rack PDU.
– Reset control console settings to default settings.
– Define the URL addresses of the user links and APC logo link in the
Web interface, as described in Links menu.

Help menu
When you click Help, the Contents page for all of the online help is
displayed. However, from any Web interface pages, you can use the
question mark (?) in the quick status bar to link to the section of the online
help for that page.
The About System option of the Help menu displays information in the
following fields: Model Number, Serial Number, Hardware Revision,
Manufacture Date, MAC Address, Application Module, APC OS (AOS)
Module (the APC Operating System Module of the Switched Rack PDU),
and the date and time that each of the two modules were created.
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In the control console, the About System option, which is a
System menu option, has the Flash Type value.

Provides three user-definable URL link options. By default, these links
access the following APC Web pages:
• APC’s Web Site accesses the APC home page.
• Testdrive Demo accesses a demonstration page where you can use
samples of APC Web-enabled products.
• APC Monitoring accesses the “APC Remote Monitoring Service”
page about pay-for-monitoring services available from APC.
To redefine these links so that they point to other URLs:
1. Click on Links in the System menu.
2. Define any new names for User Links.
3. Define any new URL addresses that you want User Links to access.
Only HTTP links may be defined.
4. Click Apply.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Links menu

The link associated with the APC logo is also definable.

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Device and Outlet Management Menus
How to Configure and Control Outlet Groups
An outlet group consists of outlets that are logically linked together on the
same Switched Rack PDU. Outlets that are in an outlet group turn on, turn
off, and reboot in a synchronized manner, i.e., within a one-second interval
under normal conditions:
• A local outlet group consists of two or more outlets on a Switched Rack
PDU. Only the outlets in that group are synchronized.
• A global outlet group consists of one or more outlets on a Switched Rack
PDU. One outlet is configured as a global outlet, which logically links the
outlet group to outlet groups on up to three other Switched Rack PDUs.
All outlets in the linked global outlet groups are synchronized.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Outlet group terminology

– For global outlet groups, the initiator outlet group is the group that
issued the action
– For global outlet groups, a follower outlet group is any other outlet
group that is synchronized with the initiator outlet group.
When you apply an outlet control action to outlets that are members of an
outlet group, the outlets are synchronized as follows:
• For a global outlet group, use the delay periods and reboot duration
configured for the global outlet of the initiator outlet group.
• For a local outlet group, the outlets use the delay periods and reboot
duration of the lowest-numbered outlet in the group.

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Purpose and benefits of outlet groups

• Synchronized shutdown and startup of the power supplies of dualcorded servers avoids erroneous reporting of power supply failures
during a planned system shutdown or reboot.
• Synchronizing outlets by using outlet groups provides more precise
shutdown and restart timing than relying on the delay periods of
individual outlets.
• A global outlet is visible to the user interfaces of the Switched Rack
PDUs to which it is linked.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

By using groups of synchronized outlets on Switched Rack PDUs, you can
ensure that outlets turn on, turn off, and reboot in a synchronized manner.
Synchronizing control group actions through outlet groups provides the
following benefits.

Under normal conditions all outlets in outlet groups affected by a
control action will perform that action within a one-second interval.

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System requirements for outlet groups
To set up and use synchronized outlet control groups:

• If outlets groups are to be synchronized across multiple Switched Rack
PDUs, those Switched Rack PDUs must meet the following
requirements:
– They must be on the same subnet.
– They must use firmware that has the same version number, which
must be 2.6.1 or higher for both the APC Operating System (AOS)
module and the Application module. As later firmware revisions
become available, be sure to upgrade each Switched Rack PDU.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

• You need a 10/100Base-T TCP/IP network, with an Ethernet hub or
switch that has a power source not shared by the computers or other
devices being synchronized.

• You need a computer that can initiate synchronized control operations
through the Web interface or control console of the Switched Rack
PDUs or through SNMP.
• You must ensure that Multicast network traffic is allowed for the
selected Multicast IP address by each switch that connects the
Switched Rack PDUs.

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Rules for configuring outlet groups
For a system that uses outlet groups, the following rules apply:
• A Switched Rack PDU can have more than one outlet group, but an
outlet can belong to only one outlet group.

• You can synchronize a global outlet group on one Switched Rack PDU
with a global outlet group on each of three other Switched Rack PDUs.
– In a global outlet group, you can designate only one outlet to be a
global outlet, linking to outlet groups on other Switched Rack PDUs
for the purpose of synchronization. That global outlet can be the
only outlet in its group, or the group can consist of multiple outlets.
– For outlet groups on Switched Rack PDUs to be linked for
synchronization, those Switched Rack PDUs must have the same
Device Multicast Name and Device Multicast Address and be
running the same version of Switched Rack PDU firmware.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

• A local outlet group, which has no global outlet, must consist of two or
more outlets.

– A global outlet of one outlet group must have the same physical outlet
number as the global outlet of any other outlet group to which it links.
– Even if InfraStruXure Manager is not used with your system, you
must enable the ISX Protocol for each Switched Rack PDU to link
global outlet groups across Switched Rack PDUs.
To enable the ISX Protocol, see ISX Protocol (control
console only).
• To create and configure outlet groups, you must use the Web interface
or export configuration file (.ini file) settings from a configured Switched
Rack PDU. The control console lets you display whether an outlet is a
member of an outlet group and to apply control actions to an outlet
group, but does not let you set up or configure an outlet group.
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How to enable outlet groups
From the Outlets menu in the Web interface, select Outlet Groups,
configure the following parameters, and click Apply.

Parameter

Description

Device Level Outlet Group

To create an outlet group, you must enable this
parameter. It is disabled by default.

Enable support for global outlet groups (linked groups).

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Enable creation of outlet groups.

Parameter

Description

Multicast Name

To link outlet groups on multiple Switched Rack PDUs, you must
define the same Multicast name and Multicast IP address on each
of those Rack PDUs.

Multicast IP

NOTE: A Maximum of four devices can be configured with the
same Multicast name and Multicast IP address.

How to create a local outlet group (Web interface)
1. From the Outlets menu in the Web interface, select Outlet Groups.
2. Make sure outlet groups are enabled.
See Enable creation of outlet groups.
3. Click Create Local Outlet Group.
4. Under Configure Local Outlet Group, select each outlet that will be in
the group. You must select at least two outlets.

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How to create multiple global outlet groups (Web interface)
To set up multiple global outlet groups that link to outlet groups on other
Switched Rack PDUs:
1. From the Outlets menu in the Web interface, select Outlet Groups.

See How to enable outlet groups.
3. Click Create Global Outlet Groups.
4. For each global outlet group you want to create, select an outlet by
clicking on its check-box. Then click Apply. For example, select five
outlets to create five outlet groups, each consisting of one global outlet.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

2. Make sure outlet groups are enabled and that the Multicast parameters
(name and IP address) are the same for all Rack PDUs to be linked.

5. To add outlets to any of the global outlet groups you created, see How
to edit or delete an outlet group.

How to edit or delete an outlet group
1. From the Outlets menu in the Web interface, select Outlet Groups.
2. Under Configured Outlet Groups, click on the number or name of the
outlet group to edit or delete.
3. When editing an outlet group you can do any of the following:
– Rename the outlet group.
– Add or remove outlets by clicking the check-boxes to mark or
unmark them.
You cannot remove an outlet from an outlet group that
contains only two outlets unless the remaining outlet is a
global outlet.
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4. To delete the outlet group, click Delete Outlet Group.
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The following configuration shows two Switched Rack PDUs, each with
eight outlet groups. Each outlet group consists of a single global outlet.
Each outlet group  on the first Switched Rack PDU is linked to the outlet
group  in the same location on the second Switched Rack PDU. One
power cord of a dual-corded server  is connected to each outlet on the
first Switched Rack PDU, and its other cord is connected to the
corresponding outlet on the second Switched Rack PDU, ensuring that
output power from both power sources to the server will turn on or off in a
synchronized manner in response to an outlet control action.




Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Typical outlet group configurations

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



These four global outlet groups synchronize a total of 19 outlets.



These two global outlet groups synchronize 6 outlets, 2 in one group and 4 in the
other.



This local outlet group synchronizes 3 outlets on the same Switched Rack PDU.



Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

The following configuration shows three sets of synchronized outlets.
Global outlets are shown in black. Outlet groups are enclosed in red
rectangles.





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Verify your setup and configuration for global outlet groups
To ensure that your setup meets all system requirements for outlet group
and that you have configured the outlet groups correctly, select Outlet
Groups from the Outlets menu in the Web interface to view the groups and
their connections:
– All configured outlet groups on the current Switched Rack PDU.
– The outlets in each group by outlet number.
– Any outlet groups on other Switched Rack PDUs with which a global
outlet group is synchronized. Each Switched Rack PDU is identified
by its IP address, and each global outlet is displayed in bold text.
• The Global Outlet Overview section displays the following:
– The IP address of the current Switched Rack PDU.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

• The Configured Outlet Groups section displays the following:

– The IP address of any Switched Rack PDUs that contain global
outlets that are available to be synchronized with outlet groups on
other Switched Rack PDUs.
– All global outlets configured on the Switched Rack PDUs listed,
regardless of whether they are synchronized with outlet groups on
the current Switched Rack PDU.

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Outlet Settings for Outlets and Outlet Groups
How to initiate a control action

• For an individual outlet (not in an outlet group), the action uses
the delay periods and reboot duration configured for that outlet.
• For a global outlet group, the action uses the delay periods
and reboot duration configured for the global outlet.
• For a local outlet group, the action uses the delay periods
configured for the lowest-numbered outlet in the group.

Web interface. To control the outlets on your Switched Rack PDU
1. Select Outlets, and then Control on the navigation menu.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

If you apply an outlet control action to outlets or outlet groups, the
following delays are used for the action:

2. Mark the check-boxes for each individual outlet or outlet group to
control, or select the All Outlets check-box.
3. Select a Control Action from the list, and click Next >>. On the
confirmation page that explains the action, choose to execute or cancel it.

Control Console. Select Outlet Control/Configuration from the Device
Manager menu to display a list of outlets. For each outlet, the list indicates
whether it is a member of an outlet group.
1. Choose either or the following:
– To control one outlet and the outlet group, if any, to which it belongs,
select the number of the outlet, and then select Control Outlet.
– To control all outlets, select Master Control/Configuration, and
then Control of ALL Outlets.
2. Select a control action.

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3. On the confirmation screen that describes the action to be executed,
type Yes at the prompt to perform the action.
42

Control actions you can select.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

t

Option

Description

No Action (Web interface only)

Do nothing.

On Immediate

Apply power to the selected outlets.

On Delayed

Apply power to each selected outlet according to its
value for Power On Delay.†

Off Immediate

Remove power from the selected outlets.

Off Delayed

Remove power from each selected outlet according to
its value for Power Off Delay.†

Reboot Immediate

Remove power from each selected outlet. Then apply
power to each of these outlets according to its value
for Reboot Duration.†

Reboot Delayed

Remove power from each selected outlet according to
its value for Power Off Delay. Wait until all outlets are
off (the highest value for Reboot Duration), and then
apply power to each outlet according to its value for
Power On Delay. †

Cancel Pending Commands
(Web Interface)

Cancel all commands pending for the selected outlets
and keep them in their present state.

Cancel (control console)

NOTE: For global outlet groups, you can cancel a
command only from the interface of the initiator outlet
group. The action will cancel the command for the
initiator outlet group and all follower outlet groups.

† If a local outlet group is selected, only the configured delays and reboot duration of the lowestnumbered outlet of the group are used. If a global outlet group is selected, only the configured
delays and reboot duration of the global outlet are used.

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How to configure outlet settings and outlet name

Setting

Description

Power On Delay

Set the number of seconds that the Rack PDU waits after a
command is issued before applying power to an outlet.
NOTE: To configure an outlet to remain off at all times, check the
Never check box next to Power On Delay in the Web interface, or
configure a value of –1 for Power On Delay in the control console.

Power Off Delay

Set the number of seconds that the Rack PDU waits after a
command is issued before removing power from an outlet.
NOTE: To configure an outlet to remain on at all times, check the
Never check box next to Power Off Delay in the Web interface, or
configure a value of –1 for Power Off Delay in the control console.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Settings that you can configure. The following settings are available in
both the Web interface and control console unless otherwise indicated:

Reboot Duration

Set the number of seconds an outlet remains off before restarting.

Name (Web
interface)

Set the name for one or more outlets. The name is displayed next
to the outlet number on status screens.

Outlet Name
(control console)
Link (Web
interface)

Define an HTTP or HTTPS link to a Web site or IP address.
• http://www.apcc.com links the outlet to the home page of the
APC Web site.
• http://158.205.7.201 links the outlet to the Web interface of the
Switched Rack PDU at the IP address 158.205.7.201, enabling
you to log on to that interface (if you have the appropriate access).
NOTE: If the outlet is a member of an outlet group, the only link that
is used is the link configured for the global outlet or (for a local
outlet group) the link configured for the lowest-numbered outlet of a
local outlet group. You can configure a link for another outlet in an
outlet group, but that link will be available to use only when that
outlet is no longer a member of an outlet group.

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Web Interface. To configure the outlet settings or outlet names, select
Configuration on the Outlets menu, and click the Configure button in the
Outlet Settings section or in the Outlet Name Configuration section.
• Configure outlet settings in the top section of the next screen:

– Enter values for Power On Delay, Power Off Delay, or Reboot
Duration, and click the Apply button immediately below the list.
• Configure outlet names and links in the bottom section of the next screen:
– Select the check boxes next to the numbers of the outlets you want
to modify, or select the All Outlets check-box.
– Enter values for Name and Link, and click the Apply button
immediately below the list.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

– Select the check-boxes next to the numbers of the outlets you want
to modify, or select the All Outlets check-box.

Control Console. To configure the outlet settings and outlet name:
1. Select Outlet Control/Configuration from the Device Manager
menu.
2. Choose the number of the outlet you want to control, and press ENTER.
3. Choose Configure Outlet to display and change the values for Outlet
Name, Power On Delay, Power Off Delay, and Reboot Duration.

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Switched Rack PDU Settings
Configure Load Thresholds
Web interface.
1. Select Switched Rack PDU from the navigation menu.
3. Set Overload Alarm Threshold, Near Overload Warning Threshold,
Low Load Warning Threshold, and Overload Outlet Restrictions
for each phase or bank.
4. Click Apply in that section to set the selected values.

Control console.
1. From the Device Manager menu, select Phase/Bank Monitor/
Configuration.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

2. Click Configure in the Load Management section.

2. Select a phase or bank (for 3-phase units).
3. Select Overload Alarm Threshold (amps), Near Overload Warning
Threshold (amps), or Low Load Warning Threshold (amps).
4. Select Accept Changes.
To set the overload outlet restriction, select Outlet Restriction Configuration
on the Device manager menu. For 3-phase units, select a phase or bank to
display and change the Outlet Phase/Bank Restriction.
Setting

Description

Overload Alarm
Threshold

Set the number of amps that will cause an overload of this phase
or bank.

Near Overload
Warning Threshold

Set the number of amps at which to generate a warning that the
Rack PDU is nearing overload of a phase or bank.

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Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Setting

Description

Low Load Warning
Threshold

Set the low threshold, in amps, for the current drawn from this
phase or bank during normal operation. A load at or below this
level generates a warning.

Overload Outlet
Restriction

Prevent users from applying power to outlets during an overload
condition. You can set the following restrictions for each outlet:
• None: You can apply power to outlets regardless of an Overload
Alarm or Near Overload Warning.
• On Warning: You cannot apply power to an outlet on the
selected phase or bank if the current for that phase or bank has
exceeded the Near Overload Warning threshold.
• On Overload: You cannot apply power to an outlet on the
selected phase or bank if the current for that phase or bank has
exceeded the Overload Alarm threshold.

How to configure Device Settings
Web interface. Select Configuration on the Switched Rack PDU menu.
Then, under Device Settings, click the Configure button and configure the
Name and Location fields for the Rack PDU, and set the Coldstart Delay.
Control console.
1. Select Outlet Control/Configuration from the Device Manager menu.
2. Select Master Control/Configuration from the displayed list.
3. Select Master Outlet Configuration from the next menu displayed.
4. Change the Name, Location, or Coldstart Delay from this menu.

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Description

Name

Set the name of the Rack PDU.

Location

Set the location of the Rack PDU.

Coldstart Delay

The time that the Switched Rack PDU delays applying power to
the outlets after AC power has been applied to the Rack PDU.

To change the Contact field (the name of the person to contact
about the Rack PDU) in addition to the Name and Location fields
in the control console, see Identification.

Power Supply Status (control console only)
Select Power Supply Status from the Device Manager menu to display
the status of the power supplies of the Switched Rack PDU.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Setting

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Scheduling Outlet Actions (Web Interface Only)
Actions you can schedule

To configure values for Power On Delay, Power Off Delay, and
Reboot Duration for each outlet, see How to configure outlet
settings and outlet name. Although you must use the Web
interface to schedule outlet actions, you can set these values in
either the Web or control console interfaces.
For an action to be applied to an outlet group, you must have
outlet groups enabled at the beginning of the scheduled action.
For example, if Off Delayed is scheduled for 4:00 p.m., the Power
Off Delay begins at 4:00 p.m. Even if you then enable outlet
groups during that Power Off Delay before any of the outlets are
scheduled to turn off, the action will be applied only to the
individual outlet and not the outlet group.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

For any outlets you select, you can schedule any of the following actions to
occur daily; at intervals of one, two, four, or eight weeks; or only once.

Option

Description

No Action

Do nothing.

On Immediate

Apply power to the selected outlets.

On Delayed

Apply power to each selected outlet according to its value for Power
On Delay.†

Off Immediate

Remove power from the selected outlets.

† If an outlet group is selected, the configured delays and reboot duration of the lowestnumbered outlet (for a local outlet group) or of the global outlet (for a global outlet group that
is initiating the action).

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Description

Off Delayed

Remove power from each selected outlet according to its value for
Power Off Delay.†

Reboot PDU
Immediate

Remove power from each selected outlet. Then apply power to
each of these outlets according to its value for Reboot Duration.†

Reboot PDU
Delayed

Remove power from each selected outlet according to its value for
Power Off Delay. Wait until all outlets are off (the highest value for
Reboot Duration), and then apply power to each outlet according
to its value for Power On Delay.†

† If an outlet group is selected, the configured delays and reboot duration of the lowestnumbered outlet (for a local outlet group) or of the global outlet (for a global outlet group that
is initiating the action).

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Option

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How to schedule an outlet event
1. From the menus of the Web interface, select Switched Rack PDU and
then Scheduling.

If you select Weekly, you can choose to have the event occur
once every week or once every two, four, or eight weeks.
3. On the scheduling page, in the Name of event text box, replace the default
name, Outlet Event, with a name that will identify your new event.
4. Use the drop-down lists to select the type of event and when it will occur.
The date format for one-time events is mm/dd, and the time
format for all events is hh/mm, with the two-digit hour
specified in 24-hour time.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

2. On the Outlet Scheduling page, select how often the event will occur:
Daily, Weekly, or One-Time.

• An event that is scheduled daily or at one of the intervals
available in the Weekly selection continues to occur at the
scheduled interval until the event is deleted or disabled.
• You can schedule a one-time event to occur only on a
date within 12 months of the date on which you perform
the scheduling. For example, on June 4, 2004, you could
schedule a one-time event on any date from the current
date until June 3, 2005.
5. Use the check-boxes to select which outlets will be affected by the
action. You can select one or more individual outlets or All Outlets.
6. Click Apply to confirm the scheduling of the event, or Clear to cancel it.
When you confirm the event, the summary page is re-displayed, with the
new event displayed in the list of scheduled events.
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How to edit, disable, enable, or delete an outlet event
1. From the menus of the Web interface, select Switched Rack PDU and
then Scheduling.

3. On the Scheduled Event Details page, you can do any of the
following:
– Change details of the event, such as the name of the event, when it
is scheduled to occur, and which outlets are affected.
– Under Status of event at the bottom of the page:
• Disable the event, leaving all its details configured so that it can be
re-enabled later. A disabled event will not occur. An event is
enabled by default when you create it.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

2. In the event list in the Summary section of the Outlet Scheduling
page, click on the name of the event.

• Enable the event, if it was previously set to Disable.
• Delete the event, removing the event completely from the system.
A deleted event cannot be retrieved.
4. Click Clear at any time to cancel your changes to the event. Using
Clear cancels only the changes you made in the current editing
session.
5. When you finish making changes on this page, click Apply to confirm
the changes.

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Event-Related Menus
Introduction
The Events menu provides access to the options that you use to do the
following tasks:
• Access the event log
• Define the actions to be taken when an event occurs, based on the
severity level of that event:
– Event logging
– Syslog message notification

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USER’S GUIDE

Overview

– SNMP trap notification
– E-mail notification
You can use only the Web interface to define which events
will use which actions, as described in Event Log and How to
Configure Individual Events.
• Define up to four SNMP trap receivers, by NMS-specific IP address or
domain name, for event notifications by SNMP traps.
• Define up to four recipients for event notifications by e-mail.

Menu options
In the Web interface, all of the events options are accessed through the
Events menu.

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In the control console, access the available events-related options as
follows:
• Use the Email option in the Network menu to define the SMTP server
and e-mail recipients.
• Use the SNMP option in the Network menu to define the SNMP trap
receivers.

For information on the following topics, use these links:
• Event Log
• Event Actions (Web Interface Only)
• Event Recipients
• E-mail Feature
• How to Configure Individual Events

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

• Use CTRL-L to access the event log from any menu.

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Event Log
Overview

• Web interface
• Control console
• FTP
• SCP

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

The Rack PDU supports event-logging for all embedded management card
application firmware modules. To record and display embedded
management card and Rack PDU events, use any of the following to view
the event log:

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Logged events

Some System (embedded management card) events do not have
a severity level. Even if you disable the event log for all severity
levels, events with no severity level will still be logged.
To access a list of the System (embedded management card) and
Switched Rack PDU (Device) events, see Event List page.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

By default, any event which causes an SNMP trap will be logged, except for
SNMP authentication failures. Additionally, the Rack PDU will log its
abnormal internal system events. However, you can use the Actions option
in the Web interface’s Events menu to disable the logging of events based
on their assigned severity level, as described in Event Actions (Web
Interface Only).

Web interface
The Log option in the Events menu accesses the event log. This log
displays all of the events that have been recorded since the log was last
deleted, in reverse chronological order. The Delete Log button clears all
events from the log.

Control console
Press CTRL-L to display all the events that have been recorded since the log
was last deleted, in reverse chronological order. Use the SPACE BAR to
scroll through the recorded events. While viewing the log, type d and press
ENTER to clear all events from the log.
.

After events are deleted, they cannot be retrieved.
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How to use FTP or SCP to retrieve a log file

See Security for information on the available protocols and
methods for setting up the type of security appropriate for your
needs.
If you have Administrator or Device Manager access, you can use SCP or
FTP to retrieve a tab-delineated event log file (event.txt) or data log file
(data.txt) that you can import into a spreadsheet application.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

If you are using the encryption-based security protocols for your
system, use Secure CoPy (SCP) to retrieve the log file. (You
should have FTP disabled.) If you are using unencrypted
authentication methods for the security of your system, use FTP to
retrieve the log file.

• The file reports all of the events or data recorded since the log was last
deleted.
• The file includes information that the event log or data log does not
display.
– The version of the file format (first field)
– The Date and Time the file was retrieved
– The Name, Contact, and Location values, and the IP address of
the Rack PDU
– The unique Event Code for each recorded event (event.txt file only)
The Rack PDU uses a 4-digit year for log entries. You may
need to select a four-digit date format in your spreadsheet
application to display all four digits of the year.

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Secure CoPy (SCP).
To use SCP to retrieve the event.txt file, use the following command:
scp username@hosthame_or_ip_address:event.txt ./event.txt

To use SCP to retrieve the data.txt file, use the following command:

See Data Menu (Web Interface Only) for information about the
data log.

File Transfer Protocol (FTP).
To use FTP to retrieve the event.txt or data.txt file:
1. At a command prompt, type ftp and the IP address of the Switched
Rack PDU, and press ENTER. If the Port setting for FTP Server in the
Network menu has been changed from its default value (21), you must
use the non-default value in the FTP command. For some FTP clients,
you must use a colon to add the port number to the end of the IP
address. For Windows FTP clients, use the following command
(including spaces):

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

scp username@hosthame_or_ip_address:data.txt ./data.txt

ftp>open ip_address port_number

To use non-default port values to enhance security, see Port
assignments.
2. Use the case-sensitive User Name and Password values for either an
Administrator or a Device Manager User to log on.
– For Administrator, apc is the default for User Name and Password.
– For Device Manager, device is the default for User Name, and apc
is the default for Password.

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3. Use the get command to transmit the text version of the event or data
log to your local drive.
ftp>get event.txt

or
ftp>get data.txt

ftp>del event.txt

or
ftp>del data.txt

You will not be asked to confirm the deletion.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

4. You can use the del command to clear the contents of the event or
data log.

– If you clear the data log, a Deleted Log event will be recorded in the
Event Log.
– If you clear the event log, a new event.txt file will be created to
record the Deleted Log event.
5. Type quit at the ftp> prompt to exit from FTP.

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Event Actions (Web Interface Only)
The Actions option is available only on the Web interface’s Events menu.
This option allows you to select which actions will occur for events that have
a specified severity level:
• Event Log selects which severity levels cause an event to be recorded
in the event log.
See Event log action.
• Syslog selects which severity levels cause messages to be sent to
Syslog servers to log events.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Overview

See Syslog action.
• SNMP Traps selects which severity levels cause SNMP traps to be
generated.
•
•

See SNMP traps action.
• Email selects which severity levels cause e-mail notifications to be sent.
See Email action.
Click Details to access a complete list of the System (embedded management
card) and Device (Rack PDU) events that can occur, and then edit the actions
that will occur for an individual event, as described in How to Configure
Individual Events. Click Hide Details to return to the Actions option.
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Modifying events on the Configure Event Action by Severity
Level page overrides any changes you made to individual events
on the Details page.

Except for some System (embedded management card) events that do not
have a severity level, events are assigned a default severity level based on
their seriousness:
• Informational: Indicates an event that requires no action, such as a
notification of a return from an abnormal condition.
• Warning: Indicates an event that may need to be addressed if the
condition continues, but does not require immediate attention.
• Severe: Indicates an event that requires immediate attention. Unless
resolved, severe Device and System events can cause incorrect
operation of the Rack PDU or its embedded management card.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Severity levels

Event log action
You can disable the recording of events in the event log. By default, all
events are recorded, even events that have no severity level assigned.
Even if you disable the event log action for all severity levels,
System (embedded management card) events that have no
severity level assigned will still be logged.
For more information about this log, see Event Log.

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Syslog action
By default, the Syslog action is enabled for all events that have a severity
level. However, before you can use this feature to send Syslog messages
when events occur, you must configure it.

SNMP traps action
By default, the SNMP Traps action is enabled for all events that have a
severity level assigned. However, before you can use SNMP traps for event
notifications, you must identify the NMSs (by their IP addresses or domain
names) that will receive the traps.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

See Syslog.

To define up to four NMSs as trap receivers, see Event Recipients.

Email action
By default, the Email action is enabled for all events that have a severity
level assigned. However, before you can use e-mail for event notifications,
you must define the e-mail recipients.
See E-mail Feature.

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Event Recipients
Overview

See Event Actions (Web Interface Only).

Trap Receiver settings
To access the Trap Receiver settings that allow you to define which NMSs
will receive traps:

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

The Web interface and control console both have options that allow you to
define up to four trap receivers and up to four e-mail addresses to be used
when an event occurs that has SNMP traps or e-mail enabled.

• In the Web interface, use the Recipients option in the Events menu.
• In the control console, use the SNMP option in the Network menu.
Item

Definition

Community Name

This setting defines the password (maximum of 15
characters) used when traps are sent to the NMS
identified by the Receiver NMS IP/Domain Name setting.

Receiver NMS IP/Domain
Name

Identifies by IP address or domain name the NMS that will
receive traps. If this setting is 0.0.0.0 (the default value),
traps will not be sent to any NMS.

Generation (Web interface)

Enables (by default) or disables the sending of any traps
to the NMS identified by the Receiver NMS IP/Domain
Name setting.

Trap Generation (control
console)
Authentication Traps

Enables or disables the sending of authentication traps to
the NMS identified by the Receiver NMS IP/Domain
Name setting.

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E-mail Feature
Overview
You can use the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) to send e-mail to up
to four recipients when an event occurs.

• The IP addresses of the primary and secondary Domain Name System
(DNS) servers
See DNS servers.
• The DNS name of the SMTP server and the From Address setting for
SMTP

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

To use the e-mail feature, you must define the following settings:

See SMTP settings.
• The e-mail addresses for a maximum of four recipients.
See Email Recipients.

You can use the To Address setting of the Email Recipients
option to send e-mail to a text-based pager.

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DNS servers
The Rack PDU cannot send any e-mail messages unless the IP address of
the primary DNS server is defined.

The Rack PDU will wait a maximum of 15 seconds for a response from the
primary or (if specified) the secondary DNS server. If the Rack PDU does
not receive a response within that time, e-mail cannot be sent. Therefore,
use DNS servers that are on the same segment as the Rack PDU or on a
nearby segment (but not across a WAN).
Once you define the IP addresses of the DNS servers, verify that DNS is
working correctly. Enter the DNS name of a computer on your network to
test whether you can look up the IP address for that DNS name.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

See DNS.

SMTP settings
The Email option in the Network menu accesses the following settings:
Setting

Description

SMTP Server

Defines the SMTP server by its DNS name.
NOTE: This definition is required only when the SMTP Server option
(see Email Recipients) is set to Local.

From Address

Defines the contents of the From field in the e-mail messages sent
by the Rack PDU.
NOTE: The SMTP server’s configuration may require that you use a
valid user account on the server for this setting. See the server’s
documentation for more information.

Email Recipients
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In the Web interface, use the Recipients option in the Events menu or the
Configure the Email recipients link in the “Email Configuration” page to
identify up to four e-mail recipients. Use the Email Test option to send a
test message to a configured recipient.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

In the control console, use the Email option in the Network menu to access
the e-mail recipient settings.
Setting

Description

To Address

Defines the user and domain names of the recipient.
• To bypass the DNS lookup of the mail server’s IP address, use the IP
address in brackets instead of the e-mail domain name. For example,
use jsmith@[xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx] instead of jsmith@company.com. This is
useful when DNS lookups are not working correctly.
• To use e-mail for paging, use the e-mail address for that recipient’s
pager gateway account (for example, myacct100@skytel.com). The
pager gateway pages the recipient. The recipient’s pager must be able
to use text-based messaging.

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Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Setting

Description

SMTP
Server

Selects one of the following methods for routing e-mail:
• Through the SMTP server provided with the Rack PDU (the
recommended option, Local). This option ensures that the e-mail is
sent before the 20-second time-out for the Rack PDU, and, if necessary,
is retried several times. Also do one of the following:
• Enable forwarding at the SMTP server provided with the Rack PDU
so that it can route e-mail to external SMTP servers. Typically,
SMTP servers are not configured to forward e-mail. Always check
with the administrator of your SMTP server before changing its
configuration to allow forwarding.
• Set up a special e-mail account for the Rack PDU to forward e-mail
to an external mail account.
• Directly to the recipient’s SMTP server (the Recipient’s option). On a
busy remote SMTP server, the time-out may prevent some e-mail from
being sent, and with this option the Rack PDU tries to send the e-mail
only once.
When the recipient uses the SMTP server provided with the Rack PDU,
the Recipient’s setting has no effect.

Generation

Enables (by default) or disables sending e-mail to the recipient.

Format

Selects the format used for e-mail messages:
Short: Identifies only the event that occurred. For example:
Switched Rack PDU: Overload threshold exceeded
Long: Includes information about the Rack PDU and the event. For
example:
Name: TestLab
Location: Building 3
Contact: DonAdams
http://139.225.6.133
Switched Rack PDU Ser #: WS0131005294
Date: 6/25/2004
Time: 16:09:48
Code: 0x0F0E
Warning - Switched Rack PDU: Overload threshold exceeded

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How to Configure Individual Events
Event List page

Modifying events on the Configure Event Action by Severity
Level page will override any changes you have made to individual
events on the Details page.
Each event is identified by its unique code, its description, and its assigned
severity level. For example:

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

The Actions option in the Events menu opens the “Event Action
Configuration” page on the Web interface. Use the Details button in this
page to access a complete list of the events that can be reported by your
Switched Rack PDU.

Code

Description

Severity

0x0002

System: Warmstart.

Severe

0x0F0A

Switched Rack PDU: Low load threshold exceeded

Warning

For information about severity levels and how they define the
actions associated with events, see Event Actions (Web Interface
Only).

Detailed Event Action Configuration page
The event codes provide a link to a page that allows you to do the following:
• Change the selected event’s severity level
• Enable or disable whether the event uses the event log, Syslog
messages, SNMP traps, or e-mail notifications
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Data Menu (Web Interface Only)
Log Option
• Iout: The power being output by the Rack PDU.
• Ioutmax: The maximum power output by the Rack PDU since its
output power was last recorded.
• Ioutmin: The minimum power output by the Rack PDU since its output
power was last recorded.
Use the Data menu’s Configuration option to define how frequently data is
sampled and stored in the data log. Each entry is listed by the date and time
the data was recorded, and provides the data in a column format.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Use this option to access a log that stores information about the Switched
Rack PDU:

See Configuration Option.
To retrieve the data log as a text file, see How to use FTP or SCP
to retrieve a log file.

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Configuration Option

The minimum interval is 60 seconds; the maximum interval is 18 hours, 12
minutes, 15 seconds.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Use this option to access the “Data Log Configuration” page. which reports
how much data can be stored in the data log. If you change the Log
Interval setting, which defines how often data will be sampled and recorded
in the data log, the report updates based on the new setting.

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Network Menu
Introduction
Use the Network menu to do the following tasks:
• Define TCP/IP settings, including DHCP or BOOTP server settings,
when one of those types of servers is used to provide the required
TCP/IP values
• Use the Ping utility
• Define and display settings that affect the Switched Rack PDU’s
settings for DNS, FTP, Telnet, SSH, SNMP, E-mail, Syslog, and the
Web interface (SSL/TLS)

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Overview

Only an Administrator has access to the Network menu.

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Menu options
Unless noted, the following options are available in the control console and
Web interface:
• TCP/IP
• DNS
• Ping utility (control console only)
• FTP Server
• Telnet/SSH
• SNMP
• Email
• Syslog
• Web/SSL (Web/SSL/TLS in the control console)

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

• Send DNS Query (Web interface)

• WAP
• ISX Protocol (control console only)

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Option Settings
TCP/IP
This option accesses the following settings:

– The IP address of the Rack PDU
– The subnet mask value
– The IP address of the default gateway
For information about the watchdog role of the default
gateway, see Resetting the network timer.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

• A Boot mode setting selects the method used to define the TCP/IP
values that a Rack PDU needs to operate on the network:

See also

For information about how to configure the initial TCP/IP
settings when you install the Rack PDU, see the Installation
and Quick Start manual (.\doc\en\insguide.pdf), provided on
the APC Rack PDU Utility CD that came with your Rack PDU
and as a printed manual.

• Advanced settings define the Rack PDU’s host and domain names, as
well as TCP/IP port, BOOTP, and DHCP settings used by the Rack
PDU.

Current TCP/IP settings fields. The current values for System IP,
Subnet Mask, and Default Gateway, and the Rack PDU’s MAC Address,
Host Name, Domain Name, and Ethernet Port Speed values are
displayed above the TCP/IP settings in the control console and the Web
interface.

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Boot mode setting. This setting selects which method will be used to
define the Rack PDU’s TCP/IP settings whenever the Rack PDU turns on,
resets, or restarts:
• Manual: Three settings (System IP, Subnet Mask, and Default
Gateway), which are available only when Manual is used to define the
needed TCP/IP settings.
• DHCP only: A DHCP server provides the TCP/IP settings.
• DHCP & BOOTP: The Rack PDU will attempt to get its TCP/IP settings
from a BOOTP server first, and then, if it cannot discover a BOOTP
server, from a DHCP server.
An After IP Assignment setting, by default, will switch Boot
mode from its default DHCP & BOOTP setting to BOOTP only or
DHCP only, depending on the type of server that supplied the
TCP/IP settings to the Rack PDU.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

• BOOTP only: A BOOTP server provides the TCP/IP settings.

For information about the After IP Assignment setting, and other
settings that affect how the Rack PDU uses BOOTP and DHCP,
see Advanced settings.

Advanced settings. The boot mode affects which settings are available:
• Two settings are available for all Boot mode selections to define the
Rack PDU’s Host Name and Domain Name values.
– Host Name: When an Administrator configures a host name here
and a domain name in the Domain Name field, users can then enter
a host name in any field in the Switched Rack PDU interface (except
e-mail addresses) that accepts a domain name as input.
– Domain Name: An Administrator needs to configures the domain
name here only. In all other fields in the Switched Rack PDU
interface (except e-mail addresses) that accept domain names, the
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Rack PDU will add this domain name when only a hostname is
entered.
To override the expansion of a specified host name by the
addition of the domain name, do one of the following:

• To override the behavior for a particular host name
entry — for example when defining a trap receiver —
include a trailing period. The Switched Rack PDU
recognizes a host name with a trailing period (such as
mySnmpServer.) as if it were a fully qualified domain
name and therefore does not append the domain
name.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

• To override the behavior in all instances, set the
domain name field in Configure General Settings to
its default somedomain.com or to 0.0.0.0.

• A Port Speed setting is available for all Boot mode selections to
define the TCP/IP port’s communication speed (Auto-negotiate, by
default).
• Three settings are available for all Boot mode selections, except
Manual, to identify the Rack PDU in BOOTP or DHCP communication:
– Vendor Class: Uses APC, by default.
– Client ID: Uses the Rack PDU’s MAC address, by default.

Caution

If the Client ID is changed from the Rack PDU’s MAC
address, the new value must be unique on the LAN.
Otherwise, the DHCP or BOOTP server may act incorrectly.

– User Class: Uses the Rack PDU’s application module type, by
default.
• Two settings are available if BOOTP only is the Boot mode selection:

®

– Retry Then Fail: Defines how many times the Rack PDU will
attempt to discover a BOOTP server before it stops (4, by default).
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– On Retry Failure: Defines what TCP/IP settings will be used by the
Rack PDU when it fails to discover a BOOTP server (Use Prior
Settings, by default).

DNS
Configure Domain Name System Settings fields. Use these fields to
define the IP addresses of the primary and secondary Domain Name
System (DNS) servers used by the Switched Rack PDU e-mail feature.
See E-mail Feature and DNS servers.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

For information about the Advanced settings (DHCP Cookie Is
and Retry Then Stop) that directly affect how DHCP is used, see
Boot Mode.

Send DNS Query (Web interface). Use this option, available only
through the DNS menu in the Web interface, to send a DNS query that tests
the setup of your DNS servers.
Use the following settings to define the parameters for the test DNS
request; you view the result of the test DNS request in the Last Query
Response field (which displays No last query or text describing the query
result of the last test).
• Use the Query Type setting to select the method to use for the DNS
query:
– The URL name of the server (Host)
– The IP address of the server (IP)
– The fully qualified domain name (FQDN)
– The Mail Exchange used by the server (MX)

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• Use the Query Question text field to identify the value to be used for
the selected Query Type:
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– For Host, identify the URL
– For IP, identify the IP address
– For FQDN, identify the fully qualified domain name, formatted as
myserver.mydomain.com.
• Enable or disable Reverse DNS Lookup, which is disabled by default.
Enable this feature unless you have no DNS server configured or have
poor network performance because of heavy network traffic. With Reverse
DNS Lookup enabled, when a network-related event occurs, reverse DNS
lookup logs in the event log both the IP address and the domain name for
the networked device associated with the event. If no domain name entry
exists for the device, only its IP address is logged with the event. Since
domain names generally change much less frequently than IP addresses,
enabling reverse DNS lookup can improve the ability to identify addresses
of networked devices that are causing events to occur.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

– For MX, identify the Mail Exchange address

Ping utility (control console only)
Select this option, available only in the control console, to check the network
connection by testing whether a defined IP address or domain name responds
to the Ping network utility.
By default, the IP address of the default gateway is used. However, you can use
the IP address or domain name of any device known to be running on the
network.

FTP Server
Use the Access setting to enable or disable the FTP server. The server is
enabled by default.

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Use the Port setting to identify the TCP/IP port that the FTP server uses for
communications with the Rack PDU. The default Port setting is 21.
You can change the Port setting to any unused port from 5000 to 32768 to
enhance the protection provided by User Name and Password settings.
You must then use a colon (:) in the command line to specify the non-default
port. For example, for a port number of 5000 and a Rack PDU IP address of
159.215.12.114, you would use this command:
ftp 159.215.12.114:5000

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

FTP transfers files without using encryption. For higher security,
use Secure CoPy (SCP) for file transfers. When you select and
configure Secure SHell (SSH), SCP is enabled automatically. To
configure SSH, see Telnet/SSH. If you decide to use SCP for file
transfer, be sure to disable the FTP server.

To access a text version of the Rack PDU’s event or data log, see
How to use FTP or SCP to retrieve a log file.

Telnet/SSH
Use the Telnet/SSH option to perform the following tasks:
• Enable or disable Telnet or the Secure SHell (SSH) protocol for remote
control console access.
– While SSH is enabled, you cannot use Telnet to access the control
console.
– Enabling SSH enables SCP automatically.
When SSH is enabled and its port and encryption ciphers
configured, no further configuration is required to use
SCP. (SCP uses the same configuration as SSH.)
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– Do not enable both versions of SSH unless you require that both be
activated at the same time. (Security protocols use extensive
processing power.)

• Configure the port settings for Telnet and SSH.
• Select one or more data encryption algorithms for SSH version 1, SSH
version 2, or both.
• In the Web interface, specify a host key file previously created with the
APC Security Wizard and load it to the Rack PDU.
From a command line interface, such as the command
prompt on Windows operating systems, you can use FTP or
Secure CoPy (SCP) to transfer the host key file. You must
transfer the file to location /sec on the Rack PDU.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

To use SSH, you must have an SSH client installed. Most
Linux and other UNIX® platforms include an SSH client as part
of their installation, but Microsoft Windows operating systems
do not. SSH clients are available from various vendors.

If you do not specify a host key file, the Switched Rack PDU
generates an RSA host key of 768 bits, instead of the 1024-bit
RSA host key that the Wizard creates. The Rack PDU can
take up to 5 minutes to create this host key, and SSH is
not accessible during that time.
• Display the fingerprint of the SSH host key for SSH versions 1 and 2.
Most SSH clients display the fingerprint at the start of a session.
Compare the fingerprint displayed by the client to the fingerprint that
you recorded from the Web interface or control console of the Rack
PDU.

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If you are using SSH version 2, expect a noticeable delay
when logging on to the control console of the Rack PDU.
Although the delay is not long, it can be mistaken for a
problem because there is no explanatory message.
Description

Telnet/SSH Network Configuration

Access

Enables or disables the access method selected in Protocol Mode.
NOTE: Enabling SSH automatically disables Telnet. To enable SSH,
change the setting and then click Next>> in the Web interface or choose
Accept Changes in the control console. You must then agree to the
license agreement that is displayed.

Protocol
Mode

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Option

Choose one of the following:
• Telnet: User names, passwords, and data are transmitted without
encryption.
• Secure SHell (SSH), version 1: User names, passwords, and data are
transmitted in encrypted form. There is little or no delay when you are
logging on.
• Secure SHell (SSH), version 2: User names, passwords, and data are
transmitted in encrypted form, but with somewhat more protection than
version 1 from attempts to intercept, forge, or alter data during data
transmission. There is a noticeable delay when you are logging on to
the Rack PDU.
• Secure SHell (SSH), versions 1 and 2: Do not enable both versions of
SSH unless you require that both be activated at the same time.
(Security protocols use extensive processing power.)

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Option

Description

Telnet/SSH Port Configuration

Identifies the TCP/IP port used for communications by Telnet with the
Rack PDU. The default is 23.
You can change the Port setting to the number of any unused port
between 5000 and 32768 to enhance the protection provided by User
Name and Password settings. Then, according to the requirements of
your Telnet client program, you must use either a colon (:) or a space in
the command line to specify the non-default port number. For example,
for a port number of 5000 and a Rack PDU IP address of
159.215.12.114, your Telnet client would require one or the other of the
following commands:
telnet 159.215.12.114:5000
telnet 159.215.12.114 5000

SSH Port

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Telnet Port

Identifies the TCP/IP port used for communications by the Secure SHell
(SSH) protocol with the Rack PDU. The default is 22.
You can change the Port setting to the number of any unused port
between 5000 and 32768 to enhance the protection provided by User
Name and Password settings. See the documentation for your SSH
client for information on the command line format required to specify a
non-default port number when starting SSH.

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Option

Description

SSH Server Configuration

Enables or disables DES, and displays the status (always enabled) of
Blowfish, two encryption algorithms (block ciphers) compatible with
SSH, version 1, clients.
• DES: The key length is 56 bits.
• Blowfish: The key length is 128 bits. You cannot disable this algorithm.
NOTE: Not all SSH clients can use every algorithm. If your SSH client
cannot use Blowfish, you must also enable DES.

SSHv2
Encryption
Algorithms

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

SSHv1
Encryption
Algorithms

Enables or disables the following encryption algorithms (Block Ciphers)
that are compatible with SSH version 2 clients.
• 3DES (enabled by default): The key length is 168 bits.
• Blowfish (enabled by default): The key length is 128 bits.
• AES 128: The key length is 128 bits.
• AES 256: The key length is 256 bits.
NOTE: Not all SSH clients can use every algorithm. Your SSH client
selects the algorithm that provides the highest security from among the
enabled algorithms that it is able to use. (If your SSH client cannot use
either of the default algorithms, you must enable an AES algorithm that it
can use.)

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Option

Description

SSH User Host Key File

The Status field Indicates the status of the host key (private key). In the
control console, you display host key status by selecting Advanced SSH
Configuration.
• SSH Disabled: No host key in use: No host key has been transferred
to the Rack PDU, or a host key has been transferred improperly.
NOTE: A host key must be installed to the /sec directory of the Rack
PDU.
• Generating: The Rack PDU is generating a host key because no valid
host key was installed in its /sec directory.
• Loading: A host key is being loaded (i.e., being activated on the Rack
PDU).
• Valid: The host key is valid. (If you install an invalid host key, the Rack
PDU discards it and generates a valid one. However, a host key that the
Rack PDU generates is only 768 bits in length. A valid host key created
by the APC Security Wizard is 1024 bits.)

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Status:

Filename:

You can create a host key file with the APC Security Wizard and then
upload it to the Rack PDU by using the Web interface. Use the Browse
button for the Filename field to locate the file, then click Apply.
Alternatively, you can use FTP or Secure CoPy (SCP) to transfer the host
key file to the Rack PDU.
NOTE: Creating and uploading a host key in advance reduces the time
required to enable SSH. If no host key is loaded when you enable SSH,
the Rack PDU creates one when it reboots. The Rack PDU takes up to
5 minutes to create this key, and the SSH server is not accessible
during that time.

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Option

Description

SSH v1:

Displays the SSH version 1 fingerprint for the host key. The fingerprint is
a unique identifier to further authenticate the host key. In the control
console, choose Advanced SSH Configuration and then Host Key
Information to display the fingerprint.

SSH v2:

Displays the SSH version 2 fingerprint for the host key. The fingerprint is
a unique identifier to further authenticate the host key. In the control
console, choose Advanced SSH Configuration and then Host Key
Information to display the fingerprint.

SNMP
An Access option (the Settings option in the control console) enables (by
default) or disables SNMP. When SNMP is enabled, the Access Control
settings allow you to control how each of the four available SNMP channels
is used.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

SSH Host Key Fingerprint

To define up to four NMSs to serve as trap receivers, see Trap
Receiver settings.

See also

To use SNMP to manage a Switched Rack PDU, see the
PowerNet® SNMP Management Information Base (MIB)
Reference Guide (.\doc\en\mibguide.pdf) on the APC Rack
PDU Utility CD that came with your Rack PDU.

Setting

Definition

Community
Name

Defines the password (maximum of 15 characters) that an NMS defined
by the NMS IP/Domain Name setting uses to access the channel.

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Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Setting

Definition

NMS IP/
Domain
Name

Limits access to the NMS specified by a domain name or to the NMSs
specified by the format used for the IP address:
• A domain name allows only the NMS at that location to have access.
• 159.215.12.1 allows only the NMS with that IP address to have access.
• 159.215.12.255 allows access for any NMS on the 159.215.12 segment.
• 159.215.255.255 allows access for any NMS on the 159.215 segment.
• 159.255.255.255 allows access for any NMS on the 159 segment.
• 0.0.0.0 or 255.255.255.255 allows access for any NMS.

Access
Type

Selects how the NMS defined by the NMS IP setting can use the channel
when that NMS uses the correct value for Community Name.
Read

The NMS can use GETs at any time, but it can never use
SETs.

Write

The NMS can use GETs at any time, and can use SETs
when no one is logged on to either the control console or
Web interface.

Disabled

The NMS cannot use GETs or SETs.

Write+

The NMS can use GETs and SETs at any time, even
when someone is logged on to the control console or
Web interface.

Email
Use this option to define two SMTP settings (SMTP Server and From
Address) used by the e-mail feature of the Switched Rack PDU.
See SMTP settings and E-mail Feature.

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An Access option (the Settings option in the control console) enables (by
default) or disables SNMP. When SNMP is enabled, the Access Control
settings allow you to control how each of the four available SNMP channels
is used.

By default, the Rack PDU can send messages to up to four Syslog servers
whenever System (embedded management card) and Switched Rack PDU
(Device) events occur. The Syslog servers, which must be specifically
identified by their IP addresses or domain names, record the events in a log
that provides a centralized record of events that occur at network devices.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Syslog

See also

This user’s guide does not describe Syslog or its configuration
values in detail. For more information about Syslog, see
RFC3164, at www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc3164.

Syslog settings. Leave the Syslog settings, except the Server IP settings,
set to their defaults unless otherwise specified by the Syslog network or
system administrator.
Setting

Definition

General Settings

Syslog

Enables (by default) or disables the Syslog feature.

Facility

Selects the facility code assigned to the Rack PDU’s Syslog messages
(User, by default).
NOTE: Although several daemon-specific and process-specific
selections are available, along with eight generic selections, User is
the selection that best defines the Syslog messages sent by a Rack
PDU.

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Setting

Definition

Syslog Server Settings

Server IP/
Domain Name

Uses specific IP addresses or domain names to identify which of up to
four servers will receive Syslog messages sent by the Rack PDU.

Port

Identifies the user datagram protocol (UDP) port that the Rack PDU
will use to send Syslog messages. The default is 514, the number of
the UDP port assigned to Syslog.

Local Priority (Severity Mapping)

Map to
Syslog’s
Priorities

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

NOTE: To use the Syslog feature, at least Server IP/Domain Name
must be defined for at least one server.

Maps each of the severity levels (Local Priority settings) that can be
assigned to System and Rack PDU events to the available Syslog
priorities. The following definitions are from RFC3164:
• Emergency: The system is unusable
• Alert: Action must be taken immediately
• Critical: Critical conditions
• Error: Error conditions
• Warning: Warning conditions
• Notice: Normal but significant conditions
• Informational: Informational messages
• Debug: Debug-level messages
Following are the default settings for the four Local Priority settings:
• Severe is mapped to Critical.
• Warning is mapped to Warning.
• Informational is mapped to Info.
• None (for events that have no severity level assigned) is mapped to
Info.
NOTE: To disable sending Syslog messages for Severe, Warning, or
Informational events, see Event Actions (Web Interface Only).

Syslog test (Web interface). This option allows you to send a test
message to the Syslog servers configured in the Syslog Server section.
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1. For Priority, select the priority to assign to the test message.
2. For Test Message, use any text that meets the format described in
Syslog message format — for example, APC: Test message.
3. Click Apply to have the Rack PDU send a Syslog message that uses
the defined Priority and Test Message settings.

• The priority (PRI) part identifies the Syslog priority assigned to the
message’s event and the facility code assigned to messages sent by
the Rack PDU.
• The header includes a time stamp and the IP address of the Rack
PDU.
• The message (MSG) part has two fields:
– A TAG field, which is followed by a colon and a space, identifies the
event type (System, or Device, for example).

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Syslog message format. A Syslog message has three parts:

– A CONTENT field provides the event text, followed by a space and
the event code.

Web/SSL (Web/SSL/TLS in the control console)
Use the Web/SSL menu to perform the following tasks.
• Enable or disable the two protocols that provide access to the Web
interface of the Switched Rack PDU:
– Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) provides access by user name
and password, but does not encrypt user names, passwords, and
data during transmission.
– Hypertext Transfer Protocol over Secure Sockets Layer (HTTPS).
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encrypts user names, passwords, and
data during transmission and provides authentication of the
Switched Rack PDU by means of digital certificates.
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See Creating and Installing Digital Certificates to choose
among the several methods for using digital certificates.
• Configure the ports that each of the two protocols will use.
• Identify whether a server certificate is installed on the Rack PDU. If a
certificate has been created with the APC Security Wizard but is not
installed:
– In the Web interface, browse to the certificate file and upload it to the
Rack PDU.
– Alternatively, use the Secure CoPy (SCP) protocol or FTP to upload
it to the location \sec on the Rack PDU.
Creating and uploading a server certificate in advance reduces
the time required to enable HTTPS (SSL/TLS). If no server
certificate is loaded when you enable HTTPS (SSL/TLS), the
Rack PDU creates one when it reboots. The Rack PDU can
take up to 5 minutes to create this certificate, and the SSL/
TLS server is not available during that time.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

• Select the encryption ciphers that SSL will use.

• Display the configured parameters of a digital server certificate, if one
is installed.

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Option

Description

Access

Enables or disables the access method selected in Protocol Mode.

Protocol Mode

Choose one of the following:
• HTTP: User names, passwords, and data are transmitted without
encryption.
• HTTPS (SSL/TLS): User names, passwords, and data are
transmitted in encrypted form, and digital certificates are used for
authentication.
NOTE: To enable HTTPS (SSL/TLS), change the setting and then click
Next>> in the Web interface, or choose Accept Changes in the
control console. You must then agree to the license agreement that is
displayed. To activate the changes you must log off and log back on to
the interface. When SSL is activated, your browser displays a lock
icon, usually at the bottom of the screen.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Web/SSL Network Configuration

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Option

Description

HTTP/HTTPS Port Configuration

Identifies the TCP/IP port used for communications by HTTP with the
Rack PDU. The default is 80.
You can change the Port setting to the number of any unused port
between 5000 and 32768 to enhance the protection provided by User
Name and Password settings.
You must then use a colon (:) in the command line to specify the nondefault port number. For example, for a port number of 5000 and a
Rack PDU IP address of 159.215.12.114, you would use this
command:
http://159.215.12.114:5000

HTTPS Port

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

HTTP Port

Identifies the TCP/IP port used for communications by HTTPS with the
Rack PDU. The default is 443.
You can change the Port setting to the number of any unused port
between 5000 and 32768 to enhance the protection provided by User
Name and Password settings.
You must then use a colon (:) in the command line to specify the nondefault port number. For example, for a port number of 6502 and a
Rack PDU IP address of 159.215.12.114, you would use this
command:
https://159.215.12.114:6502

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Option

Description

SSL/TSL Server Configuration

Enables or disables the following SSL encryption ciphers and hash
algorithms. (To access these options in the control console, choose
Web/SSL, then Advanced SSL/TLS Configuration.)
NOTE: All of these encryption ciphers and hash algorithms use the
RSA public key algorithm.
• DES (SSL_RSA_WITH_DES_CBC_SHA): a block cipher with a key
length of 56 bits. The Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA) is used for
authentication.
• 3DES (SSL_RSA_WITH_3DES_EDE_CBC_SHA): a block cipher
with a key length of 168 bits. A Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA) is used
for authentication.
• RC4 (SSL_RSA_WITH_RC4_128_MD5): a stream cipher with a key
length of 128 bits, with an RSA key exchange algorithm, and with a
Message Digest 5 (MD5) hash algorithm used for authentication. This
selection is enabled by default.
• RC4 (SSL_RSA_WITH_RC4_128_SHA): a stream cipher with a key
length of 128 bits. A Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA) is used for
authentication. This selection is enabled by default.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

CipherSuite

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Option

Description

SSL/TLS Server Certificate

The Status field indicates whether a server certificate is installed. (To
display the status in the control console, choose Web/SSL/TLS, then
Advanced SSL/TLS Configuration.)
• Not installed: No certificate is installed on the Rack PDU.
NOTE: If you install a certificate by using FTP or SCP, you must specify
the correct location (/sec) on the Rack PDU.
• Generating: The Rack PDU is generating a certificate because no
valid certificate was installed.
• Loading: A certificate is being loaded (activated on the Rack PDU).
• Valid: A valid certificate was installed to or generated by the Rack
PDU. (If you install an invalid certificate, the Rack PDU discards it
and generates a valid one. However, a certificate that the Rack PDU
generates has some limitations. See Method 1: Use the autogenerated default certificate.)

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Status:

Filename:

You can create a server certificate with the APC Security Wizard and
then upload it to the Rack PDU by using the Web interface. Use the
Browse button for the Filename field to locate the file, then click
Apply. By default, the certificate is installed to the correct location.
Alternatively, you can use FTP or Secure CoPy (SCP) to transfer the
server certificate to the Rack PDU. However, you must specify the
correct location (/sec) on the Rack PDU.
NOTE: Creating and uploading a server certificate in advance reduces
the time required to enable HTTPS (SSL/TLS). If no server certificate
is loaded when you enable HTTPS (SSL/TLS), the Rack PDU creates
one when it reboots. The Rack PDU can take up to 5 minutes to
create this certificate, and the SSL/TLS server is not available
during that time.

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Parameter

Description

Current Certificate Details

Common Name (CN): The IP Address or DNS name of the Rack PDU,
except if the server certificate was generated by default by the Rack
PDU. For a default server certificate, the Common Name (CN) field
displays the Rack PDU’s serial number.
NOTE: If an IP address was specified as the Common Name when the
certificate was created, use an IP address to log on to the Web interface
of the Rack PDU; if the DNS name was specified as the Common Name,
use the DNS name to log on. When you log on, if you do not use the IP
address or DNS name that was specified for the certificate, authentication
fails, and you receive an error message asking if you want to continue.
Organization (O), Organizational Unit (OU), and Locality, Country:
The name, organizational unit, and location of the organization that is
using the server certificate. If the server certificate was generated by
default by the Rack PDU, the Organizational Unit (OU) field displays
“Internally Generated Certificate.”

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Issued to:

Serial Number: The serial number of the server certificate.
Issued By:

Common Name (CN): The Common Name as specified in the CA root
certificate, except if the server certificate was generated by default by the
Rack PDU. For a default server certificate, the Common Name (CN) field
displays the Rack PDU’s serial number.
Organization (O) and Organizational Unit (OU): The name and
organizational unit of the organization that issued the server certificate. If
the server certificate was generated by default by the Rack PDU, the
Organizational Unit (OU) field displays “Internally Generated
Certificate.”

Validity:

Issued on: The date and time at which the certificate was issued.
Expires on: The date and time at which the certificate expires.

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Parameter

Description

Fingerprints

Each fingerprint is a long string of alphanumeric characters punctuated
by colons. A fingerprint is a unique identifier that you can use to further
authenticate the server. Record the fingerprints to compare with the
fingerprints contained in the certificate, as displayed in the browser.

MD5 Fingerprint: This fingerprint is created by a Message Digest 5
(MD5) algorithm.

WAP
Use this option to disable (the default) or enable the Wireless Application
Protocol (WAP). WAP is a standard for providing cellular phones, pagers
and other handheld devices with secure access to e-mail and text-based
Web pages. WAP runs on all major wireless networks and is deviceindependent, so that it can be used with many phones and handheld
devices.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

SHA1 Fingerprint: This fingerprint is created by a Secure Hash
Algorithm (SHA).

ISX Protocol (control console only)
Use this option to enable (the default) or disable the APC InfraStruXure
(ISX) Protocol. The APC InfraStruXure (ISX) Protocol allows the Switched
Rack PDU to communicate with other APC devices, including the
InfraStruXure Manager, if your system includes one.

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System Menu
Introduction
Use the System menu to do the following tasks:
• Configure system identification, date and time settings, and
Administrator, Read-Only User, Device manager, and Outlet User
access
• Centrally administer remote access for each Rack PDU by using
RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial-in User Service)
• Synchronize the real-time clock for the Rack PDU with a Network Time
Protocol (NTP) server

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Overview

• Reset the Rack PDU to default settings
• Define the URL links available in the Web interface (configurable
through the Web interface only)
• Access hardware and firmware information about the Rack PDU
(control console only)
• Download configuration files (control console only)
Only an Administrator has access to the System menu.

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Menu options
Unless noted, the following menu options are available in the control
console and Web interface:
• User Manager
• Outlet User Manager
•
•
•
•
•

Identification
Date & Time
Tools
Links (Web interface)
Modem (not supported)

• About System

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

• RADIUS

The About System option is a Help menu option in the Web
interface.

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Option Settings
User Manager
Use this option to define access values shared by the control console and
Web interface.
Definition

Values affecting all users

Auto Logout

The number of minutes (3, by default) before a user is automatically
logged off because of inactivity.

Separate values for Administrator, Device Manager, and Read Only User

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Setting

User Name

The case-sensitive name (maximum of 10 characters) used to log on
at the control console or Web interface, and by the Read Only User to
log onto the Web interface only.
• apc, by default, for Administrator
• device, by default, for Device Manager User
• readonly, by default, for Read Only User

Password

The case-sensitive password (maximum of 10 characters) always
used to log on at the control console, but used to log into the Web
interface only when Basic is selected for the Authentication setting
(apc is the default for the Password settings for all account types).
NOTE: A Read-Only User is not permitted to log on through the control
console.

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Outlet User Manager
Use the Outlet User Manager option to set up user accounts that have
access only to specified outlets.

Setting

Definition

User Name

The name of this user account.
NOTE: A user name in orange indicates that the user account has
been disabled.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Web interface. Choose a user name, or choose Add New User to edit
accounts.

Password

Case-sensitive password for this user account.

User Description

Identification or description of the outlet user.

Account Status

Enables or disables this user’s account.

Outlet Access

Selects the outlets to which users have access.

Delete User

Deletes this user account.

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Control console. Select System from the Control Console menu. Then
select Manage Outlet Users from the User Manager menu.
Setting

Definition

Add Outlet User Account

User Name: The user name for logging on to this user
account.

or

Password: Case-sensitive password for this user
account.
Description: Identification of the outlet user.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Edit Outlet User Account

Delete Outlet User Account

Enter the user name of the outlet user account to delete.

Disable Outlet User Account

Enter the user name of the outlet user account to disable.

Enable Outlet User Account

Enter the user name of the outlet user account to enable.

Edit Users Outlet Access

Select the outlets to which users have access:
1. Enter the user name of the outlet user account to
modify.
2. Select the numbers of the outlets to which the outlet
user will have access:
•To add access to an outlet, enter an outlet number
and press ENTER. Enter a space character when
you finish adding access to outlets.
•To remove access to an outlet, enter an outlet
number preceded by a minus sign (-) and press
ENTER. Enter a space character when you finish
removing access to outlets.

List Outlet Users Accounts

Display outlet user name, status, description, and outlet
access for each outlet user account.

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RADIUS

When a user accesses the Switched Rack PDU, it sends an authentication
request to the RADIUS server to determine the user’s permission level.
RADIUS user names are limited to 32 characters.

For more information on user permission levels, see Types of
user accounts.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service) is an authentication,
authorization, and accounting service. APC supports the authentication and
authorization functions of RADIUS. Use this option to centrally administer
remote access for each Rack PDU.

The RADIUS server and the Rack PDU must be configured
before RADIUS authentication and authorization will operate
properly.
RADIUS servers use port 1812 by default to authenticate
users. To use a different port, add a colon followed by the
new port number to the end of the RADIUS server name or
IP address.

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RADIUS Setting

Definition

Access

Local Only: RADIUS is disabled. Local authentication is
enabled.
RADIUS then Local: RADIUS is enabled, and local
authentication is enabled. Authentication is requested
from the RADIUS server first; local authentication is used
only if RADIUS authentication fails.
RADIUS Only: RADIUS is enabled. Local authentication
is disabled.
NOTE: If RADIUS Only is selected, the only way to
recover if the RADIUS server is unavailable is by using a
serial connection to the control console and changing the
Access setting to Local Only or RADIUS then Local.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Configuring the Rack PDU.

Primary Server

The server name or IP address of the main RADIUS
server.

Primary Server Secret

The shared secret between the primary RADIUS server
and the Rack PDU.

Secondary Server

The server name or IP address of the secondary
RADIUS server.

Secondary Server Secret

The shared secret between the secondary RADIUS
server and the Rack PDU.

Timeout

The time in seconds that the Rack PDU waits for a
response from the RADIUS server.

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Configuring the RADIUS server. You must configure your RADIUS
server to work with the Rack PDU. The following example shows how to
configure a RADIUS server for use with a Rack PDU. APC supports
authentication and authorization of users by various RADIUS servers and
does not recommend a specific RADIUS server.

2. The users must be configured with a Service-Type attribute. If no
Service-Type attribute is configured, the user will have read-only
access (on the Web interface only). There are two acceptable values
for Service-Type: Administrative-User (6), which gives the user
Administrator permissions, or Login-User (1), which gives the user
Device Manager permissions.
The following examples may differ somewhat from the required
content or format of your specific RADIUS server.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

1. Add the IP address of the Rack PDU to the RADIUS server client list
(file).

See your RADIUS server documentation for information
about the RADIUS users file.
See also

Example: (RADIUS users file)
#
UPSAdmin
Auth-Type = Local, Password = "admin"
Service-Type = Administrative-User
UPSDevice
Auth-Type = Local, Password = "device"
Service-Type = Login-User
UPSReadOnly Auth-Type = Local, Password = "readonly"

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3. Vendor specific attributes (VSA) can also be used. This requires some
dictionary entries. VSAs take precedence over standard RADIUS
attributes.
Example: (RADIUS, dictionary.apc)
#
# dictionary.apc

#
VENDOR

APC

318

#
# Attributes
#
ATTRIBUTE APC-Service-Type 1 integer APC
ATTRIBUTE APC-Outlets

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

#

2 string

APC

VALUE APC-Service-Type Admin

1

VALUE APC-Service-Type Device

2

VALUE APC-Service-Type ReadOnly 3
VALUE APC-Service-Type Outlet

4

Example: (RADIUS users file with VSAs)
VSAAdmin

Auth-Type = Local, Password = "admin"
APC-Service-Type = Admin

VSADevice
Auth-Type = Local, Password = "device"
APC-Service-Type = Device
VSAReadOnly Auth-Type = Local, Password = "readonly"
APC-Service-Type = ReadOnly
# Give user access to device outlets 1, 2 and 3.
VSAOutlet
Auth-Type = Local, Password = "outlet"
APC-Service-Type = Outlet,
APC-Outlets = "1,2,3"

For more information on user permission levels, see Types of
user accounts.
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Identification

See also

For more information about the MIB-II OIDs, see the PowerNet®
SNMP Management Information Base (MIB) Reference Guide
(.\doc\en\mibguide.pdf) provided on the APC Rack Power
Distribution Unit Utility CD that came with your Rack PDU.

.

Date & Time
Use this option to set the date and time used by the Switched Rack PDU.
The option displays the current settings and allows you to change those
settings manually or through a Network Time Protocol (NTP) Server.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Use this option to define the System Name, Contact, and Location values
used by the SNMP agent for the Rack PDU. The option’s settings provide
the values used for the MIB-II sysName, sysContact, and sysLocation
Object Identifications (OIDs).

Set Manually. Use this option in the Web interface, or Manual in the
control console, to set Date and Time for the Switched Rack PDU.
An Apply Local Computer Time to System option, which is
available in the Web interface only, sets these values to match the
date and time settings of the computer you are using to access the
Web interface.

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In the control console, use the NTP Client option to enable or
disable the NTP Server updates. In the Web interface, use the
Set Manually option. The updates are disabled by default.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Synchronize with Network Time Protocol (NTP) Server. Use this
option on the Web interface, or Network Time Protocol (NTP) on the
control console, to have an NTP Server automatically update the Date and
Time settings for the Switched Rack PDU.

Setting

Definition

Primary NTP Server

Identifies the IP address or domain name of the primary
NTP server.

Secondary NTP Server

Identifies the IP address or domain name of the secondary
NTP server when a secondary server is available.

Time Zone

Defines the offset to be used from Greenwich Mean Time
(GMT) based on the time zone in which the Rack PDU is
located.

Update Interval

Defines how often, in hours, the Rack PDU will access the
NTP Server for an update. The minimum interval is 1 hour
and the maximum is 8760 hours (one year). Use Update
Using NTP Now to initiate an immediate update as well.

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Tools

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Use this option to perform the following actions.
Action

Definition

No Action (Web
Interface only)

No change to the Rack PDU.

Reboot Management
Interface

Restarts the user interface of the Rack PDU.

Reset to Defaults

Resets all configuration settings. This option will reset the TCP/
IP settings and enable DHCP and BOOTP.

Reset to Defaults
Except TCP/IP

Resets all configuration settings except the TCP/IP settings.

Reset Only TCP/IP
to Defaults

Resets the TCP/IP settings only. This option will not enable
DHCP and BOOTP.

Delete SSH Host
Keys and SSL
Certificates

Removes all host keys you configured for Secure SHell for
encryption-based security at the control console and all
certificates that you configured for Secure Sockets Layer for
authentication at the Web interface.

File Transfer (control
console only)

Allows you to select one of the following to transfer firmware files
to the Switched Rack PDU.
• XMODEM: A terminal-emulation program that you can use only
through a direct serial connection to the Switched Rack PDU.
• FTP: File Transfer Protocol (FTP client application).
• TFTP: Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP client application).

Upload (Web
Interface only)

Upload a user configuration file (.ini file) to the Switched Rack
PDU.
• To create the file, retrieve settings from a configured Switched
Rack PDU. See How to Export Configuration Settings.
• To upload the file, in the User Configuration File section
specify or browse to the file name, and then click Upload.

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Links (Web interface)
Use this option to modify the links to APC Web pages.
.

Setting

Definition

Name

Defines the link names that appear in the Links menu (by default,
APC’s Web Site, Testdrive Demo, and Remote Monitoring).

URL

Defines the URL addresses used by the links. By default, the
following URL addresses are used:
• http://www.apc.com (APC’s Web site)
• http://testdrive.apc.com (Testdrive Demo)
• http://rms.apc.com (Remote Monitoring)
NOTE: Only links of the type http:// can be used in these fields.
For information about these pages see Links menu.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

User Links

Access Links

APC Home Page

Defines the URL address used by the APC logo at the top of all Web
interface pages (by default, http://www.apc.com).

Modem (not supported)
This option, shown only in the control console, is not supported for Rack
PDUs.

About System
This option identifies the following hardware information for the Rack PDU:
Model Number, Serial Number, Hardware Revision, Manufacture Date,
and MAC Address.

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This screen also displays the Name, Version, Date, and Time for the
Application Module and AOS.
This information is set at the factory and cannot be changed.

In the Web interface, except for Flash Type, this hardware
information is reported by the About System option in the
Help menu.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

The control console also includes fields for system Flash Type, and Type,
Sector, and CRC16 for each module.

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Boot Mode
Introduction
In addition to using a BOOTP server or manual settings, the Switched Rack
PDU can use a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) server to
provide the settings that it needs to operate on a TCP/IP network.
The method used to provide the network settings for the Rack PDU
depends on Boot mode, a TCP/IP option in the Network menu. To use a
DHCP server to provide the network assignment for the Rack PDU, Boot
mode must be set either to DHCP & BOOTP, its default setting, or DHCP
only.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Overview

For more details on DHCP and DHCP options, see RFC2131 and
RFC2132.
See also

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DHCP & BOOTP boot process
When Boot mode is set to its default DHCP & BOOTP setting, the
following occurs when the Switched Rack PDU is started or reset:

2. If the Rack PDU fails to receive a valid BOOTP response after five
BOOTP requests, the Rack PDU makes up to five requests for its
network assignment from any DHCP server. If a valid DHCP response
is received, the Rack PDU starts the network services and sets Boot
mode to DHCP Only.
To configure the Switched Rack PDU so that it always uses
the DHCP & BOOTP setting for Boot mode, enable the
Remain in DHCP & BOOTP mode after accepting TCP/IP
settings option, which is disabled by default.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

1. The Rack PDU makes up to five requests for its network assignment from
any BOOTP server. If a valid BOOTP response is received, the Rack PDU
starts the network services and sets Boot mode to BOOTP Only.

See Switched Rack PDU settings.
3. If the Switched Rack PDU fails to receive a valid DHCP response after
five DHCP requests, it repeats BOOTP and DHCP requests until it
receives a valid network assignment. First it sends a BOOTP request
every 32 seconds for 12 minutes, then one DHCP request with a timeout of 64 seconds, and so forth.
If a DHCP server responds with an invalid offer (e.g., without the
APC Cookie), the Switched Rack PDU accepts the lease from
that server on the last request of the sequence and immediately
releases that lease. This prevents the DHCP server from
reserving the IP Address associated with its invalid offer.

®

For more information on what a valid response requires, see
DHCP response options.
111

DHCP Configuration Settings
Switched Rack PDU settings

Three settings (Ethernet Port Speed, Host Name, and Domain Name)
are available regardless of the TCP/IP option’s Boot mode selection, and
three settings (Vendor Class, Client ID, and User Class) are available for
any Boot mode selection except Manual.
When Boot mode is set to DHCP & BOOTP, two options are available:
• After IP Assignment in the control console (or Remain in DHCP &
BOOTP mode after accepting TCP/IP settings in the Web interface):
By default, this option switches Boot mode to the selection that
reflects the server that provided the TCP/IP settings (DHCP Only or
BOOTP Only).
• DHCP Cookie Is in the control console (or Require vendor specific
cookie to accept DHCP Address in the Web interface): By default,
this option requires that the DHCP responses include the APC cookie
in order to be valid.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

The TCP/IP option in the Network menu of the Web interface and control
console accesses the network settings for the Switched Rack PDU.

For more information about the APC cookie, see DHCP
response options.

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When Boot mode is set to DHCP Only, two options are available:
• DHCP Cookie Is in the control console (or Require vendor specific
cookie to accept DHCP Address in the Web interface): By default,
this option requires that the DHCP responses include the APC cookie
in order to be valid.

• Retry Then Stop in the control console (or Maximum # of Retries in
the Web interface): This option sets the number of times the Switched
Rack PDU will repeat the DHCP request if it does not receive a valid
response. By default, the number of retries is 0, which sets the
Switched Rack PDU to continue repeating the DHCP request
indefinitely.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

For more information about the APC cookie, see DHCP
response options.

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DHCP response options
Each valid DHCP response contains options that provide the TCP/IP
settings that the Switched Rack PDU needs to operate on a network, and
other information that affects the operation of the Rack PDU.

Vendor Specific Information (option 43). The Vendor Specific
Information option contains up to two APC specific options encapsulated in
a Tag/Len/Data format: the APC Cookie and the Boot Mode Transition.
APC Cookie. Tag 1, Len 4, Data “1APC”
Option 43 notifies the Rack PDU that a DHCP server has been configured to
service APC devices. By default, the APC Cookie must be present in this
DHCP response option before the Rack PDU can accept the lease.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

The Rack PDU uses the Vendor Specific Information option (option 43) in a
DHCP response to determine whether the DHCP response is valid.

Use the DHCP Cookie Is setting described in Switched Rack
PDU settings to disable the APC cookie requirement.
Following, in hexadecimal format, is an example of a Vendor Specific
Information option that contains the APC cookie:
Option 43 = 0x01 0x04 0x31 0x41 0x50 0x43

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This option 43 setting enables or disables the After IP Assignment option
which, by default, causes the Boot mode option to use the setting that
reflects the server that provided the TCP/IP settings (DHCP Only or
BOOTP Only):
• For a data value of 1, the After IP Assignment option is disabled, and
the Boot mode option remains in its DHCP & BOOTP setting after
successful network assignment. Whenever the Switched Rack PDU
restarts, it will request its network assignment first from a BOOTP
server, and then, if necessary, from a DHCP server.
See DHCP & BOOTP boot process.
• For a data value of 2, the After IP Assignment option is enabled and
the Boot mode option switches to DHCP Only when the embedded
management card accepts the DHCP response. Whenever the Rack
PDU restarts, it will request its network assignment (TCP/IP settings)
from a DHCP server only.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Boot Mode Transition. Tag 2, Len 1, Data 1/2

For more information about the After IP Assignment, see
Switched Rack PDU settings.
Following, in hexadecimal format, is an example of a Vendor Specific
Information option that contains the APC cookie and the disable Boot Mode
Transition setting:
Option 43 = 0x01 0x04 0x31 0x41 0x50 0x43 0x02 0x01 0x01

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Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

TCP/IP options. The Switched Rack PDU uses the following options
within a valid DHCP response to define its TCP/IP settings:
• IP Address (from the yiaddr field of the DHCP response): Provides
the IP address that the DHCP server is leasing to the Rack PDU.
• Subnet Mask (option 1): Provides the subnet mask value needed by
the Rack PDU to operate on the network.
• Default Gateway (option 3): Provides the default gateway address
needed by the Rack PDU to operate on the network.
• Address Lease Time (option 51): Identifies the length of time for the
lease associated with the identified IP Address.
• Renewal Time, T1 (option 58): Identifies how long the Rack PDU must
wait after an IP address lease is assigned before it can request a
renewal of that lease.
• Rebinding Time, T2 (option 59): Identifies how long the Rack PDU
must wait after an IP address lease is assigned before it can seek to
rebind that lease.
Miscellaneous options. The Switched Rack PDU uses the following
options within a valid DHCP response to define NTP, DNS, hostname, and
domain name settings:
• NTP Server, Primary and Secondary (option 42): Identifies up to two
NTP servers that can be used by the Rack PDU.
• NTP Time Offset (option 2): Specifies the offset, in seconds, of the
subnet for the Rack PDU from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
• DNS Server, Primary and Secondary (option 6): Identifies one or two
DNS servers that can be used by the Rack PDU.
• Host Name (option 12): Identifies the hostname (maximum length of
32 characters) to be used by the Rack PDU.
• Domain Name (option 15): Identifies the domain name (maximum
length of 64 characters) to be used by the Rack PDU.

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Security
Security Features
As a network device that passes information across the network, the
Switched Rack PDU is subject to the same exposure as other devices on
the network.
Use the information in this section to plan and implement the security
features appropriate for your environment.

Summary of access methods

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Planning and implementing security features

Serial control console.
Security Access
Access is by user name
and password.

Description
Always enabled.

Remote control console.
Security Access
Available methods:
• User name and
password
• Selectable server port
• Server Enable/Disable
• Secure SHell (SSH)

Description
For high security, use SSH.
• With Telnet, the user name and password are transmitted
as plain text.
• SSH disables Telnet and provides encrypted access to the
control console interface to provide additional protection
from attempts to intercept, forge, or alter data during data
transmission.

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Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

SNMP.
Security Access

Description

Available methods:
• Community Name
• Domain Name
• NMS IP filters
• Agent Enable/Disable
• 4 access communities with
read/write/disable capability

The domain name restricts access only to the NMS as
that location, and the NMS IP filters allow access only
from designated IP addresses.
• 162.245.12.1 allows only the NMS with that IP address
to have access.
• 162.245.12.255 allows access for any NMS on the
162.245.12 segment.
• 162.245.255.255 allows access for any NMS on the
162.245 segment.
• 162.255.255.255 allows access for any NMS on the
162 segment.
• 0.0.0.0 or 255.255.255.255 allows access for any
NMS.

File transfer protocols.
Security Access
Available methods:
• User name and password
• Selectable server port
• Server Enable/Disable
• Secure CoPy (SCP)

Description
With FTP, the user name and password are transmitted
as plain text, and files are transferred without the
protection of encryption.
Using SCP instead of FTP encrypts the user name and
password and the files being transferred, such as
firmware updates, configuration files, log files, Secure
Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates, and Secure SHell
(SSH) host keys. If you choose SCP as your file transfer
protocol, enable SSH and disable FTP.

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Security Access

Description

Available methods:
• User name and password
• Selectable server port
• Server Enable/Disable
• Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)
and Transport Layer
Security (TLS)

In basic HTTP authentication mode, the user name and
password are transmitted base-64 encoded (with no
encryption).
SSL and TLS are available on Web browsers supported
for the Switched Rack PDU and on most Web servers.
The Web protocol Hypertext Transfer Protocol over
Secure Sockets Layer (HTTPS) encrypts and decrypts
page requests to the Web server and pages returned by
the Web server to the user.

RADIUS.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Web Server.

Security Access

Description

Available methods:
• Centralized authentication
of access rights
• A server secret shared
between the RADIUS
server and the Rack PDU

RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service) is
an authentication, authorization and accounting service
used to centrally administer remote access for each
Rack PDU.

Changing default user names and passwords immediately
As soon as you complete the installation and initial configuration of the
Rack PDU, immediately change the default user names and passwords.
Configuring unique user names and passwords is essential to establish
basic security for your system.

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119

If a Telnet, FTP, SSH/SCP, or Web/SSL/TLS server uses a non-standard
port, a user must specify the port when using the client interface, such as a
Web browser. The non-standard port address becomes an extra
“password,” hiding the server to provide an additional level of security. The
TCP ports for which these servers listen are initially set at the standard “well
known ports” for the protocols. To hide the interfaces, use any port numbers
from 5000 to 32768.

User names, passwords, community names (SNMP)
All user names, passwords, and community names for SNMP are
transferred over the network as plain text. A user who is capable of
monitoring the network traffic can determine the user names and
passwords required to log on to the accounts of the control console or Web
interface of the Switched Rack PDU. If your network requires the higher
security of the encryption-based options available for the control console
and Web interface, be sure to disable SNMP access or set its access to
read-only. (Read-only access allows you to receive status information and
to use SNMP traps.)

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Port assignments

Authentication versus Encryption
You can select to use security features for the Switched Rack PDU that
control access by providing basic authentication through user names,
passwords, and IP addresses, without using encryption. These basic
security features are sufficient for most environments in which sensitive
data are not being transferred.

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120

To ensure that data and communication between the Switched Rack PDU
and the client interfaces, such as the control console and the Web interface,
cannot be intercepted, you can provide a greater level of security by using
one or more of the following encryption-based methods:

• To encrypt user names and passwords for control console access, use
the Secure SHell (SSH) protocol.
• To encrypt user names, passwords, and data for the secure transfer of
files, use the Secure CoPy (SCP) protocol.
For more information on these protocols for encryption-based
security, see Secure SHell (SSH) and Secure CoPy (SCP) and
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)/Transport Layer Security (TLS).

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

• For the Web interface, use the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and
Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocols.

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121

Encryption
Secure SHell (SSH) and Secure CoPy (SCP)

• SSH is an alternative to Telnet, which does not provide encryption.
• SSH protects the username and password, the credentials for
authentication, from being used by anyone intercepting network traffic.
• To authenticate the SSH server (the Switched Rack PDU) to the SSH
client, SSH uses a host key that is unique to the SSH server and that
provides an identification that cannot be falsified. Therefore, an invalid
server on the network cannot obtain a user name and password from a
user by presenting itself as a valid server.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

The Secure SHell (SSH) protocol provides a secure mechanism to access
computer consoles or shells remotely. The protocol authenticates the server
(in this case, the Switched Rack PDU) and encrypts all transmissions
between the SSH client and the server.

To create a host key, see Create an SSH Host Key.
See also

• The Switched Rack PDU supports versions 1 and 2 of SSH. The
encryption mechanisms of the versions differ, and each version has
advantages. Version 1 provides faster login to the Rack PDU, and
version 2 provides improved protection from attempts to intercept,
forge, or change data that are transmitted.
• When you enable SSH, Telnet is automatically disabled.
• The interface, user accounts, and user access rights are the same
whether you access the control console through SSH or Telnet.
For information on supported SSH client applications, see
Telnet/SSH.
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122

Secure CoPy (SCP) is a secure file transfer application that you can use
instead of FTP. SCP uses the SSH protocol as the underlying transport
protocol for encryption of user names, passwords, and files.
• When you enable and configure SSH, you automatically enable and
configure SCP. No further configuration of SCP is needed.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

• You must explicitly disable FTP. It is not disabled by enabling SSH.

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123

For secure Web communication, you enable Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)
and Transport Layer Security (TLS) by selecting HTTPS (SSL/TLS) as the
protocol mode to use for access to the Web interface of the Switched Rack
PDU. Hypertext Transfer Protocol over Secure Sockets Layer (HTTPS) is a
Web protocol that encrypts and decrypts page requests from the user and
pages that are returned by the web server to the user. Originally developed
by Netscape, it has become an internet standard supported by most Web
browsers.
The Switched Rack PDU supports SSL version 3.0 and TLS version 1.0.
Most browsers let you select the version of SSL to enable.
When SSL is enabled, your browser displays the lock icon,
usually at the bottom of the screen.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)/Transport Layer Security (TLS)

SSL uses a digital certificate to enable the browser to authenticate the
server (in this case, the Switched Rack PDU). The browser verifies the
following:
• The format of the server certificate is correct.
• The server certificate’s expiration date and time has not passed.
• The DNS name or IP address specified when a user logs on matches
the common name in the server certificate.
• The server certificate is signed by a trusted certifying authority.
Each major browser manufacturer distributes CA root certificates of the
commercial Certificate Authorities in the certificate store (cache) of its
browser so that it can compare the signature on the server certificate to the
signature on a CA root certificate.

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124

See Creating and Installing Digital Certificates for a summary of
how these certificates are used.

See also

To create certificates and certificate requests, see Create a Root
Certificate & Server Certificates and Create a Server Certificate
and Signing Request.

SSL also uses various algorithms and encryption ciphers to authenticate
the server, encrypt data, and ensure the integrity of the data (i.e,. that it has
not been intercepted and sent by another server).

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

You can use the APC Security Wizard, provided on the APC Rack Power
Distribution Unit Utility CD that came with your Rack PDU, to create a
certificate signing request to an external Certificate Authority, or if you do
not want to use an existing Certificate Authority, you can create an APC root
certificate to upload to a browser’s certificate store (cache). You can also
use the Wizard to create a server certificate to upload to the Rack PDU.

See CipherSuite to select which authentication and encryption
algorithms to use.
Web browsers cache (save) Web pages that you recently accessed and
allow you to return to those pages without re-entering your user name
and password. Always close your browser session before you leave
your computer unattended.

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125

Creating and Installing Digital Certificates
For network communication that requires a higher level of security than
password encryption, the Web interface of the Switched Rack PDU
supports the use of digital certificates with the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)
protocol. Digital certificates can authenticate the Switched Rack PDU (the
server) to the Web browser (the SSL client).
The sections that follow summarize the three methods of creating,
implementing, and using digital certificates. Read these sections to
determine the most appropriate method for your system.
• Method 1: Use the auto-generated default certificate.
• Method 2: Use the APC Security Wizard to create a CA certificate and
a server certificate.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Purpose

• Method 3: Use the APC Security Wizard to create a certificate-signing
request to be signed by the root certificate of an external Certificate
Authority and to create a server certificate.
.

You can also use Method 3 if your company or agency
operates its own Certificate Authority. Use the APC Security
Wizard in the same way, but use your own Certificate
Authority in place of a commercial Certificate Authority.

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126

Choosing a method for your system

Method 1: Use the auto-generated default certificate. When you
enable SSL, you must reboot the Rack PDU. During rebooting, if no server
certificate exists on the Rack PDU, the Rack PDU generates a default
server certificate that is self-signed but that you cannot configure.
This method has the following advantages and disadvantages:
• Advantages:
– Before they are transmitted, the user name and password for Rack
PDU access and all data to and from the Rack PDU are encrypted.
– You can use this default server certificate to provide encryptionbased security while you are setting up either of the other two digital
certificate options, or you can continue to use it for the benefits of
encryption that SSL provides.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Using the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol, you can choose any of the
following methods for using digital certificates.

• Disadvantages:
– The Rack PDU takes up to 5 minutes to create this certificate, and
the Web interface is not available during that time. (This delay
occurs the first time you log on after you enable SSL.)
– This method does not include the browser-based authentication
provided by a CA certificate (a certificate signed by a Certificate
Authority) as Methods 2 and 3 provide. There is no CA Certificate
cached in the browser. Therefore, whenever you log on to the Rack
PDU, the browser generates a security alert, indicating that a
certificate signed by a trusted authority is not available and asking if
you want to proceed.

®

– The default server certificate on the Rack PDU has the Rack PDU’s
serial number in place of a valid common name (the DNS name or
the IP address of the Rack PDU). Therefore, although the Rack
127

– The length of the public key (RSA key) that is used for encryption
when setting up an SSL session is only 768 bits. (The public key
used in Methods 2 and 3 is 1024 bits, providing more complex
encryption and consequently a higher level of security.)

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

PDU can control access to its Web interface by user name,
password, and account type (e.g., Administrator, Device Manager,
or Read Only User), the browser cannot authenticate what Rack
PDU is sending or receiving data.

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Method 2: Use the APC Security Wizard to create a CA certificate and a
server certificate. You use the APC Security Wizard to create two digital
certificates:

• A server certificate that you upload to the Rack PDU. When the APC
Security Wizard creates a server certificate, it uses the CA root
certificate to sign the server certificate.
The Web browser authenticates the Rack PDU sending or requesting data:
• To identify the Rack PDU, the browser uses the common name (IP
address or DNS name of the Rack PDU) that was specified in the
server certificate’s distinguished name when the certificate was
created.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

• A CA root certificate (Certificate Authority root certificate) that the APC
Security Wizard uses to sign all server certificates and which you then
install into the certificate store (cache) of the browser of each user who
needs access to the Rack PDU.

• To confirm that the server certificate is signed by a “trusted” signing
authority, the browser compares the signature of the server certificate
with the signature in the root certificate cached in the browser. An
expiration date confirms whether the server certificate is current.
This method has the following advantages and disadvantages.
• Advantages:
– Before they are transmitted, the user name and password for Rack
PDU access and all data to and from the Rack PDU are encrypted.
– The length of the public key (RSA key) that is used for encryption
when setting up an SSL session is 1024 bits, providing more
complex encryption and consequently a higher level of security than
the public key used in Method 1. (This longer encryption key is also
used in Method 3.)
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– The server certificate that you upload to the Rack PDU enables SSL
to authenticate that data are being received from and sent to the
correct Rack PDU. This provides an extra level of security beyond
the encryption of the user name, password, and transmitted data.

• Disadvantage:
Because the certificates do not have the digital signature of a
commercial Certificate Authority, you must load a root certificate
individually into the certificate store (cache) of each user’s
browser. (Browser manufacturers already provide root certificates
for commercial Certificate Authorities in the certificate store within
the browser. See Method 3.)

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

– The root certificate that you install to the browser enables the
browser to authenticate the Rack PDU’s server certificate to provide
additional protection from unauthorized access.

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You can also use Method 3 if your company or agency operates
its own Certificate Authority, Use the APC Security Wizard in the
same way, but use your own Certificate Authority in place of a
commercial Certificate Authority.
This method has the following advantages and disadvantages.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Method 3: Use the APC Security Wizard to create a certificate-signing
request to be signed by the root certificate of an external Certificate
Authority and to create a server certificate. Use the APC Security
Wizard to create a request (a .csr file) to send to a Certificate Authority. The
Certificate Authority returns a signed certificate (a .crt file) based on
information you submitted in your request. You then use the APC Security
Wizard to create a server certificate (a .p15 file) that includes the signature
from the root certificate returned by the Certificate Authority. Upload the
server certificate to the Rack PDU.

• Advantages:
– Before they are transmitted, the user name and password for Rack
PDU access and all data to and from the Rack PDU are encrypted.
– You have the benefit of authentication by a Certificate Authority that
already has a signed root certificate in the certificate cache of the
browser. (The CA certificates of commercial Certificate Authorities
are distributed as part of the browser software, and a Certificate
Authority of your own company or agency has probably already
loaded its CA certificate to the browser store of each user’s
browser.) Therefore, you do not have to upload a root certificate to
the browser of each user who needs access to the Rack PDU.
– The length of the public key (RSA key) that is used for setting up an
SSL session is 1024 bits, providing more complex encryption and
consequently a higher level of security than the public key used in
Method 1. (This longer encryption key is also used in Method 2.)
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– The browser matches the digital signature on the server certificate
that you uploaded to the Rack PDU with the signature on the CA
root certificate that is already in the browser’s certificate cache to
provide additional protection from unauthorized access.
• Disadvantages:
– Setup requires the extra step of requesting a signed root certificate
from a Certificate Authority.
– An external Certificate Authority may charge a fee for providing
signed certificates.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

– The server certificate that you upload to the Rack PDU enables SSL
to authenticate that data are being received from and sent to the
correct Rack PDU. This provides an extra level of security beyond
the encryption of the user name, password, and transmitted data.

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Firewalls

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Although some methods of authentication provide a higher level of security
than others, complete protection from security breaches is almost
impossible to achieve. Well-configured firewalls are an essential element in
an overall security scheme.

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Using the APC Security Wizard
Overview
Authentication verifies the identity of a user or a network device (such as an
APC Switched Rack PDU). Passwords typically identify computer users.
However, for transactions or communications requiring more stringent
security methods on the Internet, the Switched Rack PDU supports more
secure methods of authentication.
• Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), used for secure Web access, uses digital
certificates for authentication. A digital CA root certificate is issued by a
Certificate Authority (CA) as part of a public key infrastructure, and its
digital signature must match the digital signature on a server certificate
on the Rack PDU.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Authentication

• Secure SHell (SSH), used for remote terminal access to the Rack
PDU’s control console, uses a public host key for authentication rather
than a digital certificate.

How certificates are used. Most Web browsers, including all browsers
supported by the Switched Rack PDU, contain a set of CA root certificates
from all of the commercial Certificate Authorities.

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Authentication of the server (in this case, the Rack PDU) occurs each time
a connection is made from the browser to the server. The browser checks to
be sure that the server’s certificate is signed by a Certificate Authority
known to the browser. For this authentication to occur:

• Any browser that is used to access the Rack PDU’s Web interface
must contain the CA root certificate that signed the server certificate.
If authentication fails, the browser prompts you on whether to continue
despite the fact that it cannot authenticate the server.
If your network does not require the authentication provided by digital
certificates, you can use the default certificate that the Rack PDU generates
automatically. The default certificate’s digital signature will not be
recognized by browsers, but a default certificate enables you to use SSL for
the encryption of transmitted user names, passwords, and data. (If you use
the default certificate, the browser prompts you to agree to unauthenticated
access before it logs you on to the Web interface of the Rack PDU.)

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

• Each Switched Rack PDU with SSL enabled must have a server
certificate on the Rack PDU itself.

How SSH host keys are used. An SSH host key authenticates the identity
of the server (the Switched Rack PDU) each time an SSH client contacts
the Rack PDU. Each Switched Rack PDU with SSH enabled must have an
SSH host key on the Rack PDU itself.

Files you create for SSL and SSH security
Use the APC Security Wizard to create the following components of an SSL
and SSH security system:
• The server certificate for the Switched Rack PDU, if you want the
benefits of authentication that such a certificate provides.You can
create either of the following types of server certificate:
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– A server certificate signed by an external Certificate Authority. This
Certificate Authority can be one that is managed by your own company
or agency or can be one of the commercial Certificate Authorities whose
CA root certificates are distributed as part of a browser’s software.
• A certificate signing request containing all the information required for
a server certificate except the digital signature. You need this request if
you are using an external Certificate Authority.
• A CA root certificate.
• An SSH host key that your SSH client program uses to authenticate
the Rack PDU when you log on to the control console interface.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

– A server certificate signed by a custom CA root certificate also created
with the APC Security Wizard. Use this method if your company or
agency does not have its own Certificate Authority and you do not want
to use an external Certificate Authority to sign the server certificate.

All public keys for SSL certificates and all host keys for SSH
that are created with the APC Security Wizard are 1024-bit
RSA keys. If you do not create and use SSL server
certificates and SSH host keys with the APC Security
Wizard, the Rack PDU generates 768-bit RSA keys.
Only APC server management and key management products can use
server certificates, host keys, and CA root certificates created by the APC
Security Wizard. These files will not work with products such as OpenSSL®
and Microsoft IIS.

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Create a Root Certificate & Server Certificates
Summary

The public RSA key that is part of a certificate generated by the
APC Security Wizard is 1024 bits. (The default key generated by
the Rack PDU, if you do not use the Wizard, is 768 bits.)
• Create a CA root certificate that will be used to sign all server
certificates to be used with Switched Rack PDUs. During this task, two
files are created.
– The file with the .p15 extension is an encrypted file which contains
the Certificate Authority’s private key and public root certificate. This
file signs the server certificates.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Use this procedure if your company or agency does not have its own
Certificate Authority and you do not want to use a commercial
Certificate Authority to sign your server certificates.

– The file with the .crt extension, which contains only the Certificate
Authority’s public root certificate. You load this file into each Web
browser that will be used to access the Switched Rack PDU so that
the browser can validate the server certificate of the Rack PDU.
• Create a server certificate, which is stored in a file with a .p15
extension. During this task, you are prompted for the CA root certificate
that signs the server certificate.
• Load the server certificate onto the Switched Rack PDU.
• For each Switched Rack PDU that requires a server certificate, repeat
the tasks that create and load the server certificate.

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The procedure
Create the CA root certificate. Perform these steps. (Click Next to move
from screen to screen.)

2. On the Windows Start menu, select Programs, then APC Security
Wizard, to start the Wizard program.
3. On the screen labeled “Step 1,” select CA Root Certificate as the type
of file to create.
4. Enter a name for the file that will contain the Certificate Authority’s
public root certificate and private key. The file name must have a .p15
extension. By default, the file will be created in the installation folder
C:\Program Files\American Power Conversion\APC Security
Wizard.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

1. If the APC Security Wizard is not already installed on your computer,
install it by running the installation program APC Security Wizard.exe
from the APC Rack PDU Utility CD that came with your Rack PDU.

5. On the screen labeled “Step 2,” provide the information to configure the
CA root certificate. The Country and Common Name fields are
required; the other fields are optional. For the Common Name field,
enter an identifying name of your company or agency; use only
alphanumeric characters, with no spaces.
By default, a CA root certificate is valid for 10 years from the
current date and time, but you can edit the Validity Period
Start and Validity Period End fields.
6. On the next screen, review the summary of the certificate. Scroll
downward to view the certificate’s unique serial number and
fingerprints. To make any changes to the information you provided,
click Back, and revise the information.

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The certificate’s subject information and the certificate’s
issuer information should be identical.

– This screen displays the location and name of the .p15 file that you
will use to sign the server certificates.
– This screen also displays the location and name of the .crt file,
which is the CA root certificate that you will load into the browser of
each user who needs to access the Rack PDU.

Load the CA root certificate to your browser. Load the .crt file to the
browser of each user who needs to access the Rack PDU.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

7. The last screen verifies that the certificate has been created and
instructs you on the next tasks.

See also

See the help system of the browser for information on how to load
the .crt file into the browser’s certificate store (cache). Following is
a summary of the procedure for Microsoft Internet Explorer.

1. Select Tools, then Internet Options from the menu bar.
2. On the Content tab in the Internet Options dialog box, click
Certificates and then Import.
3. The Certificate Import Wizard will guide you through the rest of the
procedure. The file type to select is X.509, and the CA Public Root
Certificate is the .crt file created in the procedure Create a Root
Certificate & Server Certificates.

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Create an SSL Server User Certificate. Perform these steps. (Click Next
to move from screen to screen.)
1. On the Windows Start menu, select Programs, then APC Security
Wizard, to start the Wizard program.

3. Enter a name for the file that will contain the server certificate and the
private key. The file name must have a .p15 extension. By default, the
file will be created in the installation folder C:\Program
Files\American Power Conversion\APC Security Wizard.
4. Click the Browse button, and select the CA root certificate created in
the procedure Create a Root Certificate & Server Certificates. The CA
Root Certificate is used to sign the Server User Certificate being
generated.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

2. On the screen labeled Step 1, select SSL Server Certificate as the
type of file to create.

5. On the screen labeled Step 2, provide the information to configure the
server certificate. The Country and Common Name fields are
required; the other fields are optional. For the Common Name field,
enter the IP address or DNS name of the server (Switched Rack PDU).
Because the configuration information is part of the signature, it cannot
be exactly the same as the information you provided when creating the
CA root certificate; the information you provide in some of the fields
must be different.
By default, a server certificate is valid for 10 years from the
current date and time, but you can edit the Validity Period
Start and Validity Period End fields.
6. On the next screen, review the summary of the certificate. Scroll
downward to view the certificate’s unique serial number and
fingerprints. To make any changes to the information you provided,
click Back, and revise the information.
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7. The last screen verifies that the certificate has been created and
instructs you on the next task, to load the server certificate to the
Switched Rack PDU. It displays the location and name of the Server
Certificate, which has a .p15 file extension and contains the Rack PDU
private key and public root certificate.

Load the server certificate to the Rack PDU. Perform these steps:
1. On the Network menu of the Web interface of the Switched Rack
PDU, select the Web/SSL option.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

The information for every certificate must be unique. The
configuration of a server certificate cannot be the same as
the configuration of the CA root certificate. (The expiration
date is not considered part of the unique configuration; some
other configuration information must also differ.)

2. In the SSL/TLS Server Certificate section of the page, browse to the
server certificate, the .p15 file you created in the procedure Create a
Root Certificate & Server Certificates. (The default is C:\Program
Files\American Power Conversion\APC Security Wizard.)
Alternatively, you can use FTP or Secure CoPy (SCP) to transfer
the server certificate to the Rack PDU. If you use FTP or SCP for
the transfer, you must specify the correct location, \sec, on the
Rack PDU. For SCP, the command to transfer a certificate named
cert.p15 to a Rack PDU with an IP address of 156.205.6.185
would be:
scp cert.p15 apc@156.205.6.185:\sec\cert.p15

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Create a Server Certificate and Signing Request
Summary

• Create a Certificate Signing Request (CSR).The CSR contains all the
information for a server certificate except the digital signature. This
process creates two output files:
– The file with the .p15 extension contains the Switched Rack PDU’s
private key.
– The file with the .csr extension contains the certificate signing
request, which you send to an external Certificate Authority.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Use this procedure if your company or agency has its own Certificate
Authority or if you plan to use a commercial Certificate Authority to
sign your server certificates.

• When you receive the signed certificate from the Certificate Authority,
import that certificate. Importing the certificate combines the .p15 file
containing the private key and the file containing the signed certificate
from the external Certificate Authority. The output file is a new
encrypted server certificate file with a .p15 extension.
• Load the server certificate onto the Switched Rack PDU.
• For each Switched Rack PDU that requires a server certificate, repeat
the tasks that create and load the server certificate.

The procedure
Create the Certificate Signing Request (CSR). Perform these steps.
(Click Next to move from screen to screen.)
1. If the APC Security Wizard is not already installed on your computer,
install it by running the installation program APC Security Wizard.exe
from the APC Rack PDU Utility CD that came with your Rack PDU.
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2. On the Windows Start menu, select Programs, then APC Security
Wizard, to start the Wizard program.

4. Enter a name for the file that will contain the Switched Rack PDU’s
private key. The file name must have a .p15 extension. By default, the
file will be created in the installation folder C:\Program
Files\American Power Conversion\APC Security Wizard.
5. On the screen labeled Step 2, provide the information to configure the
certificate signing request (CSR) with the information that you want the
signed server certificate to contain. The Country and Common Name
fields are required; the other fields are optional. For the Common
Name field, enter the IP Address or DNS name of the Switched Rack
PDU.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

3. On the screen labeled “Step 1,” select Certificate Request as the type
of file to create.

By default, a server certificate is valid for 10 years from the
current date and time, but you can edit the Validity Period
Start and Validity Period End fields.
6. On the next screen, review the summary of the certificate. Scroll
downward to view the certificate’s unique serial number and
fingerprints. To make any changes to the information you provided,
click Back, and revise the information.
The certificate’s subject information and the certificate’s
issuer information should be identical.
7. The last screen verifies that the certificate signing request has been
created and displays the location and name of the file, which has a .csr
extension.
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8. Send the certificate signing request to an external Certificate Authority,
either a commercial Certificate Authority or, if applicable, a Certificate
Authority managed by your own company or agency.
See the instructions provided by the Certificate Authority
regarding the signing and issuing of server certificates.

Import the signed certificate. When the external Certificate Authority
returns the signed certificate, perform these steps to import the certificate.
This procedure combines the signed certificate and the private key into an
SSL server certificate that you then upload to the Switched Rack PDU.
(Click Next to move from screen to screen.)
1. On the Windows Start menu, select Programs, then APC Security
Wizard, to start the Wizard program.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

See also

2. On the screen labeled Step 1, select Import Signed Certificate.
3. Browse to and select the signed server certificate that you received
from the external Certificate Authority. The file has a .cer or .crt
extension.
4. Browse to and select the file you created in step 4 of the task, Create the
Certificate Signing Request (CSR). This file has a .p15 extension, contains
the Switched Rack PDU’s private key, and, by default, is located in the
installation folder C:\Program Files\American Power Conversion\APC
Security Wizard.
5. Specify a name for the output file that will be the signed server
certificate that you upload to the Rack PDU. The file must have a .p15
extension.
6. Click Next to generate the server certificate. The certificate’s Issuer
Information on the summary screen confirms that the external
Certificate Authority signed the certificate.
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7. The last screen verifies that the certificate has been created and
instructs you on the next task, to load the server certificate to the
Switched Rack PDU. It displays the location and name of the server
certificate, which has a .p15 file extension and contains the Rack
PDU’s private key and the public key obtained from the .cer or .crt file.

1. On the Network menu of the Web interface of the Switched Rack
PDU, select the Web/SSL option.
2. In the SSL/TLS Server Certificate section of the page, browse to the
server certificate, the .p15 file you created in the procedure Import the
signed certificate. (The default location is C:\Program Files\American
Power Conversion\APC Security Wizard.)
Alternatively, you can use FTP or Secure CoPy (SCP) to
transfer the server certificate to the Rack PDU. If you use
FTP or SCP for the transfer, you must specify the correct
location, \sec, on the Rack PDU. For SCP, the command to
transfer a certificate named cert.p15 to a Rack PDU with an
IP address of 156.205.6.185 would be:

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Load the server certificate to the Rack PDU. Perform these steps:

scp cert.p15 apc@156.205.6.185:\sec\cert.p15

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Create an SSH Host Key
Summary

• Use the APC Security Wizard to create a host key, which is encrypted
and stored in a file with .p15 extension.
• Load the host key onto the Rack PDU.

The procedure
Create the host key. Perform these steps. (Click Next to move from
screen to screen.)

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

This procedure is optional. If you select SSH encryption, but do not create a
host key, the Switched Rack PDU generates a 768-bit RSA key when it
reboots. Host keys for SSH that are created with the APC Security Wizard
are 1024-bit RSA keys.

1. If the APC Security Wizard is not already installed on your computer,
install it by running the installation program APC Security Wizard.exe
from the APC Rack PDU Utility CD that came with your Rack PDU.
2. On the Windows Start menu, select Programs, then APC Security
Wizard, to start the Wizard program.
3. On the screen labeled Step 1, select SSH Server Host Key as the
type of file to create.
4. Enter a name for the file that will contain the host key. The file name
must have a .p15 extension. By default, the file will be created in the
installation folder C:\Program Files\American Power
Conversion\APC Security Wizard.
5. Click Next to generate the Host Key.
6. The summary screen displays the SSH version 1 and version 2
fingerprints, which are unique for each host key and identify the host
key. After you load the host key onto the Rack PDU, you can verify that
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the correct host key was uploaded by verifying that the fingerprints
displayed here match the SSH fingerprints on the Rack PDU, as
displayed by your SSH client program.

Load the host key to the Rack PDU. Perform these steps:
1. On the Network menu of the Web interface of the Switched Rack
PDU, select the Telnet/SSH option.
2. In the SSH User Host Key File section of the page, browse to the host
key, the .p15 file you created in the procedure Create the host key.
(The default location is C:\Program Files\American Power
Conversion\APC Security Wizard.)

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

7. The last screen verifies that the host key has been created and
instructs you on the next task, to load the host key to the Switched
Rack PDU. It displays the location and name of the host key, which has
a .p15 file extension.

3. On the SSH Host Key Fingerprint section of the page, note the
fingerprint for the version (or versions) of SSH you are using. Then log
on to the Rack PDU through your SSH client program, and verify that
the correct host key was uploaded by verifying that these fingerprints
match the fingerprints that the client program displays.
Alternatively, you can use FTP or Secure CoPy (SCP) to transfer
the host key file to the Rack PDU. If you use FTP or SCP for the
transfer, you must specify the correct location, \sec, on the Rack
PDU. For SCP, the command to transfer a host key named
hostkey.p15 to a Rack PDU with an IP address of 156.205.6.185
would be:
scp cert.p15 apc@156.205.6.185:\sec\hostkey.p15

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APC Device IP Configuration Wizard
Purpose and Requirements
You can use the APC Device IP Configuration Wizard to configure the basic
TCP/IP settings (IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway) of the
following:
• Network Management Cards
• Devices that contain embedded Network Management Cards
Using the Wizard, you can configure the basic TCP/IP settings of installed
or embedded Network Management Cards in either of the following ways:

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Purpose: configure basic TCP/IP settings

• Automatically discover and configure unconfigured Network
Management Cards remotely over your TCP/IP network.
• Configure or reconfigure a Network Management Card through a direct
connection from the serial port of your computer to the device that
contains the card.
The Wizard can discover and configure Network Management
Cards only if they are on the same network segment as the
computer that is running the Wizard.

System requirements
The Wizard runs on Windows NT®, Windows 2000, Windows 2003, and
Windows XP Intel-based workstations.

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Install the Wizard
Automated installation
If autorun is enabled on your CD-ROM drive, the installation program starts
automatically when you insert the CD.

If autorun is not enabled on your CD-ROM drive, run setup.exe in the
Wizard directory on the CD, and follow the on-screen instructions.
You can also download the latest version of the APC Device IP
Configuration Wizard from the APC Web site, www.apc.com and run
setup.exe from the folder to which you downloaded it.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Manual installation

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Use the Wizard
Launch the Wizard

Configure the basic TCP/IP settings remotely
Prepare to configure the settings. Before you run the Wizard, be sure
that you have the information you will need during the configuration
procedure:
1. Contact your network administrator to obtain valid TCP/IP settings to
use.
2. If you are configuring multiple unconfigured Network Management
Cards, obtain the MAC address of each one so that you can identify
each Network Management Card that the Wizard discovers. (The
Wizard displays the MAC address for a discovered card on the same
screen on which you then enter the TCP/IP settings.)

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

The installation creates a shortcut link in the Start menu that you can use to
launch the Wizard.

– For Network Management Cards that you install, the MAC address
is on a label on the bottom of the card.
– For embedded Network Management Cards, the MAC address is on
a label on the device containing the card — for example, usually on
the side of a device that you mount in a rack.
You can also obtain the MAC address from the Quality Assurance slip
that came with the Network Management Card or with the device
containing an embedded Network Management Card.

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Run the Wizard to perform the configuration. To discover and
configure, over the network, installed or embedded Network Management
Cards that are not configured:
1. From the Start menu, launch the Wizard. The Wizard automatically
detects the first Network Management Card that is not configured.
3. Enter the TCP/IP settings (System IP, Subnet Mask, and Default
Gateway) for the unconfigured Network Management Card identified
by the MAC address at the top of the screen. Then click Next >.
4. On the Transmit Current Settings Remotely screen, if you checkmark Start a Web browser when finished, the default Web browser
connects to the device that contains the Network Management Card
after you transmit the card’s settings.
5. Click Finish to transmit the TCP/IP settings. If the IP address you
entered is in use on the network, the Wizard prompts you to enter an IP
address that is not in use. Enter a correct IP address, and click Finish.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

2. Select Remotely (over the network), and click Next >.

6. The Wizard searches for another installed or embedded but
unconfigured Network Management Card. If it finds one, it displays the
screen with data entry boxes for the TCP/IP settings of that card.
– To skip configuring the card whose MAC address is currently
displayed, click Cancel.
– To configure the TCP/IP settings of the next card, repeat this
procedure beginning at step 4.

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Configure or reconfigure the TCP/IP settings locally
To configure a single Network Management Card through a serial
connection:
2. Connect the serial configuration cable that came with the Network
Management Card or with the device that contains an embedded
Network Management Card.
a. Connect one end to an available communications port on your
computer. Make sure no other application is using the port.
b. Connect the other end to the serial port of the card or device.
3. From the Start menu, launch the Wizard application.
– If the Network Management Card is not configured, wait until it is
detected by the Wizard.

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

1. Contact your network administrator to obtain valid TCP/IP settings.

– If you are assigning basic TCP/IP settings serially to a Network
Management Card, click Next > to move to the next screen.
4. Select Locally (through the serial port), and click Next >.
5. Enter the TCP/IP settings (System IP, Subnet Mask, and Default
Gateway) for the Network Management Card. Then click Next >.
6. On the Transmit Current Settings Remotely screen, if you checkmark Start a Web browser when finished, the default Web browser
connects to the device that contains the Network Management Card
after you transmit the card’s settings.
7. Click Finish to transmit the TCP/IP settings. If the IP address you
entered is in use on the network, the Wizard prompts you to enter an IP
address that is not in use. Enter a correct IP address, and click Finish.
8. If you selected Start a Web browser when finished in step 6, you can
now configure other parameters through the Web interface of the card
or device.
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How to Export Configuration Settings
Retrieving and Exporting the .ini File
As an Administrator, you can retrieve a dynamically generated .ini file of a
Switched Rack PDU’s current configuration and export that file to another
Switched Rack PDU or to multiple Switched Rack PDUs.
1. Configure a Switched Rack PDU to have the settings you want to
export.
2. Retrieve the .ini file from that Rack PDU.
3. Customize the .ini file (to change at least the TCP/IP settings) and
make a copy to export.

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Summary of the procedure

4. Use any of the file transfer protocols supported by the Switched Rack
PDU to transfer the copied file to one or more additional Rack PDUs.
(To transfer the file to multiple Rack PDUs simultaneously, write an
FTP or SCP script that repeats the steps for transferring the file to a
single Rack PDU.)
5. Each receiving Switched Rack PDU stores the file temporarily in its
flash memory, uses it to reconfigure its own Rack PDU settings, and
then deletes the file.

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Contents of the .ini file
The config.ini file that you retrieve from a Switched Rack PDU contains the
following:

Only section headings and keywords supported for the
specific device associated with the Rack PDU from which you
retrieve the file are included.
• Each keyword is followed by an equals sign and the current value for
that parameter’s setting, either the default value (if the value has not
been specifically configured) or the configured value.
– The Override keyword, with its default value, prevents one or more
keywords and their device-specific values from being exported. In the
[NetworkTCP/IP] section, the default value for Override (the MAC
address of the Rack PDU) blocks the exporting of the values for the
keywords SystemIP, SubnetMask, DefaultGateway, and
BootMode.

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• section headings, which are category names enclosed in brackets ([ ]),
and under each section heading, keywords, which are labels
describing specific Rack PDU settings.

– You must edit the section [SystemDate/Time] if you want to set the
system date and time of a receiving Rack PDU or cause that Rack PDU
to use an NTP Server to set its date and time.
See Customizing for configuration guidelines for date
and time settings.

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Detailed procedures
Use the following procedures to retrieve the settings of one Switched Rack
PDU and export them to one or more other Switched Rack PDUs.

Retrieving. To set up and retrieve an .ini file to export:
To avoid errors, configure the Rack PDU by using its Web
interface or control console whenever possible. Directly
editing the .ini file risks introducing errors.
2. Use FTP to retrieve the file config.ini from the Rack PDU you
configured:
a. Open a connection to the Rack PDU, using its IP Address. For
example:

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USER’S GUIDE

1. Configure a Rack PDU with the settings you want to export.

ftp> open 158.165.2.132

b. Log on, using the Administrator user name and password configured
for the Rack PDU.
c. Retrieve the config.ini file containing the Rack PDU’s current
settings:
ftp> get config.ini

The file is written to the folder from which you launched FTP.

See also

To create batch files and use an APC utility to retrieve
configuration settings from multiple Rack PDUs and export them to
other Rack PDUs, see Release Notes: ini File Utility, version 1.0
(.\doc\en\ininotes.pdf) on the APC Rack PDU Utility CD that
came with your Rack PDU.

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Customizing. You must customize the file to change at least the TCP/IP
settings before you export it.
1. Use a text editor to customize the file.
– Section headings, keywords, and pre-defined values are not casesensitive, but string values that you define are case-sensitive.

– To define values, opening and closing quotation marks are optional,
except to enclose values that contain leading or trailing spaces or values
which are already enclosed in quotation marks. (Leading or trailing
spaces not within the opening and closing quotation marks are ignored.)
– To export a specific system date and time or any scheduled events,
you must configure the values directly in the .ini file.
• To export a specific system time, export only the configured
[SystemDate/Time] section as a separate .ini file. (The time
necessary to export a large file would cause the configured time to
be significantly inaccurate.)

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– Use adjacent quotation marks to indicate no value. For example,
LinkURL1="" indicates that the URL is intentionally undefined.

• For greater accuracy, if the Switched Rack PDUs receiving the file
can access a Network Time Protocol (NTP) Server, set the value
for the NTPEnable keyword as follows:
NTPEnable=enabled
– Add comments about changes that you made. The first printable
character of a comment line must be a semicolon (;).
2. Copy the customized file to another file name in the same folder:
– The copy, which you will export to other Rack PDUs, can have any file
name up to 64 characters and must have the .ini file suffix.
– Retain the original customized file for future use. The file that you
retain is the only record of your comments. They are removed
automatically from the file that you export.
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Exporting the file to a single Rack PDU. To export the .ini file to another
Switched Rack PDU, use any of the file transfer protocols supported by
Switched Rack PDUs (including FTP, FTP Client, SCP, and TFTP). The
following example uses FTP:

ftp> open 158.165.4.135

2. Export the copy of the customized .ini file. The receiving Rack PDU
accepts any file name that has the .ini suffix, is no more than 64
characters in length, and is exported to its root directory.
ftp> put filename.ini

Exporting the file to multiple Rack PDUs. To export the .ini file to
multiple Switched Rack PDUs:

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USER’S GUIDE

1. From the folder containing the customized .ini file and its copy, use
FTP to log in to the Rack PDU to which you are exporting the .ini file.
For example:

• Use FTP or SCP, but write a script that incorporates and repeats the
steps used for exporting the file to a single Management Card.
• Use a batch processing file and the APC .ini file utility.

See also

To create the batch file and use the utility, see Release Notes:
ini File Utility, version 1.0 (.\doc\en\ininotes.pdf) on the APC
Rack PDU Utility CD that came with your Rack PDU.

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The Upload Event and Error Messages
The event and its error messages
The following system event occurs when the receiving Switched Rack PDU
completes using the .ini file to update its settings.

This event has no default severity level.
If a keyword, section name, or value is invalid, the event text is extended to
include notification of the following errors.
The export to and the subsequent upload by the receiving Rack
PDU succeeds even if there are errors.

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Configuration file upload complete, with number valid values

Event text

Description

Configuration file warning: Invalid
keyword on line number.

A line with an invalid keyword or value is ignored.

Configuration file warning: Invalid
value on line number.
Configuration file warning: Invalid
section on line number.

If a section name is invalid, all keyword/value pairs
in that section are ignored.

Configuration file warning:
Keyword found outside of a
section on line number.

A keyword entered at the beginning of the file (i.e.,
before any section headings) is ignored.

Configuration file warning:
Configuration file exceeds
maximum size.

If the file is too large, the Rack PDU stores and
processes what it can, but ignores what it cannot.
Reduce the size of the file, or divide it into two files,
and try uploading again.

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A feature might not be supported for the device from which you retrieve the
configuration settings or might not be supported for the device to which you
export the configuration settings. In this case, the user configuration file
contains, under the section name for that feature, a message stating that
the feature is not supported. No keywords and values are listed, and that
feature will not be configured on any device to which you export the user
configuration file.

Errors generated by overridden values
The Override keyword and its value will generate error messages in the
event log when it blocks the exporting of values.
See Contents of the .ini file for information about which values are
overridden.

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Messages in config.ini

The overridden values are device-specific and not appropriate to export to
other Rack PDUs. Therefore, you can ignore these error messages. To
prevent these error messages from occurring, you can delete the lines that
contain the Override keyword and the lines that contain the values that
they override. Do not delete or change the line containing the section
heading.

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Using the APC Device IP Configuration Wizard

See APC Device IP Configuration Wizard for a detailed
description of how to discover and configure unconfigured
Switched Rack PDUs remotely over your TCP/IP network or
configure or reconfigure a Switched Rack PDU through a direct
connection from the serial port of your computer to the Switched
Rack PDU.

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On Windows operating systems, instead of using the preceding procedure
for exporting .ini files, you can choose to update the basic TCP/IP settings
of Rack PDUs by using the APC Device IP Configuration Wizard.

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File Transfers
Introduction
The Switched Rack PDU automatically recognizes binary firmware files.
Each of these files contains a header and one or more Cyclical
Redundancy Checks (CRCs) to ensure that the data contained in the file is
not corrupted before or during the transfer operation.
When new firmware is transmitted to the Rack PDU, the program code is
updated and new features become available.
This chapter describes how to transfer firmware files to Switched Rack
PDUs.

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Overview

To transfer a firmware file to a Rack PDU, see Upgrading
Firmware: Methods and Tools.
To verify a file transfer, see Verifying Upgrades and Updates.

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Upgrading Firmware: Methods and Tools
Benefits of upgrading firmware
Upgrading the firmware on the Switched Rack PDU has the following
benefits:
• New features become available for immediate use.
• Keeping the firmware versions consistent across your network ensures
that all Switched Rack PDUs support the same features in the same
manner.

Firmware files (Switched Rack PDU)
A firmware version consists of two modules: An APC Operating System
(AOS) module and an application module.

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• New firmware has the latest bug fixes and performance improvements.

The APC Operating System (AOS) and application module files used with
the Switched Rack PDU share the same basic format:
apc_hw0x_type_version.bin

• apc: Indicates that this is an APC file.
• hw0x: Identifies the version of the Switched Rack PDU that will run this
binary file.
• type: Identifies whether the file is for the APC Operating System
(AOS) or the application module (APP) for the Switched Rack PDU.
• version: The version number of the application file. For example, a
code of 266 would indicate version 2.6.6.
• bin: Indicates that this is a binary file.

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Obtain the latest firmware version

• The version of the tool on the APC Rack PDU Utility CD that came with
your Rack PDU will upgrade your device to the latest AOS and
application modules available when the CD was released.
• If a later firmware upgrade is available, you can obtain an updated
version of the tool at no cost from the support section of the APC web
site www.apc.com/tools/download. At this Web page, find the latest
firmware release for your APC product (in this case, your Rack PDU)
and download the automated tool, not the individual firmware modules.

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Automated upgrade tool for Microsoft Windows systems. An
automated self-extracting executable tool combines the firmware modules
that you need to automate your upgrades on any supported Windows
operating system

If the AOS firmware module you already have is a 1.x.x version, the
executable tool must perform two consecutive upgrades:
• The first upgrade is from version 1.x.x to the latest available 2.0.x
version of the AOS firmware module.
• The second upgrade is from the 2.0.x version to the most recently
released version of the AOS module.
The tool therefore contains firmware modules for both upgrades.
Each upgrade tool is specific to an APC product type. Do not use the tool
from one product CD to upgrade firmware of a different APC product. If you
use a version of the tool from the APC Web site, make sure that you use the
upgrade tool that corresponds with your APC product type.

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If you have a networked computer running a supported Microsoft
Windows operating system on your network, you can use the tool
described in Automated upgrade tool for Microsoft Windows
systems to upgrade the firmware of a Switched Rack PDU
automatically over the network. This tool automates the entire
upgrade process, even if your current firmware is a 1.x.x version.
When performing a manual upgrade, not using the automated
tool, you cannot upgrade the AOS firmware module of any APC
device directly from firmware version 1.x.x to firmware version
2.1.0 or later. The upgrade attempt will fail. You must first upgrade
to the latest available 2.0.x version of the AOS module and then to
the later version.

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Manual upgrades, primarily for Linux systems. If all computers on your
network are running Linux, you must upgrade the firmware of your Rack
PDUs manually, i.e., by using the separate APC firmware modules (AOS
module and application module).

You can obtain the individual firmware modules you need for a manual
firmware upgrade from the support section of the APC Web site
www.apc.com/tools/download.

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Firmware file transfer methods
To upgrade the firmware of a Switched Rack PDU:

• From a networked computer on any supported operating system, you
can use FTP or SCP to transfer the individual AOS and application
firmware modules.
• For a Switched Rack PDU that is not on your network, you can use
XMODEM through a serial connection to transfer the individual AOS
and application firmware modules from your computer to the Switched
Rack PDU.
When you transfer individual firmware modules and do not
use the automated firmware upgrade tool to upgrade the
firmware for a Rack PDU, you must transfer the APC
Operating System (AOS) module to the Rack PDU before you
transfer the application module.

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• From a networked computer running a Microsoft Windows operating
system, you can use the automated firmware upgrade tool on your CD
or downloaded from the APC Web site.

For more information about the firmware modules, see
Firmware files (Switched Rack PDU).

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Use FTP or SCP to upgrade one Rack PDU
Instructions for using FTP. For you to be able to use FTP to upgrade a
single Switched Rack PDU over the network:
• The Switched Rack PDU must be connected to the network.
• The Switched Rack PDU must have its TCP/IP settings (System IP,
Subnet Mask, and Default Gateway addresses) configured.
To use FTP to upgrade the Rack PDU:
1. Open an MS-DOS command prompt window on a computer that is
connected to the network. Go to the directory that contains the
firmware upgrade files, and list the files. For the directory C:\apc, the
commands would be those shown in bold:
C:\>cd\apc
C:\apc>dir

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• The FTP server must be enabled at the Switched Rack PDU.

Files listed for a Switched Rack PDU, for example, might be the
following:
– apc_hw02_aos_264.bin
– apc_hw02_app_266.bin
2. Open an FTP client session:
C:\apc>ftp

3. Type open and the Switched Rack PDU’s IP address, and press ENTER. If
the Port setting for FTP Server in the Network menu has changed from its
default of 21, you must use the non-default value in the FTP command.
a. For some FTP clients, use a colon to add the port number to the end
of the IP address.
b. For Windows FTP clients, separate the port number from the IP
address by a space. For example, if the Rack PDU’s FTP Server
Port setting has been changed from its default of 21, such as to
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21000, you would use the following command for a Windows FTP
client transferring a file to a Rack PDU with an IP address of
150.250.6.10.
ftp> open 150.250.6.10 21000
4. Log on using the Administrator user name and password. (apc is the
default for both.)
ftp> bin
ftp> put apc_hw02_aos_264.bin

6. When FTP confirms the transfer, type Quit to close the session.
7. Wait 20 seconds, and then repeat step 2 through step 6, but in step 5, use
the application module file name instead of the AOS module.

Instructions for using SCP. To use Secure CoPy (SCP) to upgrade the
firmware for one Rack PDU:

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USER’S GUIDE

5. Upgrade the AOS. For example:

1. Identify and locate the firmware modules described in the preceding
instructions for FTP.
2. Use an SCP command line to transfer the AOS firmware module to the
Rack PDU. The following example assumes a Rack PDU IP address of
158.205.6.185, and an AOS module of apc_hw02_aos_264.bin.)
scp apc_hw02_aos_264.bin apc@158.205.6.185:apc_hw02_aos_264.bin

3. Use a similar SCP command line, with the name of the application
module instead of the AOS module, to transfer the application module
to the Rack PDU.

How to upgrade multiple Rack PDUs
Export configuration settings. You can create batch files and use an
APC utility to retrieve configuration settings from multiple Rack PDUs and
export them to other Rack PDUs.
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Use FTP or SCP to upgrade multiple Rack PDUs. To upgrade multiple
Switched Rack PDUs using an FTP client or using SCP, write a script which
automatically performs the procedure. For FTP, use the steps in Use FTP or
SCP to upgrade one Rack PDU.

Use XMODEM to upgrade one Rack PDU
You cannot upgrade the AOS firmware module of any APC device
directly from firmware version 1.x.x to 2.1.0 or later. The upgrade
attempt will fail.

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See also

See Release Notes: ini File Utility, version 1.0
(.\doc\en\ininotes.pdf) on the APC Rack PDU Utility CD that
came with your Rack PDU.

To upgrade the AOS firmware module of an APC device from
version 1.x.x to 2.1.0 or later, first upgrade the module to the latest
available version 2.0.x AOS firmware module. Then upgrade it
again, this time from version 2.0.x to the 2.x.x version you want.
If your APC device is running a 2.0.x of the AOS firmware module
already, you can upgrade directly to version 2.1.0 or a later
version.
To use XMODEM to upgrade the firmware for a single Switched Rack PDU
that is not on the network:
1. Obtain the individual firmware modules (the AOS module and the
application module) from the support section of the APC web site
www.apc.com/tools/download.

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2. Select a serial port at the local computer and disable any service which
uses that port.
3. Connect the smart-signaling cable that came with the Rack PDU to the
selected port and to the serial port at the Rack PDU.

5. Press ENTER to display the User Name prompt.
6. Enter your Administrator user name and password. The default for
both is apc.
7. Start an XMODEM transfer:
a. Select option 3—System
b. Select option 4—File Transfer

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USER’S GUIDE

4. Run a terminal program (such as HyperTerminal), and configure the
selected port for 9600 bps, 8 data bits, no parity, 1 stop bit, and no flow
control, and save the changes.

c. Select option 2— XMODEM
d. Type Yes at the prompt to continue with the transfer.
8. Select the appropriate baud rate. A higher baud rate causes faster
firmware upgrades. Also, change the terminal program’s baud rate to
match the one you selected, and press ENTER.
9. From the terminal program’s menu, select the binary AOS file to
transfer via XMODEM-CRC. After the XMODEM transfer is complete,
set the baud rate to 9600. The Rack PDU will automatically restart.
10. Repeat step 3 through step 8 to install the application module. In step
8, substitute the application module file name for the AOS module file
name.
For information about the format used for application
modules, see Firmware files (Switched Rack PDU).

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Verifying Upgrades and Updates
To verify that the firmware upgrade was successful, see the Last Transfer
Result message, available through the FTP Server option of the Network
menu (in the control console only), or use an SNMP GET to the
mfiletransferStatusLastTransferResult OID.

Last Transfer Result codes
Code

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Overview

Description

Successful

The file transfer was successful.

Result not available

There are no recorded file transfers.

Failure unknown

The last file transfer failed for an unknown reason.

Server inaccessible

The TFTP or FTP server could not be found on the
network.

Server access denied

The TFTP or FTP server denied access.

File not found

The TFTP or FTP server could not locate the requested
file.

File type unknown

The file was downloaded but the contents were not
recognized.

File corrupt

The file was downloaded but at least one CRC was bad.

You can also verify the versions of the upgraded APC Operating System
(AOS) and application modules by using the About System option in the
System menu of the control console or in the Help menu of the Web
interface, or by using an SNMP GET to the MIB II sysDescr OID.

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Product Information
Warranty and Service
APC warrants the Switched Rack PDU to be free from defects in materials
and workmanship for a period of two years from the date of purchase. Its
obligation under this warranty is limited to repairing or replacing, at its own
sole option, any such defective products. This warranty does not apply to
equipment that has been damaged by accident, negligence, or
misapplication or has been altered or modified in any way. This warranty
applies only to the original purchaser.

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Limited warranty

Warranty limitations
Except as provided herein, APC makes no warranties, expressed or
implied, including warranties of merchantability and fitness for a
particular purpose. Some jurisdictions do not permit limitation or exclusion
of implied warranties; therefore, the aforesaid limitation(s) or exclusion(s)
may not apply to the purchaser.
Except as provided above, in no event will APC be liable for direct,
indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of
the use of this product, even if advised of the possibility of such
damage.
Specifically, APC is not liable for any costs, such as lost profits or revenue,
loss of equipment, loss of use of equipment, loss of software, loss of data,
costs of substitutes, claims by third parties, or otherwise. This warranty
gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights, which
vary according to jurisdiction.
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Obtaining service
To obtain support for problems with your Switched Rack PDU:
0

2. Contact Customer Support at a phone number located at the end of
this manual. A technician will try to help you solve the problem by
phone.
3. If you must return the product, the technician will give you a return
material authorization (RMA) number. If the warranty expired, you will
be charged for repair or replacement.
4. Pack the unit carefully. The warranty does not cover damage sustained
in transit. Enclose a letter with your name, address, RMA number and
daytime phone number; a copy of the sales receipt; and a check as
payment, if applicable.

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1. Note the serial number and date of purchase. For the serial number,
see the About System menu option or the label on the bottom of the
unit.

5. Mark the RMA number clearly on the outside of the shipping carton.
6. Ship by insured, prepaid carrier to the address provided by the
Customer Support technician.

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Life-Support Policy
General policy

• In life-support applications where failure or malfunction of the APC
product can be reasonably expected to cause failure of the life-support
device or to affect significantly its safety or effectiveness.
• In direct patient care.
APC will not knowingly sell its products for use in such applications unless it
receives in writing assurances satisfactory to APC that (a) the risks of injury
or damage have been minimized, (b) the customer assumes all such risks,
and (c) the liability of American Power Conversion is adequately protected
under the circumstances.

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American Power Conversion (APC) does not recommend the use of any of
its products in the following situations:

Examples of life-support devices
The term life-support device includes but is not limited to neonatal oxygen
analyzers, nerve stimulators (whether used for anesthesia, pain relief, or
other purposes), autotransfusion devices, blood pumps, defibrillators,
arrhythmia detectors and alarms, pacemakers, hemodialysis systems,
peritoneal dialysis systems, neonatal ventilator incubators, ventilators (for
adults and infants), anesthesia ventilators, infusion pumps, and any other
devices designated as “critical” by the U.S. FDA.
Hospital-grade wiring devices and leakage current protection may be
ordered as options on many APC UPS systems. APC does not claim that
units with these modifications are certified or listed as hospital-grade by
APC or any other organization. Therefore these units do not meet the
requirements for use in direct patient care.
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Index
BOOTP

A

After IP Assignment setting 112
Boot mode settings 74
BOOTP Only boot mode setting 74
communication settings 75
DHCP & BOOTP boot process 111
Remain in DHCP & BOOTP mode
setting 112
Status LED indicating BOOTP requests

limiting NMS SNMP access by IP address 85
security options for each interface 117

Access setting for RADIUS 102
Access Type setting 85
Actions 60
Advanced settings
Client ID 75, 112
Domain Name 74, 112
Ethernet Port Speed 112
Host Name 74, 112
On Retry Failure 76
Port Speed 75
Retry Then Fail 75
User Class 75, 112
Vendor Class 75, 112
APC Cookie 114
APC OS 31
Apply Local Computer Time 105
Authentication
SNMP Traps 63
with SSL 124
Auto Logout 98

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About System 31
Access
FTP Server 77

13

Browsers
CA certificates in browser’s
store (cache) 124
supported Web browsers 25

C
Certificates

choosing which method to use 126
creating and installing for SSL 126
methods
APC Security Wizard creates all
certificates 129
Use a Certificate Authority (CA)
Use the APC default certificate

CipherSuite

Choosing SSL encryption ciphers and
hash algorithms 92
purpose of the algorithms and ciphers

125
Client ID setting 75, 112
Community Name 63
setting 84
config.ini file, contents 154
Configuring
SSL/TLS 88
Control console
Device Manager menu 22

B
Boot mode 110
Boot mode settings
BOOTP only 74

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127

DHCP & BOOTP 74
DHCP only 74
Manual 74
174

navigating menus 21
refreshing menus 21

Cookie

APC 114

D

sending authentication traps to an NMS

Data log

Syslog 86

63

Domain Name setting 74, 112
Domain names
for trap receivers 63

configuration 70
Log Interval setting 70
using FTP to retrieve 57

data.txt file, importing into spreadsheet
57
Date & Time settings 105, 106
Delete SSH Host Keys and SSL
Certificates 107
Device IP Configuration Wizard

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Customizing user configuration files 156

overriding expansion of
host name to domain name 75

E
E-mail

configuring 64
enabled by default for severe events 62
enabling and disabling 67
Events menu option 62
message format (long or short) 67
setting up an account 67
using for paging 66

using to configure required TCP/IP
settings 150

Device Manager menu
control console 22
DHCP

After IP Assignment setting 112
APC cookie 114
Boot mode settings 74
Communication
Vendor Class

Email recipients 66
format 67
Enabling

75

communication settings 75
Cookie Is setting 112, 113
DHCP & BOOTP boot process 111
DHCP Only boot mode setting 74
Remain in DHCP & BOOTP mode
setting 112
Require vendor specific cookie to accept
DHCP Address setting 112,

113

response options 114
Retry Then Stop setting 113
Status LED indicating DHCP requests
®

DHCP & BOOTP boot mode setting 74
Disabling
e-mail to a recipient 67
event logging 61
Reverse DNS Lookup 77
sending any traps to an NMS 63

e-mail forwarding to external
SMTP servers 67
e-mail to a recipient 67
Reverse DNS Lookup 77
sending any traps to an NMS 63
sending authentication traps to an NMS

63

SSH 80
Syslog 86
Telnet 80

Encryption

with SSH and SCP 122

13

175

with SSL 88

Follower outlet groups 33
From Address 65
FTP 77

Error messages

for firmware file transfer 170
from overridden values during
.ini file transfer 159

disabling when SCP is used 78
to retrieve text version of Event or
Data log 57

G

errors from overridden values during
.ini file transfer 159
using FTP del command 59
using FTP to retrieve 57

Generation (e-mail recipients) 67
Global outlet groups 33
creating 38

verifying setup and configuration 41

event.txt file

Global outlets 33

contents 57
importing into spreadsheet 57

H

Events menu
Actions 60

Help

E-mail (Web interface) 62
Event Log 61
SNMP traps 62

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Ethernet Port Speed setting 112
Event Log
accessing 21
disabling 61

About System option (Web interface)

31

on control console 21

Host keys

F

creating 146
file name 83
file status 83
fingerprints

Facility setting 86
File Transfer 107
Fingerprints, displaying and comparing
79
Firewall, as essential to security 133
Firmware
benefits of upgrading 162
file transfer methods 165
FTP or SCP 166
XMODEM 168

displaying for versions 1 and 2

generated by the PDU 79
transferring to the PDU 79, 83

Host Name setting 74, 112
HTTP Port 91
HTTP protocol mode 90
HTTPS Port 91
HTTPS protocol mode 90
Hyperlinks, defining 108

files for Network Management Card

162

obtaining the latest version 163
upgrading 162
verifying upgrades and updates 170
®

84

I
Identification fields on main screen 19
InfraStruXure Manager 1

Firmware versions displayed on main
screen 19
176

ini files, See User configuration files
Initiator outlet groups 33
IP addresses
of DNS server for e-mail 64
of trap receivers 63
to limit access to specified NMSs 85

Manual boot mode setting 74
Menus
Control Console 22
Data 30, 69
event-related 30
Events 30
Help 31
Links 108
Network 31
System 31
Web interface 29

keywords

user configuration file 154

L

N

Life support policy 173
Link (as an outlet setting) 44
Links

Network menu
DNS 76
Email 85

FTP Server 77
ISX Protocol 95
Ping utility 77
SNMP 84
Syslog 86
TCP/IP 73
Telnet/SSH 78
WAP 95
Web/SSL 88

redirecting user-definable links 32,

108
Local outlet groups 33
creating 37
Local SMTP server 67
Lock icon indicating SSL is enabled. 90
Logging on
control console 15
Web interface 24
Login date and time
control console 19
Web interface 27

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

K

M

NMS IP setting/Domain
Name Setting 85

O
On Retry Failure setting 76
OS, APC 31
Outlet events
described 43
Outlet groups
creating local groups 37
deleting 38
editing 38

Main screen
displaying identification 19
firmware values displayed 19
login date and time 19
status 20
Up Time 19
User access identification 19
®

177

for HTTPS 91
for SSH 81
for Telnet 81

Power Off Delay 44
Power On Delay 44
Primary NTP Server 106
Primary Server Secret setting
for RADIUS 102
Primary Server setting for RADIUS 102
Protocol Mode
selecting for control console access 80
selecting for Web access 90

34
36
35
39

Outlet Name 44
Outlet settings
configuring 44

controlling outlets 42

Outlets

R

Override keyword, in user configuration
file 154

RADIUS settings 101

P

Read access by an NMS 85
Reboot 107
outlets 43

global 33

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

enabling 37
follower 33
global 33
initiator 33
local 33
purpose and benefits
rules for configuring
system requirements
typical configurations

Paging by using e-mail 66
Password change for security 119
Passwords
default for each type of account 24
for NMS that is a trap receiver 63
User Manager access 98

preventing automated reboot for inactivity 14

using non-standards ports as extra passwords 120

PDU, port assignment 120
Port Speed setting 75
Ports
assigning 120
default
for FTP Server
for HTTP 91
for HTTPS 91
for SSH 81
for Telnet 81

Configuring the Rack PDU 102
Configuring the RADIUS server 103

78

Reboot Duration 44
Receiver NMS IP/Domain Name 63
Recipient’s SMTP server 67
Reset
Only TCP/IP to Defaults 107
to Defaults 107
to Defaults Except TCP/IP 107
Retry Then Fail setting 75
Retry Then Stop setting (DHCP) 113
Reverse DNS Lookup 77
Root certificates, creating 137

S
Scheduling outlet events 49
SCP

using a non-default port
for FTP 78
for HTTP 91

enabled and configured with SSH 78,

®

178

Send DNS Query 76
Server certificates
creating to use with a
Certificate Authority 142
creating without a Certificate Authority

137
Severity levels of events 61

events with no severity level 61
mapping event severity to Syslog
priorities. 87

Signing requests
creating 142
SMTP

authentication

authentication vs. encryption 120
through digital certificates with SSL

124

certificate-signing requests 125
disabling less secure interfaces 123
encryption with SSH and SCP 122
how certificates are used 134
How SSH host keys are used 135
immediately changing username and
password 119
options for each interface 117
planning and implementing 117, 120
SCP as alternative to FTP 123
SSL

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

123
Secondary NTP Server 106
Secondary Server for RADIUS 102
Secondary Server Secret for RADIUS
102
Section headings, user configuration
file 154
Secure CoPy. See SCP.
Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA) 92
Secure SHell. See SSH.
Secure Sockets Layer. See SSL.
Security

From Address 65
Server 65
server 67
SMTP Server 65

SNMP

Access Type setting 85
Authentication Traps 63
Community Name setting 84
NMS IP/Domain Name setting 85
SNMP traps option 62

SSH

enabling 78
encryption 122
fingerprints, displaying and comparing

79

choosing a method to use certificates

126

host key

CipherSuite algorithms and ciphers

as identifier that cannot be falsified
creating 146
file name 83
file status 83
transferring to the PDU 79

125

supported SSH clients 79
using non-standards ports as extra
passwords 120

Security Wizard 134
creating certificates
without a Certificate Authority

137

creating server certificates
to use with a Certificate Authority

creating signing requests 142
creating SSH host keys 146

142

®

179

modifying the Port setting 81, 91
obtaining an SSH client 79
server configuration 82
v1 Encryption Algorithms 82
v2 Encryption Algorithms 82

SSL

122

authentication through digital
certificates 124
certificate signing requests 125
encryption ciphers and hash algorithms

92

Status

in Web interface 27
on control console main screen 20

Telnet/SSH

defining Server IP
addresses/domain names 87
enabling and disabling 86
Facility setting 86
message format 88
sending a test message 87
setting the UDP port 87
Syslog setting 86

Access option 80
host key fingerprints
displaying

System information, obtaining 31
System menu

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Syslog

About System (in control console) 108
Date & Time 105
Identification 105
Links 108
Modem (not supported) 108
Outlet User Manager 99
RADIUS 101
settings

102

Tools 107
User Manager 98

System requirements, outlet groups 35

T
TCP/IP

®

On Retry Failure setting 76
Port Speed setting 75
Retry Then Fail setting 75
setting port assignments for extra
security 120
subnet mask 73, 74
system IP address 73, 74
User Class setting 75, 112
Vendor Class setting 75, 112

Boot mode 74
Client ID setting 75, 112
default gateway 73, 74
defining settings 73
Domain Name setting 74, 112
Ethernet Port Speed setting 112
Host Name setting 74, 112

84

modifying the Port settings 81
option in Network menu 78
selecting the protocol mode 80
SSH host key file name 83
SSH host key file status 83
SSH Port option 81
SSHv1 Encryption Algorithms 82
SSHv2 Encryption Algorithms 82
Telnet Port option 81

Testing the network connection to the
DNS server 76
Time Zone 106
Timeout setting for RADIUS 102
To address 66
Tools menu 107
Delete SSH Host Keys and
SSL Certificates 107
File Transfer 107
Reboot 107
Reset Only TCP/IP to Defaults 107
Reset to Defaults 107
Reset to Defaults Except TCP/IP 107
Upload (a user configuration file) 107

Transport Layer Security (TLS) 124
Trap Generation 63
Trap Receivers 63
Traps 63
180

logging on 24
Modifying the Port setting

U

for FTP 78
for HTTP 91
for HTTPS 91
for SSH 81
for Telnet 81

Up Time

control console main screen 19
Web interface 27

Update Interval 106
Upgrading firmware

Upload a user configuration file 107
URL address formats 26
User access identification, control
console interface 19
User Class setting 75, 112
User configuration files
contents 154
customizing 156
exporting system time separately 156
overriding device-specific values 154
retrieving and exporting 153
system event and error messages 158

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

without using a utility 162

using the APC utility to retrieve
and transfer the files 155, 168

User Manager, defining access
values and authentication 98
User Name

change immediately for security 119
default for each type of account 24
User Manager access 98

V
Vendor Class setting 75, 112
Vendor Specific Information
Cookies 114

W
WAP 95
Web interface

enable or disable protocols 90

®

181

Status 27
Up Time 27
URL address formats 26

Wireless Access Protocol (WAP) 95

Customer support for this or any other APC product is available at no
charge in any of the following ways:
• Visit the APC Web site to access documents in the APC Knowledge
Base and to submit customer support requests.
– www.apc.com (Corporate Headquarters)
Connect to localized APC Web sites for specific countries, each of
which provides customer support information.
– www.apc.com/support/
Global support searching APC Knowledge Base and using
e-support.
• Contact an APC Customer Support center by telephone or e-mail.
– Regional centers:

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

APC Worldwide Customer Support

Direct InfraStruXure Customer
Support Line

(1)(877)537-0607 (toll free)

APC headquarters U.S., Canada

(1)(800)800-4272 (toll free)

Latin America

(1)(401)789-5735 (USA)

Europe, Middle East, Africa

(353)(91)702000 (Ireland)

Japan

(0) 35434-2021

Australia, New Zealand, South
Pacific area

(61) (2) 9955 9366
(Australia)

– Local, country-specific centers: go to www.apc.com/support/
contact for contact information.

®

Contact the APC representative or other distributor from whom you
purchased your APC product for information on how to obtain local
customer support.
182

Entire contents © 2005 American Power Conversion. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. APC, the
APC logo, InfraStruXure, and PowerNet are trademarks of American Power
Conversion Corporation and may be registered in some jurisdictions. All
other trademarks, product names, and corporate names are the property of
their respective owners and are used for informational purposes only.

990-1368D-001

04/2005

Switched Rack PDU

USER’S GUIDE

Copyright

®

183



---

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