Re: Was System Abend Due to the UPS, or the Sense Cable or the iSeries?

Are you sure it is a weak battery signal being received and not the
"utility power lost" signal and a message queue problem? I had the same
problem on one LPAR when the message queue in QUPSMSGQ was not being
monitored by my UPS program. The power would flicker and the one LPAR
would immediately power down, while the other LPAR, properly setup, kept
running only notified me of the power event.

QUPSMSGQ help text spells it out:

If the system value QUPSDLYTIM is *NOMAX, the following conditions must be
met or the system will begin an immediate power down.

The message queue specified in the QUPSMSGQ system value must exist.

If the message queue is a work station message queue (or QSYSOPR), it must
be in break or notify mode.

If the message queue is not a work station message queue, it must be
allocated by a job.
==============================================
Tom Kreimer
Network Manager
Buckhorn Inc, Milford OH



In July 2007, our 9406-520 system performed a PWRDWNSYS after the lights
flickered because it said the Powerware 9910-P33 issued a low battery
condition signal. The UPS itself never indicated a low battery condition
and EATON Corporation replaced the UPS free of charge. I installed the
replacement UPS on a weekend and tested it by disconnecting utility power
several times. As expected, the iSeries indicated each time the utility
power failed and was restored.

This past Saturday at 04:30:22, our iSeries abended because it sensed a
utility power failure. When I arrived on site at 6 A.M., both our
production LPARs were deactivated but the UPS (the replacement installed
in July) appeared to be operating normally. Eaton Corporation again
offered to replace the UPS. None of our other 25 servers showed any
indication of a power failure and I don't believe there was one.

I disconnected the sense cable and the iseries recognized this by issuing
a message so I know that the iSeries at least knows when it's there. I'm
going to leave it disconnected until I find the root of this problem.

Neither Powerware, nor IBM software support, nor IBM hardware support
could pin point why these events occurred and I'd like your input on the
following:

1. Should I test the UPS, sense cable, and iSeries on a
Sunday when I can put both partitions system in restricted mode.?
2. Hire a technician to determine the status of the UPS
first?
3. Replace the sense cable?
4. Install management software for the UPS?
5. Buy a Tripp-Lite?
6. Eliminate the sense cable? We haven't needed it in at
least 9 years.

Bryan Burns
iSeries Specialist
ECHO, Incorporated
Lake Zurich, Illinois