RE: [cobalt-developers] RaQ3 UPS Solutions ?

["Lyle Scheer" <lyle@xxxxxxxxxx>]

> I was able to look at UPS battery level, Incoming Power Level
> remaining
> battery time all the stuff that the SmartUPS does. and was
> able to send
> commands to put the UPS into Test mode Calibrate mode.
>
> Lyle sys that I dont need all this. well I do because to test
> the UPS that
> is connected to my RaQ3 is 300Miles away. and it cost $200
> for remote hands
> to simply press a button.

My apologies Barry... I think I made an assumption here.  When I looked at
the GUI stuff included with the smartupstools version shipped on the RaQ 3,
I didn't see any way to put the UPS into Test mode Calibrate mode over the
web.  All I saw where the battery level, power level, temperature, etc.
Frankly, I didn't integrate these for three reasons:

	1. The graphics libraries used GIF images which were having some patent
issues and I couldn't get the libgd for MIPS that I wanted.
	2. I was mainly doing the project for my purposes alone... I'm the
manufacturing test engineer at Cobalt and I was integrating this package
into the RaQ servers that I use on the factory floor that build all of our
other products.  I don't even have Apache loaded on these servers, so a web
front end did not interest me.  I volunteered to integrate the package I had
into our upcoming products because our Product Marketing thought it was a
good idea, but I integrated with LCD and telnet only.
	3. I was trying to treat the project as if I were a 3rd party programmer
and what would it take to integrate a package into our software without
breaking our GUI.  The best way I had to figure it out was to not use the
GUI.  This in turn brought focus to our engineering team on the question of
what would it take to make a GUI that can have 3rd party packages integrated
into it.

Yes, I agree that there should be another roll of the software and more
integration.  I even think it would be good to back-rev that work so that a
package could be created for all of our older platforms.  However, as I'm
working in manufacturing and not engineering, I do not have time in my work
week to do this.  Any effort on my part is voluntary and on my off time.  As
I'm in the process of getting married next Sunday, I don't have much off
time available.

I feel for you, and agree for the most part with what you have to say.  I am
also sorry that I didn't pick up the code additions that you offered when
you first ran through the exercise of getting the GUI working.  However, I
think I'm going to be more effective in helping if I offer my help to
Michael Dierker on this list who offered to compile in a newer version of
the network UPS tools rather than wait for a "Cobalt" update.  In fact, if
we code this in the right manner, we can probably roll our code into the
official NUT project and then updates to the generic open source project
will automatically have hooks for cobalt products in them and we won't be
dependant on Cobalt's engineering staff for updates.  This would probably be
a better solution for all parties.

- Lyle