Nut upsuser - Nov 2019 - How to setup the NUT client on Windows?

Hi,

I have an Eaton 5SC UPS with only 1 USB communication port, but... I
need 3 devices to safely switch off in case of power failure, 2
Synology NAS and 1 PC under Windows 7 (soon 10)!
So I've decided to connect the UPS to the main NAS (via the USB
cable), enabled the "Network UPS server" on the NAS, entered the other
NAS and PC IP addresses to let them receive NUT messages in case of
power failure and now, I need to install a NUT client on the PC.

Problem: I can't find any kind of documentation neither official, not
from users on blogs or videos.

We can find some for WinNUT. This client has a GUI and looks easy to
install and configure.
But it's written on networkupstools.org that "WinNUT is a partial port
of the client side..." and it's "currently being replaced by a
full
port to Windows, part of the official NUT distribution."...
https://networkupstools.org/projects.html#_a_href_http_csociety_ecn_purdue_edu_delpha_winnut_winnut_a

WinNUT is also not maintained any more, the last version is from Feb. 2011...
https://code.google.com/archive/p/winnut/downloads

So now regarding the official Windows complete port. I've downloaded
the .msi and installed it but there's absolutely no settings, neither
during the installation, nor when running "Start service" and all the
documentation provided (FAQ, Man pages, User manual) looks not related
to the Windows version but to Linux versions. There's not a single
line regarding the Windows version.

So my question is simple: how do we setup a NUT client on Windows?
Is there any documentation anywhere?
When it's said the complete port replaces WinNUT, does it also has a GUI?

Thanks for your help!

Emmanuel

Hi,

Two weeks and no answer.
Any direction how to setup a NUT client on Windows?
Any kind of documentation anywhere, even a single page?
And if I'm not at the right place, where can I find any help? Any one I
should get in touch with?
There's at least a developer who did this full port to Window?

Thanks for your help!

Emmanuel


Le mar. 29 oct. 2019 à 00:30, <planet.et at gmail.com> a écrit :
> Hi,
>
> I have an Eaton 5SC UPS with only 1 USB communication port, but... I
> need 3 devices to safely switch off in case of power failure, 2
> Synology NAS and 1 PC under Windows 7 (soon 10)!
> So I've decided to connect the UPS to the main NAS (via the USB
> cable), enabled the "Network UPS server" on the NAS, entered the
other
> NAS and PC IP addresses to let them receive NUT messages in case of
> power failure and now, I need to install a NUT client on the PC.
>
> Problem: I can't find any kind of documentation neither official, not
> from users on blogs or videos.
>
> We can find some for WinNUT. This client has a GUI and looks easy to
> install and configure.
> But it's written on networkupstools.org that "WinNUT is a partial
port
> of the client side..." and it's "currently being replaced by
a full
> port to Windows, part of the official NUT distribution."...
>
>
https://networkupstools.org/projects.html#_a_href_http_csociety_ecn_purdue_edu_delpha_winnut_winnut_a
>
> WinNUT is also not maintained any more, the last version is from Feb.
> 2011...
> https://code.google.com/archive/p/winnut/downloads
>
> So now regarding the official Windows complete port. I've downloaded
> the .msi and installed it but there's absolutely no settings, neither
> during the installation, nor when running "Start service" and all
the
> documentation provided (FAQ, Man pages, User manual) looks not related
> to the Windows version but to Linux versions. There's not a single
> line regarding the Windows version.
>
> So my question is simple: how do we setup a NUT client on Windows?
> Is there any documentation anywhere?
> When it's said the complete port replaces WinNUT, does it also has a
GUI?
>
> Thanks for your help!
>
> Emmanuel
>
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On Mon, 11 Nov 2019, planet.et at gmail.com wrote:

Hi Emmanuel, The silence says that there is currently very little interest in 
NUT on Windows, and to the best of my knowledge no-one is working on it.
> And if I'm not at the right place, where can I find any help? Any one I
should
> get in touch with?
I'm wondering if the NAS community could help.  There may well be Windows
users
there.  Otherwise, you may have to introduce a Pi or something similar to manage
the NAS's and use the Windows program that comes with UPS's to manage
the PC.

Roger

Hi Roger,

Thanks very much for your answer.
I appreciate!
> The silence says that there is currently very little interest in NUT on
> Windows, and to the best of my knowledge no-one is working on it.
I would not argue the fact that there's obviously less interest in NUT
on Windows than on Linux.
But still, some few comments:

1/ There's maybe LESS interest, but there's some interest. Some
persons are interested in using NUT on Windows.

On this mailing list, some people did ask for some help in the past...
https://alioth-lists.debian.net/pipermail/nut-upsuser/2011-July/006986.html
https://alioth-lists.debian.net/pipermail/nut-upsuser/2012-January/007331.html
https://alioth-lists.debian.net/pipermail/nut-upsuser/2012-May/007584.html
https://alioth-lists.debian.net/pipermail/nut-upsuser/2012-May/007622.html
https://alioth-lists.debian.net/pipermail/nut-upsuser/2013-May/008393.html
https://alioth-lists.debian.net/pipermail/nut-upsuser/2015-April/009651.html
https://alioth-lists.debian.net/pipermail/nut-upsuser/2016-September/010269.html
https://alioth-lists.debian.net/pipermail/nut-upsuser/2016-December/010470.html
Etc., etc.

WinNUT also generated a lot of interest and many How-to...
https://www.seriouslytrivial.com/2018/09/26/shutdown-windows-computer-and-synology-nas-using-winnut/
https://opengear.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/216374543-UPS-monitoring-and-automated-safe-shutdown-using-WinNUT
https://www.reddit.com/r/homelab/comments/81y9du/best_nut_network_ups_tools_clients_for_windows/
https://support.asustor.com/index.php?/Knowledgebase/Article/View/34/7/how-to-configure-my-pc-as-network-ups-clientslave
https://resolve.co.uk/blog/article/protect-your-network-from-power-cuts-with-winnut-and-a-ups
http://www.aidewindows.net/synology_onduleurs.php#winnut
https://www.forum-nas.fr/viewtopic.php?t=7158
https://www.nas-forum.com/forum/topic/9983-g%C3%A9rer-lextinction-du-pc-depuis-londuleur-branch%C3%A9-sur-le-synology-avec-winnut-et-londuleur-du-synology/
Etc., etc.

So people are interested and are looking for information.

2/ But on the other hand, to go ahead, they need a minimum of documentation.
Currently, how do you want any potential users not to be discouraged
and give up?
It now looks more and more clear that there's absolutely NO
documentation to help starting. Nothing! Not even a single page.
When it was WinNUT, at least there was a GUI (so it was a bit easier)
and some first How-to had been written for the settings. But for this
"complete port to Windows", I've not found any. Not even a very
first
How-to, nothing.

3/ At last, even in this context, we can't ignore the fact that a
developer has released this complete port to Windows...
https://networkupstools.org/download.html#_binary_packages
It exists. So it has a purpose. And this/those developer(s) know(s)
how it works.

It was released after WinNUT was considered abandoned (so after 2011)
as it's written "WinNUT is currently being replaced by a full port to
Windows, part of the official NUT distribution. MSI packages are
available too." and even after mid 2015 as the MSI package is in
version 2.6.5-6 which was released in May 2015; so 4 years ago.

Now the question is who is/are those developers who did the job and
know how it works?
Probably Arnaud Quette as in the Changelog he's the one who released
the 2.6.5-6 version for Windows and is several time mentioning
updates/adjustments for the Windows version.
He's also thanking Frederic Bohe for his "hard work on the Windows
port" in 2014.
And in 2011 he's the one who announced the official Windows port
following the end of WinNUT: "Advertise more the official Windows
port, with regard to WinNUT"

So I guess I should try to get directly in touch with Arnaud and maybe Frederic.
If they can help me, I would be happy to write and release a How-to to
help others looking for information like me.
> I'm wondering if the NAS community could help.  There may well be
Windows users there.
There's several How-to for WinNUT. But I found nothing for the current
official Windows port.
> Otherwise, you may have to introduce a Pi or something similar to manage
> the NAS's and use the Windows program that comes with UPS's to
manage the PC.
???
I don't understand?
A Pi to manage the NAS ok but why the Windows program that comes with
UPS's to manage the PC? (in my case it's IPP from Eaton, which does
not include a NUT client according to Eaton)
I can connect the UPS to only 1 device in USB. So if it's to a Pi then
it has to manage the PC as well. But even in this case, I still need
to install a NUT client on the PC. It changes nothing. Or I missed the
point.

Again, thank you for your answer.
Best regards,

Emmanuel


Le lun. 11 nov. 2019 à 15:48, Roger Price <roger at rogerprice.org> a
écrit :
>
> On Mon, 11 Nov 2019, planet.et at gmail.com wrote:
>
> Hi Emmanuel, The silence says that there is currently very little interest
in
> NUT on Windows, and to the best of my knowledge no-one is working on it.
>
> > And if I'm not at the right place, where can I find any help? Any
one I should
> > get in touch with?
>
> I'm wondering if the NAS community could help.  There may well be
Windows users
> there.  Otherwise, you may have to introduce a Pi or something similar to
manage
> the NAS's and use the Windows program that comes with UPS's to
manage the PC.
>
> Roger
>
> _______________________________________________
> Nut-upsuser mailing list
> Nut-upsuser at alioth-lists.debian.net
> https://alioth-lists.debian.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/nut-upsuser

On Nov 12, 2019, at 3:49 AM, planet.et at gmail.com
wrote:
> 
> If they can help me, I would be happy to write and release a How-to to
> help others looking for information like me.
I admire your persistence in trying to find and write documentation on the
Windows port, but there's only so much documentation that can cover all the
workarounds. At some point, you need a Windows developer to fix the issues, and
to propose ways to handle things in the source tree that can work for both
Windows and POSIX systems.

There were some serious problems with the original Windows port branch that
rendered it un-mergeable (it was prior to the Git conversion). That and other
related issues are linked here: https://github.com/networkupstools/nut/issues/5

planet.et at gmail.com wrote on 11/12/2019 12:49 AM:
>> Otherwise, you may have to introduce a Pi or something similar to
manage
>> the NAS's and use the Windows program that comes with UPS's to
manage the PC.
> ???
> I don't understand?
> A Pi to manage the NAS ok but why the Windows program that comes with
> UPS's to manage the PC? (in my case it's IPP from Eaton, which does
> not include a NUT client according to Eaton)
> I can connect the UPS to only 1 device in USB. So if it's to a Pi then
> it has to manage the PC as well. But even in this case, I still need
> to install a NUT client on the PC. It changes nothing. Or I missed the
> point.
IPP-Unix (NUT) was listed as a supported protocol in IPP last I saw, and 
it's still listed in the user manual.

http://pqsoftware.eaton.com/explore/eng/ipp/default.htm