UPSCMD(8)
=========

NAME
----

upscmd - Network UPS Tools device/driver instant commands administration tool

SYNOPSIS
--------

*upscmd* -h

*upscmd* -l 'ups'

*upscmd* [-u 'username'] [-p 'password'] [-w] [-t <timeout>] 'ups' 'command'

DESCRIPTION
-----------

*upscmd* allows you to invoke "instant commands" in your UPS hardware.
It sends commands via the server linkman:upsd[8] to your driver, which
manages the hardware for you.  You must use credentials defined in
linkman:upsd.users[5] file on that data server with appropriate permissions.

Not all hardware supports this, so check the list with -l to see if anything
will work on your equipment.

On hardware that supports it, you can use this program to start and stop
battery tests, invoke a front panel test (beep!), turn the load on or off,
and more.

OPTIONS
-------

*-l* 'ups'::
Show the list of supported instant commands on that UPS.  Some hardware
may not support any of them.

*-u* 'username'::
Set the username for the connection to the server.  This is optional, and
you will be prompted for this when invoking a command if -u is not used.

*-p* 'password'::
Set the password to authenticate to the server.  This is also optional
like -u, and you will be prompted for it if necessary.

*-w*::
Wait for the completion of command execution by the driver and return its
actual result from the device. Note that this feature requires that both
linkman:upsd[8] and the driver support TRACKING (NUT version 2.8.0 or higher),
or it will otherwise fail.
+
The command will also block until an actual result is provided from the driver,
or the timeout is reached (see *-t*).

*-t* 'seconds'::
Set a timeout when using *-w*. Defaults to 10 seconds.

'ups'::
Connect to this UPS.  The format is `upsname[@hostname[:port]]`.  The default
hostname is "localhost".

COMMON OPTIONS
--------------

*-h*::
Show the command-line help message.

*-D*::
Raise the debugging level. Use this option multiple times for more details.
Overrides the optional `NUT_DEBUG_LEVEL` environment variable.

*-V*::
Show NUT version banner.  More details may be available if you also
`export NUT_DEBUG_LEVEL=1` or greater verbosity level.

*-W* 'secs'::
Set the timeout for initial network connections (by default they are
indefinitely non-blocking, or until the system interrupts the attempt).
Overrides the optional `NUT_DEFAULT_CONNECT_TIMEOUT` environment variable.

UNATTENDED MODE
---------------

If you run this program inside a shell script or similar to invoke
a command, you will need to specify all of the information on the command
line.  This means using -u and -p.  Otherwise it will put up a prompt and
your program will hang.

This is not necessary when displaying the list, as the username and
password are not required for read-only mode.

Moreover, if you run this program inside a shell script or similar, you
should only consider using output from stdout, not stderr.

DANGEROUS COMMANDS
------------------

Some drivers like linkman:apcsmart[8] have built-in paranoia for the
dangerous commands like `load.off`.  To make them actually turn off the
load, you will have to send the command twice within a short window.
That is, you will have to send it once, then send it again after 3
seconds elapse but before 15 seconds pass.

This paranoia is entirely defined within the driver.  upsd and upscmd have
no control over the timing.

DIAGNOSTICS
-----------

*upscmd* won't work unless you provide a valid username and password.  If
you get "access denied" errors, make sure that your linkman:upsd.users[5] has
an entry for you, and that the username you are using has permissions to
SET variables.

*upscmd* without '-w' would somewhat confusingly show "OK" meaning just that
the data server connection was established, and the server did not immediately
reject the request due to e.g. unknown instant command name. If you care
to know the actual results, do use the `-w (-t NUM)` option(s) to wait for
them.

BUGS
----

There is currently no way to tell the user when the driver requires
confirmation to invoke a command such as `load.off`.

This is on the list of things to fix in the future, so don't despair.
It involves magic cookies.

SEE ALSO
--------

linkman:upsd[8], linkman:upsrw[8]

Internet resources:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The NUT (Network UPS Tools) home page: https://www.networkupstools.org/
