shutdown by regular user

[william drescher]

On 3/27/2015 7:42 AM, Karl Auer wrote:
> On Fri, 2015-03-27 at 06:44 +0100, Nils Kassube wrote:
>> Not necessarily: /tmp is usually cleared at bootup. :)
>
> True - but the kill-me file might not be in /ŧmp, a failure during
> bootup might leave the file there accidentally, and it's good
> housekeeping, anyway.
>
>> Why use the power swtich of the UPS, if the power switch of the computer
>> does the job. Granted, you can't use this method as an excuse to spend
>> the money for the UPS. :)
>
> If the power switch on the computer causes an orderly shutdown with no
> further user input, then yes, the power switch on the computer is the
> way to go. However, this is often not the case - either the system wants
> more input, OR hitting the switch causes an immediate power-down, not an
> orderly shutdown. Many systems will ask for confirmation if the button
> is pressed - but will power down hard if the button is held down for a
> few seconds.
>
> When you pull the power on a UPS, it generally signals at least one
> device (typically an attached server) so that the device can shut itself
> down in an orderly fashion before the standby power runs out. Typically
> either the UPS can signal other devices or the first device signalled
> can pass it on, so that other supported devices can shut themselves down
> too.
>
> If you run your UPS any other way, the what you really have is no more
> than a glitch-bridger. It will iron out over- and under-voltages, and it
> will bridge short outages, but if the power goes out for any real length
> of time the batteries will die and the attached systems will go down
> just the same way they would have without the UPS - namely hard.
>
> Regards, K.
>

We have the ups and apcupsd so that would work.  But the UPS also 
powers the phone system and the intent of the user shutting down 
the computer manually if someone is present (who has an IT room 
key) is to extend the time the phone system works.

Thanks for _all_ the suggestions.
-bill