[x23 @ Jul 25th 2006 8:02PM]

if you get a slightly newer UPS ... i think the Smart-UPS 700 is the cheapest with the "Smart Slot" you can get a network card for $279-ish and use the PowerChute Network Shutdown program to shutdown as many as you want.

granted it might be a toss up as to which is cheaper... the card or a random Linux machine. but i suppose if you were using the Linux machine anyway it's not an issue. if you weren't though... the space taken up by a Linux machine is definitely more than the network card inside the UPS.

there is a limit to how many machines you should be running on a small UPS anyway.

Network Shutdown :

http://nam-en.apc.com/cgi-bin/nam_en.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=1141&p_created=1010390400

Network Cards :

http://www.apcc.com/products/family/index.cfm?id=98

Cheapest (new) UPS that has the Smart Slot :

http://www.apcc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=SUA750&total_watts=50

thanks for posting this though... it reminded me i needed to order the network card with the temperature sensor.

[Ken @ May 23rd 2007 8:57AM]

The issue isn't how to run lots of computers on one UPS, it's how to cleanly shutdown systems on "dumb" UPS without serial/USB/Network connectivity. For example, I may have a mediaPC running on an APC UPC without signaling capabilities, and I may have a nice, server grade UPS in the basement for my file server/networking software, when the power goes out, everything stays on (server, networking, mediaPC), but the server can shut down cleanly while on battery, the mediaPC will simply wait to run out of power and die. With this setup, the mediaPC could detect a power problem and shut itself down.