Eaton has expanded the number of supported uninterruptible power supply (UPS) models and virtualisation platforms with the release of version 2.7.1 of its Intelligent Power Manager (IPM) software, which is part of the Brightlayer™ Data Centres suite. IPM provides efficient remote monitoring and management of power equipment around the clock. With the extended ability to manage and monitor even more assets, the software provides data centres with enhanced protection against the adverse effects of power quality events.
Since loss of power can never be ruled out completely, the combination of UPS hardware and Eaton’s IPM disaster avoidance software provides peace of mind that critical data and electrical devices will be protected. From a functional perspective, the UPS’s batteries keep all connected equipment running for a predictable time period. The IPM software then uses that time on battery to interact with native or virtual servers to shed power loads, perform virtual machine (VM) migrations, or shut down elements of infrastructure such as native servers, data storage devices, network components and other equipment on the direct current (DC) racks – all in automated and orderly fashion.
The IPM software features an intuitive user interface and a self-explanatory, logically organised automation wizard. In addition to performing secure shutdowns and boot-ups, IPM also provides helpful smart and automated features, such as moving VMs to unaffected locations, extending the UPS’s time on battery and protecting IT equipment against adverse environmental events such as excessive temperature and humidity levels.
New features of IPM 2.7.1 include:
· Support for new UPS models from Eaton, HP and APC.
· Compatibility with the latest versions of popular virtualisation platforms, including VMWare® 8.0 Update 1, Microsoft® Windows Server 2022 and Oracle® VM VirtualBox.1
· Expanded API services to support Microsoft® Hyper-V via the WSMan protocol.
· Extended asset monitoring within native and virtualized systems with a new connector for containerised application environments. IPM can now directly monitor Kubernetes nodes such as “stopped”, “suspended” or “running”.
· Interface optimisations, including a new rack view and more compact and informative power chain management and environmental views
