UPS – How to Make Mac Shutdown a Windows PC When UPS Signals Power Loss

ups

I have an APC UPS connected to my iMac that's set to shutdown after 1 minute of running on UPS power. I also have a Windows 10 PC plugged into the UPS that I'd like shut down as well. Is there a way to send a shutdown command from my Mac to the Windows 10 PC telling it to shut down as well when a power loss is detected?

Best Answer

Take a look at this SuperUser question How can I shutdown a Windows machine remotely from OS X?. It recommends installing and using the net command:

net rpc shutdown -I xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx -U username%password

You can then use a tool like Power Manager to trigger the net command when your UPS detects the power failure.

I work on Power Manager, so feel free to ask technical questions.

Related Solutions

Mac – Power up after UPS initiated shutdown

Simply put, no. The APC/Apple software is designed for shutdown only. I'd been looking for a similar solution for years when I managed a few XServes, but my institution opted to provide massive battery backups and a gas-powered emergency generator when we moved to a double rack of Windows servers a few years ago.

This device 3Gstore Remote Power IP Switch - 1 Outlet looks like it might work. I am going to get one of my very own for a security web-cam I just installed at home.

Disclaimer: Not professionally or materially connected with 3Gstore.

Power Outages – Handling Power Outages with Remote Macs

You might want to consider replacing the MBA with a Mac Mini, perhaps a previously owned model from OWC which as some real inexpensive models. Your needs don't seem to require a superlative machine with lots of RAM & etc. The Mini should be able to provide the startup after power failure option because it is a desktop Mac.

For the problem of starting up the iMac in the circumstances you described, you should consider creating a series of Terminal pmset commands which wakes or restarts your Mac with a frequency you find amenable.

This example should attempt to wake from sleep or power on the Mac on an hourly basis every day:

pmset repeat wakeorpoweron MTWRFSU 01:00:00
pmset repeat wakeorpoweron MTWRFSU 02:00:00
pmset repeat wakeorpoweron MTWRFSU 03:00:00
.
.
.
pmset repeat wakeorpoweron MTWRFSU 24:00:00

If the Mac is already up and running, these commands have no effect. A wealth of information is found in man pmset.

The app Power Manager may also be helpful as it provides a GUI method for setting the same commands.

_{Disclaimer: I have no financial or other ties to the developers of Power Manager, nor in Other World Computing, Inc.}