Turning off Media Server when Away Mode Activated

[Paul Watkin]

Hi all,

I have a media server that runs 24/7 to play movies etc planned for the new house, I would like a way to gracefully shut it down when away mode is selected.

My idea thus far is-

1 on away mode being selected to use a virtual command to send the windows remote shutdown command to the ip address 

2 start a timer for 30 seconds

3 at end of 30 seconds ping ip address

4 virtual command to turn off plug on APC PDU

5 status block to show Server off

On going back to home mode i was thinking

1. Virtual command to turn on power to PC

2. timer for 10 seconds

3. Virtual comand for WOL

4. timer for 1min

5. Ping ip address = probably need to allow for multiple pings

6. Update status block to show server on when ping succesful

Can anyone see any flaws in that plan, or already done something similar?

Loxone is setup to enable Away mode automatically 24 hours after the last all out, with a reset loop restarting the timer every time the operating mode changes.

Thanks 

Paul

 

[Jonathan Dixon]

I've done something similar, but for an off-site backup machine that I just power up periodically to pull backups from my main server. I avoided WOL due to prior experience of flakiness. (Plus I'd need some other always-on device on that LAN to send the command, which hasn't always been possible in my setup).

So the variant I use is:

- the backup server is powered via a shelly style relay socket 

- server bios configured to automatically boot itself when mains power is restored to it.

The relay socket monitors the power draw through the socket, and if it drops below 5W for 10secs it powers off the relay. It is running my own esphome FW so I have flexible control over what conditions make it power on, and i can access it remotely over IP, but a Loxone Socket Air would work as well if there's going to be a mini server local to it.

This way, power down is just:

1 send the soft shutown command to the server 

2 optionally, wait a few minutes then send a backstop "power off" to the relay, in case it hasn't already done so.

Power on is just send the command to the relay to turn it on, and the PC will boot itself back up.

A 10s ping polling loop can run continuously, independent of the above procedures, to monitor the server current status.

I also have a networked kvm on the machine, and if it ever hard crashes i can use the relay socket to remotely force a power cycle of the whole lot.

HTH

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[Paul Watkin]

thanks Joth, yours is a much simpler and more stable solution.

The rack already contains an APC switched PDU that will cut power to home cinema amps etc when away mode is selected so using that rather than a shelly will work fine.

Not sure on the accuracy of the metering on the PDU so may still use the ping to detect off, but I found the setting in the bios for power on so that will be much more reliable than WOL.

Thanks

Paul