Do Not Enable Global Outlet Groups on Switched Rack PDUs (AP79xx) with 3.5.5 firmware

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Issue

APC has identified a problem with rpdu firmware v3.5.5 when installed to any of the Switched Rack PDU (AP79XX) products. Users who upgrade their Switched Rack PDU to firmware revision 3.5.5 should be advised not to enable Global Outlet Groups under any circumstances.

Product Line

AP79XX Switched Rack PDU models

Environment

• All serial numbers
• Firmware version rpdu v3.0.0-3.5.5

Cause

A firmware bug exists within the rpdu application that affects AP79XX Switched Rack PDUs. When a user upgrades to v3.5.5, continuing the use of or enabling Global Outlet Groups causes the Switched Rack PDU to become inaccessible. The user will also notice that "88" is displayed on the LCD, located on the front of the PDU, as well as an "Application Load Error" reported though the web interface.

Resolution

When a user upgrades to v3.5.5, continuing the use of or enabling Global Outlet Groups causes the Switched Rack PDU to become inaccessible. The user will have to wait some time before regaining access to the PDU. Once the user has access to the PDU again, they will need to reset the PDU to defaults to bring the PDU out of the error state. rpdu firmware v3.5.6 and higher solves this problem. Once the firmware is upgraded, users can safely use Global Outlet Groups.

This problem does not affect users with Metered Rack PDU's (AP78XX) due to the fact that this product line does not offer the Global Outlet Group feature.