The Linux Shutdown action is used to shut down a target Linux system. To date, the plugin has been tested extensively with Ubuntu, Fedora and OpenSuse, although it uses the standard 'shutdown' command, so all Linux distributions should be supported. This plugin uses telnet to connect to the target Linux system, so the target Linux systems that you want to shut down will need to have the telnet daemon installed and running. This Action is extremely beneficial for powering down a system or group of systems when environment conditions exist that could potentially lead to catastrophic system damage, such as high temperatures, power loss, flooding, etc.

To create a Linux Shutdown action, first download and install the Linux Shutdown Plugin from AVTECH.com. Click here for additional information about the Linux Shutdown Plugin, including purchasing options. After installing the Linux Shutdown Plugin, open Device ManageR and navigate to the 'Alerting' screen by clicking on the 'Alerting' button in the left navigation bar. Note that if the Device ManageR interface was open while installing the Linux Shutdown Plugin, the browser will have to be refreshed before the new plugin can be used.


Next expand the 'Actions' option in the right main frame and click the 'Add' button.

In the 'Add New Action window, enter the desired 'Name' and 'Description' fields to give details regarding the Action being created. Next, select the 'Shutdown A Linux System' option from the 'Action Type' drop down as shown in the screenshot below.

Once the 'Shutdown A Linux System' option is selected for the 'Action Type' several new fields will be displayed that are unique to this action.

A description of all of the fields for the Linux Shutdown Plugin can be found below.

• IP or System Name field is the IP address or computer name of the system that the action will send the shutdown command to when an action is performed.
• Username field is the name of the user account used for accessing the target system.
• Password field is the password for the user account used for accessing the target Linux system.
• Port Number field is the port on the target system that is accepting telnet connections.
• Login Prompt field is the expected message returned by the target system to start the login process.
• Password Prompt field is the expected message returned by the target system to indicate the time to send the password
• System Prompt are the characters received when the terminal is ready for a command.
• Logout Command is the command used to log out of the telnet session.
• Timeout is the time that the telnet connection should stay open for when waiting for a response or attempting to send a command.

Once the action is created you can then select the action from the 'Alert Action' or 'Clear Action' drop down box from within the 'Add Action / Notification List Item' or 'Edit Action / Notification List Item' screen when configuring an Action / Notification List as shown below.

The Linux Shutdown Plugin allows an unlimited number of Linux Shutdown Actions to be created. These Linux Shutdown Actions can then be added to an 'Action / Notifications List' which will allow these systems to be shutdown simultaneously, sequentially, or according to a defined schedule. For additional information about the Linux Shutdown Plugin, or for assistance configuring it, please feel free to contact us at Support@AVTECH.com.