[Tfug] Security Question

[Mike Morrell]

  I have an APC UPS with two computers connected to it, both running
Linux.  One computer is connected to the UPS with the monitor cable and
its running APC's monitor software.  I want to configure it so that a
batch file is run to shutdown both computers when the battery gets low. 
Of course this is simple for the computer physically connected to the
UPS but whats the best way to force the other computer to shutdown?  Its
just my computers at home so I could kludge something together but I
would like to know what would be a more secure way of doing it.
  I was thinking of sending the shutdown command via ssh to a special user
on the other computer.  Set that users account so that it can only
execute the shutdown command, via the ssh config but set the regular
login to /bin/false, and make it a part of the sudo group.  In addition
set ssh to only accept the key of the UPS computer.  In a more hostile
network would I be leaving my self open to anything?  Is there a more
elegant way of achieving this?


Thanks,

Mike