[CentOS] (a) WinPower RPM available? (b) where to install if use tar.gz file?

Fri Feb 27 14:51:39 UTC 2009
Lanny Marcus <lmmailinglists at gmail.com>

Two quick and simple questions; I want to install the "WinPower"
software for my new UPS. On their web site, they have a tar.gz file
available for download. I know the reasons for staying with RPM, if at
all possible. I've Googled and Yahood for ""WinPower"+RPM+Linux and
get hits, but no obvious RPM. I tried "yum install winpower" and the
response was "no package winpower available" (rpmforge is one of the
yum repositories I use, so it's not there, with that name).

(a) Is an RPM available for it? (If so, where and what's the name?)
(b) If I need to download the tar.gz file and install from that, it
looks from their documentation that they install into
/opt/MonitorSoftware     Is it better to install into /usr/local or
into /opt? What is the recommendation for a CentOS box, when
installing non RPM software? Where best to install non RPM stuff? TIA!