Power Products
Uninterruptible Power Supplies
Bristol Systems recommends that you buy a very good UPS for your
servers and that you keep all your data on these servers. One UPS
can support several servers, but the length of time it will keep them
running during a power outage of course goes down as the load on the UPS
goes up.
When your servers contain all your data, it may seem like a bit of a luxury
to put a UPS on a workstation. Many people reason that all they lose due
to a power outage would be the little bit of work done since the last file
save. This may be the correct approach for your company. On the
other hand, a power outage will sometimes corrupt the file system, which would definitely
require some service. Unless you are very cost conscious, a small UPS on
each workstation is usually a good idea. Configure it for automatic
power-down and don't bother to plug the monitor into it. Of course, if you want
to keep working during a power outage, you'll want a somewhat larger UPS on your
workstation that supports both the workstation and its monitor. This at
least will allow you time to save all your open files.
If you don't want to lose any work in progress, then you not only will need a
UPS on each workstation but also on each switch or hub that connects the
workstations to the servers. A typical solution here is to locate the
switches and hubs near the servers and to plug them into the UPS that supports
the servers. Remote switches and hubs will need their own UPS.
A UPS provides several functions.
- Surge suppression
- Power conditioning
- Battery power during a power outage
- Graceful power-down when the battery runs low
Typical rack-mount UPS installation:
Power Conditioners
In most office situations, using high quality UPS's will provide all the
power conditioning that you need. However, laboratory and other
sensitive equipment have special power requirements that you should meet.
On the other hand, if you have heavy duty equipment that puts severe loads on
your electrical system (such as when a large electric motor starts up) then you
may also need extra power conditioning to protect your computer
systems.
Surge Arrestors (Power Strips)
Your computer equipment needs to be protected from power spikes and
surges. Consumer Reports
recently tested a variety of surge arrestors (power strips) and found most of them inadequate for the job.
Their web site
lists quite a few recalls. Cheap power strips are little more than an
extension cord - or worse.
Call Bristol Systems at 714.389.4136 for further information, or you
may place an order now.
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