Computer Room Air Conditioner Reviews

Everyone in the office is merrily working along, in the event the lights dim, flicker, and then... DARKNESS!

Yes, that's right, you merely stood a power failure. It could possibly be an ice storm, thunderstorm, tornado, an automobile striking a power pole, or maybe the utility just cut your power to be effective around the lines. No problem, your server is plugged in a UPS, or "uninteruptible power supply". You you've got plenty of run-time around the battery to power your server prior to the power comes on... or do you? You stroll to your computer room and immediately see the eerie quiet. The network switch isn't humming, the air conditioner is quiet, and... THE SERVER IS OFF!

Computer Room Air Conditioner

You wait for the power to get restored and confidently press the server power switch. The server begins booting. You start to find out the Windows logo. Then... Nothing. The server appears to get locked up, or the thing is that a message about missing or corrupt files. You turn from the server, then turn it on again with the same result. With panic rising and employees idle you provide it one last try.

That is when you have the "Oh No!" moment!

What happened? Isn't the UPS designed to protect against power outages? How come my server shut down? Why include the files corrupted, or worse?

Your UPS that you just thought was protecting your server will no longer holds a charge in the battery. UPS batteries need replacing over time. How long they last is dependent upon your electrical environment. In a "clean" environment, one where you've not many power spikes, brownouts, or outages, battery lasts a lengthy time. In "dirty" power environments where you have an unstable power supply on the UPS, it will degrade far more quickly. This is normal in manufacturing environments where power hungry equipment causes great fluctuation within the line voltage.

Essentially, the UPS is "taking the bullet" to safeguard the gear connected to it, much being a Secret Service Agent having a bullet to the President. The UPS is designed to be sacrificed to the protection of your valuable equipment and data.

How do you know the age of your battery is? If you retain good records and pay attention, you will just look at your calendar after three years and locate a note to replace the UPS or battery. Right! On the opposite hand, the remaining folks can install UPS monitoring software which will alert us when this can be needed.

My advice is to utilize a top quality UPS which is made to protect servers. My personal favorite are those from APC. Most server-class units have hot-swappable batteries. You do not even ought to shut down the server to exchange the battery. When you buy a replacement battery, package the existing one in the same box the new one arrived in, and send it back to APC for recycling. APC even pays for that return trip!

The components inside a UPS other compared to the battery can need replacing too, particularly in "dirty" power environments. This is the reason why I recommend changing battery once after 3-4 years, then replacing the entire UPS after that. Note that there could be exceptions to the rule for a few from the higher end UPS units, such since the big rack-mount devices that you just find in the data center.

One more bit of advice: Always use certified replacement batteries from your manufacturer of your UPS. Don't use alternative party batteries. They are cheaper, and can they protect you once you need it? Isn't it worthwhile to own peace of mind? How old is the battery inside your UPS? If it can be over three years of age you need to consider replacing it or UPS. If it's over four years old, don't think twice, replace the battery NOW.

Battery Backup Failure - Avoid the "Oh No!" Moment When the Power Fails