We all know that a UPS is important but recently we have seen customer network rooms that concern us. It should be considered standard practice that all servers and networking equipment be protected by a UPS with automatic shutdown. This allows the equipment to shut down gracefully while using battery power. This prevents data loss or corruption and ensures a smooth reboot when the power returns.
We all have had a bad experience with a server that had a bad power crash, failed hard drives, failed raid controllers, blown power supplies, lost motherboards and of course our all time favorite, corrupted Exchange databases.You don't need hours of battery functionality because 80% of all power outages are less than 20 minutes long. But you do need automatic shutdown configured on all servers. In the past, we used serial cables but now there is a simpler solution. Install an SNMP card into the server which uses a network connection for the server shutdown software to communicate with the battery backup UPS. An added side bonus is that the card allows alert notification via email. That way you are always aware of UPS status, including power outages.Reminders:
· Be sure to configure the email address for alert notifications to be sent to a distribution list, instead of a single person
· When possible, have the UPS and the servers connected to the same network switch
· Be sure the server/UPS switch is powered by the UPS
· Be sure to provide a network cable or patch cord for the UPS – it does not come with the card
· Be sure to set the shutdown time early enough so that the servers have time to do a graceful shutdown. As we all know this can take as long as 10 minutes on some systems. Five minutes after the power failure is a good safe time.
· Be sure to check the red battery status LED on the front of the UPS anytime you are onsite. The batteries only last about 3 years before needing replacement