UPS Notes

A UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) does 3 things; 1Stops under and over voltage and mains transients and lightning strikes damaging the connected equipment. 2Contains a battery which keeps the server running for some minutes by generating mains voltage independently of the mains network. 3Allows the server to shut itself down properly if mains power is not restored within a few minutes Use (Notes for APC series) 1A steady green light shows that the UPS is on and the mains supply is ok. Flashing green indicates starting up. 2A steady orange light shows that the mains supply is over/under voltage and the UPS is regulating the voltage. 3An orange light (steady or flashing) and beeping noise indicates that the mains has failed and the UPS is supplying power from the battery. 4A red light and fast beeping indicates a UPS fault (e.g. battery failure). Try turning the UPS off and waiting 5 minutes before turning back on. 5No lights the UPS is off because: 1) Mains power has failed and the battery has run down completely or, 2) The UPS has been turned off To turn the UPS ON Press and hold the ON button on the front of the UPS for about 10 seconds, until it clicks, beeps and the flashing green light appears. After about 30 seconds the light will change to steady green. To turn the UPS OFF. Press and hold the OFF button on the front until the green light goes out. Important. Note that if the UPS battery is completely run down, it will need a short time to charge the battery before it will it power up try every 10 minutes or so. The gauge on the right indicates the state of battery charge. If mains power is on, but the UPS will not start up, see if the round reset button on the back needs resetting press it in to reset. NB In general printers should not be attached to the UPS backup supply because of their heavy power consumption. The gauge on the left shows how much load is being drawn. The run time on battery can vary between 10 to 45 minutes depending on load. The Plug in lead acid battery will usually last between 3-5 years before it needs replacing.

Turning equipment off

1In general PCs dont like being used for short periods. Heating and cooling cycles during startup/shutdown decrease reliability, which is why big servers are left on continuously. However, this is less of a problem for modern equipment, and laptops work like this all the time. 2Mechanical (moving parts) wear out the longer they are used and drag dirt through the machine. In a PC these parts include fans and hard disk drives. 3If you are not using the equipment for more than say 7 days, its probably worth turning everything off including the server, network hubs and switches. Leave the UPS on at the wall socket so that the battery stays charged up. 4Its best to turn mains equipment off at the wall switch because mains adapters and even computer power supplies and monitors often still draw significant current. This might also help prevent a fire. 5Always leave the Broadband Router on! South West Grid for Learning monitors the router and will assume theres a fault if its turned off! It might be useful to label mains switches and/or keep a list of what things are connected so that its easy for anyone to go around and start it all up again. Its always worth starting it all up a few days before the start of term to make sure it all still works the administrator cant work unless network switches/hubs are on, including odd ones sometimes hidden at the back of desks etc. Turning computer equipment off when not in use; Save electricity and hence money Reduces emissions of CO2 and helps the environment Avoids fires Can minimise electrical/lightning damage (disconnected equipment is less susceptible) Avoids wear and overheating of mechanical parts e.g. fans, disk drives etc. Avoids sucking dust and dirt inside the machine. Reduces load on air conditioning/cooling systems. Quieter working environment Richard Kelley SCoMIS 17th September 2007