UPS sizes and where do you deploy them

[localzuk]

So, after we had a bit of a glitch here yesterday (electrician turned off power to the circuit that powers our gateway router and a couple of switches), I'm looking at how we have UPSs deployed here.

 

At the moment I have the following in place:

 

Core - servers and core switch are hooked up to 2 5kVA UPS units, each with their own circuit back to the fuse board.

Edge router - A 1kVA UPS unit. Also on this router are the switches that connect up that bit of the school (3 24 port switches, 1 of which is PoE to power half a dozen phones).

My workstation - An old 1kVA unit that was retired from server duty 7 years ago. So that I can still manage things easier if power goes off.

 

So, the power was off for around an hour and a half, complete with the UPS beeping (which wasn't reported to me by the teacher who could hear it) before it went off completely.

 

If the main power goes off, the servers will run for about an hour on the main UPS units before powering off.

 

None of that is unreasonable is it? What sort of run-times do you get your UPSs to have?

[truebluesteve]

My understanding of UPS use is so a graceful shutdown of the servers and other attached kit can be achieved, and not to run them until the power comes back on (unless you have emergency generators of course). I was led to believe that 10-20 minutes run time was all that was needed for a UPS and that's what I have used to calculate the size of it.

 

We get 40 minutes out of our 2 monster UPS's so an hour for you is pretty decent I'd say!

[localzuk]

That is my thinking also to be honest! However, the powers that be won't pay for a backup generator, and complain if I have to power things down after 20 minutes!

[LeMarchand]

Seems more than reasonable and well more than any of my schools have!

 

Would it be worth sticking a machine on the UPS that was beeping so that you could get email/text notification if it went onto battery?

[localzuk]

Seems more than reasonable and well more than any of my schools have!

 

Would it be worth sticking a machine on the UPS that was beeping so that you could get email/text notification if it went onto battery?

 

Maybe. I'm thinking maybe I should get a network management card for the UPS, but they're a couple of hundred quid and, well, the boss might not like that cost!

[truebluesteve]

I forgot to add we only use them in the following places -

 

1.Server Room

2.To backup a remote NAS that we use for our Veeam backups

3. A central comms cabinet that is in an area that has had some power issues in the past

 

I know some schools that use them on almost every edge switch, but I see little point as all the PC's will switch off if the power fails in the same area - plus it adds a big maintenance overhead

[GeekyPete]

20 minutes or 25% power remains, whichever comes first. Then gracefully shut down the servers. The thinking being that only short interrupts will be powered. We set it so that the servers shut down to conserve some power for the PoE switches and controller that serves the VIOP telephone system. Those and the core switch are the only ones on the UPS. This way the phones will work for as long as possible, until there is no power left in the UPS. The phones are considered and essential element of school operation, in this scenario they take priority even over the servers so that the emergency services can be called if required.

[GeekyPete]

I forgot to add we only use them in the following places -

 

1.Server Room

2.To backup a remote NAS that we use for our Veeam backups

3. A central comms cabinet that is in an area that has had some power issues in the past

 

I know some schools that use them on almost every edge switch, but I see little point as all the PC's will switch off if the power fails in the same area - plus it adds a big maintenance overhead

 

We have them in the cabinet at each edge location but just for the PoE switch with just the IP Phones plugged in to it. People Panic if the phones go down.

[Boredguy]

We have a small fleet of UPS.

We have 9 x 1.5 kVa units for our servers.

A 1.5kAv powering our main comms cabinet (4 switches, Fibre converter tray) as well as my station

Another 1.5kVa powering out backup server in another building

 

We also have UPS for our 2 CCTV DVR units, an large one for our Phone PBX, and a small one for our lesson change bells.

 

In general all the server UPS's are expected to give us short term coverage. If we have not had power back after 10 minutes we shut down all the servers, and since the edge infrastructure is not on UPS it's not an issue.

Our phone system can provide us with 7 hours of run time with normal usage.

[Sagima]

We have 4 large (5000VA) ups for our two server rooms. The servers are set to shut down after 20 minutes without power but they also keep the poe switches running so the cctv cameras and door access bits and pieces (and presumably once we have a voip system it will run the phones too) all sill work. We can keep them going for about another hour but they aren't the most enormous of power drains.

[GeekyPete]

We have 4 large (5000VA) ups for our two server rooms. The servers are set to shut down after 20 minutes without power but they also keep the poe switches running so the cctv cameras and door access bits and pieces (and presumably once we have a voip system it will run the phones too) all sill work. We can keep them going for about another hour but they aren't the most enormous of power drains.

 

Our access control works with MagLocks, the power fails and the door fail-safe to unlocked.

[Sagima]

Our access control works with MagLocks, the power fails and the door fail-safe to unlocked.

 

Our car park gates are maglocked so fail open (but they are automatic electric so you have to get out and push) but the doors fail to a locked/shut state and the emergency release button (internal->external) or a key (either) becomes the tool to get out. There are not many people with keys to the doors these days.

[thebatman]

We have two server rooms (Split Site) with there own Big UPS to allow them to shutdown. We then we have three of our comms cabinets that have small UPS to power our PoE switches, this allows the VoIP Phones to work for two hours during power outages (we have a very faulty main intake s power goes down on monthly basses).

[psydii]

That sounds a very reasonable runtime to me. When I was previously challenged to get hours of runtime, I sent off the server and switch room specs to a decent supplier, and they came back with a quote, which I presented to SLT. That was the last I heard of it.

 

Server and infrastructure run time measurable in hours is very expensive.

 

 

I am currently in the enviable position of working for a school that kept its pre-BSF UPSs and received new under the Managed Service... so we've got 2200VA in all switch rooms and three 10kVA in the main comms room. So far I've had better things to do than see how long they keep the system up, but we've got half term coming up so I might give it a go then. The servers are configured to shutdown 20 minutes after a power failure.

[mdench]

Maybe. I'm thinking maybe I should get a network management card for the UPS, but they're a couple of hundred quid and, well, the boss might not like that cost!

 

stump up the cost never try to rely on staff to say its beeping. plus with the card you can setup weekly battery tests and overload warnings so you know your not over stretching the unit.

 

We have 2 10kva units in our server providing A and B power to servers and core switching. Any units with a single PSU connect through an APC transfer switch so our routers stay up in the event of a UPS failure. Both of these units are backed up by a 120kva generator unit with 12 run time before it needs topping up. makes it fantastic for when they turn the power off for three weeks over the summer as we can still work rather than sitting in the dark.

 

we have another 2 x 5kva units that provide power for our backup location snd offsite location with graceful shutdown periods.

[Sagima]

Our network card works with the environment checking thing so we get email alerts if the temperature goes above a certain level as well as getting the weekly checks that everything is working with the ups and the alert if it switches to ups power.

[PotNoodleTech]

We have

 

 

we have another

 

 

Secondary school??!!

[Abaddon]

We have:

 

Room solution UPS for Production Server Room - 40 kVA

Room solution UPS for Disaster Recovery Room - 16kVA

Bursary / Admin switch cabinet - 2.5kVA

All Bursary machines on 900VA

All IT Office machines on 900VA

 

Both server rooms have dedicated armoured 3-phase cables to main school distribution panel.