UPS for two servers

[talksr]

Good morning,

 

I currently have two rack mounted HP servers which do not have any form of UPS.

We usually use APC and I would be keen to get something in place as soon as possible.

 

My only concern is how would both servers know when to gracefully shut down if a standard UPS only comes with one USB cable to connect to a server.

I was hoping a model such as this, would do the job, however I noticed that an expensive model such as this only comes with one USB point.

 

I would be really grateful if anyone could offer me some advice on this.

[localzuk]

Get one with network capability, ensure the switch they connect to is on the UPS too, and install the management software on each server to use the network setup.

[Steve21]

You can either get one with multiple inputs (there's simple signalling ports on some), or look at PowerChute Business Edition – UPS Energy Management Software | APC and set it up that the powerchute server shuts the rest down

 

Steve

[talksr]

Get one with network capability, ensure the switch they connect to is on the UPS too, and install the management software on each server to use the network setup.

It seems that some of the more expensive APC ones have network capability. Would I just install the PowerChute Software and it would search for the UPS via the network?

 

You can either get one with multiple inputs (there's simple signalling ports on some), or look at PowerChute Business Edition – UPS Energy Management Software | APC and set it up that the powerchute server shuts the rest down

 

Steve

 

Thanks, clever stuff. Presumably, the signals are sent down the network to warn the server that the power is off. Obviously, switch would need to be on UPS also as localzuk mentioned.

[talksr]

Ok, so getting a UPS with network connectivity seems the best option, however then I need to run a separate switch which is on the UPS. This would work well if the server was housed in a rack with the switches, but unfortunately, it is stored in a totally separate room. We have two servers, with a total of 4 NICs in use, plus vlans. So we are going to need a separate switch which sits in the room with the server.

I currently use 1gb HP managed switches, but I believe the minimum port size for a managed layer 3 switch from hp is 24. Is that correct? Seems wasteful to get a 24 port switch when I would only be using a total of 5 ports.

[Steve21]

So your server room has no switches in it? or did you mean the 2 servers are in separate rooms?

 

Steve

[localzuk]

You shouldn't need a layer 3 switch! We only have a single layer 3 switch in our entire network. You can get 8 port managed layer 2 switches from HPE, such as the J9777A - http://www8.hp.com/uk/en/mpc/networking-switches/product-detail.html?oid=5384993

[Steve21]

HP 1920-8G 8 ports Managed Switch - Ebuyer

 

As an example would be a cheap option though if you only want a basic thing

 

Steve

[talksr]

So your server room has no switches in it? or did you mean the 2 servers are in separate rooms?

 

Steve

 

The servers are together in their own room (server room) and the switches are housed in a large rack in another room. They are not both in the same place. The servers have four network points in their room which route directly back to the room with the switches in.

 

HP 1920-8G 8 ports Managed Switch - Ebuyer

 

As an example would be a cheap option though if you only want a basic thing

 

Steve

 

I can't believe that little model could handle Vlans. Would it be able to deal with the traffic coming in and out of that room?

[talksr]

You shouldn't need a layer 3 switch! We only have a single layer 3 switch in our entire network. You can get 8 port managed layer 2 switches from HPE, such as the J9777A - HP 2530-8G Switch(J9777A)

 

 

 

Ok, that looks good but how would I power this via the UPS as I have a feeling that these sorts of switches come with small figure 8 power bricks?

[Steve21]

The servers are together in their own room (server room) and the switches are housed in a large rack in another room. They are not both in the same place. The servers have four network points in their room which route directly back to the room with the switches in.

 

I can't believe that little model could handle Vlans. Would it be able to deal with the traffic coming in and out of that room?

 

It's a layer 3 Lite switch HP Networking Switch selector tool

 

Not sure why you want layer 3 though as mentioned above, as layer 3 is routing, layer 2 can use vlans etc.

 

If all you want is the 2 servers to shutdown, any thoughts about just getting 2 smaller UPS? Will solve any issues in regards to the switches etc anyway.

 

Steve

[win]

Don't forget the plug the switch hosting the servers into the networked UPS otherwise they won't receive the shutdown command (if the switch is powered off)

[localzuk]

Ok, that looks good but how would I power this via the UPS as I have a feeling that these sorts of switches come with small figure 8 power bricks?

 

You can get adapters - E401020?gclid=CjwKEAiA64uyBRCVmKyT2vuAjzgSJADfINB6z_KOTnCtM9Lhg5C64JhEUYj_iL_8jpHl ToVtfjRRRoCoRzw_wcB :: Data Comms Direct Ltd - First in Network Infrastructure

[talksr]

You can get adapters - E401020?gclid=CjwKEAiA64uyBRCVmKyT2vuAjzgSJADfINB6z_KOTnCtM9Lhg5C64JhEUYj_iL_8jpHl ToVtfjRRRoCoRzw_wcB :: Data Comms Direct Ltd - First in Network Infrastructure

 

Thanks, that is useful!

[clodhopper]

We use Riello UPS's , really good and so much cheaper than APC