Network surge protection

[contink]

Question for folks...

 

One of my schools suffered a direct hit from lightening in the first week back and it blew a router in the network cabinet. Luckily it seems that nothing else was directly affected.. or at least it didn't until the main server started going hinky.

 

I'm a bit wary of this sort of thing, especially as we've had power surges on a regular basis over the power grid anyway. That side of things I believe is now covered but the network itself isn't so I'm wondering if there are any solutions that protect the LAN from power spikes?

 

As always, thanks in advance.

[ninjabeaver]

Info here

 

APC - Rack-mount ProtectNet - Product Information

 

APC - ProtectNet - Product Information

 

APC Smart-UPS SC

 

Performance power protection for servers, and voice and data networks

 

Probably others around that are not APC.

Edited September 10, 2008 by ninjabeaver

[pete]

When we were struck we believe it was the external cctv cables (thinnet) that got hit and they eventually run in the same ductwork as the Cat5. We've since designed our network so that all data coming into the server room is via fibre (part of a bandwidth upgrade). While we might lose edge switches, there's no path into the servers for lightning to take.

[maniac]

When I used to manage a Bromcom wireless system (You know the one with the clicking relays in each transmitter) every time we had a storm some of them would be knocked out. It seemed even a strike than was not that near to the school fryed the controller chips in them, damned things!

 

Best option as already stated is to only have fibre cables for distribution round the building, then only a direct hit on or very close to the server room would probably damage the equipment, and in those circumstances you could have as much surge protection as you want in place and it wouldn't make a blind bit of difference as the static in the air would probably be enough to do some damage.

 

The APC solution already posted is by far the neatest unit I've come across on the market for these types of devices.

 

Mike.

[Butuz]

We had the same thing last week of term - crack boom flash say bye bye Cisco router!

 

I'll be building it into next years plan top have APC protection in every rack cabinet.

[contink]

For what it's worth I know that county are upgrading everything to use a fibre or similar hard wired connection in the next year or so and the router is their responsibility so I'm not protecting that but I will be using one of the Gbit LAN surge protectors for the server from here on in.

 

We'll see how that works out.

 

Thanks btw, folks for the input... Much, MUCH appreciated.