For those of you who don’t know, “robohara.com” runs off a server that lives at my house. When I first decided to stand up a “real” server, I decided to purchase a UPS (battery backup) unit as well. We don’t have an abnormal amount of power outages here, but when the power flickers you don’t want a server to do the same. It can both damage the hardware, and corrupt your data and files.
I ended up buying an APC brand UPS. That’s what we use at work, so I’m familiar with the hardware and software. I bought mine used and got a good deal on it … I thought. I don’t know how long batteries for these things are supposed to last, but mine started dying a year ago. At first it beeped occasionally, like a fire alarm with a low battery. A few months ago it began emitting mini alarms. It only happens a few times a day, and since both the server and the UPS are upstairs, the alarm is barely audible. About a week ago the battery completely died, and now the UPS beeps once a second. Time for a new battery.
$200, by the way — and that was from a discount online retailer. Bollocks!
When we got home from work today the battery was sitting on the front porch. Ten minutes (and $200) later, the UPS is as good as new, ready to protect robohara.com (and review-o-matic.com and LoveThyShelf.com and …) from evil power spikes, dips, brown-outs, and outright outages.
This post wasn’t very exciting, so here are three “electric” music videos.
POWER STATION – Some Like It Hot
AC/DC – Back in Black
Metallica – BATTERY
Rob, did you make certain that your brand of UPS does indeed cover your equipment in the case of spikes, surges and brownouts? Most of the low-end UPSes do not have that capability: they just protect you when the power goes out (in other words, they are nothing more than a battery, charger and inverter). To get that kind of protection, you will need a power conditioner or, at the very least, a more expensive UPS that has an autotransformer built in.
I bought an APC 1400 off of Craigslist for $100. “Maximum protection against power anomalies such as brownouts, blackouts, spikes, sags and surges.”
Bad thing is, the UPS cost me $100 and the battery was, with shipping, nearly twice that.
Sounds like APC learned their business model from HP printers.
Shipping costs are probably a killer on replacement batteries. But a good UPS can save lots of trouble. Just checked the date on the battery in the UPS behind idefix.net, it’s over 5 years old… no warnings yet.