Introduction
It was a dark and stormy night. Claps of thunder and flashes of lighting permeate the air. Our hero is working away on his computer, unfettered by the poor weather. With a due date looming, there were several web pages requiring updates. Returning from a quick break, he sits in front of his dual-monitor setup. Suddenly, a flash of light from outside turned the night into a day, and the room went black.
Let’s talk about UPS
The biggest event that causes computer system and network failures is the absence of electricity. If you’re in a location where this is a constant issue for you, I recommend purchasing a UPS.
UPS stands for Uninterrupted Power Source. It’s a device that acts as a shock strip that allows electronic products to continue working for a limited period of time via charged batteries stored within. The size of one is much like a brick or larger, which may contain one or more batteries.
Every UPS has its own rating of the number of hours the batteries are charged. The amount of hours can differ depending on the number of devices plugged in and the amount of charge they require.
UPS devices should be used with computers and network devices that are linked to critical operations. They provide you the time to save what you’re working on and safely shut down. Maybe perform a quick backup at most.
A UPS unit will not give you unlimited time to use your computers. That’s a generator, which is totally different.
Each infrastructure can use as many UPS units as required (1 or more depending on the number of servers, workstations, or network devices).
The UPS is plugged directly into the wall electrical outlet. Your computers and other equipment are plugged into the UPS. Some UPS devices will have specific outlets that are only used for shock suppression, along with others that access the battery as well.
Devices plugged into the UPS, create a drain in the batteries. When power from the electrical outlet is present, the UPS will continually charge the batteries. If power is no longer available, the battery charge ends.
If the drain on the UPS batteries is too great, the batteries may require replacing. Otherwise, the batteries will simply recharge. Your UPS will have procedures on what to do when the power comes back on.
Conclusion
The room was dark except for the glow of our hero’s computer screens. The UPS unit he purchased some time ago, kicked into action. He sat by his computer, saved what he was working on, and shut the computer down. Once the computer was quiet, he pulled out a flashlight and a book and started reading until the power came back on.