A definitive guide to power protection_Powerware

8/8/2019 A definitive guide to power protection_Powerware

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TM

The Definitive Guide to Power Protection


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Contents

Page

What is UPS? 2

Power problems 2

The nine most common power problems 3UPS technologies 4

Off-line 4

Line-interactive 4

On-line 4

Monitoring software 5

UPS planning 6

POWER: the foundation of business continuity and disaster recovery programmes 7

EU performance standards for UPS 8

1. Off-line 8

2. Line-Interactive 8

3. On-line 8

Powerware standards 9

Why we need power protection more than ever before? 12

UPS for the real world - measuring UPS efficiency 14

HotSync technology - when failure is not an option 16

What is a parallel UPS system? 16

How to parallel - redundancy and capacity? 18

The solution? 18

How does it work? 19

Conclusion 19

Ten tips for choosing an UPS to suit your needs 20

The importance of maintaining and servicing your UPS 22

UPS in the SOHO environment 24

Adopting a centralised UPS solution 26

UPSs for ISPs 28

Implement a power protection system or face an e-commerce nightmare 30

What does it involve 30

What can you do to make it work 31

Why telecommunications in the 21st Century needs 21st century UPS technology 34

The human side of uninterruptible power systems 36

UPS saves lives 36

At the hospital 37

Each and every day 37

The power of words 38

Glossary of terms 40


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2

What is UPS?

UPS is an abbreviation for uninterruptible power

system, which in basic terms is a box consisting a

battery and electronic circuitry, which provides back-

up power to protect electrical equipment fromunexpected shutdown in the event of a power failure.

Another very important function of an UPS is that it

provides protection from dirty mains power to

ensure efficient running of electrical equipment. At its

most basic level the UPS will provide power to your

equipment in the event of a total power failure giving

you time to save data and shut down files. At a more sophisticated level, the UPS actually conditions and

filters the electrical supply so that the power reaching your equipment is pure. Pure power will avoid

damage caused by other common power problems.

UPS units vary in size from small desktop systems, which can protect a single PC to very large UPS, which can

provide power to an entire building. Almost every type of organisation has a power protection requirement

from companies with computer networks to hospitals, airports, and oilrigs. In fact, anywhere continuous

power is necessary.

Power problems

The world has become electronic and digital. Every device from the personal computer on your desk to the

lift, which carries you up to the office each day, depends on electronic circuitry, which in turn relies on

electrical power.

Fortunately, the power supply in the majority of countries in the western world is stable and power outages

due to faulty power distribution are not very common. However, there are variations in power supply and

quality, which can affect the operation of sensitive electronic equipment. It has been estimated, for example,

that some 45% of all computer problems can be traced back to electrical supply problems. Within an office

building, many things occur that affect the power supply. Use of heavy machinery such as lifts can

momentarily drain the power load so that the current reaching your equipment is lower than it should be.

Moreover, adverse weather conditions such as storms, lightening and snowfalls can affect the power supply.

There are nine common power problems present in todays typical workplace environment - power failure;

power surge; power sag; brownout; line noise; frequency variation; switching transients; high voltage spikes;

and harmonic distortion - all of which can cause damage to electrical equipment and loss of valuable data.


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The nine most common power problems

Power Failure is defined as a zero voltage condition that lasts for more than two cycles. It may be

caused by the tripping of a circuit breaker, power distribution failure or utility power failure. This

condition can lead to data damage, data loss, file corruption and hardware damage.

Power Sags involve voltages 80 to 85 percent below normal for a short period of time. Possible

causes are heavy equipment being turned on, large electric motors being started, and the

switching of power mains (internal or utility). Power sags can have effects similar to those of a

power surge, such as memory loss, data errors, flickering lights and equipment shutoff.

Power Surge takes place when the voltage is 110% above normal. The most common cause is

heavy electrical equipment being turned off. Under this condition, computer systems may

experience memory loss, data errors, flickering lights, and equipment shutoff.

Brownout (sometimes known as under-voltage) is a steady lower voltage state. An example of

brownout happens during peak electrical demands in the summer, when utilities cannot always

meet the requirements and must lower the voltage to limit maximum power. When this happens,

computer systems can experience data corruption, data loss and premature hardware failure.

High voltage spikes (sometimes known as over-voltage) occur when there is a sudden, rapid

voltage peak of up to 6,000 volts. These spikes are usually the result of nearby lightning strikes,

but there can be other causes as well. The effects on vulnerable electronic systems can include

loss of data and burned circuit boards.

Switching Transients take place when there is a rapid voltage peak of up to 20,000 volts with

duration of 10 microseconds to 100 microseconds, commonly caused by arcing faults and static

discharge. In addition, major power system switching disturbances initiated by the utilities to

correct line problems may happen several times a day. Effects can include memory loss, data

error, data loss and component stress.

Line Noise defined as radio frequency interference (RFI) and electromagnetic interference (EMI)

and causes undesirable effects in the circuits of computer systems. Sources of the problem

include electric motors, relays, motor control devices, broadcast transmissions, microwaveradiation, and distance electrical storms. RFI, EMI and other frequency problems can cause data

error, data loss, storage loss, keyboard lockup and system lockup.

Frequency Variations involves a change in frequency from the normally stable utility frequency

of 50 Hz or 60 Hz, depending on the geographic location. This may be caused by erratic operation

of emergency generators or unstable frequency power sources. For sensitive electronic equipment,

the result can be data corruption, hard drive crash, keyboard lockup and programme failure.

Harmonic Distortion harmonics are distortions of the normal line waveform and are generally

transmitted into the line by non-linear loads. Switch mode power supplies, variable speed

motors and drives, copiers and fax machines are examples of non-liner loads. Harmonics can

cause communication errors, overheating and possible hardware damage.


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4

UPS Technologies

So how can you protect electronic equipment from these power problems? The answer is to use a UPS.

Choosing the most appropriate power protection solution can be a confusing business. There are three main

types of UPS technology - off-line, line-interactive, on-line, each offering different levels of protection.

Power protection as easy as 3,5,9

Powerware offers three levels of power protection

based on the nine most common power problems

and the three main types of UPS technology. The

Powerware product nomenclature system is designed

to make it easier for customers to identify the

product that will best suit their needs. Basically, the

three primary technologies (off-line, line-interactive

and on-line) will be aligned with the level of power

protection they offer using a Series 3, Series 5 &

Series 9 naming system. Powerware products that

start with the number 3 are Powerware Series 3 and

protect against the first three of the nine most

common power problems (see page 3). Products

beginning with the number 5 are Series 5 which

protects against the first five most common power problems, and Powerware Series 9 protects against all

nine of the most common power problems.

Powerware Series 3/ Off-line

Off-line, sometimes called standby, is designed to protect a single PC or workstation. This is the most

inexpensive UPS only providing back up in the event of a total power cut and does not incorporate any

significant power conditioning facility. It is called off-line because the UPS circuit only comes on stream when

there is a power outage. Such units use a mechanical switch to transfer over to battery power when the

voltage drops below a certain level. This causes a delay of two to three milliseconds but generally, most

computers are able to ride this out. An inverter inside the UPS changes the DC power from the battery into

AC power ready for use by the computer.

Powerware Series 5/ Line-interactive

Line-interactive is a new hybrid technology, which offers better protection than off-line but at a lower cost

than full on-line. It offers protection in the event of an outage but also line conditioning which smoothes out

peaks and troughs in the power supply. For example, if the voltage drops below a predetermined level the

UPS will boost it back to normal. This type of design works by operating the inverter in reverse during

times when the input AC power is normal to charge the battery. If the power fails, a transfer switch is

triggered and the battery power flows to the UPS output to power the equipment. Line-interactive UPS issuitable for use where power conditioning is not crucial to effective operation of the equipment.


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Powerware Series 9/ On-line

On-line is widely recognised as the best type of UPS where mission-critical applications operational. Although

more expensive than the other two technologies such systems ensure there is never a break in the power

supply. It does this by what is called a double-conversion technique which continuously converts the AC mains

to DC runs the input via the battery and then through an inverter to transform it into AC for the equipment

load. The ideal situation is to have electricity as a pure sine wave. When raw power comes in from the mains

it will inevitably be corrupted and have irregularities. An on-line system cleans and filters the power so that

pure sine wave electrical power is being output to the equipment. With on-line systems switchover should be

almost instantaneous and the effect of spikes and surges in supply is completely eliminated.

Monitoring software

For mission-critical applications, on-line technology is the best power protection solution available. However,

it can be further enhanced with the addition of UPS monitoring software. There are various levels of

sophistication of monitoring software. An IT manager will want to know immediately of any potential power

problems which could affect the operation of his network. Power management software can carry out a

number of functions including:

Detailed monitoring of the utility power supply to detect spikes, brownouts, sags and other variations. Controlled shutdowns of critical equipment including selection of specific load segments of the network,

which need to be kept running longer. Users are normally told via a broadcast message on screen that

they have X minutes to shut down their applications and save data.

Maintenance checks of UPS equipment including status of batteries and readiness of the equipment totake over in the event of a power break.

Recording a log of events so that a pattern of power problems can be established. Automatically alerting those responsible for the network by pager or email that there is a power problem.

Moreover, one has to consider how the UPSs are to

be monitored and controlled with the correct

software and what level of support and advice can be

expected from your supplier. The aim of this booklet

is to provide a brief guide through the power

protection maze to enable you to select the best

solution for your organisation. Some of the moresophisticated power management software suites also

allow remote monitoring of the UPS from anywhere

on the network to analyse the performance of the

UPS and carry out preventative work, either through

serial port communications such as SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) software or increasingly via

the Web. This means the IT manager in London can control and monitor UPSs on the network wherever they

are in the world. Whatever technology is employed the crucial fact is that the UPS should be regarded as an

integral part of the network. The majority of businesses, no matter what size, rely on a computer network of

some sort. When a power failure occurs, many businesses without adequate protection are paralysed not only

because they cease to function but also because valuable data may have been lost and cannot be recovered.


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UPS planning

Installing a UPS on the network requires careful thought and planning. Many network managers feel that it is

enough to protect the main server. However, they often neglect the routers, bridges and hubs, which carry

data traffic. Likewise, there may be certain users processing data locally on their PC who require the added

security of an individual UPS.

Ideally, UPS should be considered when an IT installation is being planned or a building is first being

constructed. Power protection specialists can advise on what level of UPS is required to protect the load and

any special considerations that need to be taken into account. For example, networks running a UNIX

operating system need to be shutdown in a specific order otherwise it could take IT staff days to reboot the

system and recover files once power is restored.

In organisations that need to guarantee continuity in the event of prolonged power outages, such as hospitals

or financial institutions, the autonomy time of an UPS (typically 10 minutes to two hours) is not enough. In

such cases, a back up generator is required. However, even here an UPS is essential, as there is always a time

lag before the generator reaches sufficient output to produce the required current and a switchover to

emergency power can be implemented.

Companies like Powerware have many years experience of recommending and installing power protection

solutions which are easy to use and manage yet effective in ensuring business continuity and maximise uptime.

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7

POWER: The foundation of business continuity and

disaster recovery programmes

As recent times have so tragically demonstrated, business is vulnerable to unexpected disaster. Therefore, the

need for a comprehensive continuity plan has never been more crucial. Of course, data and application back-

ups are vital. However, when trouble strikes, your business cannot get back up and running without power.

That is why power continuity must be the foundation of any business continuity plan.

It is imperative that you develop and institute a continuity plan for your business. Just as vital is that the plan

takes into account your power system. Power problems are likely and can be severe. The good news is that

they are also very preventable.

The real choice you face is what length of power-related downtime is acceptable to you and your business.

What does an hour, three hours, a day, or three days of downtime cost your business? The costs can extend

beyond lost sales into lost productivity of your staff, the loss of your companys reputation, or the loss of

your customers belief in your reliability. In addition, if your customers count on you as a critical vendor or

supplier, there is the loss of sales and reputation to their own businesses.

Even if your power back-up systems are currently built to provide 99.9% availability - what we call 3-9s

availability - that means that your business could still be shut down for nine hours every year. For a

specific companys example, eBays 22-hour crash last June cost the company in excess of $5 million. Systems

Research Centre, a Compaq Corporation research lab, estimates that the average cost per hour of business

downtime is $80,000. When you multiply that by the nine hours of downtime, it equals an average loss of

$720,000 per year. Thats almost three-quarters of a million dollars lost by the average business annually.

A recent report of The 2002 Power Protection Market Intelligence Program from the Venture Development

Corporation (VDC) brings the point home. The ever growing emphasis on network speed and the sheer volume of

transactions that can take place in a fraction of a second make the prospect of downtime that much more ominous

each time they accelerate. While 99.9% availability would seem sufficient for the reliability of most systems, in reality,

it represents the equivalent of 37,000 potential missed 911 emergency calls, or 525,000 lost e-trade transactions

Fortunately, by using cutting-edge UPS like the Powerware Series 9 protection level with redundant and

parallel configurations; power availability can approach 100%, with 99.9999% or 6-9s availability.

Power provides a critical foundation for any business. No continuity programme is complete without seriously

considering the impact and potential losses that a power outage can create.

To determine the appropriate amount of power protection you need, you must compute the direct and

indirect costs that an outage can have on your business finances and reputation.

And after youve taken a thorough look at your needs, and factored in todays 24/7/365 business world, you

may decide that you need to increase your power protection to the 99.9999% availability level that is now

achievable with the newest power management systems, software and services from Powerware.


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EU performance standards for UPS

When choosing UPS equipment how can you ensure

that it will perform as expected and the information

provided by different vendors is comparable? One

way is to look at the European Union wide standards,which govern UPSs.

UPS standards in Europe are created and maintained

by an organisation called the European Committee for

Electro technical Standardisation (CENELEC). This

body is composed of members from each EU country

as well as members from many other Eastern and

Central European countries (www.cenelec.org).

The UPS standard EN50091 has three parts. Part 1 deals with safety requirements for UPSs and is compulsory

for all UPSs sold in the EU. Part 2 is also compulsory and deals with electro magnetic compatibility (EMC) -

emissions and immunity. Emissions govern the permitted levels of noise and disturbances the UPS emits into

the environment. The immunity section specifies what levels of disturbance the UPS must be able to tolerate

from outside sources. The final part of the standard specifies performance. This section, which is not

mandatory, provides benchmark data and a methodology on how to measure the performance and

functionality of different types of UPSs and states specification methods for UPS values.

The intention of the performance standard is to aid buyers and users of UPS equipment in the selection

process. The standard categorises the different UPS topologies:

1 Off-line/Standby

Supplies power to the load directly from utility until a utility power failure occurs. The UPS then turns on the

inverter and supplies load from the battery. These units meet CENECLEC Class VDF or VI.

2 Line-Interactive

Compensates for deficiencies in utility voltage by running the UPS inverter parallel to utility voltage when

needed. The UPS output is therefore partly dependent of the quality of the utility power. Several marketing

names are used for these UPSs, single conversion, parallel on-line and delta conversion to name a few. These unitsmeet CENELEC Class VI.

3 On-line

Also known as, double conversion, the on-line UPS regenerates the electricity constantly. The output power is

completely independent of the input power. These units meet CENELEC Class VFI.

The CENELEC performance standard is an excellent aid in UPS selection, but using it does require some

knowledge of UPSs and electrical systems. It is therefore most beneficial to buyers and users who are

professionally involved in electrical power as consultants, electrical contractors or facility managers.

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Powerware standards

Most UPS users especially those buying small and mid-range UPSs cannot afford to spend a lot of time

thinking about different UPS topologies and UPS performance characteristics. Powerware has therefore taken

an extra step to help in your selection procedure with the development of its UPS classification based on the

CENELEC standards and the UPSs ability to protect your electrical equipment against the nine common power

problems. Powerware UPSs are classified as Series 3, Series 5 and Series 9 to address the various protection

needs.

Powerware Series 3 UPSs correspond to off-line or standby in CENELEC classification, and will protect

against three out of the nine power problems (power failure, surge and sag). Intended for protection of PCs

and desktop workstation protection in the home and office environment, they are the most economical UPSs

and due to their small size and virtually noiseless operation are ideally suited for desktop use.

Powerware Series 5 UPSs correspond to standby and line-interactive in CENELEC classification, and are able

to protect against five out of the nine power problems (power failure, surge, sag, brownout and line noise).These UPSs are ideally suited to protect servers in an office environment. As servers are more critical than

individual workstations, a higher protection level is required.

Powerware Series 9 UPSs correspond to double conversion in CENELEC classification.

Capable of protection against all nine power problems (power failure, sag, surge, brownout, line noise, high

voltage spike, frequency variation, switching transient and harmonic distortion), these UPSs are used with all

mission critical electrical equipment (servers, communication equipment etc.) both inside and outside the

office environment. An additional feature of Series 9 UPSs is the option to extend the battery back up time

up to several hours.

Both CENELEC performance standard and Powerware

3-5-9 classifications assist with UPS selection. The

CENELEC standard is intended for power

professionals whilst the Powerware 3-5-9

classification is very helpful for the less experienced

UPS buyer. As a customer, you should always make

sure your UPS vendor could provide information

about the UPSs CENELEC class and its ability to

protect your electrical equipment against the nine

common power problems.


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Is UPS a necessary expenditure or a vital

component in your IT strategy?

We are increasingly dependent on electrical and electronic equipment in our everyday lives. In turn, the

proper functioning of this equipment depends on a good supply of electricity. Yet many companies still fail to

protect their network with an uninterruptible power supply (UPS).

Many people wrongly assume that the only time to

worry about the effect of power on computer and

other electronic equipment is when there is a total

power cut, which in most western countries is not

frequent.

However, what have the greatest impact are the

fluctuations and disturbances in mains power that are

unseen but can affect the performance of equipment.

Higher demands on the power supply, add to the

likelihood of these fluctuations and disturbances

occurring. The increased demand for industrial

growth and changing weather patterns worldwide threatens the survival of energy-intensive industrial

economies. In addition to changing weather patterns, the increasing use of household computers and their

peripherals is unleashing new demands for increased power. It has been reported that electric demand,

spurred largely by the high-tech market, is projected to increase 17 percent by 2010.

An estimation of as much as 45% of all unexplained computer problems such as data loss, network crashes,

mysterious error messages, damaged files and so forth can be attributed to power input problems. Many

people assume that the electricity coming from the mains is pure but it is not, the utility input voltage can

fluctuate widely. Then there are a multitude of other power problems such as sags, spikes, brownouts, surges

and so forth. Many factors can affect the quality of the power. For example, using the lifts in the building or

even switching on the photocopier can cause fluctuations in the supply. Sensitive electronic equipment like

computers, hubs and routers are susceptible to power variations. Most PCs nowadays can ride out power

outages of a few milliseconds but no more.

Where computers are using cache memory technology a power interruption can play havoc with data storage

and retrieval. Sophisticated multi-tasking operating systems such as Windows NT have brought greater power

and flexibility to users but ironically leave organisations wide open to the threat of power problems.

Operating systems such as Windows NT cannot cope with sudden shutdown as there a number of procedures,

which must be performed in the background to ensure data, files, and applications, are closed properly.

Having a UPS with appropriate shutdown software can help ensure that data is not lost or corrupted through

power failure.

The need for UPS relates directly to how critical computer uptime is to your organisation. A supermarket, for

example, relies on electronic terminals and computers to process customer sales. If the system goes down

then customers will walk out and business is lost. Likewise, a bank dealing room, which is processing millions


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of pounds worth of customer business every hour, cannot afford a minutes downtime due to power

problems. Moreover, as electronic commerce becomes more prevalent companies will be even more

dependent on computer networks for the survival of their businesses. If a network is not shutdown in an

orderly fashion, it can take many hours to reconfigure systems and get it up and running again.

Fortunately there is UPS monitoring and shutdown

software available which gives the user complete

control over the operation of the UPS in a networked

environment, which can warn of impending power

problems and initiate a controlled shutdown of the

network giving users ample time to save data and

close applications. In the meantime, the business is

losing revenue. Although currently some 80% of UPS

applications are in the IT sector UPS applies wherever

there is a need for continuous and clean power

including medical, industrial, telecommunications,

security and surveillance equipment.

Although power cuts are rare, when they do happen the results can be devastating. Purchasing UPS is like

taking out an insurance policy, as protection against something you do not want to happen. Like insurance, it

is important to have adequate levels of protection. Market research carried out by Powerware in Europe has

revealed that the key criteria for businesses choosing UPS is product reliability closely followed by customer

support, warranty, brand and battery life/runtime. In other words, apart from features and functionality,

organisations want to be sure that their UPS will perform when it comes to the crunch.

The level of UPS protection varies with the size of organisation and the criticality of systems. Some companies

have one large UPS in the basement of the building that protects the power supply for the whole building,

often backed up by a generator, which can provide longer-term uptime. Other companies may just protect

the network server or individual workstations where the data is vital to their business. However, the sad fact is

that far too many organisations have no protection at all.


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Why we need power protection more than

ever before?

Havent times changed? It seems like only yesterday that 5:00 p.m. was the time people quit work for the day

that the workplace used to sound bells or horns to signal the end of the working day. There was no

significant overtime, no long hours just a pure and simple working week. Once workers arrived home they

simply had dinner, met up with friends, or watched TV and went to bed to ensure that they got up in time to

go to work the next morning.

Indeed things have changed. Welcome to the digital

age where we live in a 24/7 existence of extended

shopping hours, more demanding customers, virtual

shopping, mobile connectivity, the internet, are to

name just a few things, that have combined to

change the face of the world in which companies

and organisations must compete. Everything is

expected to work around the clock. People expect to

be able to access their bank account over the

internet, pay bills, book holidays, buy clothes at

anytime time of the night or day from anywhere in

the world. In our increasingly busy lives, we want to

be able to do this whenever is most convenient for

us. Businesses supplying such services need to be

able to provide what their customers demand,without problems or delays. They need to be

available efficiently and effectively 24 hours a day.

Just take the internet for example. If the web site supplying a service crashes or takes forever to complete it

is a fact that the customer will go elsewhere, maybe to another site that doesnt crash, or change to a more

reliable ISP. It is the same with telecommunications companies. They need to be able to provide a secure and

stable service to its phone customers.

A supermarket relies on electronic terminals and computers to process customer sales. If the system goes

down then customers will walk out and business is lost. Likewise, a bank dealing room that is processing

millions of pounds worth of customer business every hour cannot afford a minutes downtime due to power

problems. There is so much competition between organisations that they cannot afford to disrupt their

services at anytime.

According to the Venture Development Corporation (VDC), Demand for UPSs within Europe will expand

steadily as computing, networking, internet based businesses and telecommunications continue rapid growth

within EMEA. The growing dependence upon this electronically linked telecommunications infrastructure of

mission critical applications and data storage functions will be a growth driver as the EMEA market surges

toward US$2.2 billion in 2004, in contrast to US$1.4 billion in 1999.


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Giving the customer what the customer wants and knowing how to do it is the key to success in this new age.

Business enterprises and administrators (IT managers) responsible for maintaining systems availability

recognise the necessity of investing heavily in power protection. The need for UPS relates directly to how

critical computer uptime is to your organisation and currently it is 24/7. Thus solid reliable power protection

24/7 is key to the success or failure of your business.

VDC states: End users are appreciating and seeking power protection for mission critical applications and

operations due to the unstable power grid, whilst more and more operations are being defined as mission

critical. Coupled with traditional markets such as medical laboratories, hospitals and public buildings, the

new and more non traditional markets such as internet banking, telecoms, data communications, dotcoms,

call centres and network centres to name just a few, will drive the UPS market in EMEA over the next few

years, as they strive to keep going 24/7.

As VDC explains, The migration away from centralised information, data use and storage to distributed

processing has been the key to many application developments. In the past few years, demand for low UPS

has involved client server networks. With increased networking and internet use in EMEA, VDC expects this

trend to continue.

The most important thing to know is that there is a UPS solution to suit your needs, whether it is small basic

protection for every PC or workstation in your organisation or whether you choose to back up everything

with one large UPS, and as UPS technology continues to advance your business will keep up in this 24/7 world

we live in.


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UPS for the real world - measuring UPS efficiency

The primary task of a UPS system is to protect the

load from down time caused by potential power

problems. A UPS must be able to cope with all the

power problems that exist in the utility power.

However, when choosing any type of electrical

equipment it is important that operational costs be

taken into account. Operational costs consist of

electrical, operations staff and maintenance costs. In

UPSs, the electrical costs are closely linked to the

efficiency of the UPS equipment.

The efficiency of an UPS system needs to bemeasured in an actual installed environment. This is

because factors such as the type of load, stability of

the utility power and the effect of partial loads are

all factors, which need to be taken into account.

There are many competing claims about the relative efficiencies of different types of UPS topologies. When

tested in laboratory conditions the efficiency ratings for various types of UPS can be misleading. The reason

for this is that the parameters of utility power input and the load can be precisely controlled and optimised

to produce the highest efficiency levels. When the UPS is operational in real life situations, the results can be

radically different.

With regard to efficiency, the most important elements, in a normal operating environment are input voltage

fluctuations, load level of the UPS and the type of load.

Voltage fluctuations are present in just about all utility systems. Most UPS are able to correct them, but some

designs, for example line-interactive UPSs, have low efficiency when they are forced to regulate voltage.

Partial loads are very common as UPSs are hardly ever 100% loaded in real-life situations. In most

installations, there some allowance for load expansion. Single UPS units are typically 60-80% loaded. When

two or more units operate in parallel (redundancy), it automatically means that the UPSs are not fully loaded

under normal conditions. For example, when a 200kVA load is fed through two 250kVA units the load for each UPS

is only 40% of the full capacity. It is important therefore, to consider whether the UPS you choose will offer high

efficiency under low or partial load conditions.

IT equipment including computers is typically powered by what is called Switch Mode Power Supplies (SMPS).

These power supplies are small and cost-effective, but have a special characteristic in that they draw electrical

current from the mains in bursts, which give a non-linear waveform. Therefore, when protecting computers

the efficiency of a UPS needs to be determined under computer (non-linear) load conditions.


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HotSync technology -

when failure is not an option

HotSync allows two or more UPS units to cover the same load in parallel and redundant configuration, by

working in complete synchronisation without being wired together. No common logic is needed in this patented

design. It provides automatic load sharing and module level redundancy with nothing other than the power

connecting the modules.

As the world around us continues to change the need

for businesses to be up and running 24/7 means

organisations need an even higher level of reliability.

Extended shopping hours, customers that are more

demanding, virtual shopping, mobile connectivity, the

internet, to name just a few things that have

combined to change the face of the world in which

companies and organisations must compete.

To have computer systems, electrical and electronic equipment, phone lines up and running is now so critical

to an organisations survival that failure due to power problems cannot be tolerated. Organisations such as

banks, ISPs, telecommunication companies and anyone surviving in the thriving e-commerce industry cannot

afford to have their business go down at anytime. If it does, it can lead to loss of profits and perhaps the

most damaging effect of all, loss of customers.

For piece of mind, they need to know that their chosen back up solution can never fail. They need to knowthat if anything goes wrong with one UPS then another takes over at once. So, what is the solution? To run a

parallel UPS system.

What is a parallel UPS system?

Put simply a parallel UPS system means the linking together of two or more UPS units in parallel so that in

the unlikely event one fails the other can automatically take up the load.

When purchasing your UPS in a situation that requires a redundant solution, there are two types to

investigate. You can install a parallel redundant system or an isolated redundant system.

Redundancy in an isolated (or standby) system configuration depends completely on the on the successful

transfer of the load by the on line (primary) UPS to its bypass and the graceful acceptance of that load by the

stand by (secondary) UPS. Theoretically, it could be a 100% load step, which is a serious transfer.


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To successfully obtain a transfer it requires the following four-step procedure:

1Recognition

The primary unit must recognise that a transfer is required.

2Qualification

The primary unit must ensure that the transfer is feasible:

- Bypass source is available

- Bypass source is in sync

- Voltage is within accepted limits

- Frequency is within accepted limits.

3Execution

The actual transfer action has to take place:

- Static switch must turn on

- The primary units inverter must disengage

- If there is a wrap around breaker, it must close successfully.

4Acceptance

The secondary UPS must accept the load step and maintain a voltage variation within limits that are

acceptable to the critical load. In reality, since the secondary unit is not supporting any load, one cannot

be certain it is operational and will accept the transfer at all until it is attempted. What a time to find out

there is a problem!

These four steps are in series. If any one of the four

steps fails, the transfer fails and the load will be

dumped. Remember, this is an emergency. There is

no room for a slip. If the reason for transfer is a

faulted bus, the transfer must take place TWICE

before the load bus is attached to a power source

capable of clearing the fault (through the bypass of

the secondary UPS). If the reason for transfer is a

failed primary UPS, the module cannot be isolated

for repair because the secondary UPS is feeding theload through the bypass of the primary UPS. If there

is a maintenance bypass, the load can, of course, be

transferred to it but if UNPROTECTED power is

acceptable, why spend the money for redundancy?

A parallel redundant system has a number of

advantages that increase the availability of protected

power to the load and gives the customer fewer

things to worry about where support of the critical

load is concerned.

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With a parallel redundant system, the following six points outline the advantages:

The two most critical elements in the isolated redundant scheme are eliminated:

Execution and acceptance of the load transfer.

2The Qualification stage is minimised because the normal operation of a parallel redundant configuration

is for the modules to share the load, which means they must be in sync for both voltage and frequency.

3If a module is taken off line for maintenance, the remaining module AT WORST will suffer a 50% load

step, which substantially reduces the risk of voltage variations outside the limits of the critical load (its

safe to say the risk is eliminated). You can be sure the on line module is operational and will accept the

transfer because it is already sharing the load.

4The unit that is off line is isolated so maintenance can be performed.

Protected power to the load is maintained by the on line unit and automatic transfer to bypass is still an

option if necessary.

If a faulted bus occurs, only one transfer is required to reach a power source (the feeder bus) capable of

clearing the fault.

To make a parallel system work you will always rely on the transfer to bypass happening successfully with the

secondary module always accepting the load gracefully. But if it doesnt you are back to where you started. A

parallel redundant system eliminates the possibility of this happening.

How to parallel - redundancy and

capacity?

When installing a parallel redundant system, in other

words to get two or more units to run parallel and

share the load the units must be locked to exactly

the same phase. You must then synchronise the

modules, connect them together through the

collective buses of the system thus allowing them to

share the load between them.

The system is now ready to achieve redundancy. Load the system with power equal to the total demand of all

the loads minus the demand of a least one module. This ensures that failure of any one UPS will not corrupt

the power, but will allow one to isolate the damaged module whilst the functioning UPS modules seamlessly

take over without the load ever noticing the transfer.

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The solution?

Doesnt all this sound great? However, we still have one problem. Traditionally a parallel redundancy

configuration is achieved by having a common paralleling logic circuitry in the system. This logic circuitry

gives out individual commands to all the different units. Unfortunately, this can lead to a single point of

failure for the whole system because if the logic circuitry system fails the whole UPS system will be in trouble.

And so what you are left with is a very complicated configuration at the end of the day, and whilst this gives

you a 98% solid power protection it does not eliminate the risk of a single point of failure keeping you from

receiving 100% peace of mind.

That is exactly why the Powerware HotSync technology was developed. An industry leading paralleling

technology in its own right, the patented HotSync enables you to set up a parallel redundant system giving

you 100% conditioned power at all times. Its unique digital design eliminates the system level single point of

failure inherent in traditional parallel UPS modules, and exponentially increases the reliability of the overall

system.

How does it work?

HotSync does not require any centralised commands to function. All units are able to function on their own

and make decisions simply by looking at their own output, the UPS modules do not need any communication

between them to load share or to remove a faulty module from the load bus. If one module fails the other or

others continue supplying the load and the failed UPS module is immediately isolated from the critical bus

while the other UPS takes over the full load. This means there is no single point of failure, no crashes and

most importantly no downtime. In short the critical load remains 100% UPS protected.

It manages to share the load by making minute changes to the output phase angle 1000 times per second. If

one of the UPS modules detects that it is getting ahead of the other it will push its extra load back to the

other module until finally the load is evenly shared. If the load changes, all UPSs will see it instantaneously

and in the same the way. Thats why an even load share is maintained even if the load varies.

Conclusion

Phenomenal growth of super servers, telecommunication-switching centres, and other large, centralised

computing operations, has created a market need for extremely large power solutions. This need typically

exceeds the capacity of a single UPS module. To address this shortfall, HotSync enables UPS modules to be

tied together to create a UPS solution that protects the entire system, and allows additional modules to be

added as capacity needs grow. It allows customers to expand effortlessly from a single module system to a

two module redundant system and potentially, to an eight module system. The scalability of this system

provides customers the flexibility to add the power protection as their application grows. Furthermore, it

makes redundancy for these very large systems a reality, increasing system availability and overall reliability.


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Ten tips for choosing an UPS to suit your needs

Business today is energy reliant. Without power, there

is no business. Whether it is priceless computer

systems and communication devices such as email, fax

and phone helping to run your business or simply thelights and air conditioning that serve your office - it

all requires power.

Today uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems are

available for all needs and circumstances, ranging

from stand-alone systems for SOHO (Small Office

Home Office) applications to solutions for protecting

mission critical systems for networking, financial,

medical, industrial, telecoms, military and aerospaceapplications - anywhere continuous power is essential.

Once you have decided to eliminate power problems by installing a UPS, consider the following points:

Types of power protection - There are three types of UPS technology - off-line, line-interactive and on-

line. As previously discussed (page 4) the type of power protection you chose would depend on the level

of protection you need for your electrical equipment.

Planning your power protection - When planning for your power protection requirements all

equipment needs to be considered. This includes not only PCs, but also peripheral equipment and

network components. All equipment such as routers or hubs and external data memory should be taken

into account. Ideally, UPS should be considered when an IT-installation is being planned or a building is

first being constructed. For more information on planning, see page 6.

UPS capacity to suit your needs - All electrical equipment has a type plate that displays volt (voltage)

and ampere (current) values. These two values multiplied; result in the apparent power of the equipment

in volt-ampere (VA). Most UPSs are rated with VA (kVA) and in watt (kWatt) values. Your UPS should be a

10 - 20 % higher rating than the equipment you need to protect. For example, if your equipment is 750VA,

go for a 1000VA (1kVA) UPS unit. Power protection specialists can advise on what equipment is needed

to protect the load and any special considerations that should be taken into account. To help you find

the right UPS to protect your equipment log on to Powerwares UPS product selector at

www.emea.powerware.com/selector.

4 Life spans of the UPS - As IT environments grow at approximately 5% per annum, it is best to plan in 5-year

periods when investing in an UPS. You would therefore choose an UPS with a capacity of 25% above the

present capacity requirements to ensure that your investment in power protection will not prematurely

outgrow the environment it is protecting. This time span corresponds to the average service life of standard

sealed batteries. Battery replacement can extend the life of the UPS in excess of five years.

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Parallel systems - A parallel system comprises of multiple UPS modules, which are installed to operate

in parallel to support a common critical load. There are two main reasons for selecting this type of system. The

first would be to increase the UPS capacity, which enables the system to power a larger load than possible with

a single module. The second reason is to increase the system reliability by introducing modular redundancy.

Runtime in the event of a power outage - The typical runtime of UPS systems available on the marketis from 5 minutes to up to half an hour at full load. This will depend on the size of the UPS and the

equipment it is protecting. The installation of additional batteries extends the runtime accordingly -

which is essential for the shutdown of very complex systems.

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UPS software - Reliable management and

monitoring software is essential for the

protection of network servers. You should

confirm before purchase that the UPS software

and your operating system are compatible.Shutdown software with cross-platform

capability, which enables you to have network-

wide control even if you are using multiple

operating systems, is crucial. Some UPS

manufacturers require you to learn multiple

power management software programmes. Cross-

platform software such as LanSafe from

Powerware operates the same regardless of the

operating system, meaning you only have to learn one package.

Remote monitoring - A sophisticated power management software enables the remote monitoring of

the UPS from anywhere on the network. This is done by a serial communication port, SNMP (Simple

Network Management Protocol) software, or via the Internet, and enables the IT manager to control and

monitor UPSs on the network wherever they are in the world.

Maintenance - Preventative maintenance and service of your UPS is essential. Even the most superior

UPSs, like all other machinery, need to be maintained. Many UPS companies will offer service

agreements, ranging from basic maintenance to full service contracts including 24/7 call-out, parts,

labour and battery replacement. Investigate the companys service organisation to make sure they have

the expertise and the resources to fulfil the service contract they offer you. Consider such things as how

far their nearest engineer is to you - which will affect their call-out times, or do they have an extensive

stock of spares - which will affect the speed at which they can replace any parts that have gone wrong.

Maintenance Bypass - The manual bypass switch is mainly used for service purposes. This switch is of a

make before break type that guarantees a transfer from the static switch directly to the power line and

back again without any kind of interruption. This ensures mission-critical equipment is powered, even

when essential maintenance work is carried out.

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The importance of maintaining and servicing

your UPS

Your UPS system will protect your core business in the case of any power disturbance for years, but it does

need to be regularly serviced and maintained to ensure it will not fail.

Many organisations are aware of the importance of power protection to maintain systems availability. When

continuous power is crucial to the survival of business, reliable power protection is essential. Consequently,

preventative maintenance and service of your UPS is vital. Even the most superior UPSs need to be

maintained to keep it in peak condition and ensure maximum performance.

The modern motor vehicle of today can withstand much more severe driving conditions; however, you

wouldnt drive your vehicle for many 1000s of miles over the manufacturers recommended limit before you

have it serviced unless you were extremely careless, or extremely forgetful. We all know the dangers of doing

that just when you desperately need to get somewhere important, it breaks down. Particularly annoying,

but what else can you expect? UPSs are the main defence against power problems, helping to prevent

network downtime and system component damage. There are a number of dependable, trusted power

protection products on the market, but as with modern driving conditions, todays energy environment can

be very demanding.

Most UPSs are reliable, designed to protect and

withstand the most notable power problems.

However, low-frequency, high energy surges are

very difficult to protect against and can putconsiderable strain on both the UPS and to the

load. Ironically, many people believe it is the high

voltage spike that can cause the most damage.

However, the reverse is usually true because the

high-voltage spike can easily be clamped down and

its duration is a fraction of a low-frequency surge.

In other words, the greater the available energy,

the greater the possibility of damage to the load if

allowed to pass through the UPS. These damaging

low-frequency, high energy surges are more common than many network managers realise and are caused

by normal, everyday events including:

Foreign objects on the utility line, such as squirrels and tree branches, creating a short and causing acircuit breaker to open.

Power factor correcting capacitors banks, which are used by utilities and large facilities running many largemotors. These capacitor banks can draw tens of thousands amps of surge when switched on. If they switch on

at the time the sine wave is near or is at its peak, the resulting low-frequency surge will be most damaging.


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A UPS that is properly maintained with regular health checks will survive the harshness of these everyday

events much longer than one that is not.

The service organisation

As our power systems technologies and products have

evolved, so has our concept of power systems service.

Like products and technologies, service has become

active rather than passive. It has become a

technologically-based discipline that goes far beyond

merely correcting malfunctions.

Service now focuses on convenience and proactive

system-wide responsibility to fulfil customer needs. As

a result, the network manager or facilities engineer

needs only one telephone number for powermanagement services. One single-point provider for

power management services.

With extensive experience of providing the highest quality service and support around the clock and access

to our network of partners. Whether its preventative maintenance or an urgent need, you can benefit from

Powerwares expertise.

Powerware Service within EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) is part of Powerwares Global Services

network. With over 2,000 service professionals and a comprehensive network of authorised service providers

located worldwide, you can be sure of the same excellent standards of service wherever you operate. The

greatest benefit for you is that you can manage your service arrangements centrally for your entire company

including all branches, whether they are dispersed on a national, European or global level.

No-one expects the lights to go out......power loss equals business loss

Society in general and business in particular are growing more and more dependent on information

networks. Whether they are ATM networks, airline reservations networks, telecom networks or some other

network on the World Wide Web, there is a growing dependency on the quality and availability of power. A

reliable power protection system will give your customers that availability. Whether the power problem iseasy or hard to solve, make sure your UPS is always in peak condition or the end result will be the same.

Your business will suffer the consequences of an unacceptable interruption, potentially causing component

failure, or worse, loss of your customers trust.


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UPS in the SOHO environment

For years, now, the world of home computing has

been predicting that the small office/home office

(SOHO) and home markets will be huge. For many

this seemed a little far-fetched as far as there was noindication that it would make huge amounts of

money.

However, over the last ten years this has all changed.

The SOHO market is now massive. For instance, in the

United States 44% of American households own and

use a computer and a growing number of households

own more than one. In addition, there is an increasing

amount of people who do some or all of their officework at home. The figures are reaching the same heights all over Europe.

Trends like these indicate that the role of the household computer is changing. It is no longer a toy or a

luxury item, it is now more of a necessity and an investment; and not only that, home computers are now a

great deal more complex. These days, a home computer is likely to require Internet access, remote logon to

an office LAN, and cutting-edge graphics. In fact, a top-notch gaming machine or a home computer with

everything can now be harder to set up than a server can. Home PC users require professional software,

including accounting packages and office suites.

In addition, home networking is making an appearance. You can now hook up a Windows-based PC via coax,

10BaseT, wireless (RF) or other links to a variety of sensors, controllers or other PCs scattered throughout

your home and property.

There are hundreds if not thousands, of examples each one being a potential winning application. However

once you start to automate devices, you need a PC-based system that is 100% reliable. Its all well and good to

have all the advantage of home computing and having the advantage of been able to work from home but in

order to run properly and efficiently you need it to be up and running 24 hours a day seven days a week. All

these amazing things a home PC system can now do and all the wonderful things you can do for work from

your home office will be no good anyway if something went wrong. For example if a home lost power and

the home PC system was not backed up all the applications and the advantageous things you had set the

system up to do would fail. In addition and probably more worrying is if you are working from home and

there is risk of damaging the work you have done or preventing you from continuing to work when you are

up against deadlines, or need to fax something urgently to a customer, or just imagine if your email went

down even for just an hour. Just as if you were in the office, you need protection from this happening. We

rely so heavily on our machinery that is now our lifeblood to be reliable that protecting it is vital.

As far as the market can tell, most people setting up home computers for whatever reason will not have

considered an UPS system. The concept of an UPS has often been associated with much larger organisations,


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much more advanced technologies and larger establishments coupled with a heavy price tag. However, do

not be fooled by this as there are cheap, simple and easy to use UPS systems designed specifically for use in

the SOHO environment. Concentrating on protecting the home environment from the most common power

problems experienced in many households, a simple system such as the Powerware 3110 series will offer

your home computing system complete back up if any power problems such as complete outages, sags or

surges occur. Compact in size and designed with a plug and play architecture this type of UPS is the easiest

and cheapest way to provide complete back up and ease of mind. It will keep your systems running for at

least ten minutes giving you enough time to make alternative arrangements if the power problems were to

continue. Or as in most cases within the western world it will simply keep your system running for the

duration of the power outage itself so that you would not even know anything had happened.

It is the same kind of experience for small business

running out of an office or if you are a small business

running from home. If you have heard of an UPS but

have not installed one within your office then it must

be assumed that you think either that they are only

solutions for large businesses, or that you are simply

brave. The reality is - you absolutely must have one

protecting your critical systems. If you do it right it

does not have to be expensive, especially if you weigh

up the pros and cons of buying one versus the cost of

the consequences if you do not. In fact, it will cost

little more than a few s when spread out over the

course of a year, but the trade off is that your business systems keep running.

The greatest threat to business continuity is power. It is a problem we all have to live with, but one that can

be simply and effectively overcome by purchasing the appropriate UPS solution. It is often the case that

within small business environments people complain of computer problems in the form of errors in data files,

wear and tear on hard drives and the most common lost work. What most people dont realise is that these

errors are often caused by power problems such as power surges not only complete outages. Investing in

even a basic system like the Powerware 3110 can protect your business from loss of critical data caused by

the common power problems we all experience.


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Adopting a centralised UPS solution

With the inevitable demise of the mainframe as

personal computing power took over, the trend in the

IT industry has been towards distributed processing

solutions. However, in the past few years this trendappears to be reversing as companies of all sizes seek

to rationalise IT support costs and maximise return on

investment in computer infrastructure. As networking

for internal and external use has become more

complex, computers, servers, routers and hubs are

tending to be installed in a central computer rooms

or server farms. There are two reasons for this trend.

Firstly, servers have become more task specific (for

example, email servers, database servers, internet servers and so on) and it makes more sense to locate themin one room where they are easier to manage. Secondly, it is easier to install and manage external

communications such as internet, email and Lotus Notes from a central location.

An important part of this equation is the provision of UPS equipment to protect these networks from power

problems and the estimated 45 per cent of data loss in unprotected data systems, which is caused by poor

quality power. Even one unprotected computer or data communications device can paralyse the whole

network or cause it to crash. To businesses running mission critical applications this sort of disruption is

unacceptable.

Where computers equipment is located close to each other a centralised UPS can offer several advantages. A

centralised UPS protects all the IT equipment in the server farm, servers, hubs, routers etc. Overall, it makes it

easier for the IT manager to configure the power protection system and add new equipment to the load later

as there is no need to purchase a new UPS with every IT equipment purchase. A single battery is easier to

upgrade service and manage and the price per kVA protection is very economical.

Moreover, instead of having several individual UPSs to keep track of, there is just one large UPS capable of

protecting the server farm. Therefore, what are the crucial factors to consider when choosing a centralised

UPS (7.5kVA - 45kVA).

Battery time - the UPS should have adequate battery backup time to protect the whole server farm in the

event of a power blackout. Typically, the back up time selected is between 10 and 30 minutes, but back up

times up to several hours are not uncommon. The UPS must also be upgradeable in back up time if the need

for a longer period of autonomy arises when the UPS has already been installed.

Size - the UPS should have a small footprint so that it can fit easily into server and computer rooms where

space is at a premium. It should also be easy to install using 3-phase wiring systems.


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UPSs for ISPs

The world has become increasingly internet centric. Businesses depend on it to sell goods and services,

consumers look to it for information, education and purchasing. It is estimated that there are currently in

excess of 300m internet users worldwide and this figure is rising exponentially.

Businesses who depend on the net to market their goods and services cannot afford to have any interruption

to their internet presence. The result is lost customers, loss of reputation and ultimately lost revenue.

Behind the internet are the internet service providers (ISP) and application service providers (ASP) who need

to offer 24 hours a day seven days a week provision of service. The ISP market is a very competitive one.

Dissatisfied customers can change provider with a few mouse clicks. Customer retention is therefore a crucial

issue for ISPs.

How, therefore, can ISPs maximise uptime and minimisedowntime. One critical factor in the supply chain is a

reliable and clean power supply, and it is not just power

outages that should concern internet providers. Power

coming from the mains is not clean and this can cause a

number of problems to sensitive electronic and IT

equipment, not just servers but also the routers and

telecoms equipment, which drive the internet. Power

problems such as harmonic distortion, line noise and

frequency variation can play havoc with the smooth

operation of this equipment. IDC estimates that as

much as 45% of all computer problems such as hang-

ups, data losses, damaged files and so forth can be

attributed to power supply problems.

If power is interrupted to an ISP or ASP server farm it is not just a case of rebooting. Systems need to be

restarted in a certain sequence, a process which can take from a few hours to a number of days depending

on the configuration. No ISP can afford to let this happen as not only will they lose customers but also

revenues from banner advertising.

What ISPs need therefore is a fail-safe power protection solution to ensure that power problems do not

affect continuity of service.

Global Switch, for example, is the UKs largest telehouser. It provides and operates facilities for telecommunications

companies including some of the largest ISPs and internet-centric companies such as Speedport, Swisscom,

Genosys and Internet Protocol. The biggest tenant at its new 50m site in London Docklands is Global Crossing, the

ISP that operates the worlds first global fibre-optic telecommunications network. The company runs its entire

worldwide network from the Global Switch building so continuous uptime is essential. Global Switch chose

Invensys Powerware 9315 on-line UPS because it not only protects against power failure but also cleans andfilters the mains power so that only pure sine wave electricity reaches the equipment.


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The 9315 models used are double conversion on-line UPSs. These offer the highest level of protection

available and are recognised as being the best solution for mission-critical applications. In addition, the

configuration used at Global Switch is redundant parallel. This means that a number of UPS units operate in

parallel so that should a fault occur with one unit another module automatically takes up the load without

any interruption to service. Invensys Powerware has a unique parallel system called HotSync. The wireless

HotSync load share means that the UPS units do not need any communications between them to load share

or to remove a faulty unit from the load bus. This eliminates a single point of failure and the weakness typical

in other paralleling topologies.

Thankfully, power failures are rare in the western world but they do occur and ISPs need to be prepared.

Power protection is an issue that requires consideration at the design stage whether the ISP or ASP has its

own server farm or is relying on a third party to provide the computing backbone. They must be able to ride

out a sustained loss of power, which could strike without warning.

Apart from parallel UPS systems, such organisations need to consider installation of generators that can take

over before the UPS batteries are exhausted. Here one has to consider that the generator needs to reach a

certain speed before it can accept the load.

This was the experience of Abovenet, a leading US-based internet service exchange. This company supports

many types of internet-related businesses such as ASPs, ISPs, video and audio streaming sites and other high-

bandwidth ventures. It has a state-of-the art high security co-location site in San Jose. A number of

Powerware 9315 on-line UPSs conditions mains power entering the building before it reaches any of the IT

equipment. However, the UPSs not only provide backup in the event of a power cut, covering the load until

the generators are up to speed but also condition the power from the generators.

Planning UPS and power protection solutions into your ISP infrastructure is therefore essential. One must

consider factors such as how much protection is required for the load. How can power protection be future-

proofed? Can the UPS provision be scaled up quickly enough to cope with increased demand as ISPs add new

servers and what level of redundancy will be required?

ISPs cannot be expected to be experts in power protection as well as all the other technical aspects of setting

up their IT infrastructure. Increasingly they are looking to outsource activities that are not their core business.

Take for example, the growth of co-location companies in the US and increasingly in Europe. These

companies provide a secure building plus all the IT, networking backbone and telecoms infrastructure, whichISPs and ASPs require to provide a reliable service to their customers. An essential component of this

infrastructure is power and such companies turn to the experts in power protection solutions to make sure

provisions are more than adequate for their clients needs.

Whether internet businesses are running their own server farm or outsourcing to a third party, power

protection is an issue that cannot be ignored. Inadequate protection from power problems will ultimately

result in clients choosing another ISP, lost advertising revenue and even business failure.


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Implement a power protection system or face an

e-commerce nightmare

The world of electronic commerce (e-commerce) is transforming the manner in which individuals conduct

their daily business, and the message that e-business is affecting almost every organisation in the world has

clearly struck home. The question is what are companies doing to keep up with the e-commerce revolution

and what technology is being used to drive it.

Commerce overall is conducted in a variety of ways: one-on-one customer

visits with sales people; interaction between purchasing agents and

suppliers; visits to storefronts; and orders by mail, fax or telephone. Today,

however, public IP-based network services supplied by internet service

providers (ISPs) offer an economically and technologically superior means of

connecting facilities and networks. In addition, public networks enable

customers and business partners to connect to a companys network by

simply using standard web browsers.

Because of this change, e-commerce is now well recognised as a key enabler of global electronic markets

where small and large enterprises compete as equal players. Electronic commerce systems based on the

service-centric internet are producing profound changes in enterprise culture in general, and in particular in

areas associated with business to business and business to consumer environments. Given consideration and

executed properly being an e-business could be the difference between being an OK company or a very

successful one.

What does it involve

Companies want to use the web as a sales channel, to communicate with partners, to remotely connect to

back-end data systems, and to perform other e-business transactions to ensure its business is functioning

profitably and smoothly.

In fact, becoming an e-business means re-thinking your organisation - large or small - to see where

technology makes a difference. An e-business must have the willingness and desire to let technology improve

every aspect of its business processes. The continual improvement and ability to adapt is part of what makes

e-business so powerful yet so daunting. E-business is not an end in itself but an evolving process to enable

better business processes. The companies that are transforming the way business is done know this, which is

why they are continually re examining their strategies, techniques and tools in the light of this new

technology.

Because businesses are all different shapes and sizes there is no single set of e-business technologies that is right

for everyone. Nevertheless, in the end almost all businesses come down to relationships - and thats what e-

business is really about: it uses technology to build better relationships with customers, suppliers and employees.


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To be a great e-business it is essential that you choose

the right technologies and solutions. This includes

picking the right PCs, servers, software, peripherals,

components, a reliable power back up solution,

namely an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) and as

application service providers (ASPs) become more

prevalent, it also means picking the right partners.

Most importantly, it involves integrating all of the

products, services and technologies in a way that

allows your business to attain its goals.

Implement all these things well and e-business can make a profound difference for your customers, suppliers

and employees. Ultimately, this will improve your entire business.

What can you do to make it work

As has already been discussed, e-business is all about making it easy for your customer and giving companies

more opportunities to give customers what they want. Therefore, one of the most important things to

consider when choosing all the right components to make a successful e-business is to manage the entire

customer experience and more obviously manage your customer relationships. Choosing CRM (customer

relationship management) software keeps track of all aspects of your customers, including your interactions

with them, what products they have bought and any problems they reported. At one time, this level of

technology was limited to large companies with complex customer needs. The internet, however, makes it

easier for even the smallest companies to track all customer interactions. Once this is done you can make

sure the company is catering for its customers needs.

The hardware one has to think about is somewhat more complicated. The systems, hardware and software

used within the e-commerce world are complex and must be infallible. Take for instance the security issue. It

is one of the most talked about topics within the e-commerce world. The issue of security must be addressed

in order to protect sensitive information. They know that data travelling over public networks such as the

internet can be easily compromised.

Businesses must find ways to authenticate employees, customers, remote offices, suppliers and partners while

ensuring the security of transactions, sensitive information, applications, and on line communications. A

growing number of organisations are building public key infrastructures to solve e-business security issues

and to give their customers peace of mind.

In light of the requirements, to be a successful e-business there are in general two ways to run your company.

There is a server based or a desktop solution. The current favourite a browser/server model being touted as

the new solution looks exactly like the mainframes of the 70s.

Server based e-commerce business keeps all its customer information in a decrypted file on a server. All

business transactions go via the server. Alternatively, the desktop solution stores the information and

processes orders directly on their own PCs.


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There are critics of both solutions but it does not matter which one you choose both have to address the

security issue, both have to make sure it supports and uses the correct CRM software and most importantly,

both must ensure that the equipment receives a clean and reliable power source.

E-businesses and companies that rely on web interaction for sales and customer care cannot afford to have

any downtime at all. The last thing companies want is to lose customers because people cannot connect to

their web site. Imagine a customer visiting your web site for the first time. He is on the verge of buying a

product or using a service when your site goes down and you cannot be contacted. The customer will go

elsewhere to a site that is working, and more importantly to a company that can process his/her order.

Equally, a customer must feel like the information being passed is secure. As we have discussed there are

many security issues, but whilst new security technology is coming out all the time the biggest security risk of

all is a power failure. If the power fails, the server or the desktop encrypting all transactions could corrupt

making it easy for the wrong people to get access to personal information.

Finally, you do not want a power failure to undo any of the advantageous work you have done to build up

your e-business. All the information you have on your customers needs to be protected so you may continue

to support and serve.

Although we may not experience too many complete power outages in the western world, we are are still at

risk from processing unclean power, from getting power surges or simply not supplying enough power to

support our equipment of all which are equally dangerous to your business.

Implementing an UPS system is essential and could ultimately prevent you from business failure.

Nevertheless, it is equally important that you choose the one that provides adequate protection and ensures

that your business will not experience any downtime.

Given that most businesses venturing into the e-

commerce world are opting to run their e-business

via a server, the most common solution is a double

conversion on-line UPS such as the Powerware 9315

or the Powerware 9340. Both models offer the best

solutions for mission-critical applications such as an e-

business set up as they not only protect againstcomplete power failure but they also cleans and

filters the main power ensuring the equipment is

receiving pure sine wave electricity.

If your company opts for a desktop solution, there

are power protection solutions for you as well. Just because the system is not as big it does not mean that

you are not at risk from power problems. Whilst you may not need the power of the PW 9315 or the PW

9340, you do need some form of protection. The most common solution is a line interactive UPS such as the

Powerware 5115 which is ideal for protecting workstations, PCs and small servers in an office environment.

In addition to protecting your equipment


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against five of the most common power problems the 5115 will also increase and decrease voltage that runs

to your machines ensuring that the correct amount of power is reaching the equipment at all times.

When evaluating the technology needed to develop an e-business dont forget to plan for power problems.

Downtime, lost information and a breach of security could cost you your business. So many solutions out

there can offer complete protection and peace of mind. Be prepared and keep your risks to a minimum by

installing an UPS.


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Why telecommunications in the 21st century

needs 21st century UPS technology

When a company like BT signs a five-year corporate agreement with Invensys Powerware to supply Powerware UPS

equipment on a global basis one has to start asking why they would go to so much trouble to BACK UP.

The deal is worth millions of pounds and covers BT

divisions such as BT UK Networks and Information

Systems, Joint Ventures, Alliances and BT Offices

overseas and BT UK FM Solutions, and is testament to

the fact that telecommunication companies all over the

world are ensuring that their services, technology, and

businesses wherever they may be are 100% safe, that

they will never go down and that they will never let

their customers down. Whilst also reconfirming the

idea that we are living in a global or borderless world.

And its not just BT who is looking at what power protection they need in the 21st century. Four companies from

Scandinavia have installed Powerware UPS systems to provide

A definitive guide to power protection_Powerware

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