UPS "blips" my switches

[NettableWalker]

Hi Everyone,

I have a problem where everytime my power supply "blips" for a few seconds the UPS takes a fraction of a second to keep up the supply when switching to battery backup.
This causes the switches to drop the connections between the servers for a fraction of a second which basically makes the servers fall over and need a reboot the next morning.

Is this a particular risk with Cisco gear (3560's) or is this just a sign that the UPS is a bit too cheap and nasty?

According to APC the devices should hold power themselves for 2-8ms which is enough time for a switchover to backup.

Has anyone else had problems such as this?


MCP,CCA, Net+, Half CCNP...

 

[baddos]

Check your voltage on your outlets from your UPS. Make sure they are indeed supplying 110-125 volts. If they are low on a normal running operation, then it will most likely be way too low on the switchover to battery.

 

[JOAMON]

Also might consider a smart UPS as you can turn down the sensativity of the UPS which will be less likely to fail when minor voltage fluctuations happen. Also how old is th battery in the UPS. They need changed every couple of years.

 

[fartingfrog]

I agree with JOAMON---sounds like too heavy a load---what size is the UPS?

 

[NettableWalker]

It was only 3 switches runnign off a 750W APC Smart UPS.

I've just gone and bought a new 1500W UPS and so far i've had no problems..

MCP,CCA, Net+, Half CCNP...

 

[jneiberger]

Don't use APC. Use a quality UPS, like something from Powerware. We used to use APC. They were junk so we've been pulling them out and replacing them with Powerware. They're more expensive but it's been worth it. The Powerware is far superior to the APC.

 

[SYQUEST]

--->Explain, what is junk about APC?

All UPSs need maintenance and battery replacement at one time or another. The batteries don't last forever! Some models have better control circuits than others. You also need to select the proper load spec for your installation.

....JIM....

 

[jneiberger]

Why Powerware is superior to APC:

1. Protection against a greater variety of power problems

2. Superior charging circuitry allows the battery to last twice as long as the APC batteries

3. Powerware batteries don't swell up over time like the APC batteries. (We've had many situations where a dead battery in an APC was so swollen it couldn't be extracted, which forced us to dispose of the entire UPS.)

4. When Powerware units fail (which is rare), they fail to building power. This is unlike the APC Smart UPS which just completely fails.

5. Powerware units are always conditioning the power at the outlets, providing clean, protected power all the time.

 

[SYQUEST]

There is lots of competition in the UPS industry these days.

I did look at the Powerware website and checked specs and features of several UPSs. What I see is very similar to APC's product line. Not all UPS offerings have all the same features and options! Not all Powerware products have utility bypass if the box fails or ABM™! APC is the same, they do have models that have the "bypass" feature, but just like Powerware you have to check out all the specs and features verses costs, etc. to know what you are getting.

I have had Duracell batteries swell up before. I would not not be surprised if the same OEMs supplies both Powerware and APC for batteries.

We have all had both good and bad experiences with different companies' products and some are better than others. I, for instance, don't like Tripp-Lite and consider them "junk" from experiences I have had with there stuff and will never use any. I also had a similar situation with another UPS (forget the name right now), but if the UPS had had a utility bypass the customer system would not have died. So when I was checking into this, I discovered that MOST medium and low end UPS by companies like APC, BEST, POWERWARE, etc. don't have UTILITY BYPASS, if the box loses its brains and shuts off, EVERYTHING connected to it is shut off!

You have to do your homework...

....JIM....