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Network cabinets and intermediate distribution frames (IDF) are critical parts of IT networks, but they’re often scattered about. They seldom have dedicated IT personnel close by and are often neglected. A network cabinet can be a lonely place! And yet if there’s a power cut, an IDF or network cabinet being knocked out of commission can cause significant problems. They’re also vulnerable to both non-IT humans (e.g. the cleaning staff unplugging the UPS battery back-up) and cybersecurity breaches.
Selecting the right UPS battery back-up for your network cabinet or IDF can be a confusing process. This uninterruptible power supply (UPS) buying guide is designed to help you properly plan so you can make your IT network more resilient and reliable.
Let’s get started with these ten buying tips to help you select the right UPS battery back-up.
An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) form factor isn’t complicated – it’s simply how the UPS is shaped.
See Eaton’s rack-mount UPS solutions
Wall-mount UPSs are often deployed when there’s no existing UPS or only limited available space to add to the IT rack. Placing a UPS battery back-up on the wall limits access to it, which is a good thing! You’ll need to make sure that you mount the UPS to the wall so that it’s stable. You can also install a UPS inside of a wall-mount rack enclosure, such as the MiniRaQ by Eaton. Due to their lighter weight, UPS models with lithium-ion batteries are a good choice.
See Eaton’s wall-mount UPS solutions
Tower UPSs are shaped like toasters – they’re just a lot heavier! Tower models are ideal for desktop applications, and placing a UPS battery back-up on the floor is often less than ideal, as you never know when there will be a water leak or a spill of some sort. There’s also the possibility of someone kicking it or accidentally unplugging it. If there’s room, you can place a tower UPS on a shelf in a 2 or 4-post rack to avoid these issues. The good news with tower UPS models is that they often cost less than their rack-mount counterparts.
See Eaton’s tower UPS solutions
Some UPS models offer a two-in-one rack-mount/tower form factor, which means that they can be mounted in a rack or turned vertically as a tower. These models give you some flexibility.
When selecting a rack-mount UPS, be sure to check the depth specification. If you have limited depth in your rack, look for a compact UPS.
The most common questions about a UPS battery back-up are related to pricing and how long the batteries will last during a power outage. UPS batteries are heavy (though lithium-ion batteries are about 40% lighter than lead-acid ones) and extra battery packs can quickly increase costs. Most power interruptions are short – less than two minutes – so users usually look for approximately seven to ten minutes of battery runtime. As a general rule, when you cut the load (equipment plugged into the UPS system) in half, you triple the runtime. For example, if your 1500 VA UPS lasts for five minutes at full load, it will run for approximately 15 minutes if you cut the load down to 750 VA. For Eaton UPS runtimes, check out our comprehensive battery times page.
In addition to adding battery packs to a UPS, another common practice is to combine the immediate power back-up of a UPS with the long-term power of a generator. Eaton has several UPSs that are designed to pair with a generator.
A UPS with load segments (output sockets that can be managed separately) allows you to shut down non-critical loads during a power outage and extend battery runtimes for critical equipment without adding additional battery modules.
Adding more batteries doesn’t increase the power rating of the UPS. For example, adding four battery packs to a 1500 VA UPS doesn’t mean you can plug in more equipment. In other words, you can’t exceed the power rating of the UPS battery back-up.
First add up the wattage of all the equipment you plan to connect to the UPS and then multiply the total by 1.2 to account for future expansion. With this grand total in watts, you can find a UPS that has enough power capacity.
A UPS battery back-up is rated in volt-amperes (VA) and watts. Watts is a measurement of real power and is the key rating. However, it’s easy to be fooled by VA ratings. For example, a UPS rated at 1000 VA/900 watts provides one third more power than one rated at 1000 VA/600 watts, even though at first glance it appears that they have the same power rating. Find out more about the difference between watts and VA.
If you’re replacing an existing UPS battery back-up, check the LCD for the wattage total. It’s much faster and more accurate than tallying up the wattage of all your equipment.
If you have a 20-amp wall socket (5-20R), you can plug in UPS systems 2200 VA and below. If you’re lucky enough to be building a room from scratch, install a 20 or 30-amp wall socket. Here’s a handy reference guide that matches wall sockets, voltages and UPS ratings.
Ed Spears answers a question about UPS end-of-row configuration in the white space.
Follow these considerations to:
UPS battery back-up models are delivered with the internal batteries disconnected, so you’ll need to be sure to connect them before turning on the UPS. Our technical support team finds that this is the most common thing that people overlook when installing their new UPS.
Making sure that your UPS battery back-up has enough output sockets so you can plug in all of your equipment is very important.
If you are short on output sockets, don’t worry! One option for adding additional outlets is the Eaton FlexPDU, which is a basic-function power distribution unit with a short power cable for easy, close mounting to a UPS system. FlexPDUs are available with a variety of output sockets for connection to a wide range of equipment. For example, the EFXL1500R-PDU1U has (12) 5-15R outlets.
Don’t plug that surge protector you have under your desk into a UPS battery back-up. It’s a fire hazard and is typically prohibited by local fire regulations.
You pay for what you get in a UPS battery back-up and both the power rating (VA/wattage) and sine wave output capability are the major contributors to the price of a unit. Make sure you’re doing an apples-to-apples comparison when looking at uninterruptible power supply options and don’t sell your IT equipment short – you’ll probably regret it.
You can usually monitor a single UPS battery back-up through an optional network card. Eaton network cards are essentially their own servers, so they record event history, send email and text message alerts and provide remote access to real-time status. Using a network card is usually the best way to manage a single UPS system.
Check out this StorageReview.com review for a glimpse of what you can do with a UPS network card.
The latest Eaton UPS network card is the first to meet UL and IEC cybersecurity standards, provides a Gigabit Ethernet connection and enables secure UPS monitoring over HTTPS web browser interface, SNMP v1/v3 protocol and email alarms.
For multiple UPS systems spread out across a network cabinet, campus or enterprise, IPM aggregates and manages your power devices (both UPSs and network-enabled rack PDU products). IPM can even trigger air gaps to improve network security.
IPM is the industry leader in integrating power with a virtualisation platform. The IPM shutdown agent management enables the safe shutdown of virtualised servers – even servers in clusters, running vCenter. Live migrations can be triggered to transparently move virtual machines to an available server on the network for data integrity and zero downtime.
When comparing uninterruptible power supply models, be sure to check the warranty, like this 3-year warranty on the Eaton 5 series UPS models.
Most network cabinet UPS models are plug-and-play, and you can take advantage of extended warranties and advance exchange plans where a replacement UPS is delivered to you as soon as you notify the manufacturer that you need a replacement.
With lithium-ion batteries you have the option of simply installing a UPS and not worrying about the batteries for eight years. In addition, a UPS with lithium-ion batteries typically has a longer warranty – five years with Eaton models.
Depending on your budget, you can both increase the reliability of your system and make your life easier down the road. Adding a maintenance bypass allows you to service or replace the UPS battery back-up without shutting down the connected equipment.
An Eaton automatic transfer switch (ATS) PDU is an ideal fit with the Eaton 9PX UPS. The ATS automatically transfers power between sources with no interruption if the primary source fails or requires maintenance to eliminate equipment downtime.
Take a closer look at these UPS maintenance bypass best practice designs.
Finally, for a well-rounded solution you can add a temperature and humidity probe.
If you’re managing a fleet of uninterruptible power supplies, a remote monitoring service like PredictPulse could be a great option for you. PredictPulse monitors your power devices and alerts Eaton personnel who can promptly deploy an Eaton field technician to the affected site.
Read about a leading retailer with over 300 stores who was constantly having battery and service issues until Eaton provided a comprehensive solution.
