Basic Protection - for single PCs or workstations where downtime is tolerable, but data loss must be avoided. The UPS should be able to provide enough back-up time for a graceful shutdown of the protected equipment.

Network Protection - true on-line protection for network servers,bridges, hubs, routers, storage devices and critical workstations.The UPS may require extended battery time to provide adequate ride-through of shorter outages, as well as enough time for a graceful shutdown of the system in the event of an extended loss of utility power.

High Availability - a higher capacity UPS with sufficient redundancy to meet the needs of the most critical connected loads. This level of protection will require a true on-line system with extended battery capability and generator compatibility.

ABOUT POWER SUPPLIES!!!

A study by Vincent & Vincent Microsystems has showed that a typical computer running 18 hrs per day is subject to more than 110 power problems per month in FIRST WORLD COUNTRIES, and in excess of more than 200 power problems (BLACKOUTS,BROWNOUTS,UNSTABLE CURRENTS) etc, in THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES.

The effects of power problems range from the subtle—keyboard lockups, hardware degradation—to the dramatic—complete data loss or burnt motherboards etc.

Clearly, both businesses and home users are becoming more and more reliant on a utility power supply that is pushed beyond its capacity. Despite advances in the capabilities of modern personal computers, a momentary power outage is still all it takes to lose your data. More dangerous is the loss of previously written files, or even an entire hard disk, which can occur should a power problem strike while your computer is saving a file. Network fileservers constantly writing to disk are particularly susceptible.

Unfortunately the situation won't be getting better anytime soon. It takes approximately a decade to get a new power plant on-line, and concerns about nuclear power and fossil fuels have stifled the construction of new generating facilities. In the United States, for instance, spending on utilities has dropped from 2.3% of the Gross National Product in the 1960's to less than 1% today.

It's been said that there are two types of computer users: those who have lost data because of a power problem, and those who are going to.

Power problems are the largest cause of data loss

• Power Failure/Surge: 45.3%
• Storm Damage: 9.4%
• Fire or Explosion: 8.2%
• Hardware/Software Error: 8.2%
• Flood & Water Damage: 6.7%
• Earthquake: 5.5%
• Network Outage: 4.5%
• Human Error/Sabotage: 3.2%
• HVAC Failure: 2.3%
• Other 6.7%

The anatomy of a power disturbance

Surges, spikes, blackouts and brownouts...what really happens to your computer when it experiences an out-of-bounds power anomaly?

We'll use a nearby lightning strike as an example, although it is just one of countless problems that can strike your system.

Lightning strikes a nearby transformer. If the surge is powerful enough, it travels instantaneously through wiring, network, serial and phone lines and more, with the electrical equivalent force of a tidal wave. The surge travels into your computer via the outlet or phone lines. The first casualty is usually a modem or motherboard. Chips go next, and data is finally lost.

The utility responds to overvoltages by disconnecting the grid. This creates brownouts and blackouts. If the voltage drops low enough, or blacks out, the hard disk may crash, destroying the data stored on the disk. In all cases, work-in- process stored in cache is instantly lost. In the worst case, password protection on the hard drive can be jumbled, or the file allocation table (FAT) may be upset, rendering the hard disk useless.

Generally, Vincent & Vincent Microsystems advices all its customers not to use or operate their Computer systems or electronics equipments with out Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS’s).

Sags	Blackout	Spike	Surge	Noise

DEFINITIONS OF POWER EVENTS:

VINCENT & VINCENT MICROSYSTEMS EXPLAINS!!

Sags: Also known as brownouts, sags are short term decreases in voltage levels. This is the most common power problem, accounting for 80-90% of all power disturbances in the advanced countries.

CAUSE - Sags are usually caused by the start-up power demands of many electrical devices (including motors, compressors, elevators, shop tools, etc.) Electric companies use sags to cope with extraordinary power demands. In a procedure known as “rolling brownouts,” the utility will systematically lower voltage levels in certain areas for hours or days at a time. Hot Summer days, when air conditioning requirements are at their peak, will often prompt rolling brownouts.

EFFECT - A sag can “starve” a computer of the power it needs to function, and cause frozen keyboards and unexpected system crashes which both result in lost or corrupted data. Sags also reduce the efficiency and life span of electrical equipment, particularly motors.

Blackout: Total loss of utility power.
CAUSE - Blackouts are caused by excessive demand on the power grid, lightning storms, ice on power lines, car accidents, backhoes, earthquakes and other catastrophies.

EFFECT - Current work in RAM or cache is lost. The hard drive File Allocation Table (FAT) may also be lost, which results in total loss of data stored on drive.

Spike: Also referred to as an impulse, a spike is an instantaneous, dramatic increase in voltage. Akin to the force of a tidal wave, a spike can enter electronic equipment through AC, network, serial or phone lines and damage or completely destroy components.

CAUSE - Spikes are typically caused by a nearby lightning strike. Spikes can also occur when utility power comes back on line after having been knocked out in a storm or as the result of a car accident.

EFFECT - Catastrophic damage to hardware occurs. Data will be lost.

Surge: A short term increase in voltage, typically lasting at least 1/120 of a second.

CAUSE - Surges result from presence of high-powered electrical motors, such as air conditioners, and household appliances in the vicinity. When this equipment is switched off, the extra voltage is dissipated through the power line.

EFFECT - Computers and similar sensitive electronic devices are designed to receive power within a certain voltage range. Anything outside of expected peak and RMS (considered the “average” voltage) levels will stress delicate components and cause premature failure.

Noise More technically referred to as Electro-Magnetic Interference (EMI) and Radio Frequency Interference (RFI), electrical noise disrupts the smooth sine wave one expects from utility power.

CAUSE -Electrical noise is caused by many factors and phenomena, including lightning, load switching, generators, radio transmitters and industrial equipment. It may be intermittent or chronic.

EFFECT - Noise introduces glitches and errors into executable programs and data files.

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