Don't forget about Power Protection!!
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"Dirty", unstable, or unreliable power is a threat to all computers and sensitive electronic equipment. Power anomalies can cause all manner of instability, intermittent glitches, gradual damage over time to your computer hardware, and worst of all, data loss. Because of this, an essential component to any computer system setup (whether in the home or in a corporate environment) is power protection. There are two devices most commonly used to provide power protection to computers and computer-related equipment. One is called a power conditioner and the other is called an UPS.
In addition to providing power conditioning in the form of protection against spikes and sags in power, an added advantage of using a quality UPS is that it also provides battery backup power in the event of power loss. This gives the user "X" number of minutes to save any work, etc. s/he may be in the process of before shutting down the computer. (The "X" value is determined by the UPS's rated battery backup capacity and the "load" on the UPS at the time.) If the power loss extends beyond a pre-determined amount of time (configured within the UPS power monitoring software installed on the computer) and no user is present to shut the computer down, the UPS software will automatically perform a "controlled" shutdown of the computer. This power monitoring software that comes with the UPS will also provide you with a status of your power. It also logs power events that have taken place (e.g. how often and when the UPS has switched to battery backup power then back to normal power again, etc.) This can aid in diagnosing issues with house or building wiring that might have otherwise gone undetected.
These are just some of the reasons I strongly recommend people use a quality UPS to connect their computer to (rather than connecting directly to a wall outlet, power strip, or surge protector strip). It (the UPS) doesn't have to be expensive - about $30 US to $40 US will usually cover it. The UPS should be directly connected to a wall A/C outlet. Connect your monitor and your computer to the "battery + surge protection" side of the UPS and other non-essential equipment to the "surge only protection" side. Use the remaining sockets available at your discretion. Many UPSs now-a-days come w/ jacks to connect your telephone, ethernet, & even coaxial cables to as well.
As I mentioned earlier, power protection and control is of paramount importance to any computer whether it be in the home or in a corporate environment. Following are some articles that might shed some more light on the subject for you.
Power Problems Cause Up To 87% of Computer Crashes
Typical Power Quality Problems & Solutions
The Problem With Power.
What is a Power Event?
Determine Your Risk.
There are many UPSs out there to choose from. Here is an UPS selector that will help you to determine the specs (specifications) an appropriate UPS for your system should have. The result will be a selection of APC UPSs. You don't have to purchase an APC UPS, however. Just make note of the recommended minimum VA rating and purchase an UPS w/ at least that rating. This is the recommended minimum "load" capacity your UPS should support.
In addition to providing power conditioning in the form of protection against spikes and sags in power, an added advantage of using a quality UPS is that it also provides battery backup power in the event of power loss. This gives the user "X" number of minutes to save any work, etc. s/he may be in the process of before shutting down the computer. (The "X" value is determined by the UPS's rated battery backup capacity and the "load" on the UPS at the time.) If the power loss extends beyond a pre-determined amount of time (configured within the UPS power monitoring software installed on the computer) and no user is present to shut the computer down, the UPS software will automatically perform a "controlled" shutdown of the computer. This power monitoring software that comes with the UPS will also provide you with a status of your power. It also logs power events that have taken place (e.g. how often and when the UPS has switched to battery backup power then back to normal power again, etc.) This can aid in diagnosing issues with house or building wiring that might have otherwise gone undetected.
These are just some of the reasons I strongly recommend people use a quality UPS to connect their computer to (rather than connecting directly to a wall outlet, power strip, or surge protector strip). It (the UPS) doesn't have to be expensive - about $30 US to $40 US will usually cover it. The UPS should be directly connected to a wall A/C outlet. Connect your monitor and your computer to the "battery + surge protection" side of the UPS and other non-essential equipment to the "surge only protection" side. Use the remaining sockets available at your discretion. Many UPSs now-a-days come w/ jacks to connect your telephone, ethernet, & even coaxial cables to as well.
As I mentioned earlier, power protection and control is of paramount importance to any computer whether it be in the home or in a corporate environment. Following are some articles that might shed some more light on the subject for you.
Power Problems Cause Up To 87% of Computer Crashes
Typical Power Quality Problems & Solutions
The Problem With Power.
What is a Power Event?
Determine Your Risk.
There are many UPSs out there to choose from. Here is an UPS selector that will help you to determine the specs (specifications) an appropriate UPS for your system should have. The result will be a selection of APC UPSs. You don't have to purchase an APC UPS, however. Just make note of the recommended minimum VA rating and purchase an UPS w/ at least that rating. This is the recommended minimum "load" capacity your UPS should support.
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Comments
We have had many surge protectors die in the line of duty but in the end they served their purpose and protected the ups from taking a damaging hit.
Do not allow yourself to be lulled into a false sense of security even with a surge guard + UPS installed. A while back we had many pc's destroyed from a power spike in a thunder storm. Most people forget that a spike can come in through the back door.
The damaging spike came up through the cable internet line and destroyed every pc on that network. So it would be worthwhile to also protect against backdoor spikes from your cable/adsl/phoneline connection etc etc.
Later
Many people do as you at your company do - that is use surge suppresion equipment in tandem w/ their UPSs. This is a much debated practice because of how the surge suppressor may detect the wave form generated by the UPS (and visa versa) in the case of a power event. Some UPS companies, in fact, void their warranty if their UPS is not directly connected to a power source (wall outlet).
For those of you interested in the more technical aspects of an UPS, please, go here.
In summary, if no other (or no other high power) devices are connected to the surge suppressor as well, then it would appear to be ok w/ APC. Their concern is that other devices may pull power from the source leaving insufficient power supplied to the UPS. If this is not the case, then, as far as APC is concerned, using a surge suppressor connected between the power source and the UPS is an accepted practice. (And a good one at that IMHO!)
Plugging your UPS into a surge protector: In order for your UPS to get the best power available, you should plug your UPS directly into the wall receptacle. Plugging your UPS into a surge protector may cause the UPS to go to battery often when it normally should remain online. This is because other, more powerful equipment may draw necessary voltage away from the UPS which it requires to remain online.
Maintaining EPP and Warranty: Plugging any non-APC surge protector, power strip, or extension cord into the output of an APC brand UPS could void your Equipment Protection Policy (EPP). However, the standard 2 year product warranty is maintained. If, after taking into consideration this knowledge base document, you choose to use an APC brand surge protector in conjunction with your APC brand UPS, your warranty and Equipment Protection Policy will be maintained.
If you have any additional questions regarding your set-up, please call APC technical support at 800-800-4272 (Mon-Fr 8am-8pm EST).
How long a surge suppressor will last depends upon the severity and frequency of the hits it takes while in service coupled w/ its joule rating.
A quality surge suppressor will have LEDs that will indicate when it has ceased to function. Usually the LED(s) will go out (no longer be illuminated) once the surge suppressor has failed completely. When this happens, the surge suppressor should be replaced.
Following are links to articles providing more info. re: surge suppressors; how they work, how to choose one, and when to replace one:
FAQs BioAxxis Digital QC Power Filter
Surge Protectors
Q & A: Surge Protection
Some Additonal Notes: (a mail archive exerpt)
Just as there are many UPSs to choose from, the same holds true for Surge Suppressors or Protectors. To find out what Surge Suppressor would be appropriate in your case, you can go here to APCs online Surge Protector Selector. As with the UPS selector (see post # 1) the result will lead you to an APC selection of surge suppressors. It isn't important that you purchase an APC surge suppressor, rather that you purchase one w/ the ratings the selector resulted in based on your input.