Redundant Power Supplies

[Anonymous user]

We have 2 servers that have redundant power supplies. We also have them each plugged into their own UPS. Is it a good idea to split the power between 2 UPS units? Like should I be plugging the power from server A into UPS A and UPS B and the same for server B? Currently server A is plugged into UPS A and server B is plugged into UPS B with the power split between the UPS units, how would I go about configuring Powerchute Business to know when both UPS units are on battery (in theory they'd be at the same time) and shut down when the runtime is low for both units combined?

[BillP]

so with one of these cards, and the network shutdown card

The network management card is a physical card you will install in the UPS smart slot and the powerchute network shutdown is actually software you will need to install on the two servers.

The cards dont REQUIRE a static IP, but if the IPs change, its going to be a pain to go back and edit the software to look at those new IPs. I dont recommend DHCP on anything in this set up because i can gurantee communication problems. i know for a fact that running DHCP on your servers with the powerchute network shutdown software, will cause a communication problem.

i recommend this configuration with the network management cards and powerchute network shutdown software because yeah, no need to worry about any cables besides an ethernet cable for the network management cards and then nothing besides installing the software on your servers, assuming they are already on the network.

[BillP · Accepted solution]

it is a fine idea to do so. even better, is to make sure those two UPSs are on different circuits, so that if one circuit goes down, you still have a UPS that is online on a good circuit. if they arent on two different circuits, its still an ok idea, you just wouldnt have COMPLETE redundancy.

you can't do what you are looking for with powerchute business edition, unfortunately. a single PCBE agent cannot monitor multiple UPSs through powerchute business edition - you can only do it the other way around where the UPS shuts down multiple PCBE agents.

you CAN do what you are looking to do with a network management card and powerchute network shutdown software. you'd install the network management card in each UPS (which provides the same info/features as PCBE and even more) and then powerchute network shutdown on each server. you can configure powerchute network shutdown with a "custom install" and tell it to look at/monitor both network management cards via the network. it will only shutdown when it receives a shutdown command from both UPSs (and then also there are other certain conditions that it can shutdown with only a command from one UPS - such as lost communication, etc)

You can look at the different management cards here: [http://www.apc.com/products/family/index.cfm?id=98]

[Anonymous user]

so with one of these cards, and the network shutdown card, I could shutdown any servers that are connected to the UPS? I was looking at possibly acquiring the serial expansion cards to connect all of our servers to the UPS, but if the network shutdown can handle it, then that would save me having to do more cable management. Do these network management cards require a static IP?

[Anonymous user]

all 5 (or 7 if you count the two backups) server have static IP addresses. Of course I'll need to reconfigure our DHCP server to allow for more static IPS, was probably going to open up another 15 - 20 anyways as we are down to 2 free (we have kiosk type machines that are static, then 40 or 50 others that are DHCP) I think this will be good cause to install a switch inside the rack as opposed to having them on the wall.

Thank you so much for your help!

[BillP]

no problem!