I've got a bit of an electrical conundrum at work involving two APC Smart UPS 1500 units powering a server rack. Occasionally, our servers reboot unexpectedly, and it's been traced back to these UPS units being down. The odd part is that both UPSes exhibit this problem at the same time, which has happened twice now. When we check, the UPSes appear to be functioning normally. I'm wondering if this issue might relate to the battery or if there's something funky with the power source since it affects both units. Any advice on diagnosing and fixing this issue?
4 Answers
Honestly, using APC Smart UPS 1500s for a rack setup is questionable. They should ideally be plugged into separate circuits rather than the same receptacle. It sounds like you may be facing broader power issues as well, so I'd recommend having an electrician come check the wiring to ensure everything’s safe and correctly set up. In the future, look into suitable rack-mounted UPS options with proper wall connections!
When you say the UPSes are down, do you mean they switched to battery power and the servers gracefully shut down, or did they drain completely, causing an unexpected shutdown? Also, have you set up email alerts for these UPSes? It might be worth testing them on a different outlet just to see if it’s a circuit issue. Do your servers have redundant power supplies connected to both UPSes? That setup could help minimize risks.
I suggest starting by checking the logs on both UPS units. They can give you insights into what might be happening when the servers reboot. It’s usually the best first step to take for diagnosing these kinds of issues.
Very true! It's like trying to read the future without checking the filings in the logs first. Log inspection is a must!
Definitely check the logs on both UPS devices. If the circuit is faulty, it could explain why both units are failing at the same time.
I can't say for sure about the shutdown process since I'm going by what I heard, but I know both servers were rebooting. No alerts are set up since these UPSes only offer 'smart' features through a cloud service we don't use. And yes, the servers do have redundant PSUs!