Preliminary V13I06C/V13I10C User’s guide
◆ Power Protection
The greatest threats to a system’ s supply of power are power loss, power spikes, and power surges caused by
electrical storms, which interrupt system operation and/or damage system components. To protect your system,
always properly ground power cables and one of the following devices.
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Surge Protector
Surge protectors are available in a variety of types and usually provide a level of protection proportional with the cost
of the device. Surge protectors prevent voltage spikes from entering a system through the AC power cord. Surge
protectors, however, do not offer protection against brownouts, which occur when the voltage drops more than 20
percent below the normal AC line voltage level.
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Line Conditioner
Line conditioners go beyond the overvoltage protection of surge protectors. Line conditioners keep a system’ s AC
power source voltage at a fairly constant level and, therefore, can handle brownouts. Because of this added
protection, line conditioners cost more than surge protectors. However, line conditioners cannot protect against a
complete loss of power.
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Uninterruptible Power Supply
Uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems offer the most complete protection against variations on power because
they use battery power to keep the server running when AC power is lost. The battery is charged by the AC power
while it is available, so when AC power is lost, the battery can provide power to the system for a limited amount of
time, depending on the UPS system.
UPS systems range in price from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars, with the more expensive unit s
allowing you to run larger systems for a longer period of time when AC power is lost. UPS systems that provide only 5
minutes of battery power let you conduct an orderly shutdown of the system, but are not intended to provide
continued operation. Surge protectors should be used with all UPS systems, and the UPS system should be
Underwriters Laboratories (UL) safety approved.