UPS Recommendation


stingray060

Recommended Posts

I heard that there were UPS that would communicate with Unraid servers, to be able to shut the array down before the UPS ran out of power, which sounded like a great extra. I'm not sure how i can tell if a UPS is compatible with this feature on unraid.

 

Im looking for a UPS to supply my main unraid server, and my backup if it happens to be running at the time of power loss.

 

I have calculated my Main Server to draw approximately 268W, i have used Outer vision PSU Calculator for this, it also mentioned for a 600 VA UPS.

 

And my server draw approximately 180W, with a recommended of 400VA.

 

Obviously, it cannot be known if the power outage would occur when the backup server is running, so it's best to cover all basis. The server is turned on over IPMI to do the backup, then switched off again...

 

In a ideal world, and I'm not sure if this is possible, it would be convenient for my router to be on the UPS, and if the power is out for a hour or so, it would be able to remain functional...

 

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Link to comment

Any brand name UPS should be compatible, and even some lessor name UPSs..  I've used APC and CyberPower UPSs, and other people have used different brands based on their regional availability.

 

My best advice is to buy the largest capacity UPS that you can afford because more power is always better, and sometimes it doesn't change the price "all that much" to double the output.. i.e. 600VA to 900VA or 1500VA.  It also gives you the ability to power more equipment at the same time down the road.

 

However, you are (most likely) not going to get an hour of runtime if the power is out, on any kind of home user UPS.  I've got a 1500VA UPS (900w) and my UPS load is ~300w with my Unraid server and PC, and some other stuff.. so it's a ~20 minute runtime for both.

  • Thanks 2
Link to comment

I echo everything Energen said.  APC or CyberPower are both good, and have usb connections - just double check the one you think you want to make sure.  Get the largest wattage you can afford for the longest uptime, although all you really need is 10 min or so - long enough that the array wont shut down during a short outage and to have a long enough period of time to safely power down the array.  

 

IMO

Link to comment
25 minutes ago, stingray060 said:

I heard that there were UPS that would communicate with Unraid servers

unRAID implements apcupsd.  This does not mean that only APC UPS devices will work with it as other manufacturers also support this; Cyberpower being the most well known alternative.

 

I personally have the APC BR1000MS UPS which is a 1000VA/600 Watt UPS.

 

The most important consideration is a UPS that supports Automatic Voltage Regulation (AVR).  Some will argue that pure sine wave is preferable to modified or stepped sine wave as it is a "cleaner" output.   I don't think that is the most important consideration given that I don't like to run the server very long on UPS.

 

I do happen to have my router and switch connected to it but I only have it configured to run a maximum of 10 minutes on the UPS before shutting down.

Link to comment

Given others already explained UPSs & UNRAID pretty well, I'll just chime in with the UPS I use personally, I caught mine at a Office Depot that was going out of business, so it was below MSRP, but even at MSRP it's still a great balance of capacity/bulkiness: 

 

APC BN1350M2 1350VA UPS w/ USB Charging

 

I also keep my router/modem plugged into the UPS to ensure I have WiFi for a bit in the event of a power outage. 

 

 

Link to comment
Just now, Hoopster said:

Same thing is $200 on Amazon US for the 120V US version.  They really nail you guys price wise for the "international" version.

Yeah when I clicked your link to the APC site, it said $180 odd. 
 

i usually trust Amazon to reflect a pretty decent price, I don’t often look much further. 
 

 

Link to comment

You actually have to look at the battery capacity (AmpereHour) that is inside the UPS to determine if that larger VA rated UPS will give you a longer run time.  Many time a 300VA UPS will have the same battery as the 500VA one.  So either UPS will keep the server running for the same period of time.  Determining when they upsize the battery in the product line, you have to look very carefully at the spec's and, perhaps, at the actual part number for the replacement battery. 

 

Oh, one more thing, those bigger batteries cost far, far more than ampere.hour rating would suggest that they should.  That is because they are often not available from a third party supplier.   I know that I wish I had not purchased my 1000VA UPS as the replacement battery cost made me seriously consider purchasing a smaller replacement UPS rather than a battery! 

Edited by Frank1940
Link to comment
1 hour ago, Rick_Sanchez said:

Here is one I like that has really good reviews:

 

APC 1500VA UPS Battery Backup

 

It should give enough power in an outage for a safe shutdown for at least a few devices.

That would be fine.

 

IF they are available in your location Bluewalker/Powerwalker UPSs have been used by some forum users with good results.. not sure how the price would compare to that APC.

Link to comment
12 minutes ago, CS01-HS said:

My Cyberpower's AVR only kicks in when voltage drops down from 120V to 104V. That rarely happens so why's it important the drop's supplemented by circuitry rather than battery? The more common case (total power loss) is handled by battery entirely.

Yes, I could have added the qualifier that this is the most important in areas where consistent, clean power is a problem.  There are many users in these forums that unfortunately have a problem with that and their power level fluctuates.  AVR is important to them more than other considerations.  I have no idea if that is the case for the OP.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
  • 3 weeks later...

Hello,

 

I am at a crossroad now. I upgraded my Unraid to a new machine, much bigger. And now my UPS seems to be unfit for the task anymore. I had to disconnect it as much as I hate that.
Is there a UPS calculator so I can decide what to purchase?
I'd rather calculate taking into account the full capacity of the Unraid server in the end which will have 18 HDDs. I am at 15 + 1 NVMe at the moment.
 

Thank you

Link to comment
  • 10 months later...

Hello, just wondering how loud are 1500va ups? I am running box in my room want to have some silence. Disks are spinning Down after 1 hour.
Or this ups devices are silent as extension leads? Never used them in the past


Отправлено с моего iPhone используя Tapatalk

Link to comment
12 hours ago, J05u said:

Or this ups devices are silent as extension leads?

@Vr2Io is correct BUT the PC's own PS may well object to being supplied with a non-sinusoidal waveform with a fairly loud buzzing sound.  However, this only would occur when the power mains have gone down.  (Personally, I would avoid those UPS that 'fix' over/under voltage situations as most PS have 100-240VAC input spec's.)   Remember most consumer priced UPS only kick in when the power mains have gone down.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
@Vr2Io is correct BUT the PC's own PS may well object to being supplied with a non-sinusoidal waveform with a fairly loud buzzing sound.  However, this only would occur when the power mains have gone down.  (Personally, I would avoid those UPS that 'fix' over/under voltage situations as most PS have 100-240VAC input spec's.)   Remember most consumer priced UPS only kick in when the power mains have gone down.

Thanks
Maybe you can advise any UPS as you told ?
I don’t know anything about them and to be honest not much time to research all this topic


Отправлено с моего iPhone используя Tapatalk
Link to comment

Some highlight for UPS

 

- Consumer / low end UPS are interactive type, in simple say, it will active if detect fault and switch the power source from mains to battery inverter

- Mains are sine wave, UPS battery inverter have non-sine wave and sine wave type ( costly )

- Power capacity in VA and W, both must higher then your actual loading

- Battery capacity is key factor to determine the runtime, some UPS were fixed i.e. 1 or 2 battery and can't increase the runtime by increase the battery capacity. The opposite is longrun type, you can increase runtime by battery capacity

- Battery need replace ~4-5 yrs

- Communication with host, usually in USB, but APC newer mid-level model seems not support traditional protocol anymore, so it may have problem with Unraid

 

** My APC UPS were 10+ yrs old, and I haven't model could recommend ** 

Edited by Vr2Io
  • Like 1
Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.