UPS for unraid


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  • 2 months later...

Is there a tutorial or write up on how to set it up. I just bought a apc ups pro 1500. I'm running the latest unraid and not sure how to hook it up and get it up and running. Do I just plug in the ac adapter into the unraid or do i also have to plug in the usb plug. I would like to have it shutdown my desktop and server if possible. Thanks in advance.

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Is there a tutorial or write up on how to set it up. I just bought a apc ups pro 1500. I'm running the latest unraid and not sure how to hook it up and get it up and running. Do I just plug in the ac adapter into the unraid or do i also have to plug in the usb plug. I would like to have it shutdown my desktop and server if possible. Thanks in advance.

You need to plug in the usb as it is how the UPS notifies the server when there is a power outage.

 

I believe with the default settings in unraid (make sure you enable it in the settings), it just works with apc. Change the triggers and you're good to go.

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  • 8 months later...

So I have been running my unRAID server for 7 years without a UPS.  My location has good stable power with no problems for the last 7 years until last week when I noticed a couple of my clocks were blinking, a sign of a power problem.  However, not all my clocks were blinking and so it couldn't have been a power outage.  At the same time as the two clocks going out, my server rebooted.  The two clocks are probably on the same breaker/circuit, but the server is on a separate breaker/circuit.  So my guess is that it was  a power surge or something.

 

Well, that scared me enough to finally get me looking for a UPS.  Can someone recommend a current good quality UPS that is also a great value?  I would like to put my server and my network devices (firewall router, fiber modem, smart switch) on it.  I don't know if I need a true sine wave  or smart UPS, but I prefer to be safe than sorry.

Edited by mifronte
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14 minutes ago, mifronte said:

So I have been running my unRAID server for 7 years without a UPS.  My location has good stable power with no problems for the last 7 years until last week when I noticed a couple of my clocks were blinking, a sign of a power problem.  However, not all my clocks were blinking and so it couldn't have been a power outage.  At the same time as the two clocks going out, my server rebooted.  The two clocks are probably on the same breaker/circuit, but the server is on a separate breaker/circuit.  So my guess is that it was  a power surge or something.

 

 

What you had a power hit where the power was interrupted for a fraction of second to as much as two seconds.  This seems to happen when the power company equipment is attempting to eliminate voltage surges from propagating through their system.  (Some of the digital clocks will have a small capacitor in them that will supply enough power to bridge these types of interruptions.) 

 

14 minutes ago, mifronte said:

Can someone recommend a current good quality UPS that is also a great value?  I would like to put my server and my network devices (firewall router, fiber modem, smart switch) on it.  I don't know if I need a true sine wave  or smart UPS, but I prefer to be safe than sorry.

 

Folks have had good luck with both Cybrpower and APC.  Look at the reviews at places like amazon and Newegg for both manufacturers have had models with issues.   I would be looking at a unit with a power rating greater than 700VA and plan on shutting down after about 30 seconds on battery.  (With your history of service, it is out for 30 seconds, you can't afford a UPS to bridge the probable outage time!)   As to pure sine wave vs the simulated since wave, several years back there were a few high efficiency Power Supplies  that didn't like the simulated ones.  But I have not heard of that problem with modern PS in the last few years.   Your outage pattern indicates that if the UPS works, it won't do any 'damage' to your PS having to deal with that few minutes (at max)  once or twice a year. (The transformer may start to heat up a bit...)  Which you choose depends on your tolerance to the FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) factor...

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Do these UPS normally run silent, especially the rack mounted version?

 

I have to decide between a tower or a rack mounted to ensure that all my devices can reach the UPS.  All my network devices are mounted high off the ground on a rack and so a tower UPS is more financially feasible, but I would may have to raise it off the floor closer to my devices.  The rack is also my entertainment rack and so I do not want excessive noise in the rack since it may interfere with the home theater experience.

 

The server is on a long extension cord and so it can reach the UPS from its location since it is not in the same closet as my entertainment and network closet since the server is noisy.

 

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Good morning all,

 

I hate to ask but what is the best UPS that I can get for $100 delivered? I am only going to run the Unraid server which has a 300-watt power supply. I spent all day yesterday comparing APC vs Cyperpower. 

Edited by Sabot
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Here's my list: 

 

Pure Sine & AVR

CyberPower, CP850PFCLCD, PFC Sinewave 510 Watts (Newegg: $130 Free shipping)

APC, SMT750, Refurbished 500 Watts (Newegg: $120 Free shipping)

 

 

Stepped approximation to a sinewave & AVR

APC, BR1000G or BX1000M 600 Watts (B&H: $109 or $129 - Newegg: $130 for either Free shipping)

Cyberpower CP1200AVR 720W (Newegg: $118 Free shipping)

 

There are some used higher end UPS's on Ebay that fall close to my budget. Thoughts on buying used?

 

Am I missing any? 

 

I am leaning towards the most watts that I can get even if it's not a pure sine. Which would put me with the CP1200AVR. Still researching to see what the real difference is between APC and Cyberpower in terms of support and warranty. 

Edited by Sabot
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I am going to take a contrary opinion on UPSes.

 

This is not intended for anyone that is having frequent power outages. But if you are getting a power outage a few times a year, I do not believe it is mandatory equipment.

 

I bought a UPS. It was enough to keep my server running a few minutes before shutting down. What I found after some testing is that the current needed to power the server while sleeping disks spun up in order to stop the array was significant, and I really did not have the luxury for keeping it running much if any time at all before it needed to start its shutdown sequence. I did have several failed tested in which I had a dirty shutdown trying to get it right. But finally it was perfect!

 

So then - I waited. 8 months went by with no outage. Then it happened - the power went out. Gloriously my server shut itself down perfect. And I was able to bring it up with no parity check. It was a rather lengthy outage, and I figure, "hey, i'll hook up this UPS and run a fan in my bedroom". Took it upstairs. and tried to power a fan because it was hot and I thought this would keep a fan running for a while. And found that it was not a sine wave UPS, and therefore did a crappy job on the fan.

 

And then - I waited ... and waited. And another power outage 6 months later. My server was stopped. Booted to find a dirty shutdown. Why? No idea. Checked everything. Tested again. All good. Recocked the trigger. Parity check completed. No parity errors. No problem.

 

It was well over a year and we had NOT had another power outage. And my UPS starts screaming. The batteries were failing. Researched buying new ones. $$$. I said the heck with it. The cure was worse than the cause.

 

I have had my server hard boot occasionally since I set it up. At least 10-15 times it has hard booted (several of which while testing out the UPS!). Never have I had anything more than a parity check to clean a few parity errors. I happily put up with the occasional power cut and out of cycle parity check. I have a good surge protector, and feel just fine.

 

I understand that BTRFS is not as good as other FS with power cuts.This would tend to make me want to steer clear of BTRFS, rather than want to buy another UPS.

 

YMMV

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Here's my list: 
 
Pure Sine & AVR
CyberPower, CP850PFCLCD, PFC Sinewave 510 Watts (Newegg: $130 Free shipping)
APC, SMT750, Refurbished 500 Watts (Newegg: $120 Free shipping)
 
 
Stepped approximation to a sinewave & AVR
APC, BR1000G or BX1000M 600 Watts (B&H: $109 or $129 - Newegg: $130 for either Free shipping)
Cyberpower CP1200AVR 720W (Newegg: $118 Free shipping)
 
There are some used higher end UPS's on Ebay that fall close to my budget. Thoughts on buying used?
 
Am I missing any? 
 
I am leaning towards the most watts that I can get even if it's not a pure sine. Which would put me with the CP1200AVR. Still researching to see what the real difference is between APC and Cyberpower in terms of support and warranty. 


Without knowing any other details for your setup, and using my rule of thumb that true sine with AVR is always better, I vote for the CyberPower, CP850PFCLCD

For the money, this series is a very good buy.

Also check amazon as some times you can save a couple bucks over newegg.

Enjoy.

Sent from my HTC One M9 using Tapatalk

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For me, I have a number of quick blackouts and a fair share of brown outs. It increases during the spring - fall seasons due to AC demands.  Last month, I lost a media server to a 5-second blackout. It was my fault, I forgot to put it behind a cheap surge protector. My other computers didn't get affected for they have some type of surge protection. Now that I am moving my archive only data from the old Synology to the new Unraid array, I feel it's to my benefit to go forward with a UPS. 

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A UPS does do more than merely cover actual blackouts though.  The mains do not have to have zero voltage before a UPS kicks in.  Usually they would be set to something like (assuming 110-120VAC mains) 80-90VAC for them to kick in, even for a second.

 

Ever notice your lights very slightly flicker when say your AC / fridge turns on?  That's a brownout, and a UPS will also protect you from that.  While the brownout may not be enough to cause an actual shutdown, it *may* be enough to slightly corrupt memory, etc

 

Of course, regardless of whether you have a UPS or not, you should try and ensure that the power going to your server(s) is as clean as possible:  Ideally on its own separated line with an isolated ground, and definitely not on the same line as any major appliances in your home.

 

And if you're hot during a lengthy power outage, then get a generac not a UPS.  Use the appropriate device...

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You won't go wrong with an APC or a CyberPower. 

 

My first UPS was a CyberPower CP1500AVRLCD purchased in 2011, and it's still going, still with the original battery.  No problems whatsoever.

 

When I went with a server setup, on FreeNAS, I couldn't quite get the UPS to play nicely with 2 computers... despite all sorts of attempts I couldn't really get two pcs running off one UPS where I felt confident that they would both shut down in a power outage, so I opted to just bite the bullet and buy another UPS just for the server (small cost compared to the money spent on hard drives).  I picked up a CyberPower LE825G for $56 on sale at Newegg in January of '17.  They are both simulated sine wave and both have AVR.

 

For the specs and prices CyberPower has always fulfilled my needs, apparently.  I looked at APC units but for one reason or another I didn't get APC.  For the second UPS if I had come across a decent APC on sale I would have picked up it, but it just so happened that CyberPower was on sale and that's what I got.

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Any thoughts on a stepped approximation to a pure sine wave UPS? From what I read so far, a pure sine inverter is the better option. How important is pure sine for use with current computer power supply for the shutdown process? (My old TS140 is a 2014 model) Purchase a pure sine model even if it means getting less wattage?  At 500 watts, that will not leave much time for my server to shut down as the batteries age. I put my old Kill A Watt meter on the server the other day to see how the wattage. So far, it consumed 1.56 KWH in 40 hours and 22 minutes. Anyone know how to convert this to something usable for this topic? Below is the closest calculator that I found online:

 

watt = kilowatt-hour / hour

or

W = 1000 × kWh / h

38.786673297=1000x1.56/40.37

 

The number I get is 38.642556354 watts consumed in 40 hours and 22 minutes. Is this number meaningful? I guess I need to borrow a clamp on meter from work to compare. I was surprised by the very low number. Attached is a picture of the TS140's power supply label for your review. 

 

Beside some 90mm case fans, the case holds only 3 HDD and 1 SDD. 

TS140 Power Supply.jpg

Capture.PNG.93fba22db98e3fc3f2b21282faf97cd1.PNG

Edited by Sabot
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Ok, I will get the clamp on meter and measure it during a shutdown. Fingers crossed that it's a small number so I can purchase the CP850PFCLCD with confidence with no buyers remorse.  

Edited by Sabot
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