I’m slowly planning my network rack, stocking most basic stuff, laying out cables, and so on. Same as lots of people here, I have a bit of experience with networking, not that much experience with rack systems & lacking the knowledge of the best practices when it comes to rack equipment.
I’d like to ask for help in planning the power supply part - from the power outlet next to the rack all the way up to the network equipment. You know - in this area I’m quite an ignorant, so initially I was just thinking of having an extension cord drawn from the power outlet into the rack and connecting my equipment to it. But I’ve seen/heard that one should use surge protection, UPS, dedicated automatic fuse, etc.
So what should I use? Do I really need UPS? Can you suggest all the types of equipment I need to have to keep my rack equipment relatively safe?
I guess some description of my planned network could make some difference, so here goes a small rack layout diagram (sorry for probably non-standard cliparts used, pay attention to the description on the right side):
Requirements for the whole network:
- It’s supposed to be relatively cheap, not much of bells and whistles are needed
- No need for any kind of power backup - if there’s no electricity, I don’t need to run my network - even video surveillance can die, really
- I plan to power 5-8 PoE devices (e.g. wall access points with rj45 socket, IP cameras) with a total energy power up to approx. 120W
Thoughts:
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You get what you pay for. Cheap does not mean good and good usually doesn’t come cheap. I like Tripp Lite Isobar surge strips - better built and more durable than cheap surge strips. You would not believe what constitutes surge protection in the plain strips. In a corporate environment I opened up a lot of the office power strips, most all of them had blown MOVs, and most did not tell you it was no longer protecting. A lot of the cheap rack PDU/surge strips have nothing more than cheap consumer protection.
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Like u/badgerAteMyHomework says, a UPS protects. Often times power drops involve multiple ups and downs as automatic breakers attempt to clear the line and electronics do not like the pulsations. A good UPS picks up on the first blip and keeps things on battery until stable power returns. I use CyberPower for my network, many of the APC devices are good also. If you use a good UPS, you do not need the surge strip, the UPS will do it.
If you get a PDU, make it without surge protection if you get a UPS. Also, to me the panel mount, front outlet PDUs are useless. The ones that have a main switch on the front and outlets on the back are fine, and ones that mount at the back of the rack are also fine. (I model what I have after working with enterprise/lab level racks over the years.
BTW, if you want quality non-surge power strips, the Tripp Lite Waber strips like this are great. High quality, protected switch, and a breaker.
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