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We take data
security very seriously indeed and it was a real wakeup call when the
UPS (uninterruptable power supply) decided to go on the blink; instead
of the familiar bleep, bleep indicating that the batteries had taken
over and that it would be some 20 minutes before everything went dead,
there was just a single bleep then silence. Of course this also meant
that screens went off, as did the server. Some rude words were said!
After what
seemed an eternity the power was restored. Fortunately a data integrity
check showed that all our data was intact and not corrupted. The piece
I was working on when the power went off was, of course, lost.
We carry out
daily, weekly and monthly checks on our systems to ensure our equipment
is ok. We, however did not check the UPS batteries capacity; we simply
switch off the power and see that the UPS cuts in.
With the
power of hindsight we should have let the UPS run for longer to check
that the batteries were able to sustain the power to our systems.
Looking back
at our records I noticed that the UPS was over five years old and it
still had the original batteries fitted. These batteries are lead acid
type and I know from experience with car batteries that they tend to
last about 4 years before capacity becomes reduced. It is normally on
the day after a hard frost that the car won't start, requiring a
battery replacement.
I ordered a
set of batteries and the following day they arrived. Very heavy and
hidden in the bowels of the UPS are the batteries. I isolated the power
and took out the old units. They were thick with dust.
Fitting the
new batteries into the unit was relatively simple, I connected them up
and turned on the power. I did not know whether the batteries were
fully charged or just had a minimal charge, so I left it some 8 hours
before testing the whole unit.
The new
batteries kept the power on for 24 minutes after I disconnected the
mains supply.
All is well
again at Quality Matters.
A lesson
learned though, you should not take your UPS for granted. It will be
tested at least monthly.
I have also
set up an alert to replace the batteries again in four years time.
Labels:
Uninterruptable Power Systems,
About the Author
Chris Eden FIBC, MISSA, ACQI is a
director of Quality Matters Limited an established independent
management consultancy based in Essex, UK which specialises in ISO27001
Information Security
Management consultancy.
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Article Published/Sorted/Amended on Scopulus 2012-10-17 09:09:30 in Computer Articles
