>We get way too many power outages out here in the boonies. Any
>suggestions for a UPS or place to buy same.
It all depends on what you are after. Figure out the exact power
requirements and length of time you would like to figure out how big a UPS
to get. I don't remember the formula off hand but most manufacturers
should have that info listed on their web page.
Personally, I prefer APC products, but I am far from an expert (I only
have one, but I love it (but I don't really like their new case styling)),
my roomate has 2 MGE's and they seem to work about the same (but are much
lower capacity).
If you only need a few minutes, the lower capacity ones I believe you can
get in the $40-$80 range. The cost rapidly goes up from there, depending
on your needs (and features). My APC 650 pro (I think I paid about $250
three years or so ago) will run my pentium 120 and a 17" Impressions
monitor for a little under 30 minutes. A bit more time than most people
really need but I wanted to make sure I could finish a CD burn if one was
in progress.
Things to consider:
Amount of raw power needed to run CPU, monitor, printer, etc.
Amount of backup time desired.
Most UPSes are really only designed to run one system. Most will have
multiple outlets on the back, but only two of them will be battery backed
(unless you get one of the industrial rack mounts, but those will cost big
bucks). There is a wattage limit on each outlett.
There are two basic types of UPS, one the system is powered by the battery
all the time and the line constantly charges the battery the other uses
line voltage and automatically switches to battery in case of failure. I
don't remember the pros/cons of each system, I did research three years
ago when I bought mine but I've forgotten most of it.
Most software supplied (which will automatically close applications and
shut down the computer when the battery is nearing exhaustion) is normally
only supplied for Windoze (big shock huh). There is third party software
available for Linux, I've never used any but you might want to check
FreshMeat or somesuch to see what software is available for what models.
Linux software availability for a specific model might dictate what you
buy.
The software communication with the hardware WAS a serial port connection,
but I believe most newer UPSes have switched to USB (which might be a
problem with Linux if your not running the latest kernel).
Batteries do go bad and need to be replaced. My APC book stated that the
battery pack is good for about two years. Its been three and my last
test-to-destruction (turn off the line and time how long the battery
lasts, the APC softare does this for me) shows my battery is still going
strong. Check to see if the brand you are looking at has some kind of old
battery recycle program to help keep these things out of landfills.
The higher end UPSes will have a lot of nifty features and extras (option
packs, status LEDs etc), for example mine will automatically boost brown
outs and clip surges. But if you don't need a feature don't pay for it.
Thats about all I can think of off hand, I hope it points you in the right
direction.
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