I believe I may know (at least part of) the answer here. Bear with me... Others have stated in this thread that Dell is likely rebranding an APC product. While I have not looked into this specifically, I would be highly inclined to believe this to be the case. Dell doesn't make printers, switches, mice, or keyboards, so why should they make UPSes?
I digress. While it sounds like a sales tactic, you should always ask why. It is possible that there is an ounce of truth to what he is saying, but he may not know why. Regardless, I would be willing to bet that a selection of the correct UPS from just about any major vendor, particularly APC, would work just fine. He's likely pushing that sales pitch, 1) because it is Dell branded, but 2) because the UPS is known to work properly with the power supplies employed in that particular line of servers (specifically, Power Factor Correction power supplies). There actually are many differences between UPS types and how they behave, both while utility power is present and when utility power is removed. There are UPSes that switch from utility to battery backup, causing a slight interruption in power for a few milliseconds. This is tolerable for most consumer electronics and even PCs and servers, as long as the end user device power supply maintains a capacitive charge long enough to power the device for the duration of the transfer from utility to battery. This type of UPS is referred to as an Offline or Standby type, and is likely what you have at your desk, if you have one. Additionally, there are UPSes that actually never break the connection to the end user device, and so there is zero transfer time that is realized on the output. These UPSes are typically more expensive than what most of us buy on a regular basis, unless we've got some really big and critical loads that we're protecting. These are referred to as Online, or possibly Ferro Resonant, or Double Conversion UPSes, depending on the technology & design. Finally, (and this is where the ounce of truth comes in) there are also differences in how the power output is generated by the UPS. This is likely what the sales person was referring to in the sales pitch (aside from the fact that he was pushing a particular brand). There are sine wave, simulated sine wave, and various square wave outputs depending on the quality and technologies employed in the UPS design. As I mentioned earlier, Power Factor Correction power supplies do NOT like a square wave power source - they are designed for a true sine wave power source and will not run properly, if at all, from a square wave power source. Low end UPSes tend to have a modified square wave or a stepped square wave instead of what would be seen as a more pure sine wave output. Total Harmonic Distortion also plays a key role here. So, if the power supply of the device cannot run well on a simulated or stepped square wave power, and the UPS is an offline type that generates a stepped square wave when the utility is lost, then all you really have is an extra heavy surge suppressor...everything is fine when online, but the instant you lose utility power, your load device will likely lose power as well. For more information, see these links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uninterruptible_power_supply http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverter_(electrical) (specifically scroll down to "Output waveforms" http://www.cyberpowersystems.com/support/faqs/topologysinewave.html (good read in general talking about UPS and Output Waveform types.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_factor#Passive_PFC (Power Factor Correction) Jonathan L. Raper, A+, MCSA, MCSE Technology Coordinator Eagle Physicians & Associates, PA [email protected]<BLOCKED::mailto:%[email protected]> www.eaglemds.com<BLOCKED::http://www.eaglemds.com/> ________________________________ From: Laurence Childs [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2011 8:04 AM To: NT System Admin Issues Subject: DELL UPS Hi All I'm in the process of sourcing a new server and UPS for a client Currently looking to choose between DELL & HP, however my supplier is saying that I should use DELL UPS with the DELL server as other UPS i.e. APC 'don't always work' Has anybody heard of or experienced this? Cheers Laurence ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ --- To manage subscriptions click here: http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ or send an email to [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin ________________________________ Any medical information contained in this electronic message is CONFIDENTIAL and privileged. It is unlawful for unauthorized persons to view, copy, disclose, or disseminate CONFIDENTIAL information. This electronic message may contain information that is confidential and/or legally privileged. It is intended only for the use of the individual(s) and/or entity named as recipients in the message. If you are not an intended recipient of this message, please notify the sender immediately and delete this material from your computer. Do not deliver, distribute or copy this message, and do not disclose its contents or take any action in reliance on the information that it contains. ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ --- To manage subscriptions click here: http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ or send an email to [email protected] with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin
