Uninterruptible Power Supply Guidelines

An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is an important part of a comprehensive power delivery system. In the event of a power failure, having a generator on your building is not enough to keep your computers going. A UPS is a battery that sits between a computer and the power that keeps it running. A UPS supplies power to your computers when power has failed, and the building generators are spinning up.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why is a Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) necessary?

A: A UPS is an integral part of Stanford's power management system for mission-critical computer systems. For certain buildings on the Stanford campus, when the power goes out, a generator immediately starts up. It takes up to four minutes for the generator to start up; during this time, there is no power to the building. A UPS can provide power to attached equipment during this outage.

Q: I have a standard desktop computer. What kind of UPS do I need?

A: The size of the UPS you need depends on the amount of power your computer consumes. If you have a standard desktop computer, with only one internal hard drive, we recommend a small UPS, such as the APC Back-UPS 300.

Q: I have a workstation-class computer. What kind of UPS do I need?

A: For a machine with a few internal hard drives and a few external hard drives, we recommend a larger UPS; see APC's sizing page for help with choosing the appropriate UPS.

Q: I'm a systems administrator running one or more servers. What kind of UPS do I need?

A: If you are running a server, consider APC's Smart-UPS line; it's tailored to support servers. See APC's sizing page to choose the appropriate UPS.

What's the easiest way to purchase a UPS at Stanford?

A: Once you've chosen the appropriate UPS, it can be easily purchased through Stanford's Campus-Wide Agreement with En Pointe Technologies; they have excellent pricing and fast delivery. Orders should be placed through the Prism online purchasing system. More purchasing information is available on Skeezix.