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I have a mac mini server running at home. It acts as a web server and a file server. Recently, they have been doing construction on my street, and power will dip on and off 2 to 4 times per day.

I have a surge protector setup, but since I've never dealt with this situation before, I figured I would ask. Is there anything else I should be doing to be sure I don't damage my hardware?

My only thought is that a UPS would keep the server running, but my personal web server really isn't all that important. I just don't want my hardware dying young.

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migrated from serverfault.com Oct 29 '10 at 18:12

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1 Answer

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A good UPS also does power-conditioning, which will help prolong equipment lifetime. All too often, when power returns from having been down there will be a transient surge followed by a transient under-voltage, the kind of cycling that can reduce the lifetime of power-supplies. A high quality surge-suppressor can clamp the surge, but the undervolt can only be handled by a UPS.

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+1 for giving me a reason to buy something geeky like a UPS :) . – Stephano Oct 29 '10 at 18:00
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+1 UPSs are about the least-sexy hardware that you can buy, but also the most important. They're an insurance policy; a $100-200 investment will save you countless thousands in hardware, never mind preventing problems associated with unclean shutdowns and the associated time... – gWaldo Oct 29 '10 at 18:05
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