The Stack: UPS Monitoring – Putting Data Centres In Control

We talk to data centre news website The Stack about all the various different types of uninterruptible power supply (UPS) monitoring.

In any environment where critical power protection is needed, there’s no point an alarm being triggered by a fault or failure unless there’s an appropriate response.

Logo for The Stack.com data centre websiteUPS monitoring can cover everything from the relatively simple – listening for loud warning sirens or alarms or terminals connected to a Building Management System (BSM) – through to the complex, cloud-based remote monitoring systems that enable UPS units based in server rooms thousands of miles apart to be continuously connected and analysed.

We explain UPS monitoring at its most basic, local level – voltage free (dry) contact – and also cover some the standard communication protocols such as RS-323, Modbus, and Profibus, that enable several pieces of equipment to be connected via a network so that performance data can be exchanged and analysed.

The article also covers the more advanced network communication that many modern data centres require, namely Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) capabilities, and how such a structure can even encourage preventive UPS maintenance and good housekeeping.

The data constantly being collated such as remaining battery time, mains supply voltage, and UPS output offers a rich seam of information to optimise system performance.

We conclude with a look into cloud-based remote UPS monitoring services such as our own Riello Connect platform, which acts as an ‘extra pair of eyes and ears’ that can flag up potential faults so they can be repaired well before they have the chance to develop into a critical system failure.

To learn about all the different types of UPS monitoring in greater detail, read the complete article over at The Stack website