[ale] OT: U.P.S. Recommendations

[Geoffrey]

Bob Toxen wrote:
> Some of the previous posters make good points about very sensitive
> equipment and generators.  (I have yet to try driving my UPSs from
> my fairly new generator.)
> 
> That said, I've used exclusively APC for about 12 years with excellent
> success.  That includes NO fried equipment even though one of my ceiling
> fans fried during a storm.  Standard boxes, even cheap white boxes,
> will do just fine with APC or others that only invert when the Georgia
> Power doesn't.
> 
> IMPORTANT NOTES ESPECIALLY AS WE HAVE ENTERED THUNDERSTORM SEASON:
> 
> 1. You need to change your UPS batteries every 3-5 years.  To test
>    their health shut your systems down and boot to the BIOS level
>    and leave them there.  That means that you will NOT have active
>    file systems that could get corrupted on abrupt shut down.

Better yet, boot to a bootable OS like knoppix or something so you have 
a gui running that will really pull more juice then the bios screen.

Just make sure that the bootable OS doesn't mount any existing file systems.

-- 
Until later, Geoffrey

Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little
temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.
  - Benjamin Franklin