Electrical problems, UPS |
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Power flux (such as "brown outs", surges) and magnetic fields (such as commercial vacuum cleaners) are known to cause data loss on magnetic media. |
The most common types of power problems and the results are as follows:
| Surges | Short term increases in voltage for less than 2.5 sec (often lasting 1/120 of a second) | Computer memory loss bit error in transmissions power supply damage data corruption reduce the life of equipment |
| Sags also known as Brownouts | Short term decreases in voltage | Lock up keyboards crash systems reduce the life of equipment |
| Spikes | High magnitude short duration power disturbances | Equipment damage reduced service life data corruption |
| Noise Harmonics, also known as electromagnetic (EMI) of radio frequence interference (RFI) | Some form of induced frequency on the 50Hz base frequency | Garbled data computer lockup damage to monitors and CPUs |
| Blackouts | Any breaks in power of greater than 2.5 secs | computer lockup computer shutdown loss of current/new data i RAM/Cache possible corruption of FAT table |
(Bell,S (1998, Aug31), [Ref 97]Solstat (95)
Telecom has a greater interest than most organisations in ensuring it can withstand a power blackout, with hundreds of thousands of customers dependent on its services at all times of the day and night.
Telecom Auckland has set itself a goal of ensuring subscribers phones go dead due to power failure on an average for no more than an hour in 200 years !
Telecom relies on a wide range of types and sizes of device to provide it with backup power.
At one extreme are huge engine alternator plants, such as the Airedale Street exchange in Auckland, which generate 1.7 MW of power.
On a smaller scale are the 1kVA UPS (Uninterruptible power systems) providing emergency electricity for local area network file servers in use by Telecom office staff.
[Rev 03/11/98] 3/12/97 © 1997-98 V/2-Com (Verhaart), P O Box 8415, Havelock North, New Zealand.
